(Mod edit:merged duplicate thread - spadgy)Being an European I've not been very familiar with the entire hype around Billy Mitchell and his competitors during the Golden Age of Arcade Games. I've been aware of his achievements, but not of a place like Twin Galaxies, an "international scoreboard" that is kept by its owner or even how old world record holders meet up nowadays.
Well, as you can guess by the introduction I have watched The King of Kong (2007) a short time ago. Very entertaining and just what I like: Arcade games + 80's techno feeling. Cool stuff. But there are some things bugging me a little and I hoped to find some answers here.
#1Was
Billy Mitchell really the record holder of Donkey Kong for pretty much 20 years? My mind struggles to accept that the WORLD RECORD in a JAPANESE GAME was held by a WESTERNER for TWENTY YEARS! I've seen too many middle-aged Japanese guys, many on film and some for real, who were just sitting in some old arcade and play Xevious until xx million just for the sake of it or until they have something else to do. I would love to know that the WR was really held by Billy Mitchell for such a long time, but it seems more likely to me that Japanese scores are just not known to Twin Galaxies - or Guinness, who refer to TG's Walter Day.
#2Is that
Brian Kuh an imaginary character or a real "score player"? According to Twin Galaxies he got 16 (!!) world records on a single day at some tournament. That does seem not only impossible, it sounds highly ridiculous. Considering he behaved like a giant arse-kisser of Billy Mitchell and generally like a dick during the entire movie ("there's a possible DK kill screen coming up.... if you're interested") and never achieved only half as much points in DK as either Mitchell or Wiebe, I can't just believe that... untill someone wise tells me it is in fact the bitter truth.
#3Why were those Twin Galaxies guys (except Walter Day who seemed nice and fair) such assholes to Wiebe? I've already mentioned Brian Kuh, but Mitchell himself conveyed such hostility in his interviews, it's hardly imaginable for me why they are so hostile. For instance the scene at Mitchell's restaurant: "Yeah, they're here. I don't know why, they were not invited, but they've come." - what the fuck? As far as I'm concerned score-players should stick together and newbies should be welcome. Japanese players at the arcade trade their experience to get better, to benefit mutually. I don't get it why some of the guys in "The King of Kong" felt like they belonged to the FBI of video games, like they were some super-important and super-exclusive members of a superhero society. Oh dear, that's not only pathetic but puts shame on our entire community!
