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Dylan wrote:

Mod_Man_Extreme wrote:Watch, before we know it that jackass Mitchell's going to come after Wiebe's record again.

Boo! Hiss!

That better not be directed at me, because Billy Mitchell is a fucking asshole.

Mod_Man_Extreme wrote:

Dylan wrote:

Mod_Man_Extreme wrote:Watch, before we know it that jackass Mitchell's going to come after Wiebe's record again.

Boo! Hiss!

That better not be directed at me, because Billy Mitchell is a fucking asshole.

No, I was just musing at how caricaturized the entire struggle between the two is.

I was actually just playing this the other day.

fucking game is hard as nails.
Congrads to wiebe. Truly a skill.

I don't think I have met anyone who is a fan of Billy Mitchell, and rightfully so, that guy is a dickhead

Awesome. DK Jr. is probably my favorite classic arcade game. It is damn hard though.

Mod_Man_Extreme wrote:That better not be directed at me, because Billy Mitchell is a fucking asshole.

I am betting that you are basing that off of a documentary made by Steve Weibe's friends, right? There is no doubt that he is a dick, but from the people I know who know him, not as big of one as in the movie. Regardless of his attitude, the guy is a solid gamer. Anyone who can hold over half a dozen world records in arcade games is skillful. Hell just watching good Burgertime players is scary.

fastbilly1 wrote:

Mod_Man_Extreme wrote:That better not be directed at me, because Billy Mitchell is a fucking asshole.

I am betting that you are basing that off of a documentary made by Steve Weibe's friends, right? There is no doubt that he is a dick, but from the people I know who know him, not as big of one as in the movie. Regardless of his attitude, the guy is a solid gamer. Anyone who can hold over half a dozen world records in arcade games is skillful. Hell just watching good Burgertime players is scary.

True, but it doesn't matter.

Mitchell is a successful and happy entrepreneur and really had no reason to start chasing a down and out school teacher like Weibe after he won the new record. After all, Mitchell had just left it to die for 20 years. But, I do understand that Mitchell was portrayed slightly out of character in the film, though it wasn't that far off from how big a dick he really is.

You would do the same if you held an important record. Granted it was taken in 2000 by Tim Sczerby, before Wiebe even entered the picture, and sources have stated that Billy started working on it after Tim took it. Funny how the documentary completely left out that. Wiebe also held the record for three years before Mitchell even staged a comeback. The rumors Ive heard were that Mitchell was actually baited back - but those are still unfounded currently. Neither of their professions have anything to do with this. Hell one of the best Qbert players was an unemployed grandmother, while another was an iron worker.

Im not trying to say Mitchell is a saint, I mean he could be a dick, Ive not met the man. Went I was last in Hollywood Florida I was unaware that is where his restaurant is. But basing your opinion of him on a terribly bias film is poor form. From what Ive been told from people who have met Wiebe, he is a bit of an ass himself. But since I havent met the man I wont say that about him.

A wise friend of mine said something very applicable here:
And the true lesson to come away from this is that Tournament (and Record Achieving) Gamers are usually dicks on some level

fastbilly1 wrote:A wise friend of mine said something very applicable here:
And the true lesson to come away from this is that Tournament (and Record Achieving) Gamers are usually dicks on some level

I recognize you have a qualifier in there, but I found the Wizard of Wor record holders from Podcast 3 to be very friendly and down to earth. What I think they did have in common with Billy and Steve is a very fierce dedication to a very small selection of games. I think this is usually true for most record holders - they aren't normal gamers, they aren't obsessive gamers in the same way that many folks here are, and they aren't necessarily well-versed in broader gaming history and culture. I got that sense from watching/reading several record breaker interviews, documentaries, etc.

Since they're unlike most of the people who are aware of them, they end up coming off as aloof or "dickish" when they probably are just very different people than their fans.

Good point dsheinem. Some are good guys and I guess it is a niche world that is hard to understand. But Ive seen, and even been, one of the dicks in the tournament scene.

I just get tired of seeing all the people who bash Billy solely on what they saw in King of Kong, especially on a site such as this. That would be like me basing my opinion on Walmart solely from Bowling for Columbine.