With the news about Billy Mitchell still ringing around the world, we reached out to the Twin Galaxies community to gauge their thoughts on the matter. While we couldn't include everyone due to the sheer volume, the responses we did get show just how deeply this decision has affected the community.
Starting us off strongly was a short and sweet message from user Pixe Sukola:
Fake scores = Bad
Truth = Good
Twin Galaxies did the right thing.
User Snowflake had a more expanded view on the matter, stating:
I'm not a Donkey Kong player. I mean, yes, I've played Donkey Kong, its kind of fun, but I never cared to put in the time that the hardcore fans put it. I am however a very avid user of Twin Galaxies, and we all know how reputation works, a single bad moment destroys a lifetime of good ones. As a TG user my own scores suffer when bad scores on even a different game are allowed to stand. This was important to all of us with scores on the board whether we play kong or not.
To keep it positive, admittedly in a round a bout way, you do have to admit that even the anger against Billy has had the positive effect of bringing us all closer together. Some people with whom I previously had pretty major issues I was able to talk with civilly all in the shared goal of coming together as a community to make sure all players are treated fairly and equally.
It was not surprising to see responses that went into quite a lot of detail, such as this one from user Bensweeneyonbass:
The impact that this decision will have on TG's credibility and public image is based on what you believe the most important factor(s) of said qualities are.
As a TG member and high score submitter/adjudicator, my take on this decision is that it is 100% positive. I considered this for a long time before saying 100% but it's how I feel. The integrity of this organization is based on its members and its database. One more fraudulent competitor and his scores have been removed from the database, and this is a purely positive thing. As an inexperienced but avid DK player, my sentiments above continue into the realm of the DK community as a whole. It is a positive event.
If you are one who believes that it is TG's mission to uphold the legacy of eSports and be true to their past history of Ottumwa and all the great things that came out of that era, I can imagine you're not quite chuffed about this action. I have seen reactions that echo sentiments of betrayal, disrespect, and downright "character assassination" and I can understand where these sentiments originate. A lot of people love Billy, and still do, and nobody is ever happy to see someone they love or respect be called a fraud or a cheater. Many will refuse to accept the decision of Twin Galaxies on this matter, and that is their choice and right to do so, but a goodly portion of these people will likely not engage in the gaming community beyond watching documentaries and movies and being casual gamers.
If you have skin in the game, be it as a TG member or a DK player, you ought to at least respect the decision that TG has made.
Finally, if you believe that there has been some error, or that you have evidence that could rebut TG's decision, I urge you to read the entirety of the dispute thread before waving your flag. Often times the right decision to make is the hardest one to accept.
And after all, it's just video games people :)
The most commonly expressed sentiment was one best epitomized by user Muerto:
The way TG/Jace Hall handled this dispute was overwhelming and extremely professional. As said earlier, this verdict has haved an unseen side effect, strengthening the Oldsch00l gaming community.
Now go power up those games, and have some fun!
For more on the Billy Mitchell decision, check out former world record holder Wes Copeland’s thoughts on the matter, and you can see the full Adjudication thread including the announcement here.
(We have included multiple quotes from the Twin Galaxies forum in this piece, and while some contain minor spelling errors, we have left them as intact as possible to how the user’s expressed themselves.)
