The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

[abomb]

Well, I cant believe I didnt mention this earlier.

This summer my wife and I drove to Maine from Harrisburg, PA.

I made sure to let her know that there was no way I would drive past Funspot without stopping. So for half a day, I played vintage games like Steve Wiebe.

And for the record. Donkey Kong is freaking HARD! Funspot Rocks.

That is really cool.

After watching the film, I dusted off DK via MAME. That game is ridiculously tough.

 

[Russ Smith]

That is really cool.

After watching the film, I dusted off DK via MAME. That game is ridiculously tough.

This will reveal too much about my past but there's actually 2 versions of DK IIRC. There were some machines that you could hide on the ladder and the barrel would never come down and hit you on the ladder, and some where they would come down. So when I was a kid playing that game the first thing I'd do is climb up a ladder and stay there to test which chip the machine had(if I'd never played DK there before).

I was nowhere near as good as those guys were but I was wondering during the movie which game they were playing, i'm assuming the harder one. the one where you can hide on the ladder made that one particular screen way too easy.

 

[Bada0Bing]

There's a new champ!

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/04/surgeon-breaks-computer-game-r.html

Surgeon smashes computer game record
10:29 29 April 2010
Health
Technology

Celeste Biever, biomedical news editor

The worldwide record for the highest ever score in the classic computer game Donkey Kong has been broken - by a plastic surgeon. Is this anecdotal evidence of a link between the hand-eye coordination required for surgery and skill in computer games?

Hank Chien of New York scored 1,061,700 points after playing the classic arcade game for two hours, 35 minutes. Laparoscopic surgery "does feel like you're playing a video game because what you're looking at is actually an altered version of what you are doing", he told amednews.com.

Donkey-Kong.jpg

(Image: D.Begley/flickr)

He's not the first person to link playing computer games and surgery. What's more there is growing evidence that these games - often vilified for turning kids into couch potatoes - hone a variety of useful skills.

In 2008, Kanav Kahol and Marshall Smith of the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, found that surgical residents performed better during simulated surgery after playing on the Nintendo Wii console.

But other skills also seem to improve. Last year, Daphne Bavelier showed that playing action-packed computer games improves a person's ability to perceive contrast, raising the prospect that people with amblyopia, which affects contrast perception, could be treated with games.

In 2007, Mathias Fleck and Stephen Mitroff of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, discovered that regular gamers had a sharper eye for finding target objects on a cluttered computer screen than non-gamers. They suggested that radiologists searching X-rays for tumours or officials watching airport scanners might benefit from playing these games.

Apparently Chien gained two new patients after they heard about his Donkey Kong skills. Perhaps they are onto something.

Another funny Q & A article here, but it's a little too long to post:

http://www.examiner.com/x-31739-Den...d8-Hank-Chien-Is-the-New-Donkey-Kong-Champion

 

[Dr. Jones]

This is still the best movie I have seen in the last 2 years.

Hands down.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Well, I cant believe I didnt mention this earlier.

This summer my wife and I drove to Maine from Harrisburg, PA.

I made sure to let her know that there was no way I would drive past Funspot without stopping. So for half a day, I played vintage games like Steve Wiebe.

And for the record. Donkey Kong is freaking HARD! Funspot Rocks.

that is fantastic!

i can't wait to introduce the movie (can't believe i haven't yet) to my girlfriend. very anxious to see how she takes to it considering she's YOOOUUUNG (but legal!).

 

[Dr. Jones]

that is fantastic!

i can't wait to introduce the movie (can't believe i haven't yet) to my girlfriend. very anxious to see how she takes to it considering she's YOOOUUUNG (but legal!).

I got one of those cheap bottle opener keychains with some of the skee ball tickets I had. It is still on my keychain.

The area around funspot is a huge tourist area as well. It was right on a lake. I will go back there again.

 

[Cheesebeef]

that is fantastic!

i can't wait to introduce the movie (can't believe i haven't yet) to my girlfriend. very anxious to see how she takes to it considering she's YOOOUUUNG (but legal!).

barely!

 

[D-Dogg]

Good for Ouchie!!

 

[Stout]

This is still the best movie I have seen in the last 2 years.

Hands down.

