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I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist!.

*snicker* Seriously?

 

Tempest

 

 

...dude, it's the most sad (in more ways than one) parts in the movie, in my opinion. They should have just titled it, "Wasted Dreams". You truly feel sorry for these guys, Walter is actually not so bad compared to the others. You gotta watch it.

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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist! I mean, I thank every day that I'm not like these people.

 

That may have been Walter's weak attempt at trying to create awareness that there needs to be a museum for classic games and it will become a reality for him in a few months.

 

 

But!...they're being talked about by many gamers out there and their scores will be known for decades to come. If that's the price to pay for meaningless notoriety, a footnote in a niche of history, then that's sad.

 

 

Basically, a video game high score is regarded by those outside of the gaming community as an insignificant achievement. Nevertheless, the tournaments and high score attempts still attract media coverage. See Doris Self on CBS News as an example.

 

What exactly is the price that these folks have paid?

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Finally got the chance to see "Chasing Ghosts" tonight, King of Kong made for much more interesting video to watch... the whole Billy Mitchell vs. Steve Wiebe saga makes for much more interesting story to watch.

 

Curt

 

Curt,

 

How'd you get a chance to see this? I'm dying to watch this but it seems that it does not exist for the home market nor will it ever from what I've seen. Loved King of Kong and have been waiting to see Chasing Ghosts ever since I heard about it!

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Finally got the chance to see "Chasing Ghosts" tonight, King of Kong made for much more interesting video to watch... the whole Billy Mitchell vs. Steve Wiebe saga makes for much more interesting story to watch.

 

Curt

 

Curt,

 

How'd you get a chance to see this? I'm dying to watch this but it seems that it does not exist for the home market nor will it ever from what I've seen. Loved King of Kong and have been waiting to see Chasing Ghosts ever since I heard about it!

 

I know you addressed this to Curt but...

 

I have Chasing Ghosts on my DVR from when it aired on Showtime. Supposedly there's a way I can pull the movie off of the DVR and onto my computer but I haven't had the time to mess with it.

Edited by rmaerz
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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

That's actually a good point. You've made me think (and I hate that!)

 

Tempest

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I often think about the "wasting time" thing too. It's all relative and shame on anyone that says or "thinks" you are wasting your life. I know more people than not, that are really successful at doing mediocre things they'd rather not be doing and just about all of them "hate" the grind of their daily humdrum lives. Rare is the person who balances success with happiness and that's all I figure is worth striving for. Just too bad there are too many things getting in the way of what we'd all *really* like to do - but nobody ever said life was fair. We're all pretty much relegated to washing, rinsing and repeating. <sigh>

Edited by save2600
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Finally got the chance to see "Chasing Ghosts" tonight, King of Kong made for much more interesting video to watch... the whole Billy Mitchell vs. Steve Wiebe saga makes for much more interesting story to watch.

 

Curt

 

Curt,

 

How'd you get a chance to see this? I'm dying to watch this but it seems that it does not exist for the home market nor will it ever from what I've seen. Loved King of Kong and have been waiting to see Chasing Ghosts ever since I heard about it!

I think this site is where I watched it http://www.sumotorrent.com/search/chasing+ghosts+beyond+the+arcade.html

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Finally got the chance to see "Chasing Ghosts" tonight, King of Kong made for much more interesting video to watch... the whole Billy Mitchell vs. Steve Wiebe saga makes for much more interesting story to watch.

 

Curt

 

Curt,

 

How'd you get a chance to see this? I'm dying to watch this but it seems that it does not exist for the home market nor will it ever from what I've seen. Loved King of Kong and have been waiting to see Chasing Ghosts ever since I heard about it!

I think this site is where I watched it http://www.sumotorrent.com/search/chasing+ghosts+beyond+the+arcade.html

 

 

If you have a really good usenet provider, there's a very old copy of it floating in alt.binaries.hdtv.x264

 

It's getting real cold though so snag it before it's truly dead :P

Edited by NE146
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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist! I mean, I thank every day that I'm not like these people.

 

That may have been Walter's weak attempt at trying to create awareness that there needs to be a museum for classic games and it will become a reality for him in a few months.

 

 

But!...they're being talked about by many gamers out there and their scores will be known for decades to come. If that's the price to pay for meaningless notoriety, a footnote in a niche of history, then that's sad.

 

 

Basically, a video game high score is regarded by those outside of the gaming community as an insignificant achievement. Nevertheless, the tournaments and high score attempts still attract media coverage. See Doris Self on CBS News as an example.

 

What exactly is the price that these folks have paid?

 

Very good points made, for sure. I guess the way I look at it is this; the overall feeling I got from the movie Chasing Ghosts was one of sadness. I felt sorry for the majority of these people. I understand that editing can make mountains out of molehills, though, but I'm just going by my gut feeling. I am certainly no one to say what's a worthy way to spend a life, lol! And I suppose if one of these 'stars' like Billy Mitchell had other things going on in his life besides wearing tacky ties, acting aloof and selling hot sauce, then I suppose these were pinnacle years for them. The one fellow who lied about his scores and became a lawyer (now, if that isn't hilarious, I dunno what is!) saw things for what they were, but again...I feel sorry for these folks.

 

The main reason is that these guys, unlike the majority of sports stars, actors, other types of meaningless celebrity, seem to be completely full of themselves. Other than the sympathetic character of Steve Weibe (who also is drawn out as a 'loser'), not one of these guys comes across as a genuine fellow. At worst, they come off as lackeys...no, wait, at worse they come off as freaks, like the guy who sleeps on his floor with Christmas decorations up all year round along with his collection of venomous spiders and other insects. Or the eternal virgin scorekeeper who collects pornographic superhero art. Or old man Walter Day "singing" his songs which he believes coulda been chart-toppers.

 

If anything, Chasing Ghosts is a collection of what 'normal' really is, which is acheiving mediocrity. I'm not saying that playing video games, new or old, is a waste...not at all. But when you have these clownish characters in these movies going on and on about how great they are, were, or are going to be...it's sad. You'd think they'd at least be humble about their 'achievements'...I mean, look at Billy Mitchell. Not only him, but his PARENTS...I mean, these people are just hilarious, and the filmmakers knew this. Average people watching these movies are going to laugh at these 'gamer gods' of the past. I suppose that's a personal thought of mine, and to each his own, but that's how I see it.

