Total Kong-quest
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that most people who saw Seth Gordon’s fantastic 2007 documentary, King of Kong (a film about two middle-aged men–a middle school teacher and a condiment magnate–duking it out for the Guinness World Record on Donkey Kong), were not quickly inspired to follow in the principal characters’ footsteps. Though respectfully portrayed, most of the people featured in the film are lovable losers, aging dorks, gamer geeks–and the addiction itself so all-consuming that it alienates even our hero from family, home and daily life.
But of course, someone did. Hank Chien, a 35-year-old plastic surgeon from New York, started playing the game after seeing the film. He recently broke the standing record, held by longtime recordholder Billy Mitchell, with 1,061,700 points in two and a half hours. The score was 10,000 higher than Mitchell’s.
The Kong-querer
Now, I applaud Chien for adding something new to his already illustrious resume and accomplishing in roughly two years what took other men a lifetime. But there’s something about this that strikes me as downright cruel. Look at Chien–he’s a winner! Kinda cute, prestigious job, two degrees from Harvard, an East Side apartment in Manhattan. This victory is just another notch on his excellence belt.
But the dudes he’s left in the dust have lost their only “big win.” What the hell are they gonna do now?
[via Gothamist]
Source
Thanks, Jasmine!
Filed under: Addiction, Arcade Games, Asians Love Winning Anything, Awesome Documentaries, Billy Mitchell, Breaking Records, Documentaries, Donkey Kong, Excellence, Excelling As A Pastime, Gamers, Guinness Book of World Records, Hank Chien, Harvard, King of Kong, Losers, NYC Plastic Surgeon Breaks Donkey Kong World Record, Plastic Surgeons, Queens, Records, The 80's, Twin Galaxies, Weird American Behavior, Winners, Winning, World Records
I dunno – while it certainly played Mitchell out as the villian (and kind of petty), Wiebe was shown as a talented athlete, science-teacher, and musician as well as a loving father, a great husband, and a gracious player.
To say that this is their only “win” is a bit much.
you’re right—i actually meant “big win,” in terms of awards and honors. change made to reflect.