Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. An early example of the platform game genre, the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Mario (originally named Mr. Video and then Jumpman) must rescue a damsel in distress named Pauline (originally named Lady), from a giant ape named. Donkey Kong Play Guide. The game is quite simple to figure out. Move Mario left and right on the girders, up and down the ladders and avoid any obstacles in the way (either by jumping over them, smashing them with the hammer, or going around them).

Gameplay of Donkey Kong in Game & Watch CollectionDonkey Kong is a dual-screen version of. It was released as a part of the Multi Screen series on June 3, 1982, and has the model number DK-52. It has similar gameplay to the arcade version: has captured, and must rescue her. The game was later ported to and, both of which include an updated 'Modern' version of the game. A more recent port of Donkey Kong was released in for the dual-screened, allowing for an exact replication of the original gameplay. The Classic version of Donkey Kong from Game & Watch Gallery 4The game takes place over two screens. Mario starts at the bottom left of the bottom screen.

The player must move right and dodge Donkey Kong's barrels by pressing the button. Mario can jump over barrels only if no girder is above his head. Mario receives a point for jumping over a barrel on the first girder. When Mario reaches the, the player must press Up to climb to the second girder and move back to the left. When Mario climbs the next ladder, he will appear on the top screen.

Once there, the player can press Left to activate the crane, then the player can move to the right, dodging more barrels, receiving two points for doing so on the second girder. When the crane hook swings all the way to the left, Mario can jump to grab it and cut one of the wires holding Donkey Kong's girder, earning from five to twenty points depending on how fast he does the job. Mario will then return to the beginning of the level. When he cuts all four wires, he defeats Donkey Kong, awarding Mario 20 points.The barrels become faster the more of them Mario jumps over in a single run.

If Mario does not reach Donkey Kong quickly, then the barrels will move too fast for Mario to jump over. After Mario activates the crane, the hook will swing left and right twice and then stop.

Mario will then have to reactivate the crane for another chance. If a barrel hits Mario, if he jumps and hits a moving iron girder, or if he jumps and misses the hook, he gets a miss and returns to the starting point. The when he loses three lives.If Mario gains 300 points without any misses, he will begin 'Chance Time': The score will flash, and all points will be worth double until he does get a miss. If he has any misses at said score, he will earn an instead. Mario can have up to three extra lives.The maximum score that a player can get in this game is 999 points. If the player gets a higher score, the score tally will reset to zero points.The Classic version in the Game & Watch Gallery series maintains the presence of two screens, but since the systems only had one screen, the player had to press B to toggle which screen is minimized off to the side and which is the 'main' screen.Modern version.

The Modern version of Donkey Kong from Game & Watch Gallery 4The Modern version of the game has substituting for Pauline, and and also make appearances. In this version, Mario needs to flip a that makes a platform appear and opens a above it. Then he needs to jump onto the platform and make his way to the door before it closes. Mario can Koopas to defeat them, earning bonus points in the process. In this version, Mario earns 15 points for defeating Donkey Kong. The setting also changes after every time Mario defeats Donkey Kong: The first level takes place in a factory, the second level takes place in a jungle, and the final level takes place on a glacier at nighttime (an at daytime in Game & Watch Gallery 4).

At 200, 500, and 700 points, a will appear for Mario to remove a miss. Music is also featured, with the tempo changing depending on the speed of the game.In Game & Watch Gallery 4, selecting the game and waiting will result in a humorous sequence being played. In it, Peach is admiring Mario trying to balance on a barrel. Unfortunately, this ends up going south when Mario ends up having trouble balancing and causing it to roll, forcing Peach to flee until Donkey Kong gets in the way of the barrel, causing it to smash and send Mario flying, with Peach admiring Donkey Kong instead.

.: February 14, 2004.: June 7, 2004.: July 10, 2004Mode(s)Upright, mini, and cocktail@ 3.072SoundDisplaymonitor (vertical, 224×256, 256 out of 768Donkey Kong is an released by in 1981. An early example of the genre, the focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles.

In the game, (originally named Mr. Video and then Jumpman) must rescue a named (originally named Lady), from a giant ape named. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo's most popular and recognizable characters. Donkey Kong is one of the most important games from the as well as one of the most popular arcade games of all time.The game was the latest in a series of efforts by Nintendo to break into the North American market., Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to a first-time named. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including, and, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer,. The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including to advance the game's plot and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay.Although Nintendo's American staff was initially apprehensive, Donkey Kong succeeded commercially and critically in North America and Japan.

