The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

A documentary about a record in a computer game. Steve Wiebe is an engineer who has lost his job. He sets up a Donkey Kong machine in his garage and starts playing. After a while he believes he has passed the score held as the world record and sends in his tape. The record belongs to Billy Mitchell. He has held that score since the 1980s and is a known name in the gaming world. Around him is a circle of people who certify records. Wiebe's tape is not accepted. First they want to inspect the inside of his machine, then they want the score repeated in a live setting. Wiebe goes to the arcade. What the film describes is not the game but how an institution protects its own. Which rules apply to whom keeps changing. The editing makes its side clear and that was criticised; the order of some events was different in fact. Years after the film Mitchell's old scores were formally examined and the argument ran for a long time. Seth Gordon directed. A gripping production for anyone interested in stories of competition and gaming culture. For a viewer expecting a neutral documentary, the film makes clear whose side it is on within ten minutes.