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The King of videogames
January 25, 2008

Following the unexpected success of New Line’s videogame documentary King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (street Jan. 29), the studio has already started to work on a fictional version of the film. The documentary follows Donkey Kong enthusiast Steve Wiebe as he challenges videogame scorekeepers Twin Galaxies and fellow gamer Billy Mitchell for the world record Donkey Kong score.

Wiebe first got involved in the project when he met producer Ed Cunningham, who was working with director Seth Gordon on a film about the videogaming world, both having visited Fun Spot, a classic game arcade where an annual championship is held. And Wiebe hoped the film would help spotlight the controversy over his Donkey Kong score.

His obsession with the game started at an early age. “I’ve spent thousands of hours playing Donkey Kong. I took a few years off, and I’ve played the 3D games, but I’ve always enjoyed Donkey Kong the most,” he explains.

Wiebe describes classic videogamers as “passionate, devoted and eccentric,” which explains why those documented in the film made for such interesting characters. Wiebe has no involvement in the upcoming fictional project, which is currently on hold due to the writers’ strike.

But he also has to refocus on Donkey Kong, as Mitchell has recently reclaimed the high score title. Wiebe is setting aside the summer for more Kong practice, but “it’s not on my priority list. I want to see what I can do.” And even Wiebe admits that the competition could go on forever. After all, staying King of Kong is tough.

Posted by Cheryl Cheng on January 25, 2008 | Comments (0)