Tech News on G4'Kong' doc reveals gaming obsessionsJanuary 24, 2008By John Powell - G4 Canada |
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'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters', available on DVD January 29th, is a documentary by filmmaker Seth Gordon, which chronicles the intense rivalry between video game icon Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe, an adversary who came out of nowhere to challenge Mitchell for his Donkey Kong world record. Mitchell, portrayed as more of a rock star than a professional gamer, isn't going silently into the night though. No way. No how. Steve Wiebe is the quiet family man has come up short often in life so the game of Donkey Kong represents so much more to him than coloured pixels and sprites on a screen.
As in real life, things are not always black and white. There are many areas of grey in 'The King of Kong'. People and situations shift back and forth. That is what makes the story so real and so true to life. ‘The King of Kong’ is not about blips and bleeps or pixels and percentages. It is about pride, passion and the good and bad that happens when a hobby becomes an obsession.
Rating: 8 / 10
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Achievement points? Unlockables? Not so in the
eighties. Then, it was all about high scores and
levels attained but just like today, some people
just take things waaaay too seriously.
With more twists and turns than a John Le Carré
spy novel, the bitter cat and mouse game between
the two players grows more heated as the film
unspools. Conspiracy theories abound over taped
gameplay submitted as record breaking evidence,
the sometimes controversial decisions of Twin
Galaxies - the volunteer organization that
approves video game world records - and the
Donkey Kong machine Steve Wiebe used in his
garage to challenge Mitchell's records at the
start before he decided to do so live and in person.
The King of Kong (2007)
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About G4 in Canada
G4 Canada (formerly TechTV Canada) launched in September 2001. G4 is the one and only television station that is plugged into every dimension of games, gear, gadgets and gigabytes. Owned Rogers Media Inc., the channel airs more than 24 original series. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite. For more information, see www.g4tv.ca.