Nintendo the game to, who developed home versions for numerous platforms. Other companies Nintendo's hit and avoided royalties altogether.

Miyamoto's characters appeared on cereal boxes, television cartoons, and dozens of other places. A lawsuit brought by (later Universal Studios), alleging Donkey Kong violated its trademark of King Kong, ultimately failed. The success of Donkey Kong and Nintendo's victory in the courtroom helped to position the company for video-game market dominance from its release in 1981 until the late 1990s. Gameplay of Donkey Kong in the first stage, with Mario holding a.Following 1980's, Donkey Kong is one of the earliest examples of the genre: 94 even prior to the term being coined; the U.S.

Gaming press used climbing game for games with platforms and ladders. As the first platform game to feature jumping, Donkey Kong requires the player to jump between gaps and over obstacles or approaching enemies, setting the template for the future of the platform genre. With its four unique stages, Donkey Kong was the most complex arcade game at the time of its release, and one of the first arcade games to feature multiple stages, following 1980's and 1981's and: 66Competitive video gamers and referees stress the game's high level of difficulty compared to other classic arcade games. Winning the game requires patience and the ability to accurately time Mario's ascent.: 82 In addition to presenting the goal of saving Pauline, the game also gives the player a score. Points are awarded for the following: leaping over obstacles; destroying objects with a hammer; collecting items such as hats, and purses (presumably belonging to Pauline); removing rivets from platforms, and completing each stage (determined by a steadily decreasing bonus counter). The player typically receives three lives with a awarded for 7,000 points, although this can be modified via the game's built-in. One life is lost whenever Mario touches Donkey Kong or any enemy object, falls too far through a gap or off the end of a platform, or lets the bonus counter reach zero.The game is divided into four different single-screen stages.

Each represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed, one stage being 25 meters higher than the previous. The final stage occurs at 100 meters. Stage one involves Mario scaling a construction site made of crooked girders and ladders while jumping over or hammering barrels and oil drums tossed by Donkey Kong. Stage two involves climbing a five-story structure of, each of which transport cement pans. The third stage involves the player riding elevators while avoiding bouncing springs. The fourth and final stage requires Mario to remove eight rivets from the platforms supporting Donkey Kong; removing the final rivet causes Donkey Kong to fall and the hero to be reunited with Pauline. These four stages combine to form a level.Upon completion of the fourth stage, the level then increments, and the game repeats the stages with progressive difficulty.

For example, Donkey Kong begins to hurl barrels faster and sometimes diagonally, and fireballs speed up. The victory music alternates between levels 1 and 2. The fourth level, however, consists of 5 stages with the final stage at 125 meters.

The 22nd level is colloquially known as the, due to an error in the game's programming that kills Mario after a few seconds, effectively ending the game. On the final screen of each level, and Pauline are reunited.Donkey Kong is considered to be the earliest video game with a storyline that visually unfolds on screen. The eponymous is the game's villain.

The hero is a carpenter originally unnamed in the Japanese arcade release, later named Jumpman and then Mario. Donkey Kong kidnaps Mario's girlfriend, originally known as Lady, but later renamed Pauline. The player must take the role of Mario and rescue her. This is the first occurrence of the scenario that provided the template for countless video games to come.: 82The game uses graphics and animation for characterization.

Donkey Kong smirks upon Mario's demise. Pauline has a pink dress and long hair,: 19–20 and a speech balloon crying 'HELP!' Appears frequently beside her. Mario, depicted in red overalls and a red cap, is an character, a type common in Japan. Graphical limitations and the low pixel resolution of the small prompted his design: drawing a mouth with so few pixels was infeasible, so the character was given a mustache;: 37 the programmers could not animate hair, so he got a cap; to make his arm movements visible, he needed colored overalls.: 238 The artwork used for the cabinets and promotional materials make these cartoon-like character designs even more explicit. Pauline, for example, is depicted as disheveled (like King Kong 's ) in a torn dress and.: 19–20Donkey Kong is the first example of a complete narrative told in video game form and, like 1980s, it employs to advance its plot. The game opens with the gorilla climbing a pair of ladders to the top of a construction site.