I thought it was good, and it gave me some good laughs, but I think a lot of people are vastly overrating this flick.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I thought it was good, and it gave me some good laughs, but I think a lot of people are vastly overrating this flick.

Ohhhh..... Now now!!!

This is a real life good vs. evil tale. And it was Nerd on Nerd battle. What is better than that? (besides porn of course)

I felt soooo bad for Weibe. He was getting hosed over and over again.

And the bad guy just looked so creepy! lol

LOVED this movie.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Update:

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/...g-villain-reclaims-donkey-kong-throne/1407410

'King of Kong' villain reclaims Donkey Kong throne
by Ben Silverman
August 9, 2010

Based on his portrayal in the breakout documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," classic game expert Billy Mitchell isn’t exactly the world's most likable guy. But at the International Video Game Hall of Fame's inaugural event, he proved that when it comes to video game chops, he's still tops.

Mitchell reclaimed the official Donkey Kong world record by amassing 1,062,800 points in the legendary barrel-hopping platformer, putting him ahead of former record holder Hank Chien by a mere 1,100.

But he didn’t stop there. Shortly after setting the new Kong mark, Mitchell went after the ape's lesser known son, racking up 1,270,900 in Donkey Kong, Jr. to claim that record, too. It took Mitchell 2 hours and 42 minutes to set the Donkey Kong mark and 3 hours and 58 minutes to top Donkey Kong, Jr.

Why go after both records? You could say Mitchell was just caught up in the moment.

"I remember a lot of celebration; hugs, kisses and a lot of hooting and hollering," he said in a release. "Once that died down, I stood there looking at Donkey Kong Jr. and thought 'there's one more thing I have to take care of'."

In "King of Kong," Mitchell was portrayed as the bad guy of the competitive classic gaming world, snubbing up-and-coming rival Steve Wiebe, a math teacher from Washington. Wiebe traveled to numerous locations to play Mitchell at Donkey Kong, including Mitchell's home town, but Mitchell repeatedly refused to participate in an organized match.

Undaunted, Wiebe beats Mitchell's existing Donkey Kong record in the movie's closing scenes, a record that would stand until Mitchell retook the crown in 2007. Chien stepped into the pair's to-and-fro battle by taking the crown in February, and his record stood until Mitchell's recent triumph.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Update:

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/...g-villain-reclaims-donkey-kong-throne/1407410

'King of Kong' villain reclaims Donkey Kong throne
by Ben Silverman
August 9, 2010

Based on his portrayal in the breakout documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," classic game expert Billy Mitchell isn’t exactly the world's most likable guy. But at the International Video Game Hall of Fame's inaugural event, he proved that when it comes to video game chops, he's still tops.

Mitchell reclaimed the official Donkey Kong world record by amassing 1,062,800 points in the legendary barrel-hopping platformer, putting him ahead of former record holder Hank Chien by a mere 1,100.

But he didn’t stop there. Shortly after setting the new Kong mark, Mitchell went after the ape's lesser known son, racking up 1,270,900 in Donkey Kong, Jr. to claim that record, too. It took Mitchell 2 hours and 42 minutes to set the Donkey Kong mark and 3 hours and 58 minutes to top Donkey Kong, Jr.

Why go after both records? You could say Mitchell was just caught up in the moment.

"I remember a lot of celebration; hugs, kisses and a lot of hooting and hollering," he said in a release. "Once that died down, I stood there looking at Donkey Kong Jr. and thought 'there's one more thing I have to take care of'."

In "King of Kong," Mitchell was portrayed as the bad guy of the competitive classic gaming world, snubbing up-and-coming rival Steve Wiebe, a math teacher from Washington. Wiebe traveled to numerous locations to play Mitchell at Donkey Kong, including Mitchell's home town, but Mitchell repeatedly refused to participate in an organized match.

Undaunted, Wiebe beats Mitchell's existing Donkey Kong record in the movie's closing scenes, a record that would stand until Mitchell retook the crown in 2007. Chien stepped into the pair's to-and-fro battle by taking the crown in February, and his record stood until Mitchell's recent triumph.

awesome. thanks for the update. who's this chien upstart?!?

 

[nathan]

Is it wrong that I'm a huge Billy Mitchell fan? The guy is the best.

