Elite gamer fails to become the king of Kong
The pressure got to an elite video game player in his attempt to be crowned the new king of Kong on Thursday.
Jason Britta in was foiled at Level 6 of the Donkey Kong arcade game at the Telus World of Science in an attempt to set a new high score in the classic game on Thursday afternoon, falling far short of the world record with 155,200 points.
“I think it was a little bit of nerves because everybody was watching,” Brittain said.
The arcade game, a pseudo-retro game, is part of the centre’s POPnology exhibit, said Kyle Temple, digital marketing specialist at the Telus World of Science.
“We posted (the Donkey Kong arcade machine) on Twitter and we were put in touch with Jason,” Temple said.
The Donkey Kong record stands at 1,185,500 points, according to Twin Galaxies, an organization dedicated to recording video game scores. Brittain is ranked No. 4 in Canada and No. 31 in the world with his best Donkey Kong score of 1,020,800 points.
He has played Donkey Kong for four or five years, starting after a former world record holder told him to watch the documentary King of Kong.
According to Brittain, it typically takes around two hours to set a score near the world record.
He will continue to try to break his own record and hopes to attend the Donkey Kong world championships in the United States.