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Interviews: Ask "The King of Kong" Billy Mitchell About Classic Video Games
samzenpus (5) writes Billy Mitchell owns the Rickey's World Famous Restaurant chain, sells his own line of hot sauces, and was called, "probably the greatest arcade-video-game player of all time". He was the first to achieve a perfect score in Pac-Man, and held many record scores in other arcade games. He is probably most famous for the 2007 documentary,"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters". The film follows a challenger on his quest to surpass Billy's high score in Donkey Kong, which Mitchell had set in 1982. Since the film was made, the Kong crown has been held by a number people including twice by Mitchell. Billy has agreed to put down the quarters and answer any questions you might have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.
Do you still get late night drunken phone calls from East Side Dave?
What game(s) are you working on now?
Do you play many modern computer games these days, such as the current (Xbox One / Playstation 4) or recent generation? How do you think they differ from decades ago with cabinet based titles you are so well known for playing?
Why did you waste all that money on Donkey Kong when Galaga is clearly the superior game?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
What (if anything) do you regret about your fame as a champion video game player?
Do you like Japanese imports?
Every arcade that I have been inside in the last 10 years or so has been filled with terrible ticket-churning games. The commoditization of gaming hardware seems to have permanently killed off the classic arcade. Do you think this is an accurate observation, and do you see any way that the arcade-game scene could be rejuvenated?
Wasn't hr the first guy to sink a battleship by bombing it from the air?
What is your definition of OCD?
Do you think Creationists should be denied universal healthcare if they claim the right to bear arms?
Based on past interviews, this should be the most discussed question when he answers.
If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
Have you ever been approached by an extraterrestrial recruiter?
Billy, is it as heart breaking for you to see someone butchering classic games that, with a little effort, could easily be restored, for the sake of some assclown hacking together a glorified Bally/Midway 60 in 1 with a bag of Skittles dumped on the control panel?
In the documentary, you were definitely made out to be the 'bad guy'. I'm sure reality was a bit more complicated than what the movie portrayed.
Have you and the challenger kept in touch? Are things more amicable than they were back then?
Watching King of Kong, I felt as if you were cast as the villain who was stuck in the past and couldn't move on in life. How would you describe your identity and what you ultimately want out of life?
Do you regret wasting your life on pointless video games?
How many hours do you estimate you've put into DK and other games?
I'm not even trolling. I really want to know.
Can you estimate how many hours you have spent playing Donkey Kong? Is it still fun to play?
BlameBillCosby.com
What is your opinion on today's competitive gaming, where there are corporate sponsors, live streams viewed by thousands, tournaments with prize money in the millions of dollars, and a focus on games made to be played competitively - games like Starcraft 2, Counter-Strike GO, DOTA and its dozens of clones, Street Fighter, and even modern competitive Pac-Man (Championship Edition DX II)? Do you think it is an improvement over the eighties, where perfect-scoring Pac-Man got you some media attention and that was pretty much it?
Do you have a favorite pre-1990's console conversion of Donkey Kong? Maybe Colecovision or Atari 7800, etc..
Barcade idea and don't need chains like dave and busters that are loaded with the ticket and prize games.
Chicago has a few with lots of pinball and other video games.
Really, let's find out about your performance in that game. That's what really matters. No other game matches it.
How do you feel about the modern trend of getting away from joysticks and buttons to almost exclusively shifting towards a combination of a revival of pre-video game type arcade games and novel/gimmick interfaces?
The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
Most documentaries have a particular point of view and editing can really define how someone comes off. Most people would agree you did not come off particularly well in the documentary. Would you ever consider doing another documentary?
Do you believe all that Donkey Kong, all those hours of gaming, trained (prepared) you for your life ?
i.e. was it practice, on some (mental) level ?
What is your experience and opinion on the many Donkey Kong clones, like Congo Bongo, Crazy Kong, Konkey Kong, Monkey Kong, Donkey King, or even Popeye?
I for one have never heard of "Rickey's World Famous Restaurant chain" (Australian living in the U.K.) So it can't be *that* world famous...!
In Soviet Russia, all our base are belong to YOU!
Mr. Mitchell,
What attracted you to Donkey Kong? There are several video games of that era which could easily be considered classics, such as PacMan, Donkey Kong, etc. What was it about Donkey Kong in particular that kept you coming back to it?
The movie, "King of Kong" made it appear that your cozy relationship with the adjudicator introduced a bias and double standard that undermined the credibility of Walter Day's record keeping. Despite your unflattering portrayal in the movie Seth Gordon claims to have portrayed you as a more light-hearted character than you are in reality because if he showed the real you the movie would have been "darker". Has viewing the movie altered how you see yourself and your approach to life?