He sets Pauline down and stomps his feet, causing the steel beams to change shape. He moves to his final perch and sneers. A melody plays, and the level (or stage) starts. This brief animation sets the scene and adds background to the gameplay, a first for video games. Upon reaching the end of the stage, another cutscene begins.

A heart appears between Mario and Pauline, but Donkey Kong grabs her and climbs higher, causing the heart to break. The narrative concludes when Mario reaches the end of the rivet stage. He and Pauline are reunited, and a short intermission plays.: 40–42 The gameplay then loops from the beginning at a higher level of difficulty, without any formal ending.Development. Small model based on original arcade cabinetAs of early 1981, Nintendo's efforts to expand to North America had failed, culminating with the attempted export of the otherwise successful. They were left with a large number of unsold Radar Scope machines, so company president thought of simply converting them into something new.

He approached a young named, who had been working for Nintendo since 1977, to see if he could design such a replacement. Miyamoto said that he could.: 157 Yamauchi appointed Nintendo's head engineer, to supervise the project.: 158 Nintendo's budget for the development of the game was $100,000.

Some sources also claim that was involved in some of the development. They played no role in the game's creation or concept, but were hired to provide 'mechanical programming assistance to fix the software created by Nintendo'.At the time, Nintendo was also pursuing a license to make a game based on the comic strip. When this license attempt failed, Nintendo took the opportunity to create new characters that could then be marketed and used in later games.: 238 Miyamoto came up with many characters and plot concepts, but he eventually settled on a love triangle between a gorilla, a carpenter, and a girlfriend that mirrors the rivalry between and Popeye for.: 39 Bluto became an ape, which Miyamoto said was 'nothing too evil or repulsive'.: 47 He would be the pet of the main character, 'a funny, hang-loose kind of guy.' : 47 Miyamoto has also named ' and the 1933 film as influences.: 36 Although its origin as a comic strip license played a major part, Donkey Kong marked the first time that the storyline for a video game preceded the game's rather than simply being appended as an afterthought.: 38 Unrelated Popeye games were eventually released by Nintendo for the the following month and for the in 1982.Yamauchi wanted primarily to target the North American market, so he mandated that the game be given an English title, though many of their games to this point had English titles anyway. Miyamoto decided to name the game for the ape, whom he felt was the strongest character.: 39 The story of how Miyamoto came up with the name 'Donkey Kong' varies.

A false urban myth says that the name was originally meant to be 'Monkey Kong', but was misspelled or misinterpreted due to a blurred fax or bad telephone connection. Another, more credible story claims Miyamoto looked in a Japanese-English dictionary for something that would mean 'stubborn gorilla', or that 'Donkey' was meant to convey 'silly' or 'stubborn'; 'Kong' was common Japanese slang for 'gorilla'.: 238 A rival claim is that he worked with Nintendo's export manager to come up with the title, and that 'Donkey' was meant to represent 'stupid and goofy'.: 48–49 In the end, Miyamoto stated that he thought the name would convey the thought of a 'stupid ape'.Miyamoto himself had high hopes for his new project. He lacked the technical skills to program it alone, so instead came up with concepts and consulted technicians to see if they were possible. He wanted to make the characters different sizes, move in different manners and react in various ways.

Yokoi thought Miyamoto's original design was too complex,: 47–48 though he had some difficult suggestions himself, such as using see-saws to catapult the hero across the screen (eventually found too hard to program, though a similar concept appeared in the Popeye arcade game). Miyamoto then thought of using sloped platforms, barrels and ladders. When he specified that the game would have multiple stages, the four-man programming team complained that he was essentially asking them to make the game repeatedly.: 38–39 Nevertheless, they followed Miyamoto's design, creating a total of approximately 20 of content.: 530 Yukio Kaneoka composed a simple soundtrack to serve as background music for the levels and story events.The circuit board of Radar Scope was restructured for Donkey Kong. The Radar Scope hardware, originally inspired by the hardware, was designed for a large number of enemies moving around at high speeds, which Donkey Kong does not require, so the development team removed unnecessary functions and reduced the scale of the circuit board.