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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist! I mean, I thank every day that I'm not like these people.

 

That may have been Walter's weak attempt at trying to create awareness that there needs to be a museum for classic games and it will become a reality for him in a few months.

 

 

But!...they're being talked about by many gamers out there and their scores will be known for decades to come. If that's the price to pay for meaningless notoriety, a footnote in a niche of history, then that's sad.

 

 

Basically, a video game high score is regarded by those outside of the gaming community as an insignificant achievement. Nevertheless, the tournaments and high score attempts still attract media coverage. See Doris Self on CBS News as an example.

 

What exactly is the price that these folks have paid?

 

Very good points made, for sure. I guess the way I look at it is this; the overall feeling I got from the movie Chasing Ghosts was one of sadness. I felt sorry for the majority of these people. I understand that editing can make mountains out of molehills, though, but I'm just going by my gut feeling. I am certainly no one to say what's a worthy way to spend a life, lol! And I suppose if one of these 'stars' like Billy Mitchell had other things going on in his life besides wearing tacky ties, acting aloof and selling hot sauce, then I suppose these were pinnacle years for them. The one fellow who lied about his scores and became a lawyer (now, if that isn't hilarious, I dunno what is!) saw things for what they were, but again...I feel sorry for these folks.

 

The main reason is that these guys, unlike the majority of sports stars, actors, other types of meaningless celebrity, seem to be completely full of themselves. Other than the sympathetic character of Steve Weibe (who also is drawn out as a 'loser'), not one of these guys comes across as a genuine fellow. At worst, they come off as lackeys...no, wait, at worse they come off as freaks, like the guy who sleeps on his floor with Christmas decorations up all year round along with his collection of venomous spiders and other insects. Or the eternal virgin scorekeeper who collects pornographic superhero art. Or old man Walter Day "singing" his songs which he believes coulda been chart-toppers.

 

If anything, Chasing Ghosts is a collection of what 'normal' really is, which is acheiving mediocrity. I'm not saying that playing video games, new or old, is a waste...not at all. But when you have these clownish characters in these movies going on and on about how great they are, were, or are going to be...it's sad. You'd think they'd at least be humble about their 'achievements'...I mean, look at Billy Mitchell. Not only him, but his PARENTS...I mean, these people are just hilarious, and the filmmakers knew this. Average people watching these movies are going to laugh at these 'gamer gods' of the past. I suppose that's a personal thought of mine, and to each his own, but that's how I see it.

See here is the problem. Being the king in a video game is the ultimate paradox on this planet. I mean that. Just think about it for a second. Name another thing that you can be the best at, and get absolutely no money for it, and be laughed at when you bring it up in casual conversation. Just take a look around.

 

If you are the greatest basketball player,football player, soccer player, hockey player, baseball player, mma fighter, boxer, kick boxer, swimmer, weight lifter people will idolize you, and wear your jersey number. If you are the greatest artist people will pay millions for your work. If you are the greatest arguer you will be a millionaire lawyer. In music if you are the greatest disco, rock, grunge, heavy metal, grind core, soul, R & B singer, rap artist you will be rich have groupies, and have people playing your songs over, and over again.

 

Yet if you are the greatest at a certain video game you will be laughed at by the general population, and thought of as a freak. In the past year I have entered the video game realm, and been fortunate enough to break 3 different records. Space Jockey, and Galaxian for the Atari 2600, and the Donkey Kong 3 Arcade record. Yet not only does this not improve my station in life, but if I were to casually mention what I have done to a complete stranger they will have the same exact feelings that you do.

 

How freaking sad is that? I was even told by Crazyclimber to keep silent about my Galaxian record when trying to get a woman. And you know what? He is absolutely correct. I live in a society where if I speak of my accomplishments to strangers I am thought of in the same context as a cross dresser who claims to have been abducted, and anally probed by aliens. I live in a society where not only am I not supposed to be proud of what I have done, but I am supposed to be ashamed of what I have done, like I have committed some atrocity against man.

 

By the way about your full of themselves line. Are you serious? You really think that the big name Singers, Stars, and athletes are not full of themselves? Really? Have you seen Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James? Heck have you even had a conversation with a college athlete? Most are far, and beyond full of themselves. Every time you hear about some student doing something horrific to another student in front of other students it is always the high school jock that is doing it.

 

And one last thing. Here is why the video gamers in King of Kong, and Chasing Ghosts seem so cocky. Although they all have different personalities they all have one thing in common. The interest in making video game records more popular in general. So what you are seeing is not necessarily cockiness. I see it more as puffery, and hyperbole. All these people including even Mr. Awesome know full well what their accomplishments mean in society at large, but they are exaggerating to the fullest extent in order for others to also become interested in what they are doing. Just think of them more as salesmen for their craft when watching these documentaries. I guarentee you that if you do, you will have a new understanding about what is really going on.

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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist! I mean, I thank every day that I'm not like these people.

 

That may have been Walter's weak attempt at trying to create awareness that there needs to be a museum for classic games and it will become a reality for him in a few months.

 

 

But!...they're being talked about by many gamers out there and their scores will be known for decades to come. If that's the price to pay for meaningless notoriety, a footnote in a niche of history, then that's sad.

 

 

Basically, a video game high score is regarded by those outside of the gaming community as an insignificant achievement. Nevertheless, the tournaments and high score attempts still attract media coverage. See Doris Self on CBS News as an example.

 

What exactly is the price that these folks have paid?

 

Very good points made, for sure. I guess the way I look at it is this; the overall feeling I got from the movie Chasing Ghosts was one of sadness. I felt sorry for the majority of these people. I understand that editing can make mountains out of molehills, though, but I'm just going by my gut feeling. I am certainly no one to say what's a worthy way to spend a life, lol! And I suppose if one of these 'stars' like Billy Mitchell had other things going on in his life besides wearing tacky ties, acting aloof and selling hot sauce, then I suppose these were pinnacle years for them. The one fellow who lied about his scores and became a lawyer (now, if that isn't hilarious, I dunno what is!) saw things for what they were, but again...I feel sorry for these folks.

