Steve Wiebe
Encyclopedia
Steven J. "Steve" Wiebe (ˈ; born January 3, 1969) is a two-time world champion of the video game Donkey Kong
, most recently holding the title from the 20th of September, 2010 to the 10th of January, 2011 with a high score of 1,064,500 points. Wiebe was the first person to achieve over a million points in the game, with a score of 1,006,600 on July 4, 2004. He is one of the primary subjects of the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
.
on the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
and on G4
's Attack of the Show.
He also voiced his own cartoon character on Code Monkeys
in the episode "The Great Recession". He also appeared as "Jim" in the film Four Christmases
, which was directed by Seth Gordon
, the director of The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.
Similarly to his Donkey Kong rival Billy Mitchell
, Steve Wiebe was also put in a TOPPS Allen & Ginter baseball set, Wiebe being featured in the 2009 edition of the baseball product.
on January 10, 2011.
Wiebe made six well-publicized attempts at regaining the Donkey Kong title in the last couple of years before recapturing it on September 20, 2010. They are:
and played for the school's basketball and baseball teams; Wiebe also played the drums for the school's symphonic and jazz bands. Wiebe graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington
in 1991. From 1996 to 1999, he worked at Boeing
as a testing and analysis engineer; and from 1999 to 2001, he worked at the BSquare Corporation
in Bellevue as a software testing engineer. In 2004, Wiebe earned a Master of Education degree at City University of Seattle.
Wiebe lives in Redmond
with his wife Nicole, and has a daughter, Jillian, and son, Derek. In addition to his competitive gaming pursuits, Wiebe teaches mathematics at Redmond High School. A committed Christian and interested in music from an early age, Wiebe released a Contemporary Christian album titled The King of Song in December 2009.
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
, most recently holding the title from the 20th of September, 2010 to the 10th of January, 2011 with a high score of 1,064,500 points. Wiebe was the first person to achieve over a million points in the game, with a score of 1,006,600 on July 4, 2004. He is one of the primary subjects of the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film that follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell...
.
Media appearances
Wiebe was interviewed about the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of QuartersThe King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film that follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell...
on the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
and on G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
's Attack of the Show.
He also voiced his own cartoon character on Code Monkeys
Code Monkeys
Code Monkeys is an American animated television program created by Adam de la Peña. Set in the early 1980s, it follows the adventures of fictional video game company GameaVision....
in the episode "The Great Recession". He also appeared as "Jim" in the film Four Christmases
Four Christmases
Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day...
, which was directed by Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon is an American film director, producer, and film editor. He has produced and directed both film and TV for various film and television studios, including PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations 1% For Development Fund...
, the director of The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.
Similarly to his Donkey Kong rival Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell (gamer)
Billy L. Mitchell, born July 16, 1965, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, is best known for recording high scores in classic video games from the Golden Age of Arcade Games. He has been claimed by some as the "greatest arcade-video-game player of all time". His achievements include the first perfect score...
, Steve Wiebe was also put in a TOPPS Allen & Ginter baseball set, Wiebe being featured in the 2009 edition of the baseball product.
Current status of championship
Wiebe was the record holder for highest score in Donkey Kong with a score of 1,064,500 at September 20, 2010 but was beaten by Hank ChienHank Chien
Hank Chien is a three-time world champion of the video game Donkey Kong.He currently holds the record with a score of 1,090,400 achieved on February 27, 2011 at Funspot....
on January 10, 2011.
Wiebe made six well-publicized attempts at regaining the Donkey Kong title in the last couple of years before recapturing it on September 20, 2010. They are:
- On August 19, 2007, at the Alamo Draft House in Austin, TX, Wiebe scored 695,500 points while Twin GalaxiesTwin GalaxiesTwin Galaxies is an American organization that tracks video game world records and conducts a program of electronic-gaming promotions. It operates the Twin Galaxies website and publishes the Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, with the Arcade Volume released on June...
Founder Walter DayWalter DayWalter Aldro Day, Jr. is the founder of Twin Galaxies, an international organization based in Fairfield, Iowa, that tracks high score statistics for the worldwide electronic video gaming hobby...
served as the official referee.
- On March 6, 2008, in Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Wiebe played in front of a fluctuating crowd of 1,900 party attendees in the TAO Nightclub in the Venetian Casino during Microsoft's MIX08 event. During that attempt, Wiebe achieved two scores: first scoring 929,800 points and reaching the "kill screenKill screenA kill screen is a stage or level in a video game that stops the player's progress due to a programming error or design oversight. Rather than "ending" in a traditional sense, the game will crash, freeze, or behave so erratically that further play is impossible.Video games, like any other computer...