 

[ajcardfan]

Is it wrong that I'm a huge Billy Mitchell fan? The guy is the best.

Is he a relative?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Whoa !!

‘King of Kong’ Star Stripped of High Scores, Banned From Competition

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertain...d-from-competition/ar-AAvNQeo?ocid=spartanntp

Famed high-score gamer Billy Mitchell, best known for his leading role in “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” documentary, was officially stripped of his “Donkey Kong” and other video game high scores and banned from submitting scores to the world’s largest tracker of video game world records following a decision that he cheated, Twin Galaxies announced today.

“With this ruling Twin Galaxies can no longer recognize Billy Mitchell as the first million point ‘Donkey Kong’ record holder,” the group wrote in its announcement. “According to our findings, Steve Wiebe would be the official 1st million point record holder.”

Variety has reached out to Mitchell and Wiebe for comment and Guinness to see if his record there will stand.

The decision comes after months of research by the administrators of Twin Galaxies, which tracks world gaming records and helps the Guinness Book of World records validate gaming scores, according to a statement released by the group Thursday morning.

The group writes in an statement released today that Mitchell’s famous”Donkey Kong” score of 1,047,200 was not achieved on an arcade machine — a requirement for Twin Galaxies and Guinness — but rather through the use of emulation software.

“The rules for submitting scores for the original arcade”Donkey Kong” competitive leaderboards requires the use of original arcade hardware only,” according to the group. “The use of MAME or any other emulation software for submission to these leaderboards is strictly forbidden.”

---

With this ruling Twin Galaxies can no longer recognize Billy Mitchell as the 1st million point “Donkey Kong” record holder. According to our findings, Steve Wiebe would be the official 1st million point record holder.

 

[Cheesebeef]

T.. I... E?

 

[Cheesebeef]

Will anyone be surprised when Billy Mitchell's named the new Secretary Of State after Pompeo gets a no vote in the Senate?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Whoa !!

‘King of Kong’ Star Stripped of High Scores, Banned From Competition

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/‘king-of-kong’-star-stripped-of-high-scores-banned-from-competition/ar-AAvNQeo?ocid=spartanntp

Famed high-score gamer Billy Mitchell, best known for his leading role in “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” documentary, was officially stripped of his “Donkey Kong” and other video game high scores and banned from submitting scores to the world’s largest tracker of video game world records following a decision that he cheated, Twin Galaxies announced today.

“With this ruling Twin Galaxies can no longer recognize Billy Mitchell as the first million point ‘Donkey Kong’ record holder,” the group wrote in its announcement. “According to our findings, Steve Wiebe would be the official 1st million point record holder.”

Variety has reached out to Mitchell and Wiebe for comment and Guinness to see if his record there will stand.

The decision comes after months of research by the administrators of Twin Galaxies, which tracks world gaming records and helps the Guinness Book of World records validate gaming scores, according to a statement released by the group Thursday morning.

The group writes in an statement released today that Mitchell’s famous”Donkey Kong” score of 1,047,200 was not achieved on an arcade machine — a requirement for Twin Galaxies and Guinness — but rather through the use of emulation software.

“The rules for submitting scores for the original arcade”Donkey Kong” competitive leaderboards requires the use of original arcade hardware only,” according to the group. “The use of MAME or any other emulation software for submission to these leaderboards is strictly forbidden.”

---

With this ruling Twin Galaxies can no longer recognize Billy Mitchell as the 1st million point “Donkey Kong” record holder. According to our findings, Steve Wiebe would be the official 1st million point record holder.

When I saw this o i immediatelynemailed the article to my brothers. MAy King of Kong never die . . .

 

[Dr. Jones]

So I finally bit the bullet and paid 7 buckaroos for this on iTunes. Not only does it still hold up...... It's better now that I knew so much more of the backstory.

This flick gets my highest recommendation and is easily in my top 10 movies of the 2000's so far. Don't @ me bro!

 

[Cheesebeef]

This thread has one of My favorite board memories. I think it was Nashman who scoffed at the idea that this movie could actually be good and got into some good rants about it... all while never having seen the movie.

then in one of the great board about faces, he finally saw it and loved it.

moral of the story: Cheese is always right.