While the gameplay and graphics were reworked for updated chips, the existing, sound hardware and monitor were left intact. The character set, scoreboard, upper HUD display, and font are almost identical to Radar Scope, with palette differences. The Donkey Kong hardware has the memory capacity for displaying 128 foreground at 16x16 each and 256 background at 8x8 pixels each. Mario and all moving objects use single sprites, the taller Pauline uses two sprites, and the larger Donkey Kong uses six sprites.Hiroshi Yamauchi thought the game was going to sell well and phoned to inform, head of Nintendo's operations in the U.S. Nintendo's American distributors, Ron Judy and Al Stone, brought Arakawa to a lawyer named to secure a trademark.: 159The game was sent to for testing. The sales manager disliked it for being too different from the and common at the time,: 49 and Judy and Lincoln expressed reservations over the strange title.

Still, Arakawa adamantly believed that it would be a hit.: 159 American staff began translating the storyline for the cabinet art and naming the characters. They chose 'Pauline' for the Lady, after Polly James, wife of Nintendo's, warehouse manager,.: 200 The name of 'Jumpman', a name originally chosen for its similarity to the popular brands and,: 34–42 was eventually changed to 'Mario' in likeness of, the landlord of the original office space of Nintendo of America.: 42: 109 These character names were printed on the American cabinet art and used in promotional materials.

Donkey Kong was ready for release.: 212Stone and Judy convinced the managers of two bars in, Washington, to set up Donkey Kong machines. Game & Watch Donkey KongMiyamoto created a greatly simplified version for the multiscreen handheld device. Other ports include the, and Mini-Arcade versions. Two separate and distinct ports were developed for the - the first was published by in 1983, and the second by in 1986.Nintendo Entertainment System The game was ported to Nintendo's (Famicom) console and released in Japan on July 15, 1983 as one of the system's three.

It was also an early game for the Famicom's international redesign, the (NES), as it was launched on June 1, 1986 in North America and October 15, 1986 in Europe. The game was ported by the Famicom and NES developer, under the Arcade Classics Series of NES games. The cement factory level is not included, however, nor are most of the cutscenes since initial ROM cartridges do not have enough memory available. However, the port includes a new song composed by Yukio Kaneoka for the title screen. Both Donkey Kong and its sequel, are included in the 1988 NES compilation Donkey Kong Classics.Game Boy A complete remake of the original arcade game on the, titled (referred to as Donkey Kong '94 during development) contains levels from both the original Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. It starts with the same damsel-in-distress premise and four basic locations as the arcade game and then progresses to 97 additional puzzle-based levels. It is the first game to have built-in enhancement for the Super Game Boy accessory.Emulation The NES version was re-released as an unlockable game in for the.

It was also published on for the,. The Wii U version is also the last game that was released to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the Japanese version of the NES, the Famicom. The original arcade version of the game appears in the game, and must be beaten to finish the game. Nintendo released the NES version on the and for the in 2002 and 2004, respectively. In 2004, Namco released an arcade cabinet which contains Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mario Bros.Donkey Kong: Original Edition is a port based on the NES version that reinstates the cement factory stage and includes some intermission animations absent from the original NES version, which has only ever been released on the.

It was preinstalled on 25th Anniversary PAL region red Wii systems, which were first released in Europe on October 29, 2010. In Japan, a download code for the game for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console was sent to users who purchased or from the from July 28 to September 2, 2012. In North America, a download code for the game for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console was sent to users who purchased one of five select 3DS games on the and registered it on from October 1, 2012 to January 6, 2013.

In Europe and Australia, it was released for purchase on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, being released on September 18, 2014 in Europe and on September 19, 2014 in Australia. The original arcade version was re-released as part of the series for on June 14, 2018, and the NES version was re-released as one of the launch titles for on September 19, 2018. Reception ReceptionReview scorePublicationScoreIn his 1982 book Video Invaders, Steve Bloom described Donkey Kong as 'another bizarre cartoon game, courtesy of Japan'.: 5 Donkey Kong was, however, extremely popular in the United States and Canada. The game's initial 2,000 units sold, and more orders were made.