 

The main reason is that these guys, unlike the majority of sports stars, actors, other types of meaningless celebrity, seem to be completely full of themselves. Other than the sympathetic character of Steve Weibe (who also is drawn out as a 'loser'), not one of these guys comes across as a genuine fellow. At worst, they come off as lackeys...no, wait, at worse they come off as freaks, like the guy who sleeps on his floor with Christmas decorations up all year round along with his collection of venomous spiders and other insects. Or the eternal virgin scorekeeper who collects pornographic superhero art. Or old man Walter Day "singing" his songs which he believes coulda been chart-toppers.

 

If anything, Chasing Ghosts is a collection of what 'normal' really is, which is acheiving mediocrity. I'm not saying that playing video games, new or old, is a waste...not at all. But when you have these clownish characters in these movies going on and on about how great they are, were, or are going to be...it's sad. You'd think they'd at least be humble about their 'achievements'...I mean, look at Billy Mitchell. Not only him, but his PARENTS...I mean, these people are just hilarious, and the filmmakers knew this. Average people watching these movies are going to laugh at these 'gamer gods' of the past. I suppose that's a personal thought of mine, and to each his own, but that's how I see it.

See here is the problem. Being the king in a video game is the ultimate paradox on this planet. I mean that. Just think about it for a second. Name another thing that you can be the best at, and get absolutely no money for it, and be laughed at when you bring it up in casual conversation. Just take a look around.

 

If you are the greatest basketball player,football player, soccer player, hockey player, baseball player, mma fighter, boxer, kick boxer, swimmer, weight lifter people will idolize you, and wear your jersey number. If you are the greatest artist people will pay millions for your work. If you are the greatest arguer you will be a millionaire lawyer. In music if you are the greatest disco, rock, grunge, heavy metal, grind core, soul, R & B singer, rap artist you will be rich have groupies, and have people playing your songs over, and over again.

 

Yet if you are the greatest at a certain video game you will be laughed at by the general population, and thought of as a freak. In the past year I have entered the video game realm, and been fortunate enough to break 3 different records. Space Jockey, and Galaxian for the Atari 2600, and the Donkey Kong 3 Arcade record. Yet not only does this not improve my station in life, but if I were to casually mention what I have done to a complete stranger they will have the same exact feelings that you do.

 

How freaking sad is that? I was even told by Crazyclimber to keep silent about my Galaxian record when trying to get a woman. And you know what? He is absolutely correct. I live in a society where if I speak of my accomplishments to strangers I am thought of in the same context as a cross dresser who claims to have been abducted, and anally probed by aliens. I live in a society where not only am I not supposed to be proud of what I have done, but I am supposed to be ashamed of what I have done, like I have committed some atrocity against man.

 

By the way about your full of themselves line. Are you serious? You really think that the big name Singers, Stars, and athletes are not full of themselves? Really? Have you seen Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James? Heck have you even had a conversation with a college athlete? Most are far, and beyond full of themselves. Every time you hear about some student doing something horrific to another student in front of other students it is always the high school jock that is doing it.

 

And one last thing. Here is why the video gamers in King of Kong, and Chasing Ghosts seem so cocky. Although they all have different personalities they all have one thing in common. The interest in making video game records more popular in general. So what you are seeing is not necessarily cockiness. I see it more as puffery, and hyperbole. All these people including even Mr. Awesome know full well what their accomplishments mean in society at large, but they are exaggerating to the fullest extent in order for others to also become interested in what they are doing. Just think of them more as salesmen for their craft when watching these documentaries. I guarentee you that if you do, you will have a new understanding about what is really going on.

 

Regarding the sports stars,you're right. As I reread what I wrote, I had to step back..lol, but honestly, I think of the 'general' sports guy, one who is a decent role model (at least more than most) and the guy who is grateful for what he has. Like, Gretzky for instance. Sure, behind closed doors he may have a huge ego but what he portrays is anything but. Anyway, you see what I mean.

 

As far as video game players not getting recognition, that's pretty true what you say. The only difference is that your accomplishment makes you NO MONEY...and that's why society doesn't care. You know, growing up in the 80s, teens I knew HATED golf...and most adults, younger ones at least. Then you realize how much money is to be made in that sport...and along comes Tiger, and BOOOOM. Used to be that even comedians would make fun of the world of golf, but now?...no way. It's all about the money. It's ALWAYS about money...sad. You can have the WORST JOB in the world, but if you make a ton of coin doing it, you're going to get recognition for it.

 

And women? Forget about it. You were right in not telling a woman that you're the 2600 Galaxian champ, and I'm sorry but that's the way it is. I'm talking the majority of women out there, not ONE will care...unless she's a total nerd, and even then, you're not doing yourself any favours.

 

I think Mr Awesome is the most 'normal' of the bunch, because he sees the others for what they are, yet you also feel sorry for him for obvious reasons. I mean, he openly admits that his life is so shallow and unfulfilled that his life's accomplishment is a top score on Missile Command...and that he'll fight for that recognition because sadly, that's all he's got. He posed in Playgirl, and admits to getting propositioned by DUDES...some of which, he took up their offers!...and they PAID HIM, making him a prostitute! These are things that most people would laugh at and ridicule. There's self marketing, and then there's what these guys are doing...and they're doing it wrong.

 

When I say these guys wasted their childhoods, perhaps that's an opinion. Should we all go to school and become doctors and lawyers?...nope. But if you could show that dude living in a room with his spiders and snakes what his life would turn out to be like, he might have put his efforts into a different direction. Or maybe not.

 

The point is that these guys are portrayed as oddball losers, and it's their own fault. They're being used by the filmmakers as stereotypes, but they're just so true! I could almost smell the stanky nerd-sweat through my TV when that one guy who 'developed' his own glove so as not to get callouses playing trackball games. Heeeeere's your sign, buddy.

 

The lesson to be learned is this: enjoy the games but not to the exclusion of all else. For God's sake, have a backup plan! And get out a little more...socializing is a good thing. Many, many nerds have learned this lesson when they realized that if they didn't learn the arts of communication, they'd never find a mate or have children, let alone not be able to the world Pac Man champ. As hollow as that is, Mr Mitchell. Game on, but heed the underlying warning in these films. Don't become a Billy Mitchell, or worse, one of his cronies.

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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist! I mean, I thank every day that I'm not like these people.

 

That may have been Walter's weak attempt at trying to create awareness that there needs to be a museum for classic games and it will become a reality for him in a few months.

