7:00 PM, Thursday March 16th - Dobie
One Quarter. Two Days. No Pause Button.
High Score: A Documentary By Jememy Mack
Watch Film Trailer:
Documentary Feature
World Premiere
SXSW Presents, "High Score"
February 2006
High Score is quickly becoming a global phenomenon. Click here to read all about it.
Thanks to Desert Planet for the write-up.
February 2006
William (Bill) Carlton: (B C) Initials:
The website has finally launched! Check back here for all HIGH SCORE related news.
High Score - The Movie
www.highscoremovie.com
MackAttack! Films
917-921-1075
High Score T-Shirts for Sale
www.otherstuffonline.com
Abbitco
P.O. Box 775
Wilsonville, OR 97070
The Missile Command High Score attempt was at the following location:
GALAXY GAMES
406 E. First St.
Newberg, Oregon 97132 phone 503-537-2545
A Missile Command Review by the 1980 Missile Command Coin Operated Video Game
which was a Ronad Reagan Era Star Wars type of review complete with ICBM's MIRV's
ABM's and Orbital Launching Platforms from Cheyenne Mountain. Link
HIGH SCORE will have its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in
Austin, TX. Screening times and venue locations will be announced February 15th.
The SXSW FILM CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL emphasizes on all aspects of the art and business
of independent filmmaking. The Festival has gained international acclaim for the quality
of its programming with a special focus on emerging talents who bask in being included
in the company of the cinematic greats whose work is regularly presented. The 13th
annual SXSW Film Conference will take place March 10 - 14, 2006 with the Film Festival
running from March 10 - 18, 2006. Link
The Official Listing Link
Bill Carlton plays Missile Command at arcade
among Bandlands, Final Fight and Raiden
Bill Carlton close up on Missile Command Marathon Game
Synopsis:
Although technology continues to evolve, a group of die-hard gamers refuses to
abandon the classic arcade games of yesteryear. Portland gamer Bill Carlton is
one of the most brazen, fearlessly taking on some of the toughest records on the
books. High Score follows Bill as he attempts to take down the Atari classic
Missile Command and its twenty year-old record. To get the 80 million points
he'll have to play the game on one quarter for over two days straight. There
is no pause button. There will be no sleep. There can only be one victor in
this classic story of Man vs. Missile Command. (Attention: Bill Carlton traded
Missile Command for Asteroids for his Ground Kontrol High Score game of 27 hours)
Director's Bio:
Jeremy Mack was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. He attended NYU's film school,
and now calls New York City home. There, he balances freelance production work with
a passion for producing his own documentary films. His personal best at Missile Command
is a paltry 22,000 points.
Bill Carlton leans on Missile Command
Here is a great chance to celebrate the arcade era and a chance to get back to
the 1980's and the classic games genre and competition as it was when it was
very fresh and a great phenomenon in the United States as well as all over
the world. We now have some players still competing over 20 years after the
Arcade era was officially over with the advent of the home console.
Contact Information:
MackAttack! Films
917-921-1075
info@highscoremovie.com
Missile Command - William Carlton
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Missile Command World Breaker Movie Coming Soon!- Saturday 11 February, 2006 Link
http://www.highscoremovie.com/
Jeremy Mack of MackAttack! Films has recently purchased some Gloss Laser Labels for
a cool promotion on his upcoming film HIGH SCORE. HIGH SCORE follows Bill Carlton as
he attempts to take down the Atari classic Missile Command Arcade Game. This record
is over 20 years old and Bill will have to play Missile Command for over 2 days
straight to beat it. Check out the link for more information. Will be premiering
at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX on March 10th through the 18th.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twin Galaxies High Score Board:
Bill Carlton, Alison Vick, Terry Nelson, Robert Mruczek
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William Carlton
Portland, OR
United States
(all) Arcade
Game Version VariationID Variation ScoringMethod RankingMethod
Asteroids 12,756,970 World Record Place 13
Astro Fighter 18,840 World Record Place 4
Missile Command 29,788,385 World Record Place 10
Missile Command 417,605 World Record Place 3
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Twin Galaxies Breaking News Archive Link
3/27/2004 Portland Gamer Takes Asteroids for 27-hr Marathon
William Carlton of Portland, Oregon had his sights set on the Asteroids world record.