Main article:In April, a seasoned lawyer and president of and Universal City Studios, learned of the game's success and suspected it might be a trademark infringement of Universal's own.: 211 On April 27, 1982, he met with Arnold Greenberg of Coleco and threatened to sue over Coleco's home version of Donkey Kong. Coleco agreed on May 3, 1982 to pay to Universal of 3% of their Donkey Kong 's net sale price, worth about $4.6 million.: 121 Meanwhile, Sheinberg revoked Tiger's license to make its King Kong game, but O. Rissman refused to acknowledge Universal's claim to the trademark.: 214 When Universal threatened Nintendo, Howard Lincoln and Nintendo refused to cave.

In preparation for the court battle ahead, Universal agreed to allow Tiger to continue producing its King Kong game as long as they distinguished it from Donkey Kong.: 215Universal sued Nintendo on June 29, 1982 and announced its license with Coleco. The company sent letters to Nintendo's licensees, all of which agreed to pay royalties to Universal except and.: 74–75 Universal City Studios, Inc. Nintendo, Co., Ltd. Was heard in the by Judge Robert W. Over seven days, Universal's counsel, the New York firm Townley & Updike, argued that the names King Kong and Donkey Kong were easily confused and that the plot of the game was an infringement on that of the films.: 74 Nintendo's counsel, countered that Universal had themselves argued in a previous case that King Kong 's scenario and characters were in the. Made man rapper shooting.

Judge Sweet ruled in Nintendo's favor, awarding the company Universal's profits from Tiger's game ($56,689.41), damages and attorney's fees.: 217Universal appealed, trying to prove consumer confusion by presenting the results of a telephone survey and examples from print media where people had allegedly assumed a connection between the two Kongs.: 118 On October 4, 1984, however, the court upheld the previous verdict.: 112Nintendo and its licensees filed counterclaims against Universal. On May 20, 1985, Judge Sweet awarded Nintendo $1.8 million for legal fees, lost revenues, and other expenses.: 218 However, he denied Nintendo's claim of damages from those licensees who had paid royalties to both Nintendo and Universal.: 72 Both parties appealed this judgment, but the verdict was upheld on July 15, 1986.: 77–78Nintendo thanked John Kirby with the gift of a $30,000 sailboat named Donkey Kong and 'exclusive worldwide rights to use the name for sailboats'.: 126 A was named in Kirby's honor. The court battle also taught Nintendo they could compete with larger entertainment industry companies.: 127 Legacy In 1996 listed the arcade, Atari 7800, and cancelled Coleco Adam versions as number 50 on their 'Top 100 Games of All Time', commenting that even ignoring its massive historical significance, Donkey Kong stands as a great game due to its demanding challenges and graphics which manage to elegantly delineate an entire scenario on a single screen.

In February 2006, rated it the 148th best game made on a Nintendo system. Today, Donkey Kong is the fifth most popular arcade game among collectors.Donkey Kong was an inspiration for the 1983 platform game for home computers, according to the game's creator.features music from the game arranged by and a stage called '75m', an almost exact replica of its Donkey Kong namesake. While the stage contains her items, Pauline is missing from her perch at the top of the stage.

Clones was officially licensed from Nintendo and manufactured by Falcon for some non-US markets. Nevertheless, Crazy Kong machines found their way into some American arcades, often installed in cabinets marked as Congorilla.

Nintendo was quick to take legal action against those distributing the game in the US.: 119 copies of Donkey Kong also appeared in both North America and France under the Crazy Kong, Konkey Kong or Donkey King names. The 1982 Logger arcade game from Century Electronics is a direct clone of Donkey Kong, with a large bird standing in for the ape and rolling logs instead of barrels.In 1981, O. Rissman, president of, obtained a license to use the name from. Under this title, Tiger created a with a scenario and gameplay based directly on Nintendo's creation.: 210–211Many home computer clones directly borrowed the gorilla theme: (BBC Micro, 1983), Killer Kong (ZX Spectrum, 1983), Crazy Kong 64 (Commodore 64, 1983), Kongo Kong (Commodore 64, 1983), Donkey King (TRS-80 Color Computer, 1983), and Kong (TI-99/4A, 1983).

