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Donkey Kong high score competition

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Players have competed for the highest score for the video game Donkey Kong since its release in 1981. The competition became more prominent after it was covered in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong.

History

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On November 7, 1982, Billy Mitchell set the first widely recognized Donkey Kong world record of 874,300 points.[1][2] The record stood until August 17, 2000, when it was surpassed by Tim Sczerby's score of 879,200.[3][4] The competition became more prominent after it was covered in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong, which follows the rivalry between Mitchell and Steve Wiebe.[5]

Wiebe began to compete with Hank Chien, a plastic surgeon from New York.[5] In March 2010, Chien surpassed Wiebe's record score.[6] Wiebe achieved a new record score on August 30,[7] but Chien, who became known as Dr. Kong, reclaimed the world record and held it for four years.[5] Chien improved his record four times, before withdrawing from competitive play.[8]

In September 2014, Robbie Lakeman overtook Chien's score.[5][a] Lakeman had practiced for two and a half years[5] and was spurred by a bet that he could earn a score within the game's top twenty.[9] He would often stream his attempts live on Twitch, a streaming service, though his initial world record game was performed offline.[5] 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.[9][b] Lakeman overtook his own record in December and again in June 2015.[8]

In September 2015, Wes Copeland bested Lakeman for the high score. Lakeman reclaimed the record within six hours.[10] Copeland retook the record in January 2016. Shortly after, Lakeman announced his withdrawal from competitive play,[11] though he regained the record in December 2017,[12] and surpassed it in February 2018.

On March 30, 2010, the American rapper Eminem reported a score of 465,800 with photo proof, which would have put him within the top 30 worldwide at the time. As of March 2023, with increasing competition, this score would now sit in 191st place; the score was never officially submitted.[9][13][14]

In 2018, Twin Galaxies, which officiates high-score designations, vacated Mitchell's Donkey Kong high scores and banned his future participation after stating that three of his Donkey Kong million-point high scores had not been made on original, unmodified circuit boards. A frame-by-frame analysis of Mitchell's games suggested they were played on an emulator.[15] However, in 2020, Guinness World Records reversed their decision and reinstated Mitchell's previous records, based on new evidence including eyewitness reports and expert testimonials.[16] Twin Galaxies did not reinstate Mitchell's scores.[17] Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies sued each other.[18] In September 2022, Tanner Fokkens published a report comparing Billy Mitchell's recorded video to the game emulator MAME and the original video game. He found the video matches the emulator.[19] In February 2023, photos were published of Billy Mitchell next to a Donkey Kong machine with a modified joystick. The report raised doubts about records by Billy Mitchell from 2004 and 2007.[20] In 2024 Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxes reached a settlement in the lawsuit whereby Twin Galaxies stated it would reinstate Billy Mitchell's scores as a part of a historic database on the site, which is an archive of Twin Galaxes leaderboards prior to it's change in ownership in 2014 during which more modern adjudication processes where adopted on the site afterward. Despite, the settlement, Billy Mitchell still not listed on the current Twin Galaxies leaderboards, and remains banned from Twin Galaxies,[21][22][23] in addition Billy Mitchell's score of 1,062,800 achieved on July 31, 2011 and was verified by referee is his only score currently listed in the historic database.[24]

Timeline

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Date Score Player Notes
April 20, 1982 398,000 Leo Daniels [25]
July 10, 1982 478,500 Scott Talmage [25]
July 24. 1982 561,300 Shawn Beard [25]
October 25, 1982 591,200 Jeffrey Brandt [25]
November 7, 1982 874,300 Billy Mitchell [c]
August 17, 2000 879,200 Tim Sczerby [3][4][26][27]
June 3, 2005 985,600 Steve Wiebe
August 3, 2006 1,049,100 Steve Wiebe
February 26, 2010 1,061,700 Hank Chien
August 30, 2010 1,064,500 Steve Wiebe [7]
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 5, 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 1,158,500 Harold Forte
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 [28]
December 22, 2017 1,230,100 Robbie Lakeman
February 2, 2018 1,247,700 Robbie Lakeman [29]
March 17, 2019 1,249,500 John McCurdy [30]
May 25, 2019 1,259,000 John McCurdy [31]
June 15, 2020 1,260,700 Robbie Lakeman
September 22, 2020 1,271,100 Robbie Lakeman
January 11, 2021 1,272,700 John McCurdy [32]
June 8, 2021 1,272,800 Robbie Lakeman [33]

Other World Record categories

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There are many other categories for Donkey Kong besides highest score. One of the most popular is the "No Hammer Challenge" where competitors attempt to get the highest score without any use of the game's hammer item.[34] The current world record in this category was set by Jeff Wolfe on July 8, 2008, with a score of 735,100.[34] Some other categories include most points for different levels, fewest points, and most wall jumps on a rivet board.[35]

Events

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The Kong-Off is an annual competitive Donkey Kong tournament,[8] to date held from 2010 to 2019. The inaugural Kong-Off was won by Hank Chien in New Jersey. Jeff Willms won a small cash prize at the 2013 Kong-Off 3 tournament,[9] which was held in Denver between 22 competitors.[36] Willms, a professional Software Engineer, had previously won the Kong-Off 2.[36] Kong-Offs 4 & 5 were held in Pittsburgh, with Hank Chien winning his 2nd title, followed by Robbie Lakeman's first victory the following year.[8] Kong-Offs 6 & 7 were held in Banning, California. Robbie Lakeman won his 2nd consecutive title at Kong-Off 6, followed by Jeff Wolfe's first win at Kong-Off 7.