 

 

But!...they're being talked about by many gamers out there and their scores will be known for decades to come. If that's the price to pay for meaningless notoriety, a footnote in a niche of history, then that's sad.

 

 

Basically, a video game high score is regarded by those outside of the gaming community as an insignificant achievement. Nevertheless, the tournaments and high score attempts still attract media coverage. See Doris Self on CBS News as an example.

 

What exactly is the price that these folks have paid?

 

Very good points made, for sure. I guess the way I look at it is this; the overall feeling I got from the movie Chasing Ghosts was one of sadness. I felt sorry for the majority of these people. I understand that editing can make mountains out of molehills, though, but I'm just going by my gut feeling. I am certainly no one to say what's a worthy way to spend a life, lol! And I suppose if one of these 'stars' like Billy Mitchell had other things going on in his life besides wearing tacky ties, acting aloof and selling hot sauce, then I suppose these were pinnacle years for them. The one fellow who lied about his scores and became a lawyer (now, if that isn't hilarious, I dunno what is!) saw things for what they were, but again...I feel sorry for these folks.

 

The main reason is that these guys, unlike the majority of sports stars, actors, other types of meaningless celebrity, seem to be completely full of themselves. Other than the sympathetic character of Steve Weibe (who also is drawn out as a 'loser'), not one of these guys comes across as a genuine fellow. At worst, they come off as lackeys...no, wait, at worse they come off as freaks, like the guy who sleeps on his floor with Christmas decorations up all year round along with his collection of venomous spiders and other insects. Or the eternal virgin scorekeeper who collects pornographic superhero art. Or old man Walter Day "singing" his songs which he believes coulda been chart-toppers.

 

If anything, Chasing Ghosts is a collection of what 'normal' really is, which is acheiving mediocrity. I'm not saying that playing video games, new or old, is a waste...not at all. But when you have these clownish characters in these movies going on and on about how great they are, were, or are going to be...it's sad. You'd think they'd at least be humble about their 'achievements'...I mean, look at Billy Mitchell. Not only him, but his PARENTS...I mean, these people are just hilarious, and the filmmakers knew this. Average people watching these movies are going to laugh at these 'gamer gods' of the past. I suppose that's a personal thought of mine, and to each his own, but that's how I see it.

See here is the problem. Being the king in a video game is the ultimate paradox on this planet. I mean that. Just think about it for a second. Name another thing that you can be the best at, and get absolutely no money for it, and be laughed at when you bring it up in casual conversation. Just take a look around.

 

If you are the greatest basketball player,football player, soccer player, hockey player, baseball player, mma fighter, boxer, kick boxer, swimmer, weight lifter people will idolize you, and wear your jersey number. If you are the greatest artist people will pay millions for your work. If you are the greatest arguer you will be a millionaire lawyer. In music if you are the greatest disco, rock, grunge, heavy metal, grind core, soul, R & B singer, rap artist you will be rich have groupies, and have people playing your songs over, and over again.

 

Yet if you are the greatest at a certain video game you will be laughed at by the general population, and thought of as a freak. In the past year I have entered the video game realm, and been fortunate enough to break 3 different records. Space Jockey, and Galaxian for the Atari 2600, and the Donkey Kong 3 Arcade record. Yet not only does this not improve my station in life, but if I were to casually mention what I have done to a complete stranger they will have the same exact feelings that you do.

 

How freaking sad is that? I was even told by Crazyclimber to keep silent about my Galaxian record when trying to get a woman. And you know what? He is absolutely correct. I live in a society where if I speak of my accomplishments to strangers I am thought of in the same context as a cross dresser who claims to have been abducted, and anally probed by aliens. I live in a society where not only am I not supposed to be proud of what I have done, but I am supposed to be ashamed of what I have done, like I have committed some atrocity against man.

 

By the way about your full of themselves line. Are you serious? You really think that the big name Singers, Stars, and athletes are not full of themselves? Really? Have you seen Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James? Heck have you even had a conversation with a college athlete? Most are far, and beyond full of themselves. Every time you hear about some student doing something horrific to another student in front of other students it is always the high school jock that is doing it.

 

And one last thing. Here is why the video gamers in King of Kong, and Chasing Ghosts seem so cocky. Although they all have different personalities they all have one thing in common. The interest in making video game records more popular in general. So what you are seeing is not necessarily cockiness. I see it more as puffery, and hyperbole. All these people including even Mr. Awesome know full well what their accomplishments mean in society at large, but they are exaggerating to the fullest extent in order for others to also become interested in what they are doing. Just think of them more as salesmen for their craft when watching these documentaries. I guarentee you that if you do, you will have a new understanding about what is really going on.

 

Regarding the sports stars,you're right. As I reread what I wrote, I had to step back..lol, but honestly, I think of the 'general' sports guy, one who is a decent role model (at least more than most) and the guy who is grateful for what he has. Like, Gretzky for instance. Sure, behind closed doors he may have a huge ego but what he portrays is anything but. Anyway, you see what I mean.

 

As far as video game players not getting recognition, that's pretty true what you say. The only difference is that your accomplishment makes you NO MONEY...and that's why society doesn't care. You know, growing up in the 80s, teens I knew HATED golf...and most adults, younger ones at least. Then you realize how much money is to be made in that sport...and along comes Tiger, and BOOOOM. Used to be that even comedians would make fun of the world of golf, but now?...no way. It's all about the money. It's ALWAYS about money...sad. You can have the WORST JOB in the world, but if you make a ton of coin doing it, you're going to get recognition for it.

 

And women? Forget about it. You were right in not telling a woman that you're the 2600 Galaxian champ, and I'm sorry but that's the way it is. I'm talking the majority of women out there, not ONE will care...unless she's a total nerd, and even then, you're not doing yourself any favours.

 

I think Mr Awesome is the most 'normal' of the bunch, because he sees the others for what they are, yet you also feel sorry for him for obvious reasons. I mean, he openly admits that his life is so shallow and unfulfilled that his life's accomplishment is a top score on Missile Command...and that he'll fight for that recognition because sadly, that's all he's got. He posed in Playgirl, and admits to getting propositioned by DUDES...some of which, he took up their offers!...and they PAID HIM, making him a prostitute! These are things that most people would laugh at and ridicule. There's self marketing, and then there's what these guys are doing...and they're doing it wrong.

