Donkey Kong high score competition: Difference between revisions
Arcade1134 (talk | contribs) Updated history about Mitchell vs Wiebe vs Chien... added info about current WR status |
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The rapper Eminem has reported his own score (465,800) within the top 30 worldwide, though with increasing competition this score would now sit outside the top 100.<ref name="Telegraph: Lakeman 2014"/><ref>{{Cite web|title = Eminem's Donkey Kong Ambitions {{!}} Donkey Blog: News, Theory, and Meditations From The World of Competitive Donkey Kong|url = http://donkeykongblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/eminem-donkey-kong-scores.html|website = donkeykongblog.blogspot.com|access-date = 2016-01-27}}</ref> |
The rapper Eminem has reported his own score (465,800) within the top 30 worldwide, though with increasing competition this score would now sit outside the top 100.<ref name="Telegraph: Lakeman 2014"/><ref>{{Cite web|title = Eminem's Donkey Kong Ambitions {{!}} Donkey Blog: News, Theory, and Meditations From The World of Competitive Donkey Kong|url = http://donkeykongblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/eminem-donkey-kong-scores.html|website = donkeykongblog.blogspot.com|access-date = 2016-01-27}}</ref> |
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=== World Record Timeline === |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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!Date |
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!Score |
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!Player |
|||
|- |
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|August 13, 1982 |
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|874,300 |
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|Billy Mitchell |
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|- |
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|August 17, 2000 |
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|879,200 |
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|Tim Sczerby |
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|- |
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|May 7, 2004 |
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|933,900 |
|||
|Billy Mitchell |
|||
|} |
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== Events == |
== Events == |
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Revision as of 03:50, 27 January 2016
The world record high score for the video game Donkey Kong has been a competitive contest since the game's release in 1981. The competition grew in prominence from its appearance as a central plot element in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong. The Verge reported that competitors spend thousands of hours practicing the video game.[1] The competitors are not sponsored by large companies.[2]
History
The Telegraph wrote that the game's interpersonal rivalries contribute to the competition's appeal.[2] The film The King of Kong focused on the competition between arcade game record holder Billy Mitchell and former Boeing engineer Steve Wiebe.[1]
Mitchell and Wiebe began to compete with Hank Chien,[3] a plastic surgeon from New York.[1] In March 2010, Chien surpassed Mitchell's record score, which had remained for three years.[3] Mitchell regained his title in July, and Wiebe surpassed his score in September 2010.[3] But Chien, who became known as Dr. Kong, reclaimed the world record and ultimately held the title for four years.[1] Chien would go on to improve his record score four more times.[4] Chien has since withdrawn from competitive play.[4]
In September 2014, Robbie Lakeman overtook Chien for the highest score.[1][a] Lakeman had practiced for two and a half years[1] and was spurred by a bet that he could earn a score within the game's top twenty.[2] He would often stream his attempts live on Twitch, a streaming service, though his initial world record game was performed offline.[1] At the time, a higher record had been set by Dean Saglio, but on an emulated version of the game rather than a physical arcade cabinet.[2][b] Lakeman later overtook his own record in December 2014 and again in June 2015.[4]
In September 2015, Wes Copeland bested Lakeman for the high score. Lakeman, however, was able to reclaim the record within six hours.[5] Copeland retook the record in January 2016. Shortly after, Lakeman announced his withdrawal from competitive play.[6]
The rapper Eminem has reported his own score (465,800) within the top 30 worldwide, though with increasing competition this score would now sit outside the top 100.[2][7]
World Record Timeline
| Date | Score | Player |
|---|---|---|
| August 13, 1982 | 874,300 | Billy Mitchell |
| August 17, 2000 | 879,200 | Tim Sczerby |
| May 7, 2004 | 933,900 | Billy Mitchell |
Events
Kong Off is an annual competitive tournament.[4] Jeff Willms won a small cash prize at the 2013 Kong Off 3 tournament,[2] which was held in Denver between 22 competitors.[8] Willms, a professional chess player, had previously won the Kong Off 2.[8] The July 2015 Kong Off 4 was held in Pittsburgh.[4]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dante D'Orazio (September 6, 2014). "Gamer claims 'Donkey Kong' world record, ending plastic surgeon's four-year reign". The Verge. Vox Media.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Donkey Kong: the game that refuses to be beaten". Telegraph.co.uk. September 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c Brian Ashcraft. "The King Of Kong Once Again The King Of Kong". Kotaku. Gawker Media.
- ^ a b c d e "'Donkey Kong' scoring record falls once again". Yahoo Games. June 29, 2015.
- ^ Good, Owen S. (September 19, 2015). "All-time Donkey Kong world record beaten twice in less than a day". Polygon. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
{{cite web}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 62 (help) - ^ Good, Owen S. (January 9, 2016). "New Donkey Kong world record set, and there's not much room left for another". Polygon. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
{{cite web}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 69 (help) - ^ "Eminem's Donkey Kong Ambitions | Donkey Blog: News, Theory, and Meditations From The World of Competitive Donkey Kong". donkeykongblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ a b "World's best Donkey Kong players duke it out at Kong Off 3". Ars Technica.
