mikegerber.com

A controlled substance?

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: if you have anything important to do, do not start watching The King of Kong. This 2007 documentary about competitive classic videogaming is absolutely mesmerizing—much to my chagrin, I missed this when it came through the theaters; as punishment, it has eaten my morning whole. In 1982, legendary gamer Billy Mitchell set a Donkey Kong record that stood for almost 25 years. The King of Kong follows the dogged assault on the flashy, self-confident Mitchell’s record by Steve Wiebe, an earnest schoolteacher from Redmond, Washington.

Seth Gordon’s film is a great story, full of outlandish characters and set in a truly unique subculture. Watch it…but only when you have some time.

UPDATE: Friend Megan forwarded me this news story…Billy Mitchell, start your comeback!