Donkey Kong high score competition
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]
Contents
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held the title for four years.[1] Chien would go on to improve his record score four more times.[4] Chien has since withdrawn from competitive play.[4]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][lower-alpha 1] 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][lower-alpha 2] 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]
Timeline
Date | Score | Player | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
August 13, 1982 | 874,300 | Billy Mitchell | |
August 17, 2000 | 879,200 | Tim Sczerby | |
May 7, 2004 | 933,900 | Billy Mitchell | |
June 3, 2005 | 985,600 | Steve Wiebe | |
June 4, 2005 | 1,047,200 | Billy Mitchell | |
August 3, 2006 | 1,049,100 | Steve Wiebe | |
July 13, 2007 | 1,050,200 | Billy Mitchell | |
February 26, 2010 | 1,061,700 | Hank Chien | |
July 31, 2007 | 1,062,800 | Billy Mitchell | |
August 30, 2010 | 1,064,500 | Steve Wiebe | |
December 27, 2010 | 1,068,000 | Hank Chien | |
February 27, 2011 | 1,090,400 | Hank Chien | |
May 18, 2012 | 1,110,100 | Hank Chien | |
July 25, 2012 | 1,127,700 | Hank Chien | |
November 1, 2012 | 1,138,600 | Hank Chien | |
September 5, 2014 | 1,141,800 | Robbie Lakeman | |
December 1, 2014 | 1,144,800 | Robbie Lakeman | |
June 24, 2015 | 1,158,400 | Robbie Lakeman | |
September 17, 2015 | 1,170,500 | Wes Copeland | |
September 18, 2015 | 1,172,100 | Robbie Lakeman | |
October 21, 2015 | 1,177,200 | Robbie Lakeman | |
January 4, 2016 | 1,190,000 | Wes Copeland | |
April 11, 2016 | 1,190,200 | Robbie Lakeman | |
April 19, 2016 | 1,195,100 | Wes Copeland | |
May 5, 2016 | 1,218,000 | Wes Copeland | [9] |
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.[10] Willms, a professional chess player, had previously won the Kong Off 2.[10] The July 2015 Kong Off 4 was held in Pittsburgh.[4]
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.polygon.com/2016/5/8/11635188/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-wes-copeland-perfect-game
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.