 

When I say these guys wasted their childhoods, perhaps that's an opinion. Should we all go to school and become doctors and lawyers?...nope. But if you could show that dude living in a room with his spiders and snakes what his life would turn out to be like, he might have put his efforts into a different direction. Or maybe not.

 

The point is that these guys are portrayed as oddball losers, and it's their own fault. They're being used by the filmmakers as stereotypes, but they're just so true! I could almost smell the stanky nerd-sweat through my TV when that one guy who 'developed' his own glove so as not to get callouses playing trackball games. Heeeeere's your sign, buddy.

 

The lesson to be learned is this: enjoy the games but not to the exclusion of all else. For God's sake, have a backup plan! And get out a little more...socializing is a good thing. Many, many nerds have learned this lesson when they realized that if they didn't learn the arts of communication, they'd never find a mate or have children, let alone not be able to the world Pac Man champ. As hollow as that is, Mr Mitchell. Game on, but heed the underlying warning in these films. Don't become a Billy Mitchell, or worse, one of his cronies.

Funny even on a video game site that is dedicated to the Atari by a poster with the avatar of Atarilovesyou is there complete disrespect for video game record holders. Now if that is not irony, than I don't know what is.

 

One final thing to consider. Getting a video game record has no incentive of fame, women, or fortune. So with 99.9 percent of gamers who go for records, they are not doing it for any one of those things. And if you think about it for a minute competitive gaming is probably more pure for this being the case.

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Dude, I don't disrespect record holders, I disrespect asshats. And that's what I think of the majority of the characters in these two movies. Billy Mitchell, Captain Awesome, the lackies...asshats. I respect your efforts, of course. But I don't come here to find out who's got the top score at anything, let alone a game designed over 25 years ago. These games were made to entertain, IMO. You have a different viewpoint, and that's ok. But why should I respect an asshat like Billy Mitchell?...cause of his choice in ties n' mullets?...lol.

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Dude, I don't disrespect record holders, I disrespect asshats. And that's what I think of the majority of the characters in these two movies. Billy Mitchell, Captain Awesome, the lackies...asshats. I respect your efforts, of course. But I don't come here to find out who's got the top score at anything, let alone a game designed over 25 years ago. These games were made to entertain, IMO. You have a different viewpoint, and that's ok. But why should I respect an asshat like Billy Mitchell?...cause of his choice in ties n' mullets?...lol.

Yes, of course these games were meant to entertain. But part of the charm of these games was also the score. The programmers put a score up so that people could challenge their high scores. As someone who knows about the Atari 2600 you know that there were many contests that revolved around getting the high score, that were actually put on by the companies.

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Dude, I don't disrespect record holders, I disrespect asshats. And that's what I think of the majority of the characters in these two movies. Billy Mitchell, Captain Awesome, the lackies...asshats. I respect your efforts, of course. But I don't come here to find out who's got the top score at anything, let alone a game designed over 25 years ago. These games were made to entertain, IMO. You have a different viewpoint, and that's ok. But why should I respect an asshat like Billy Mitchell?...cause of his choice in ties n' mullets?...lol.

Yes, of course these games were meant to entertain. But part of the charm of these games was also the score. The programmers put a score up so that people could challenge their high scores. As someone who knows about the Atari 2600 you know that there were many contests that revolved around getting the high score, that were actually put on by the companies.

 

The scores had nothing to do with my enjoyment of the games...in fact, that was probably why the NES was such a success: you had to 'complete', or 'finish' a game. Who cared how many points you could get in Super Mario Bros?

 

Anyways, like you said, high scores were a 'part' of the appeal. In these movies, does it really seem like these guys are having 'fun'?...they took gaming to the extreme. Sadly, that extreme didn't really pay off in the long run. Time is the most valuable commodity, but is ultimately up to us how we spend it. My time is far too valuable to me to justify spending the required hundreds of hours practice challenging a top score from a decades old videogame. But I also find time to play an instrument, or post on atariage. I'm digressing at this point, but my whole idea here is that these characters are not enviable in any way shape or form. What good is it that you can play the perfect game of Pac Man, but can't seem to master the skills behind fashionable ties, a haircut that doesn't scream 1983 or a God-complex? These guys are pitiful. While I generally DO pity the foo', I certainly don't pity THESE fools.

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See here is the problem. Being the king in a video game is the ultimate paradox on this planet. I mean that. Just think about it for a second. Name another thing that you can be the best at, and get absolutely no money for it, and be laughed at when you bring it up in casual conversation. Just take a look around.

Use your imagination. There are probably some guys who create wonderful paintings of pig anuses for the fun of it and one guy is the best at what he does. If he prances around like a snooty bastard with a horrible "I'm the Queen of England" attitude, people should point and laugh. Same for somebody who wins a contest for spitting the farthest or blowing the biggest chewing gum bubble. Nobody but a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty minority gives a crap.

 

 

 

 

If you are the greatest basketball player, football player, soccer player, hockey player, baseball player, mma fighter, boxer, kick boxer, swimmer, weight lifter people will idolize you, and wear your jersey number. If you are the greatest artist people will pay millions for your work. If you are the greatest arguer you will be a millionaire lawyer. In music if you are the greatest disco, rock, grunge, heavy metal, grind core, soul, R & B singer, rap artist you will be rich have groupies, and have people playing your songs over, and over again.

 

Yet if you are the greatest at a certain video game you will be laughed at by the general population, and thought of as a freak. In the past year I have entered the video game realm, and been fortunate enough to break 3 different records. Space Jockey, and Galaxian for the Atari 2600, and the Donkey Kong 3 Arcade record. Yet not only does this not improve my station in life, but if I were to casually mention what I have done to a complete stranger they will have the same exact feelings that you do.

I don't understand sports freaks. I'm not spending one dime to watch sports and if every sports 'star' died tomorrow, I wouldn't care. I also don't understand music freaks. If a band makes a song I like, I'll listen to it, but I'm not going to become a drooling, screaming, crying fan that likes everything a band releases and I'm never going to see them in concert.

 

All of that crap is stupid to me, and many of the 'stars' supposedly have super-human ability and talent, so I'm certainly not going to care about you sitting on your ass while you twiddle your joystick.

 

What about table top games like Monopoly, Sorry, Operation, Scrabble, Yahtzee, and so on? Should the 'kings' of those games get millions of dollars and non-stop sex with hot models?

