Tongki “Jimmy” Linderman Does the Do!
NY Native Sets Unprecedented Mr. Do! World Record
San Jose, California - California Extreme 2007 proved to be the grounds for several amazing world records on classic arcade games – and the video game world has taken notice. Included in the list of games with new world records is the 1982 arcade game Mr. Do!. On August 12, 2007 Tongki “Jimmy” Linderman of Brooklyn, NY went to the 2007 California Extreme and nearly doubled the previous world record by scoring 5,500,000 points. Jimmy was even fortunate enough to be able to have Walter Day himself as his witness! Jimmy is also the world record holder on the 1987 arcade game Pacmania, eclipsing all other competitors by close to two million points.
Jimmy took the time to chat with Twin Galaxies about his video gaming experiences.
TG: Hi Jimmy, and thanks for taking the time to interview with Twin Galaxies. Tell us a bit about yourself.
JL: My name is Tongki "Jimmy" Linderman. I live in Brooklyn NY. I work for a courier service in Manhattan.
TG: When did you first start playing arcade games?
JL: I started playing arcade games in 1978. The first game I tried was a car game called Speed Bug.
TG: How did you first become involved with Twin Galaxies?
JL: I was involved with Twin Galaxies in 2001. I met Walter Day at the Classic Gaming Expo 2001 in Las Vegas. He was amazed at my Mr. Do! skills.
TG: How did you prepare for your world record attempt?
JL: No preparation necessary. The next time I marathon Mr. Do!, I will go for the 26,000,000 plus "record". This was in the first book and even though I got the "world record" at CA Extreme 2007, I feel that I need to beat the 26+ million to really solidify the world record!
As for the Pacmania world record I had to remember all the patterns again because it was 4 years since I last played Pacmania.
TG: Tell us about your world record performance on Mr. Do! (how many levels, highlights, time involved, etc.).
JL: I got the 5,500,000 on level 293 and had 34 men left before I called it quits. I played for about 3 1/2 hours.
TG: What was it like being at California Extreme 2007?
JL: It was great. Even in 2005 it was great. I enjoyed seeing most of the old games I remembered when they came out.
TG: Tell us about your Pacmania world record performance.
JL: On my first game I played in Paul Dean's Contest. I got 1.2 million (by the way, that score would have held up for first prize). My second game I lost my first man at 594,000 and then I quit the game. My third game I got 1.9 million. My fourth game I was on fire!!! I passed all 19 levels on my first man!!! I then went on to play another 21 boards to finish at 3,733,860.
TG: What things about you make you unique from other gamers?
JL: In most games I try to take advantage of "secret tips" to help my game. For example: On Mr. Do! I take advantage of the grid layout to stop halfway into the next square, make the monster stop momentarily, and then kill them. On Pacmania there are certain areas that the monsters don't travel thru and I know NOT to jump in those areas most of the time.
TG: What do you attribute your successes in video gaming to?
JL: I attribute my successes to possibly breaking more records in the future.
TG: What are some of your hobbies that don’t involve video games?
JL: I play poker, watch wrestling, travel to malls when I have the money to spare and watch sports (baseball, basketball, football).
TG: Are there any other games you think you could challenge for a world record on?
JL: I believe I can be part of the Pac-Man scoreboard to either get the perfect game, score or at least get on the scoreboard.
TG: What’s next for you in the video game world?
JL: Well my next event would be the VG Expo in Philadelphia in November if I can go to it. Otherwise, I will be at the next CA Extreme.
Jimmy, thanks so much for visiting with everyone here at Twin Galaxies. We’re looking forward to seeing your next world record!
JL: Thank you for the interview.
Check out Jimmy’s scores with Twin Galaxies by clicking here.