Video Game Documentary Stirs Up Controversy

Game Master writes "Billy Mitchell has long been one of the gaming industry's most recognizable players. He appears in a new documentary, King of Kong, which has been screening to very positive reviews at film festivals around the country, and has been picked up by a major motion picture distributor. The movie, which portrays Billy in a very negative light, has come under fire recently in an article posted at MTV.com, where Billy and others spoke out about what they believed to be an unfair portrayal in the film. 'Ultimately, the documentary hasn't settled the Mitchell/Wiebe debate, which has been going on for nearly a half-decade. Mitchell, Day, Mruczek and several other arcade aficionados are now compiling a response to the film, a timeline they plan to post on TwinGalaxies.com in June. An early draft of the document lists [what they refer to as] KOK fiction, like, "Billy Mitchell will stop at nothing in order to keep his DK score," and promises facts that will prove those assertions wrong.' The end of the article seems to imply that legal action may follow."

Comments

Um, context?

[The One and Only]

I've read this summary six or seven times and I still have no fucking idea what it's supposed to mean.

Re:Um, context?

[AKAImBatman]

Having actually read the article, it's more like this: Video portrays latest hotshot in the classic gaming scene as a hero who's being put down by the old guard. In the process, it portrays the older gamers as being petty in an attempt to suppress the rightful crowning of the new hotshot. The old guard replies that they did nothing to suppress the young hotshot, and that his problems stem from a failure to adhere to the rules of gaming championships. (e.g. His Donkey Kong machine was a later twin-board system for playing both DK and DKjr rather than an original DK machine that the rules call for.) Young hotshot thinks that the real case is that the judges and other gamers want to protect the scores of the older gamer. Media circus ensues.

Re:Summary of the Summary

[miowpurr]

It's all in the editing. If they shot 100 hours of film, they still have to edit it down to something that the average person is willing to sit through. Which means under two hours, for the most part. Out of that original 100 hours, how many different versions of the film can they concoct? Probably one or two that the guy would like, and several more that make him look like a prick.

-- I've seen this film --

[SydShamino]

Since the responses so far seem to not understand, let me put it in context. I saw this at the SXSW Film Festival in March. It was one of the best films of the festival, and one of the best documentaries I've seen.

This is a documentary about Steve Wiebe, a down-on-his luck man who tries to achieve the high score in Donkey Kong. He picked this particular game almost at random, noting that the old high score had stood for almost 20 years. The old score was set by Billy Mitchell as a teenager in the early 80s.

Twin Galaxies is the organization that "officially" tracks world record scores in video games. (I say officially because they are recognized in the field, and because Guinness "subcontracts" this record tracking to them.)

In the film, Billy Mitchell is not portrayed as an asshole. Billy Mitchell is an asshole. The film just portrays him in his natural habitat. It also shows how Twin Galaxies has its own "Good Ol' Boy Network" to identify who it trusts regarding scoring. This comes into play because most high scores are earned at homes, where the proof is a video camera pointed at the screen. Theoretically, someone could modify their boards so that the game acts differently, thereby cheating to win.

Wiebe is portrayed as a very nice, down-to-earth man. I have no reason to believe otherwise. He seems the same way in person. And yet, his attempts are continually scorned, while Mitchell's new, shady high scores are immediately accepted without question. Put this together with Mitchell's on-screen arrogance, and you'll agree that these documentary film makers filmed more drama than a weeknight on TNT.

In my history of video games book (which I just happened to be reading during SXSW), on the Donkey Kong page, you'll find the signature of man who has earned the highest score ever in Donkey Kong. It's signed Steve Wiebe.

---------
If you see the movie:
At one point a film of Billy Mitchell's game is submitted to Twin Galaxies, and almost immediately accepted. Yet, the film has static and glitches that make it hard to see the score, and at one point the score seems to jump while covered by static. After the movie, during Q&A, the film makers noted that they have viewed the original tape of the game (not just copies), and the static and jump are present there as well.

This wouldn't matter so much if Twin Galaxies hadn't already explained up how strict they were when judging tapes, and rejected Wiebe tapes with much less uncertainty.

Re:-- I've seen this film --

[AdmiralWeirdbeard]

In the film, Billy Mitchell is not portrayed as an asshole. Billy Mitchell is an asshole. The film just portrays him in his natural habitat.

because if its a documentary, then there's no portrayal, just the facts? what a load. He comes off as an asshole in the movie, and as a regular dude in the MTV interview. Truth's probably somewhere inbetween. Also, given that the refs also think the movie was unfair and contrived, maybe there's something to it. yes, they were also criticized. fine. seems like the only one actually talking trash is Wiebe.