 

As I've said about a billion times, games should be about play, not competition:

 

http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-game-design-guidelines.html#resist_frustration

Try to eliminate frustration and competition whenever possible. Frustration was a highly successful villainous tactic for getting people hooked on games and squeezing as much money out of them as possible, but a fun game without frustration is healthier for gamers. Try to focus on what is truly fun, not some perverted version of it. Most of us have come to believe that frustration and competition are essential ingredients of fun. We've been bombarded with that idea for so long that it's hard for us to see any other way, but we have to break free from these fallacies. Speaking of competition, it seems like most people are addicted to it and one way to help them move away from competition and focus on play and untainted fun is to rip out the score.

 

 

http://www.randomterrain.com/game-design-play-vs-competition.html

It is said that our leisure activities no longer give us a break from the alienating qualities of the work we do; instead, they have come to resemble that work.

 

The chief reason our recreation is like our work is that it has become more competitive. Sports, for example, have always been competitive and never really qualified as play in the first place. Although it's not generally acknowledged, most definitions of play do seem to exclude competitive activities.

 

In an experiment with five-and six-year olds, Janice Nelson and her associates found that "success as well as failure in competition produced consistent increases in aggression, as compared with the effects of noncompetitive play," although failure made the children more aggressive. Another study discovered that boys who won a subsequent competition were more aggressive than those who failed. Even winning is not enough to eradicate the frustrating elements of competition. The hostile act of competition, on the playing field and in other contexts, for both participants and spectators, leads us to become more aggressive.

 

Any activity whose goal is victory cannot be play, if you are trying to win, you are not engaged in true play.

 

~Adapted from No Contest: The Case Against Competition by Alfie Kohn

 

 

 

A "cooperative game" is different. It does not have winners or losers—or rather, we all win or lose together. For instance, suppose a board game where the task is to scale an imaginary mountain. In a competitive game, each player would try and get to the top first, and the one who did would be the winner. In a cooperative game, the task is for the players to unite in a team to get to the top and return before their supplies run out. Unless we help each other, we perish together in the attempt.

 

~Martin Hattersley

 

 

 

Play is to be played exactly because it isn't serious; it frees us from seriousness.

 

~Novak

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I never thought about 'play' in those terms. I see nothing wrong with competition, but I can't really remember a game that was 'fun' that didn't include 'winning', either alone or on a team. "Play" without some type of goal easily becomes tiresome and boring, I find. Well...except for women. Lol...alas, even then, some guys ruin THAT by tallying numbers to their conquests.

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I never thought about 'play' in those terms. I see nothing wrong with competition, but I can't really remember a game that was 'fun' that didn't include 'winning', either alone or on a team. "Play" without some type of goal easily becomes tiresome and boring, I find. Well...except for women. Lol...alas, even then, some guys ruin THAT by tallying numbers to their conquests.

It's because most people haven't been shown a better way. If all you've had is dog food all of your life, steak is going to taste funny at first.

 

 

Related quote:

 

When a group of people get together to play, no matter how well-intentioned they may be at the start, they're probably going to wind up playing together the way that they've always been taught to play together, competitively and unsupportively, with a strong focus on individual heroics.

 

We believe that is not the natural way to play. It's just the way that everybody has been taught to play.

 

Most games, as they are played today, at best ignore the development of self-confidence, and at worst destroy self-confidence.

 

The noncompetitive approach to playing can "detoxify" some of these negative aspects of competitive group play. We want to help people feel good about themselves as they actively participate in their own recreation.

 

~Adapted from the book Playfair by Matt Weinstein and Joel Goodman

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I never thought about 'play' in those terms. I see nothing wrong with competition, but I can't really remember a game that was 'fun' that didn't include 'winning', either alone or on a team. "Play" without some type of goal easily becomes tiresome and boring, I find. Well...except for women. Lol...alas, even then, some guys ruin THAT by tallying numbers to their conquests.

It's because most people haven't been shown a better way. If all you've had is dog food all of your life, steak is going to taste funny at first.

 

 

Related quote:

 

When a group of people get together to play, no matter how well-intentioned they may be at the start, they're probably going to wind up playing together the way that they've always been taught to play together, competitively and unsupportively, with a strong focus on individual heroics.

 

We believe that is not the natural way to play. It's just the way that everybody has been taught to play.

 

Most games, as they are played today, at best ignore the development of self-confidence, and at worst destroy self-confidence.

 

The noncompetitive approach to playing can "detoxify" some of these negative aspects of competitive group play. We want to help people feel good about themselves as they actively participate in their own recreation.

 

~Adapted from the book Playfair by Matt Weinstein and Joel Goodman

 

 

Got any good links regarding these comments? I'm interested to read more about it. Thanks!

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The thing to note is that the top gamer types like Billy Mitchell and his brood of losers is this...that's all they've got to show with their wasted childhoods. The film Chasing Ghosts hammered that home, and then some....

 

I think that will vary from individual to individual and that is something they will need to assess themselves. Steve Sanders talks about his epiphany and how he believed he was wasting his life.

 

The time period that Chasing Ghosts homes in on is a period where the whole business of video gaming was new, it was hot and the future was bright but unknown. Kids (not only the ones featured in the movie) were led to believe that if they were good at video games that they would be rock stars. And we know how the rest of the story goes.

 

Playing at the arcade was a social event much like anything else I did when I was a kid. Some of these guys in Chasing Ghosts got to travel, were in Life magazine, on TV and now on film and in that respect I don't see that as a waste.

 

Some may have the opinion that I am wasting my adulthood playing classic games, playing in tournaments, restoring arcade cabinets and writing magazine articles etc. But, it is something I enjoy and I do my best to balance that with family time and other interests in my life so that it does not become the only thing in my life.

 

I mean, you've got video of Walter Day mailing his friggen referee shirt to the division of video game history in the Smithsonean Institute...a division that doesn't even exist! I mean, I thank every day that I'm not like these people.

 

That may have been Walter's weak attempt at trying to create awareness that there needs to be a museum for classic games and it will become a reality for him in a few months.

 

 

But!...they're being talked about by many gamers out there and their scores will be known for decades to come. If that's the price to pay for meaningless notoriety, a footnote in a niche of history, then that's sad.