One of the first releases from was (Apple II, 1983), a three-stage game without an ape, but using the construction site setting from Donkey Kong. Other clones recast the game with different characters, such as (Apple II, 1982), with a soldier and cannonballs replacing the ape and barrels, and the American Southwest-themed (Atari 8-bit, 1982).' S (Atari 8-bit, 1983) reuses a prototypical name for the Mario character in Donkey Kong. A magazine ad for the game has the tagline 'If you liked Donkey Kong, you'll love JUMPMAN!' , along with (Atari 8-bit, 1982) and (Atari 8-bit, 1984), focuses on traversing all of the platforms in the level, or collecting scattered objects, instead of climbing to the top.There were so many games with multiple ladder and platforms stages by 1983 that described Nintendo's own Popeye game as 'yet another variation of a theme that's become all too familiar since the success of Donkey Kong'. That year released a Donkey Kong clone called in arcades. Although using, the structure and gameplay are similar.Atari computer easter egg The port of Donkey Kong contains one of the longest-undiscovered in a video game.

Programmer Landon Dyer had his initials appear if the player died under certain conditions, then returned to the title screen. This remained undiscovered for 26 years until Dyer revealed it on his blog, stating 'there's an easter egg, but it's totally not worth it, and I don't remember how to bring it up anyway.' The steps required to trigger it were later discovered by Don Hodges, who used an emulator and a debugger to trace through the game's code. Sequels Donkey Kong spawned the sequel (1982) with the player controlling Donkey Kong's son in an attempt to save his father from the now-evil Mario.

The 1983 spinoff introduced Mario's brother Luigi in a single-screen cooperative game set in a sewer, and launched the Mario franchise. Also in 1983, appeared in the form of a, with an exterminator ridding the ape—and insects—from a greenhouse.Nintendo revived the Donkey Kong franchise in the 1990s for a series of platform games and spin-offs developed by, beginning with in. In, Nintendo released, a sequel to the Game Boy's Donkey Kong, in which Mario must chase Donkey Kong to get back the stolen Mini-Mario toys.

In the follow-up, Donkey Kong once again falls in love with Pauline and kidnaps her, and Mario uses the Mini-Mario toys to help him rescue her. Donkey Kong Racing for the GameCube was in development by Rare, but was canceled when Microsoft purchased the company.

In 2004, Nintendo released the first of the games, a rhythm-based game series that uses a special bongo controller. is a unique platform action game that uses the same bongo controller accessory. In, was released for the Nintendo Wii. It was originally developed as a GameCube game and would have used the bongo controller, but it was delayed and released exclusively as a game with no support for the bongo accessory. The Donkey Kong Country series was revived by in 2010 with the release of, and its sequel, in 2014.Donkey Kong appears as a game in the Wii U game, which features multiple NES games and sometimes 'remixes' them by presenting significantly modified versions of the games as challenges. One such challenge features Link from traveling through the first screen to save Pauline. The difficulty is increased compared to the original Donkey Kong because Link cannot jump, as in Zelda.Licensing By late June 1982, Donkey Kong 's success had prompted more than 50 parties in the U.S.

And Japan to license the game's characters.: 215 Mario and his simian nemesis appeared on cereal boxes, board games, pajamas,. In 1983, the animation studio produced a Donkey Kong cartoon (as well as Donkey Kong Jr.) for the program on CBS. In the show, mystery crime-solving plots in the mode of are framed around the premise of Mario and Pauline chasing Donkey Kong (voiced by ), who has escaped from the circus.

The show lasted two seasons.In popular culture Since its original release, Donkey Kong 's success has entrenched the game in. In 1982, and R. Cade and the Video Victims both recorded songs (' and 'Donkey Kong', respectively) based on the game. Artists like and referenced the game in songs. Episodes of television series such as, and have also contained references to the game. Even today, sound effects from the Atari 2600 version often serve as generic video game sounds in films and television series. The phrase 'It's on like Donkey Kong' has been used in various works of popular culture.

In November 2010, Nintendo applied for a trademark on the phrase with the. Competition. Hank Chien at the Kong Off 3 tournament in Denver, ColoradoThe 2007 documentary tells the story of 's attempts to break the Donkey Kong world record, then considered to have been held. In the early 2010s, set a record of 1,138,600. This was broken four years later. The current world record was set by John McCurdy on May 25, 2019, with a score of 1,259,000.In 2018, Mitchell was stripped of his records by and banned from submitting new scores after Twin Galaxies concluded that Mitchell had illicitly used to achieve his scores. Twin Galaxies prohibits the use of emulators for high scores they publish because they allow undetectable cheating.