"Donkey Kong requires reflexes, it requires strategy, it requires foresight planning and timing. "The film made me realize that there was a whole bunch of people that were playing the classics, the games from the '80s," Chien said. "People ask me for my autograph walking down the street, but I don't think it's going to change my life," Chien told the New York Daily News.Ĭhien began to play Donkey Kong after watching the 2007 documentary " King of Kong," which showcased the world of competitive Donkey Kong and the lengths people go to try to achieve the world record score. In addition to being a plastic surgeon, Chien is a Harvard graduate with degrees in mathematics and computer science (hardly the slacker living in his mom's basement one might imagine of some hard-core gamers). The record-setting game lasted two and a half hours, starting late on February 26 and ending early the next day on a machine Chien owns and keeps in his apartment. Being home from work and snowed in provided the perfect opportunity for Chien to focus on gaming. On February 26 of this year, New York City was hit by a major snowstorm that dumped a massive 18 inches of snow on the city. That, along with a 39-point checklist he completed, enabled Twin Galaxies to certify the new score.Ī relative newcomer to Donkey Kong, Chien has only been playing since last September. Hank ChienĬhien videotaped the machine on which he got his score before and after the record-setting game as required to make the score official. Chien's score was certified by Twin Galaxies, the official score keeper of video games. He bested by 10,000 the previous world record score set by Billy Mitchell. Hank Chien, a 35-year-old plastic surgeon from Queens, N.Y., set the new high score of 1,061,700, reports the New York Daily News. Wii, has a new world record high score.ĭr. He did not beat his high score Thursday, but he’ll keep on playing and do what he knows best: not give up.Donkey Kong, the arcade game dating back to the '80s that's launched numerous Mario-related spinoffs, including the latest New Super Mario Bros. He says he’s currently ranked fourth in Canada with a score of 1,020,800. “I’m just grateful, thankful just for being here, to everybody watching. He didn’t make it to the event this year but he said he is just as content to be playing at home. I was wobbling, I was turning, the foot was super bad,” he said.īrittain persevered because he was motivated to attend the Donkey Kong competition in southern California earlier this month. He was admitted to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital where he stayed for three weeks. Just last year, complications from the disease resulted in doctors amputating his right leg. “This was one of my main goals: I was hoping I can stand up and actually do this.”īrittain has been living with Type 1 diabetes for 28 years. I had my right leg amputated,” he explained. He said he’s happy not only because he’s playing in front of a small audience – although admittedly, he does enjoy the attention – but rather because he’s now able to stand on his own, with the help of a prosthetic leg. This is a good present for me, so I am happy – I am really happy,” he said. “I’m turning 38 in a month, so this is my early birthday. No matter how many barrels or fireballs are hurled at Jason Brittain, he’s learned an important lesson: never give up.īrittain was attempting to break his personal-best score playing a retro Donkey Kong arcade game in front of a roaming crowd at the Telus World of Science Thursday.
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