King of Kong

King of Kong had the same style to it as a lot of documentaries I've watched about competitions. There was the pretentious champion who does anything to defend his title and the determined rookie who gives him a run for his money. It was hilarious and entertaining, but I also thought it was sort of depressing. "Indie Game: The Movie"showed obsession in a poignant and artistic way, while "King of Kong" made a joke out of it. The jokes made me laugh, but I left the screening feeling bad for the guys. Movies from the 80s depict the arcade video gamer as a nerdy kid who doesn’t go to parties or on dates. They usually were very obsessed zombie-like characters and they were usually very good at whatever game they played. TheTwin Galaxy group twisted this stereotype and made an elite group of gamers. check out the website, it’s pretty funny. 

Billy Mitchell managed to practically be worshiped by members of twin galaxy since he gained the title in 1981, until Steve Wiebe enters into the picture.

Billy's arrogance made me feel sorry for him because to anyone besides another obsessive arcade gamer, he had nothing to be arrogant about. In fact, most people would probably make fun of him but he's delusional thinking he's really important and worthy of praise. I also thought it was sad to watch Steve go from a family man and teacher to an obsessed King Kong player who is too busy to wipe his son’s butt. I thought the best part was when they tried to make things more dramatic with “eye of the tiger.” I just kept thinking that maybe the competition so vicious because the stakes were so low.