Search results
William Kong, sometimes credited as Bill Kong (simplified Chinese: 江志强; traditional Chinese: 江志強; pinyin: Jiāng Zhìqiáng; born 1953), is a film producer known for his active role in the Hong Kong film industry and International co-production.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Kong, sometimes credited as Bill Kong ( simplified Chinese: 江志强; traditional Chinese: 江志強; pinyin: Jiāng Zhìqiáng; born 1953), is a film producer known for his active role in the Hong Kong film industry and International co-production.
People also ask
Who is Bill Kong?
Is Hong Kong's extradition bill 'dead'?
Do You Remember Kong's face in 'King of Kong'?
Bill. Kong. Executive Director. Share. Kong broke his own record in 2023 when his legal drama “A Guilty Conscience” passed HKD100 million at the Hong Kong box office, surpassing the mark set...
- Overview
- The birth of a villain
- Arcade gaming’s all-American anti-hero
- Don’t believe everything you watch
- Meet Mitchell’s (not so) adoring fans
- From antagonist to esports advocate
- The evolution of esports
- Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
News
By Tom Regan
published 21 November 2020
Mitchell talks death threats, the Guinness World Record controversy, and why bad guys have more fun
(Image credit: Anstream)
You may not remember his name, but if you’ve seen the 2007 video game documentary, ‘King of Kong’ you will be hard pressed to forget his face. Donning a distinctive stars and stripes-plastered suit and sporting a stare reminiscent of snarling Die Hard villain - Hans Gruber - it's no exaggeration to say that Billy Mitchell is esports’ first antihero.
After dethroning the Donkey Kong world champ during a Life Magazine photo shoot in 1982, for decades, it looked like Billy would hold the title of Donkey Kong world champion, too. Then to the gaming world’s shock, in 2004 an unknown challenger managed to steal Mitchell’s crown. Setting a world record from his garage, Redmond’s Steve Wiebe achieved a score that was previously thought impossible on Nintendo’s classic, kicking off a controversial slew of back and forth score battles between the ‘player of the century’ and this unassuming family man.
All of this was depicted as a ‘David vs Goliath’ showdown in 2007 documentary ‘King Of Kong’, with the film hinting at Mitchell hacking game boards in order to keep his title and even doctoring his score submission videos. Overnight, the once aspirational Billy Mitchell became competitive gaming’s enemy number one. Igniting a match under the gaming community, following years of public outcry, 2018 saw Mitchell unceremoniously stripped of his Guinness World Record for highest Donkey Kong score.
"It’s wild. On one end, I get flowers, gifts and marriage proposals," Mitchell states with a cold smile, before gesturing toward the other end of the spectrum. "Over here, hate mail and death threats."
Even over Google Hangouts, Mitchell’s commanding presence feels palpable. Wide-eyed and brimming with an almost-otherworldly level of confidence, this chat window is Mitchell’s podium – and I’m lucky to get the occasional question in.
“You have to remember though, that documentaries are still films,” Mitchell continues. “In ‘King Of Kong’, they edited all the bad stuff…” he pauses, with a smirk. “You know, to make me look human.”
Mitchell’s a talker, so I waste no time in asking about Guinness World Record‘s controversial 2018 record retraction (and equally divisive reinstatement).
“You know, I’ve got to give you credit. The other guy who interviewed me asked a whole load of questions, then at the end asked the controversial question. You’re like BANG! Right off the bat. But that’s OK, Tom, I can take it,” he pauses, before widening his cheeks into a Cheshire grin. “But I can dish it out too…”
“You have to realize that I had a storybook relationship with [Guinness] for, you know, 36 years” Mitchell pauses, staring at me. “How old are you? 29?! T-h-i-r-t-y s-i-x years - You’ll understand that number when you finish High School…”
Looking online, however, it doesn’t seem the general public shares that level of respect for Mitchell. Thanks to the narrative peddled in the award-winning documentary, hundreds of thousands of people believe Mitchell cheated his way to the top of the scoreboard - robbing ‘good guy’ Weibe of his legitimate title of World Champion.
“When I'm asked if somebody cheated, I say ‘[The King of Kong production crew] were making a movie, and they did a really good job’. It’s entertainment. Do you REALLY think I answered the phone at home going ‘world record headquarters’? Well let me give you a hint - I don't have a home phone now, and I didn't have one in 2004!”
Much to my surprise, when he’s not playfully toying with me, Mitchell is far from the cartoony villain depicted in ‘King of Kong’. Is he bold, brash and incredibly arrogant? Yes. But underneath the swagger, this retro champion (and famed hot sauce salesman) is a charismatic, passionate gamer. Despite his on screen persona, for most of our hour-long conversation, the ‘player of the century’ comes across as a grateful gaming champion who genuinely wants to help a new era of players achieve the same notoriety.