I excelled at every video game I played at far above anyone else I've met. Every competition I've been in, I've done very well too. I ranked high in the Nintendo World Championships in what 89? I got #1 in ladder in Starcraft back in 99. I got first to 1500 wins in Warcraft3 and #1 in ladder in 1v1,2v2 and 3v3.
So my question is: Have you ever wanted to design an ultimate skill based game?
I'm also a programmer/designer. I got into game design in 87 when I played all the games that were out there and had ideas for my own. My main ideas as a kid was "Action/RPG", and MMORPGS. These were good ideas and as anyone can tell they're where we went as an industry. The problem is that MMORPGS have little reflex skill involved, and Action/RPG can be beat by just leveling your player up.
So lately I've been wondering in how to make a video game similar to those 80s games in terms of relying on reflexes, yet still be fun for the modern player who likes to bathe in powerups(levels, skill trees and equipment). Do you have an idea you might want to share? We could work together to see it through. I'm just finishing a video game that is like Zelda and is going on Kongregate.com hopefully in the next few weeks. If you want to play the engine the game was built on, just be sure to login to save your progress.
God spoke to me
What are your thoughts on modern focus of Storyline and Context over the old days of skill and high scores? Also Can you give any insight on what you think of Virtual Reality and the Oculus Rift?
I think you just stated "I hate your looks" in the form of a question. I don't think it should be dignified with an answer.
How much money did you spend in the 1980s on video games? I recall thinking $10 to $20 a day was a lot of money at the arcade back then - but nowhere near enough game time to build up 'pro gamer' skills... were you independently wealthy, or had some other secret?
Lodragan Draoidh
The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
Do you have a ghost pepper hot sauce? If not, do you know where I could get a good one?
I've been eating so many nachos that it surprised me when I can barely even notice Habaneros give me any heat.
The obvious step is to go up a notch, but I can't find any ghost pepper sauces at my local grocery store, and I'm hesitant to buy ghost peppers from out of the country on Ebay. Ebay is pretty bad when people screw up your order to begin with, but ingesting something you buy on Ebay steps it up to a new level of trust I don't think Ebay deserves.
God spoke to me
Question: what is your Ms PacMan record?
I miss the days where the goal of a game is to get the high score. They still exist but the percentage of such are lower. What are your thoughts on this?
Myself and my friends who have seen the documentary and the actions of you and your cadre have just one question. How come we could never see your arm as you operated your army of ass puppets? Seriously you must have been shoulder deep in Steve... Some of us think you wore green washing up gloves and it was edited out.
If you're not trolling, you may want to try re-phrasing without loaded language, e.g. "Do you ever regret spending so many hours playing video games?" Otherwise, we might ask you why you spend so much time posting to pointless Slashdot Q&A articles...
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
Hey - how about you forgo all this old timey stuff and just ask him to do a reddit IAMA? Ask him all you want in REAL TIME. Whoa - we're in THE FUTURE! :-)
When the 80's called to say they wanted their mullet back, my man Billy refused to accept the charges.
What's it like knowing that the only thing people will remember you for is that you're a dick?
Do you want to remembered differently than your words and deeds in that documentary portrayed you, or, as in the words of Jack Sparrow, is it simply enough that "you have heard of me?"
One might say that Donkey Kong is a Popeye clone. Nintendo was developing a video game adaptation of Popeye, which it retooled to use original characters when negotiation with King Features weren't going well. Had DK development gone according to plan, the Popeye we know would have been Popeye 2.
I think that this is a very fair question.
I miss the days where the goal of a game is to get the high score.
What's your high score in Splashy Fish?
Or, is it a major endeavor that has now been accomplished, a milestone achieved, and a lot of work? I imagine that playing a full perfect game must take some time, and if you fail to eat even a single blue ghost on level 46 then you'd be inclined to just walk away from the game (or suicide off the rest of your lives) because there'd be little motivation to finishing a now-botched attempt. A marathon session must consist of a certain amount of stress and required effort spread throughout the lengthy games, and maybe you'd prefer to invest your energies in a different goal. Knowing that there are similar alternatives (Ms. PacMan, Jr. PacMan), does the first game have sufficient remaining draw?
When I first started putting games into arcades, players would play for an hour on a single quarter. My Double Dragon machine was a complete waste of money.
Then I got smart and bought some of those arcade-killer games...
