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Interviews: Ask "The King of Kong" Billy Mitchell About Classic Video Games

Posted by samzenpus on from the go-ahead-and-ask dept.

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.

19 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Modern computer games. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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?

  2. OK by geekoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why did you waste all that money on Donkey Kong when Galaga is clearly the superior game?

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  3. Regret? by Catiline · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What (if anything) do you regret about your fame as a champion video game player?

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  4. A Lost Era by niado · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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?

    1. Re:A Lost Era by Dok.P · · Score: 3, Informative

      As an amateur operator, with only about 100 or so games, the claim that the classic arcade era is dead, is a grave mistake. Barcade is wildly successful all over the country, and Arcade "museums" are as popular as ever. Perhaps the days of getting burned by an older kid being careless with his cigarette in a jam packed mall arcade are finished, but that's no real great loss.

    2. Re:A Lost Era by psyclone · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Even if there are arcade "museums" and other classic arcade venues to be found, do any of those have NEW games? There's a new 4-player pac man game (amidst many ticket-churning games) at a local arcade, which is fun, but it's an iteration on an old game.

      My Billy Mitchell question: Is there anything new out there in arcade games that play in a more or less classic style, but don't churn out tickets?

  5. You were the bad guy by Scottingham · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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?

    1. Re:You were the bad guy by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      How about answering the main charge directly: Why don't you play in public like all the other challengers?

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      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  6. Do You Regret... by sexconker · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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.

    1. Re:Do You Regret... by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The allegedly loaded language in sexconker's question raises another question for Billy Mitchell:

      Which video games do you think are pointless, and what makes a game pointless?

  7. How much time? by turp182 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Can you estimate how many hours you have spent playing Donkey Kong? Is it still fun to play?

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  8. "Competitive" Gaming? by timrod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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?

  9. How many times have you beaten ET for the 2600? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Really, let's find out about your performance in that game. That's what really matters. No other game matches it.

  10. How do you feel about the Documentary? by Kagato · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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?

  11. Donkey Kong Clones? by yorgo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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?

  12. Your personality and the movie. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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?

  13. Hot sauces? by GoodNewsJimDotCom · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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.

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    God spoke to me
  14. In reverse by tepples · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

  15. Real Identity by Scarletdown · · Score: 3, Funny

    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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