" and then 579,300 points on the second try. According to Twin Galaxies records, this is the sixth time someone had reached the "Kill Screen" during a public gaming performance (Billy MitchellBilly Mitchell (gamer)Billy L. Mitchell, born July 16, 1965, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, is best known for recording high scores in classic video games from the Golden Age of Arcade Games. He has been claimed by some as the "greatest arcade-video-game player of all time". His achievements include the first perfect score...
and he each have 3 times). Again, Wiebe performed under the supervision of Twin Galaxies Founder Walter Day, who noted: "Possibly the biggest challenges Wiebe had to overcome were the loud nightclub music, the chaotic environment and the late hours."
- On July 17, 2008, Wiebe made his third attempt to break the Donkey Kong high score at the Twiistup 4 event in Santa Monica, but was unsuccessful on two consecutive attempts, scoring 340,500 and 466,100 points.
- In October 2008, at the 2008 E for All Expo, he scored 1,000,200 in front of a large crowd. This is only the third time a 1 million point score has been achieved in public.
- On April 24, 2009, Wiebe temporarily took command of the Donkey Kong Jr. title, eclipsing both Mitchell and previous record holder Icarus Hall with a score of 1,139,800 points. This was later passed by Mark L. Kiehl with a score of 1,147,800.
- On June 2, 2009, Wiebe reached a score of 923,400 points at E3 2009Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, commonly known as the E3 2009, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 2, 3, and 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment...
during his first attempt that day. On his second attempt, he reached 653,700. A third attempt was interrupted by a brief power failure. After power was restored, Wiebe made a fourth attempt in which he reached 989,400 points before the kill screenKill screenA kill screen is a stage or level in a video game that stops the player's progress due to a programming error or design oversight. Rather than "ending" in a traditional sense, the game will crash, freeze, or behave so erratically that further play is impossible.Video games, like any other computer...
ended his final attempt. These attempts were broadcast online via G4TVG4 (TV channel)G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
.
- On February 17, 2010, Wiebe recaptured the Donkey Kong Jr. high score title with a verified 1,190,400 points, beating out previous record holder Mark Kiehl. Twin GalaxiesTwin GalaxiesTwin Galaxies is an American organization that tracks video game world records and conducts a program of electronic-gaming promotions. It operates the Twin Galaxies website and publishes the Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, with the Arcade Volume released on June...
Founder Walter DayWalter DayWalter Aldro Day, Jr. is the founder of Twin Galaxies, an international organization based in Fairfield, Iowa, that tracks high score statistics for the worldwide electronic video gaming hobby...
served as the official referee. On April 19, 2010, Mark Kiehl again recaptured the Donkey Kong Jr. high score with a verified 1,253,000 points.
- On September 20, 2010, Wiebe regained the title of Donkey Kong champion, verified by Twin Galaxies through a DVD recording of play on August 30, 2010 with a score of 1,064,500 points.
- On January 10, 2011, Wiebe lost the title of world record holder when his previous high score of 1,064,500 points on Donkey Kong was beaten by plastic surgeon Hank Chien‘s 1,068,000 point high score. The attempt took two hours and forty five minutes.
Personal life
Wiebe was born in Seattle to Ryan and Sandy Wiebe, and has a brother, Ryan Wiebe, and sister, Cathy Lowell. He attended Newport High School in Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
and played for the school's basketball and baseball teams; Wiebe also played the drums for the school's symphonic and jazz bands. Wiebe graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1991. From 1996 to 1999, he worked at Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
as a testing and analysis engineer; and from 1999 to 2001, he worked at the BSquare Corporation
Bsquare corporation
BSQUARE Corporation is a technology distributor and system integrator headquartered in Bellevue, Washington that supports OEMs, ODMs and Enterprises with services and solutions to create smart, connected devices. BSQUARE is listed on the NASDAQ exchange with the symbol BSQR...
in Bellevue as a software testing engineer. In 2004, Wiebe earned a Master of Education degree at City University of Seattle.
Wiebe lives in Redmond
Redmond
Redmond may refer to:In people:*Redmond In places:* Redmond, Washington, best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America* Redmond, Oregon* Redmond, Utah...
with his wife Nicole, and has a daughter, Jillian, and son, Derek. In addition to his competitive gaming pursuits, Wiebe teaches mathematics at Redmond High School. A committed Christian and interested in music from an early age, Wiebe released a Contemporary Christian album titled The King of Song in December 2009.
External links
- Steve's Official Website
- Article on the King of Kong mentioning Wiebe and interview with director at Ignore Magazine.
- Steve Wiebe tells movie goers not to talk trailer at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Behind the scenes at one of Steve's record-breaking attempts at M Swanson's Blog
- King of Kong 2 Trailer
- Video of his E3 2009 record-breaking attempts