Just recently (as my Netflix Queue began to clear up), I was given the opportunity to experience the movie, King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. This independent documentary was released to small audiences in early 2007. It chronicle's the trials and tribulations of an unknown Steven Wiebe, as he attempts to break the world record high score in Nintendo's Donkey Kong. A road block stands in his way, in the form of the reigning record holder, and respected gaming veteran, Billy Mitchell. Billy had spent years making a name for himself in the gaming scene, as he holds recognized accomplishments in other classic arcade games, such as Centipede and Pac-Man. As expected, he is not willing to let his high score be relinquished so easily. The quest soon becomes a game of cat and mouse for Wiebe, as his challenge becomes more about earning his respect amongst the gaming community.
This movie takes you into an environment that few of us know existed. An environment where a whole community of old school videogame hobbyists thrive off of the competition that is brought forth by these classic arcade games. The sport is taken very serious, and there is much involved in topping an accomplished high score. An example of such, as shown in the movie, is when Steve Wiebe's home is invaded and his personal Donkey Kong arcade machine is dismantled so that the circuit boards can be inspected for foul play. This movie also does well to document the time and energy one must commit to mastering these challenging titles. To accomplish such a task, requires much timing perfection and pattern recognition. These games were created with the mindset that nobody would get past the first few levels. Thus when a dedicated gamer does reach far enough into the game, the console runs out of memory, and the character suddenly dies. This is what is referred to in the movie, as the very rare Kill Screen.
As the description may lead you to discover, this movie is not going to be enjoyed by everyone. Some may find it disturbing that there exists such a cult of grown men whom are bonded to the videogame scene in such a religious manner. However, if you have an interest in the videogame industry that goes beyond the XBox in your living room, this DVD is worth at least a rental. If anything, pick it up for the 8bit art and music collage that is thrown in as an extra feature. This movie is entertaining at best, however, don't expect any life-altering experiences to submerge.
I give this movie two m's out of four.
This movie takes you into an environment that few of us know existed. An environment where a whole community of old school videogame hobbyists thrive off of the competition that is brought forth by these classic arcade games. The sport is taken very serious, and there is much involved in topping an accomplished high score. An example of such, as shown in the movie, is when Steve Wiebe's home is invaded and his personal Donkey Kong arcade machine is dismantled so that the circuit boards can be inspected for foul play. This movie also does well to document the time and energy one must commit to mastering these challenging titles. To accomplish such a task, requires much timing perfection and pattern recognition. These games were created with the mindset that nobody would get past the first few levels. Thus when a dedicated gamer does reach far enough into the game, the console runs out of memory, and the character suddenly dies. This is what is referred to in the movie, as the very rare Kill Screen.
As the description may lead you to discover, this movie is not going to be enjoyed by everyone. Some may find it disturbing that there exists such a cult of grown men whom are bonded to the videogame scene in such a religious manner. However, if you have an interest in the videogame industry that goes beyond the XBox in your living room, this DVD is worth at least a rental. If anything, pick it up for the 8bit art and music collage that is thrown in as an extra feature. This movie is entertaining at best, however, don't expect any life-altering experiences to submerge.
I give this movie two m's out of four.