 

 

Basically, a video game high score is regarded by those outside of the gaming community as an insignificant achievement. Nevertheless, the tournaments and high score attempts still attract media coverage. See Doris Self on CBS News as an example.

 

What exactly is the price that these folks have paid?

 

Very good points made, for sure. I guess the way I look at it is this; the overall feeling I got from the movie Chasing Ghosts was one of sadness. I felt sorry for the majority of these people. I understand that editing can make mountains out of molehills, though, but I'm just going by my gut feeling. I am certainly no one to say what's a worthy way to spend a life, lol! And I suppose if one of these 'stars' like Billy Mitchell had other things going on in his life besides wearing tacky ties, acting aloof and selling hot sauce, then I suppose these were pinnacle years for them. The one fellow who lied about his scores and became a lawyer (now, if that isn't hilarious, I dunno what is!) saw things for what they were, but again...I feel sorry for these folks.

 

The main reason is that these guys, unlike the majority of sports stars, actors, other types of meaningless celebrity, seem to be completely full of themselves. Other than the sympathetic character of Steve Weibe (who also is drawn out as a 'loser'), not one of these guys comes across as a genuine fellow. At worst, they come off as lackeys...no, wait, at worse they come off as freaks, like the guy who sleeps on his floor with Christmas decorations up all year round along with his collection of venomous spiders and other insects. Or the eternal virgin scorekeeper who collects pornographic superhero art. Or old man Walter Day "singing" his songs which he believes coulda been chart-toppers.

 

If anything, Chasing Ghosts is a collection of what 'normal' really is, which is acheiving mediocrity. I'm not saying that playing video games, new or old, is a waste...not at all. But when you have these clownish characters in these movies going on and on about how great they are, were, or are going to be...it's sad. You'd think they'd at least be humble about their 'achievements'...I mean, look at Billy Mitchell. Not only him, but his PARENTS...I mean, these people are just hilarious, and the filmmakers knew this. Average people watching these movies are going to laugh at these 'gamer gods' of the past. I suppose that's a personal thought of mine, and to each his own, but that's how I see it.

See here is the problem. Being the king in a video game is the ultimate paradox on this planet. I mean that. Just think about it for a second. Name another thing that you can be the best at, and get absolutely no money for it, and be laughed at when you bring it up in casual conversation. Just take a look around.

 

If you are the greatest basketball player,football player, soccer player, hockey player, baseball player, mma fighter, boxer, kick boxer, swimmer, weight lifter people will idolize you, and wear your jersey number. If you are the greatest artist people will pay millions for your work. If you are the greatest arguer you will be a millionaire lawyer. In music if you are the greatest disco, rock, grunge, heavy metal, grind core, soul, R & B singer, rap artist you will be rich have groupies, and have people playing your songs over, and over again.

 

Yet if you are the greatest at a certain video game you will be laughed at by the general population, and thought of as a freak. In the past year I have entered the video game realm, and been fortunate enough to break 3 different records. Space Jockey, and Galaxian for the Atari 2600, and the Donkey Kong 3 Arcade record. Yet not only does this not improve my station in life, but if I were to casually mention what I have done to a complete stranger they will have the same exact feelings that you do.

 

How freaking sad is that? I was even told by Crazyclimber to keep silent about my Galaxian record when trying to get a woman. And you know what? He is absolutely correct. I live in a society where if I speak of my accomplishments to strangers I am thought of in the same context as a cross dresser who claims to have been abducted, and anally probed by aliens. I live in a society where not only am I not supposed to be proud of what I have done, but I am supposed to be ashamed of what I have done, like I have committed some atrocity against man.

 

By the way about your full of themselves line. Are you serious? You really think that the big name Singers, Stars, and athletes are not full of themselves? Really? Have you seen Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James? Heck have you even had a conversation with a college athlete? Most are far, and beyond full of themselves. Every time you hear about some student doing something horrific to another student in front of other students it is always the high school jock that is doing it.

 

And one last thing. Here is why the video gamers in King of Kong, and Chasing Ghosts seem so cocky. Although they all have different personalities they all have one thing in common. The interest in making video game records more popular in general. So what you are seeing is not necessarily cockiness. I see it more as puffery, and hyperbole. All these people including even Mr. Awesome know full well what their accomplishments mean in society at large, but they are exaggerating to the fullest extent in order for others to also become interested in what they are doing. Just think of them more as salesmen for their craft when watching these documentaries. I guarentee you that if you do, you will have a new understanding about what is really going on.

You broke the Atari 2600 Galaxian record?

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The main reason is that these guys, unlike the majority of sports stars, actors, other types of meaningless celebrity, seem to be completely full of themselves.

 

You really need to go to one of the classic gaming tournaments and meet these people in person.

 

I got to meet Mark Alpiger, whom you may remember was in the movie King of Kong, a few months back at his CAGDC tournament. He is one of the nicest guys you could meet and I just did not have that impression of him from watching King of Kong.

 

Conversely, another guy who was in King of Kong (whom I will not name) that I thought would be a pretty friendly guy was just the opposite. He felt bothered upon introducing myself or when I tried to engage him in conversation later on.

 

Now, there are some guys that work at an arcade that hosted a tournament after King of Kong was released and they told me that some of these guys "think they're Hollywood now and you can't even talk to 'em."

 

 

 

like the guy who sleeps on his floor with Christmas decorations up all year round along with his collection of venomous spiders and other insects.

 

 

Todd Rodgers...

 

Or the eternal virgin scorekeeper who collects pornographic superhero art.

 

Robert Mruczek...

 

It's funny that you didn't mention the guy that is hated the most and that's Roy Shildt.

 

I was preparing to interview Roy for CVG a few months ago and the phone conversations I had with the guy were a riot - he's a really funny guy.

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I have to speak up about this.

 

I have always been a fan of Walter Day and Twin Galaxies. But I feel that there was an unspoken bias toward Billy Mitchell. I don't know how to put it in words. Like Billy Mitchell had some sort of pull or influence over certain people that Steve Weibe didn't have. It kinda reminds me of how Rasputin had sway over the Russian Czarina Alexandra Romanov and the whole Romanov family.

 

I just don't get it. How does Billy Mitchell receive favortism while Steve Weibe gets the shaft? Steve Weibe is a teacher and seems like a pretty normal all-around good guy who just likes to have a good time and have some good fun playing Donkey Kong, much like most everyone here on Atari Age. Billy Mitchell doesnt seem that way to me.

