• The Wrath of Kong

  Posted Tuesday, June 02, 2009 4:28 PM | By Jonah Weiner
  
  
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  The 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters chronicles the surprisingly stirring struggles of Washington algebra teacher and Donkey Kong wizard Steve Wiebe to a) beat the high score of reigning Kong champ Billy Mitchell and then b) convince the close-knit, sallow-skinned cadre of gaming eccentrics that officiates high scores to recognize his feat. (Mitchell sycophants through and through, they are a tough bunch to convince.)
  
  Wiebe, who honed his Donkey Kong skills in his garage after he was laid off from a job at Boeing, smiles wistfully, speaks softly, and never loses his temper or resolve. He's an indefatigable loser-hero and a noble forebear, in this regard, of down-and-out metal striver Lips Kudlow, from this year's Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Billy Mitchell, with tight black jeans, Lorenzo Lamas hair, and a curvy, well-tanned wife, is all too happy to play the villain. He is the cocky ruler of a very small kingdom, deeply lovable in his own way—if the movie hadn't come out six years after the British Office debuted, I'd swear Ricky Gervais had studied Mitchell's tie-flattening, lip-biting, eye-darting tics and outsized self-regard when he was coming up with David Brent.
  
  A fictionalized version of The King of Kong has been reported as in the works, but fans of the original documentary—and fans of underdogs in general—need not wait for a fresh Wiebe fix. He is currently at the annual gaming-industry conference E3, attempting to break Mitchell's reigning score (1,050,200 points) in front of a live audience. A Web site is carrying the video feed. Wiebe's first attempt, earlier today, topped out at 923,400 points (rats!), but as of this writing, he's set to give it another try. Tune in, and as his score mounts, don't be surprised if you find yourself caught up in the dorky, high-stakes drama, screaming at your computer with every leapt barrel.
  Filed under: Steve Wiebe, Anvil!, Billy Mitchell, Donkey Kong, E3, The King of Kong, Ricky Gervais
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