In the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, underdog Steve Wiebe seeks to oust the reigning Donkey Kong champion Billy Mitchell. At Mediascape, Andy Myers interviewed Wiebe about his experience being filmed for the movie. 

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Myers:   Now from your perspective, how accurate was the final film in depicting the real people and events that you encountered?

Wiebe:   I think they captured basically who I am. I’m trying to do right, getting some unlucky breaks here and there. But I was successful—when the movie was rolling I had a teaching job. I didn’t have a full-time job. I was still a long-term sub. I was getting back on my feet from the layoff. It did show some of those things that happened that didn’t work out in my favor, but I was bouncing back.

As far as Billy, I think his friends will admit that he has a persona where he’s kind of arrogant. So they showed little quotes…the quotes they didn’t manufacture. That gives you an idea of the kinds of things he says. He’s not a direct confrontational person. If you were to meet him he would be polite to you. It didn’t show him being rude or anything directly, which is his act that he was never overtly—it was just that quote. Even when I went to his restaurant he actually came in later on, after an hour wait.

But overall I think all the gamers that I came across, it captured the people, the culture of the whole gaming…there’s a band of people who are into these games and are hardcore, who play as much as possible. I didn’t see anything that was, in my perspective, misrepresentative of the people. Billy will say he hasn’t seen it yet; I know he still says that. People on Twin Galaxies will say there’s misrepresentations, because they’re not happy with the way it shows him. I didn’t see anything that I was infuriated about as far as the way they portrayed me. And as far as what Billy said, that’s what he said and there was nothing that they fabricated.