I come here for the love
Thanks for taking the time, Mr. Mitchell!
My question: What do you think of the evolution of video games *since* Pac-Man and that sort of golden era of arcade and Atari gaming? Do you think changes in gamers's expectations for difficulty and entertainment from the games have changed?
Thank you Dave Raggett
What exactly happened, between yourself and Roy Shildt, to cause you to take out a restraining order on him?
Should the game producers have the Starcraft 2 level of control over events?
What's it like knowing that the only thing people will remember you for is that you're a dick?
Some people need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror. And I don't mean Billy.
what's your high score?
lose != loose
When the King of Kong came out you, and Steve were the only ones who could score at least 1.04 million on this game. It was rumored you even had a private personal best of around 1.15 million. Since then some major things have changed. There are now about seven people who can score over 1.1 million, and three that have scored higher than even your private person best.
As you have said on previous occasions, that you are a family man first, and a business man second, and Donkey Kong at the moment is pretty low on the priority list. If I am not mistaken you have plans to get serious with Donkey Kong in a few years when you hit 55 because your kids will be fully grown by then.
By that time though it may very well be too late. There will be many players who will have had a decade of Donkey Kong playing experience while you are trying to learn the game at a more advanced age. Because of this, do you really think you have any shot whatsoever at regaining the Donkey Kong Arcade world record?
Hey Bill,
I will have the large order of wings (medium) with a large order of curley fries and 2 large cokes.
How far did you ever get playing Ms Pac-Man blindfolded?
Do you still phone prank people like you did with Mogermen and Demner?
Will you ever get back into competitive DK playing and if so what adjustments would you need to make to your game in order to have a shot at the WR? What are your thoughts on the competitive Donkey Kong scene?
You are quite tall. I am quite tall as well and find hunching over upright arcade cabinets uncomfortable for extended periods of time. Do you have any thoughts concerning posture or, alternatively, for an upright cabinet design that would suit quite tall people without looking like a goofy, tall thing?
You are a fuckwit.
Do you ever look back on those bonkers games from the 70s and 80s and wonder how gaming could otherwise have developed over the years?
Nowadays, even the hardware is geared towards 3D, and most games are generally some sort of photorealistic adventure involving humanoids. In the early days of gaming, people didn't know what the trends were gonna be. Was it inevitable that it turn out that way? There are games for the early Atari or Commodore etc. consoles where it's difficult to even figure out what the buttons do. Some games just had a completely different take on what a computer game could be. Many really good ones remain as the classics that defined the genres, but so many ingenious takes on gaming are left only as single examples of a great idea.
--
It's now very well documented how the original Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig-Dug and other classic arcade game programming had bugs that prevented players getting past certain levels.
http://www.donhodges.com
- How_Deep_Can_You_Dig_Dug.htm
- galaga_stage_256_fix.htm
- how_high_can_you_get.htm
and many more.
Given that the proposed bug-fix-patches do not change gameplay (besides unlocking levels past the stock broken point), shouldn't the bug-fixed versions of these classic games become the new standard platform for future high score attempts?
Were you at any time, the gamer who signed any of the countless vanity boards out there as either ASS or FUK?
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Dear William,
Who is your best friend(s) and please explain why you value them so much.
Please tell a few interesting stories of your relationship with this person(s) of the years.
Please let us all know what you think about the 'patron saint of video games' - Mr Walter Day.
Please tell us in detail what he means to you and what he has done to help you and the video gaming culture in the last 34 years.
If there was no Walter Day and TG with his vision, people would not know Billy Mitchell as we do today right?
Two part question:
Was The King of Kong actually a scripted, deliberately set up scenario, and were you paid for your participation in the movie?
Hey Billy,
Donkey Kong was the game that saved me from the crap pinball games of that era. 50 Cents a game? Seriously? Anyway, I've had an on going battle with my Friend Todd Frye, who did the Atari version of Pac Man. I claim he still owes me $50 for my purchase of that piece of (*#*t . because he didn't put in the patterns. He didn't have time or memory says he. I was wondering how good are you at Atari 2600 Pac Man? And one more thing, how's your pinball game?
Cheers,
Dan Geisler
And others need to take a good long good look at the decimal difference between their ID and the one they're taking on.
IF (idValue 500000 ) {
console.log("...I'm a douche and I don't know it");
};
Please tell us in a few words what you consider as your most exciting and greatest accomplishment in your video gaming history.
Are you on the board? How much in debt is the IVGHOF?
If you could change one event in your past what would it be?