The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters moves in the spirit of such documentaries as Spellbound, Murderball, and The Heart of the Game. Video games is a subject near and dear to my heart, so I'm glad to see it being included among sports/competition films which document the backgrounds of the main players and set things up for a competitive drama. This documentary would seem no different from the others, except for two particular aspects: first, it's about video games, which, in an unfortunate reflection of current cultural biases, doesn't even command the immediate respect of a spelling bee; and second, it's decidedly fun and of good humor.

That last bit is significant, not only because the movie doesn't lend itself to depicting unjust hurdles for its competitors to overcome, thereby sacrificing that natural drama, but also because it would've been too easy to either take itself too seriously or act derisively toward its subjects. The King of Kong is about people with an obsession to try breaking records in classic video games -- that is, those arcade machines of the late '70s/early '80s that pre-date even the first Nintendo Entertainment System. Pac-Man, Centipede, Defender, and others get mentioned, but this story is  about Donkey Kong and the two best players of the game -- one a longstanding champion, the other an underdog challenger who finds that beating the score means not only breaking through the game but also through a rather protective community of players.

That community is almost as nerdy as the stereotype encourages it to be -- adults who appear to occupy a world so insular one would expect them not to have fully-developed social skills. But thankfully The King of Kong plays it straight and lets the players speak for themselves. In this case, the filmmakers may be giving their subjects just enough rope, as the saying goes, particularly in the case of the reigning champion, Billy Mitchell. Recognized as an ambassador for classic gaming and an obvious hero of the community, Mitchell is given chance after chance to show the graciousness that should come with being a spokesperson, but instead he comes across as somewhat arrogant and defensive -- all too human. The contrast between his serious dedication and the usually light fun of video games provides a point of amusement; he sets it up himself perfectly when he says there's a vast difference between playing games for fun and playing games for competition. Not that taking games seriously is the crime; rather, it's the lack of recognizing alternative perspectives and the ability to adapt and accommodate them.

Mitchell also makes a natural villain for the challenger, Steve Wiebe, who becomes the movie's "Rocky." He's shown to be a regular guy who's consistently placed second in most of the events in his life, only to find possible salvation in Donkey Kong, a game he's particularly expert at. Finding Mitchell's record on the internet, he decides to plug in the machine in his garage and attempt to break the score while video recording his performance. Amazingly, this leads to a controversy about the legitimacy of his feat within the classic gaming community; the resulting sequence of events have to be seen to be believed.

As The King of Kong goes with the flow of its story, it gets more and more behind Wiebe, who only wants to break a record and have it remain standing; meanwhile, Mitchell seems to look for sneaky ways to undermine his new rival's achievement. Mitchell's associates are behind him, but as Wiebe continues his quest, he begins to earn those associates' respect.

Indirectly, the movie becomes a standoff between the regular guy and the "nerds." Wiebe is presented as well-rounded; he was an athlete in school and he's a teacher now, one with a devoted family. He doesn't play Donkey Kong to look for acceptance in what seems to be an exclusive community, but rather to create an achievement for himself. A victory for him implies a victory for the well-adjusted individual.

In a way, it's too bad a movie seeking to highlight competitive gaming can't bring out what may be appealing about the culture -- the gaming world that Wiebe tries to break into effectively becomes the "other," the foreign land that must be conquered. But it would be more lamentable if that world itself had better self-representation. On the one hand, I could complain that our culture tends to worship recreational occupations that stress physical beauty or strength; meanwhile, passion for less athletic pursuits are often scoffed at. Have a basketball player say he plays for the love of the game, and he gains respect; have a video game player say it, and people think he's a freak. But a documentary like this opens a window to the world and allows us not only to judge for ourselves, but also to examine our own biases. Sadly, the members of this gaming community give the impression they're maladjusted, but then shouldn't we also reflect upon the questionable personalities of our mainstream sports heroes as well?

At least The King of Kong gives these players their chance, and tries to let its audience in on as much of the details as possible. It has a great little section early on where various people explain what's so hard about Donkey Kong; later in the film, while watching Wiebe play, it references the difficult sections to reinforce the idea that this is both very difficult and fun. You don't need to be a classic gamer to appreciate that.

(Released by Picturehouse Entertainment and rated "PG-13" for a brief sexual reference.)

Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com.