Notes

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  1. ^ Lakeman's play session lasted over three hours and ended with a score of 1,141,800, besting Chien's score by 3,200 points.[5]
  2. ^ Saglio's score: 1,206,800.[9]
  3. ^ Score currently recognized by Guinness World Records, but unrecognized by Twin Galaxies.

References

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  1. ^ Harmon, Josh (September 30, 2019). "The Split-Screen Man". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  2. ^ Day, Walter (1998). Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records. Sunstar. ISBN 978-1887472258.
  3. ^ a b Aaronson, Trevor (June 19, 2003). "Arcade King". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "The 'King of Kong' could be stripped of his high score". July 20, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Dante D'Orazio (September 6, 2014). "Gamer claims 'Donkey Kong' world record, ending plastic surgeon's four-year reign". The Verge. Vox Media.
  6. ^ Brian Ashcraft (September 20, 2010). "The King Of Kong Once Again The King Of Kong". Kotaku. Gawker Media.
  7. ^ a b Watson, Adam (September 23, 2010). "Steve Wiebe reclaims spot as king of Donkey Kong". ESPN. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d "'Donkey Kong' scoring record falls once again". Yahoo Games. June 29, 2015. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Donkey Kong: the game that refuses to be beaten". Telegraph.co.uk. September 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Good, Owen S. (September 19, 2015). "All-time Donkey Kong world record beaten twice in less than a day". Polygon. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  11. ^ Good, Owen S. (January 9, 2016). "New Donkey Kong world record set, and there's not much room left for another". Polygon. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  12. ^ "The Donkey Kong World High Score Record Just Got Smashed To Bits (Again)". Nintendo Life. December 22, 2017.
  13. ^ "Eminem's Donkey Kong Ambitions | Donkey Blog: News, Theory, and Meditations From The World of Competitive Donkey Kong". donkeykongblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  14. ^ "Donkey Kong - Points [Hammer Allowed]". www.twingalaxies.com. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  15. ^ Good, Owen S. (April 12, 2018). "King of Kong's Billy Mitchell's high scores wiped out by Twin Galaxies". Polygon. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  16. ^ "A statement from Guinness World Records: Billy Mitchell". Guinness World Records. June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  17. ^ O'Kane, Sean (June 19, 2020). "Guinness reverses decision to strip Billy Mitchell's Pac-Man and Donkey Kong records". The Verge. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  18. ^ Orland, Kyle (December 1, 2020). "Twin Galaxies attacks Billy Mitchell as a fraud in new legal claims". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  19. ^ Fokkens, Tanner (September 6, 2022). "Comprehensive Analysis and Case Study of Donkey Kong MAME and Arcade Video Output". perfectpacman.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Orlando, Kyle (February 3, 2023). "Donkey Kong cheating case rocked by photos of illicit joystick modification". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  21. ^ Bailey, Kat (January 16, 2024). "Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong Historical Records Reinstated After Multi-Year Dispute With Twin Galaxies". IGN. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Orland, Kyle (January 16, 2024). "After settlement, Billy Mitchell's scores go up on Twin Galaxies' "historic database"". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Twin Galaxies Statement". www.twingalaxies.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "Twin Galaxies". www.twingalaxies.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d "Donkey Kong - Points [Hammer Allowed]". www.twingalaxies.com. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  26. ^ "THE OFFICIAL TWIN GALAXIES SCORE DATABASE". www.twingalaxies.com.
  27. ^ "The Donkey Kong World Record: The Real History, From 1982 to Today | Donkey Blog: News, Theory, and Meditations From The World of Competitive Donkey Kong". donkeykongblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  28. ^ Good, Owen S. (May 8, 2016). "Donkey Kong's all-time record broken again, with a 'perfect' game (update)". Polygon.
  29. ^ Good, Owen S. (February 4, 2018). "Another world record claimed in Donkey Kong". Polygon.
  30. ^ "Jeff Wolfe & John McCurdy Are The New Kings of Kong". www.twingalaxies.com.
  31. ^ "Arcade - Donkey Kong - Points [Hammer Allowed] - 1,259,000 - John McCurdy". Twin Galaxies. July 23, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  32. ^ "John McCurdy Reclaims His Donkey Kong Crown". www.twingalaxies.com.
  33. ^ "Return of the King Robbie Lakeman". www.twingalaxies.com.
  34. ^ a b "Donkey Kong No Hammer Challenge". www.twingalaxies.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  35. ^ "Donkey Kong Arcade World Record Categories". www.twingalaxies.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  36. ^ a b "World's best Donkey Kong players duke it out at Kong Off 3". Ars Technica. November 18, 2013.
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