A King of Kong Without A Crown
Former Donkey Kong Champion Tim Sczerby Returns To Action
By Patrick Scott Patterson, Editor-In-Chief
It’s been nearly 9 years since New Yorker Tim Sczerby made major gaming headlines by doing what nobody else had ever been able to do.
On August 17, 2000, Tim climbed ladders, bashed barrels, and dodged fireballs all the way to 879,200 points on the mega-arcade classic Donkey Kong, being the first man to knock off Billy Mitchell’s 874,300 point score from 1982, putting Tim on top of the scoreboard as the official Donkey Kong World Record Holder, a mark he held for nearly 3 years before Steve Wiebe entered the world of Twin Galaxies.
Steve’s 2003 debut with a 947,200 point Donkey Kong score seemed to set the world on fire. The news of the new record caused so much website traffic to Twin Galaxies that it crashed the servers. The story broke on the Associated Press and CNN. Billy returns to the scene as well with a 933,900 point score, and both Steve and Billy appear in numerous interviews across the media, even gaining the attention of a film crew doing a documentary about classic arcade gaming.
For whatever reasons, the mainstream media chose to overlook the former champion...
In 2007, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is released in limited theatrical release, followed by a DVD release in early 2008 and numerous airings of the film on the G4 cable network. The film is an instant cult hit that quickly finds itself popular in the mainstream as well, as people across the globe view the documentary of Billy VS Steve over the Donkey Kong World Record.
The filmmakers of the documentary decided to make no mention of Tim Sczerby whatsoever...
In the post King of Kong world, Twin Galaxies has seen a surge of new gaming talent, inspired by the film to take their shots at World Records themselves. The film has been referenced on several popular television shows, including SouthPark, My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, and The Office. Both Billy and Steve have risen to the status of mainstream celebrities, appearing in countless interviews, numerous events, and magazines. Steve even appeared in December 2008’s hit movie Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. Both Billy and Steve have now pushed over the 1 million point mark, and noted Twin Galaxies gamer Scott Kessler has made a splash as well with a 895,400 point score.
Tim Sczerby, however, the man who originally broke the longstanding Donkey Kong World Record, finds himself mostly unknown by the same mainstream buzz, only brought up here and there in some stories as “the other guy” who once held the title.
What does a man do when his crown is lost and overlooked?
He practices… and awaits his chance to aim for the crown once again.
That time has come, as Tim has now re-emerged on the scene to attempt to re-take his former crown.
Be sure to check back on the Twin Galaxies forums during the course of his quest for updates as the mainstream world of Donkey Kong finally hears the name Tim Sczerby.