 

Does anybody else here think Billy Mitchell acts like an entitled little brat just looking for the right moment to throw a tantrum when he doesnt get his way? My opinion is he is probably pretty weird in real life and blows off nice people who ask him for an autograph.

 

Steve Weibe, here's to you.

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Got any good links regarding these comments? I'm interested to read more about it. Thanks!

I have links on the right side of these pages:

 

randomterrain.com/favorite-quotes-competition.html

 

randomterrain.com/game-design-play-vs-competition.html

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I have to speak up about this.

 

I have always been a fan of Walter Day and Twin Galaxies. But I feel that there was an unspoken bias toward Billy Mitchell. I don't know how to put it in words. Like Billy Mitchell had some sort of pull or influence over certain people that Steve Weibe didn't have. It kinda reminds me of how Rasputin had sway over the Russian Czarina Alexandra Romanov and the whole Romanov family.

 

I just don't get it. How does Billy Mitchell receive favortism while Steve Weibe gets the shaft? Steve Weibe is a teacher and seems like a pretty normal all-around good guy who just likes to have a good time and have some good fun playing Donkey Kong, much like most everyone here on Atari Age. Billy Mitchell doesnt seem that way to me.

 

Does anybody else here think Billy Mitchell acts like an entitled little brat just looking for the right moment to throw a tantrum when he doesnt get his way? My opinion is he is probably pretty weird in real life and blows off nice people who ask him for an autograph.

 

Steve Weibe, here's to you.

 

Bravo! That is my feelings to a tee! I couldn't have phrased it better myself.

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Bravo! That is my feelings to a tee! I couldn't have phrased it better myself.

 

 

Thank you, Atari Bill. I hadnt seen King of Kong in a year or two and so I rewatched it last night. I have to say I feel as strong about my opinion as ever.

 

I see Steve Wiebe as an everyman. All round nice guy who just loves playing Donkey Kong and wants his scores recognized fairly. Because Twin Galaxies wouldnt recognize his own maching Steve was willing to fly across the country to play publicly in front of people on whatever machine they required. Billy wouldnt even drive 10 mins to compete against Steve.

 

I see Billy Mitchell as a manipulative and mean DB. I'm sorry but its true and someone has to say it. He appears to manipulate people and play little mind games and think wayy too highly of himself. Okay so you got all the way through Donkey Kong 30 years ago that's awesome. Now be an adult about it. You can tell in his interviews and things in King of Kong just the whole way he presents himself by the things he says. "You can lose your life but you can't lose my high score tape." or flaunting in front of the camera or setting himself up with these weird little pre-meditated moments like when he pulls out a fortune cookie fortune and says "Hmm. This one must have my name on it." Someone asks what it says and of course it says something like "you are the all time greatest champion of everything in the world" or whatever. You know what I mean. Or the way he plays into adding suspicion to Steve Weibe when Billy always makes statements about Steve's integrity or when questioned about Steve's integrity responds with a cold blank stare and says "I'm not familiar enough with the situation." Well gee Steve don't you think you should be? You have all your little hangers-on friends running around the arcade keeping an eye on Steve and calling you every 10 mins with updates as you sit in your decaying throne. You should know Steve and you should answer as an adult with honesty. When they were in person Billy snubbed him and put Steve down. That's just not very sportsmanly. I know that if us AtariAgers got together for some friendly competition at a convention or whatever most all of us would be playing against one another with a smile. And even if you beat my high score well then I'll live another day to try to win the title back.

 

Between Steve and Billy it just comes down to two things for me - personality and the truth. We all saw what happened. We saw how far Steve was willing to go and all that was allowed to be stacked against him over a stupid donkey kong score. And I know that if and when Steve would have become the reigning Donkey Kong champion he would have held that title with great integrity. He would have been kind to people and friendly to people and wouldnt have manipulated people around him to work as his henchmen. I don't think Steve would have ignored a friendly competitor or spread the idea that they are cheaters when they are not. I think Steve would have acted as an adult and a gentleman. And in that, Steve beats Billy any day.

 

Walter Day seemed to be a gentleman to Steve in the end. I think Walter Day wants to be honest and realized what was going on in the end. He even wrote a letter of appology that made Steve feel real good. That was a nice thing to do. I just think Walter may be one of those goofball type of guys who looks goofy sometimes and doesnt always think critically about what he's doing in the moment and always meant well despite what happened. Im my opinion Walter Day has a good heart and always intends to be a gentleman. And I think because he knew Billy for 30 years or whatever that he was automatically suspicious of an outsider. But in the end it looks like Water made things right.

 

My biggest problem isnt even with Billy, it's with the DBs around him that act like the Brownshirts of the video game world trolling around eyeing Steve with suspicion when Steve is willing to go play in public while Billy hides in his castle pretending to be a secret agent submitting tapes by sending old ladies and others who lack basic curiosity to deliver his sketchy tapes and facilitate his mind games.

 

In the Twin Galaxies camp I hold the most blame on Robert Mruczek who seemed to think he had DEA credentials in being able to just go into Steve's garage and root through his machine and personal belongings. I doubt Walter Day would have gone that far. Mruczek crossed the line playing Dwight Schrute Video Game Police Man and he absolutely earned his removal from Twin Galaxies. It is not okay to act like that.

 

Brian Kuh is nothing more than a Billy Mitchell clinger-on wanna be who can't even make the kill screen but rides the coat tails and basks in Billy's shadow. I'm sorry but that's weak and insecure beyond words. He should be ashamed of the way he treated Steve who was nothing but a gentleman to everyone.

 

Steve Sanders, who was Billy's lifelong friend and the lawyer guy, he frankly is the most shady of them all. He's two faced. He was hanging out with Steve acting kind and encouraging yet when he's around Billy he badmouths Steve and points out things like "oh i dont know why Steve is here at this restaraunt nobody invited him but leave it to Steve to just show up" like Steve needs to bow down at Billy's alter and ask permission. F that.

 

All in all I realize I may sound like a fan boy but I think I'll be heading over to www.stevewiebe.com and ordering myself a bad to the bone Team Wiebe Baseball Cap. And I do this because like Luke Skywalker I recognize and distinguish between good and evil.

 

This is all my honest opinion and not meant to flame anyone. Thank you.

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