“The players are the people who make games interesting.” states Mitchell, “Video games? They're just a business - nothing else - esports is what makes it a passion. Arcade games were fun, but it was the arcades that made the era - esports sits in that same position. I think more and more, a greater emphasis towards organization, towards player advocacy and participation in the direction of the sport is what's going to propel it.”
If there’s any player who’s made competitive gaming ‘interesting’ it’s certainly Billy Mitchell. Despite King of Kong airing 13 years ago, gaming’s very own Hans Gruber reveals that he’s still bombarded with constant fan mail to this day.
“I used to do a radio show with a friend,” Mitchell reveals with a cool smile. “The last five minutes of the show was the most popular part ‘hate mail with Billy Mitchell’. I'd read some of my many hate mail and his ratings would double.”
While there’s no doubt that Mitchell basks in both the fame and the infamy he’s earned throughout his storied career, it can’t always be easy being the target of constant vitriol.
“There’s some people who I've never met, never conversed with…. and they absolutely hate me with a passion. That's hard for me to understand,” he admits. “But it also tells me that if, if that's true with that little segment of the population, I guess what I do, I do really good.”
“I don’t mean to insult anyone here, but, I would much rather have played the persona that I played, than play the other persona.” Mitchell replies, in something that definitely sounds like an insult.
“Steve Wiebe? He has blond hair and blue eyes, he cannot play a bad guy,” Billy continues. “In [2007 Pacman documentary] ‘Chasing Ghosts’ I play a good guy and it just didn't get the same firepower. Why? Ask anybody to name a character from Star Wars, they're gonna say Darth Vader” Mitchell smiles, “The bad guys just have more fun.”
Still, for someone who’s seen by certain gamers as a ‘traitor’ to esports, Mitchell sure spends a lot of time advocating for it. As one of the earliest rockstars of esports, Mitchell reveals that he says it as his mission to keep advocating until competitive gaming gets the respect that it deserves.
“For many years, I advocated that in esports, the organization of it was so important. In bowling there's leagues, there's players. It's broadcast. All of it happens because it's organized. And the players who participate in it are respected. I always thought that that was going to be what would catapult video games in a direction that is as organized as any form of football or baseball or basketball. And more and more as the years go on, it has become more organized into the big esports you see now.”
Despite stubbornly sticking to the retro games that made him a champion, Mitchell reveals he has the utmost respect for modern esports… while unironically comparing himself to the ‘Wright Brothers’ along the way.
“[esports is] absolutely something that I respect and I embrace, because it's the evolution of what it was in the beginning. If by chance you ever had the Wright brothers here, and you said, ’Gee, what do you think of rockets?’ I mean, that's obviously out of their league. But they would embrace it because they were a part of what helped form that.”
“Never could I imagine that esports would have come to where it is today,” reflects Mitchell, “I mean, that you would sit here and play esports on your couch, in your jammies, against somebody on the other side of the world, who's an executive in their office on their lunch break? I mean, that's just absurd. In the ‘80s, that wouldn't have even made a sci-fi movie.”
With Alan Rickman famously getting abuse in the street after his role as Die Hard’s Hans Gruber, I ask whether competitive gaming’s most controversial figure shares the same fate:
“I never, ever have a negative reaction face to face…” Mitchell replies. “You know, on social media when you get that guy who's 40 years old in his basement who lives with his mother? Who the last time he showered was around the time I did the perfect Pac-Man score? Yeah, those guys are just tough guys behind the keyboard. And there's nothing you can do to reach them. So, I just have fun with it.”
Despite the (very) vocal minority giving him constant grief online, Mitchell reveals that most of his fan interactions are overwhelmingly positive, be it when he meets the public at conventions or even just when he’s popping out to grab some groceries.
“There's never a day that I go out in public and people don't recognize me or say hello or whatever. Never. It's been years and I appreciate it. I always promised myself I would never un-appreciate it.”
“I still get death threats, marriage proposals - all of them,” Mitchell shrugs, “But with all the people and events that I've done in an effort to help push and advocate for competitive gaming and such... If being a bad guy in the movies, if having fun in that characterization helps to further that goal. Well, then, I'm happy to do it.”
Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more from the TechRadar team.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
Bill Kong. Film Producer. A distinctly unassuming movie mogul, Bill Kong is the producer of several of China’s greatest cinematic landmarks. Sponsored By. Film producer Bill Kong has been behind many of the landmark Chinese films of the past quarter century, most notably as co-producer of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), for ...
江志強 （ William Kong ，1951年 — ）， 香港 電影製作人 ， 安樂影片有限公司 總裁。. 其父是香港早期著名电影发行人 江祖贻 。. 江志强接手安樂之后，致力于向国际影坛推广 中国电影 ，先后发行了《 臥虎藏龍 》、《 英雄 》、《 十面埋伏 》等影片。.
