King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters Review

I was watching King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters.

Meet Mark Alpiger, who plays with a weight lifting glove.

Billy Mitchell, who signs his name as USA and consistently wears USA-theme neck ties because he is playing for all American. And speaks in third person.

Roy Shildt, who goes by Mr. Awesome, a name he gave himself.

This is the universe of competitive arcade gaming.

This documentary is painful to watch, but highly intriguing at the same time. The stories, and egos, are as big as sports and movie celebrities. They cry at defeat, there are accusations of cheating, and they won’t look at each other when they are in the same room.

While the movie is about arcade gaming, the theme is more universal. What it means to be competitive, how competition can come to define us, and what we do with defeat.

And the ending is simply fantastic. Take THAT Billy.

8 out of 10 stars.