27 hours later, his loyal Asteroids steed broke down, ending his chances at winning
an Asteroids Gold Medal. Yet, at more than 12 million points, he has won 5th place in
the all-time Asteroids rankings. Still, his feat has drawn lots of media attention and
Carlton will get feature attention in the forthcoming edition of Twin Galaxies' Official
Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records.
"No one has performed a major marathon in nearly 20 years," reveals Walter Day, editor
of the record book. "Though the marathon was the centerpiece of competetive playing in
the early 80s, no one has aspired in two decades to tackle any of the legendary marathon
records of the past - and Asteroids is the most highly-regarded marathon title of all.
In fact, the long-standing world record has stood nearly 22 years and is recognized as
the longest standing world record in the record book."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asteroids Record at Ground Kontrol Link
Ground Kontrol - Classic Video Game Arcade for Marathons
The facts, the prospect of attempting this particular Asteroids record is so daunting
that Twin Galaxies wasn't sure any gamer would even think about it. Scott Safran, the
recognized world record holder, set his mark of more than 40 million points more than
20 years ago. Twin Galaxies estimates that Scott's game lasted approximately 72-80 hours
in duration, as some aspects of his achievement are no longer recoverable due to a loss
of Twin Galaxies records nearly as many years ago.
A Marathon...that is the term that Twin Galaxies assigns to such attempts, as it
appropriately describes what gamers that play the same video game credit for 12 or
more hours are engaged in.
Ground Kontrol - Oregon Retro Arcade
Over the past year, Ground Kontrol has played host to more and more customers
bent on breaking world gaming records. In March 2004, a regular named William Carlton
achieved one of the world's Top 10 scores in Asteroids ever. Players at Ground Kontrol
have also broken records on classic titles like Spy Hunter, Missile Command and Astro
Fighter.
What, exactly, is the point of setting a record on an antique game? Unlike flying an
experimental plane around the world, becoming a retro video warrior is a down-to-earth
goal. You don't have to be a millionaire to drop a quarter in a machine. While they
aren't risking their lives, these weekend pixel warriors have a shot at catapulting
themselves into fame-within the gaming community, at least. "It's The Challenge,"
Carlton explains. "It's hard to do this, and it makes history."
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Breakfast of Classic Video Game Marathon Champions
Carlton's record run on Asteroids took him 27 hours. "Orange juice, peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches kept me going," Carlton says. "And Prince. Lots of very loud,
early-era Prince."
Setting marathon records on arcade games isn't a new phenomenon. In 1982, a 15-year-old
named Scott Safran spent 60 hours in front of an Asteroids machine in Newton, Penn.,
achieving that game's all-time top score of 41.3 million points. Twin Galaxies, a
Guinness Book of World Records for gamers, has been tracking high scores since 1981.
Its website (www.twingalaxies.com) contains tens of thousands of scores on everything
from ancient pinball machines to more recent Xbox titles.
In the history of Twin Galaxies, many marathons have taken place on a variety of titles.
Yet amazingly, in all of years 2002 through 2003 combined, only a few verified marathons
on arcade machines were accomplished. That is because the premise, and daunting outlook
for attempting such a performance, is enough to turn away all but the most tenacious and
hard-core of gamers. Just like the road-race that bears the name 'marathon', a video game
marathon involves a lot of preparation, a few smaller-duration 'trial runs', and a little
luck never hurts at all. In William's case, he had 2 out of the 3 going for him in the
closing moments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asteroids For 27 Hours... Link
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shakey
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that 27 hours of straight Asteroids
would drive me NUTS!!! This guy did it though. Taken from Worthplaying
(http://www.worthplaying.com/)
It's been nearly 20 years since a video gamer has played an arcade game for more than
a day on a single quarter. In fact, not since Twin Galaxies conducted the 1st Annual
Iron Man Contest for the Guinness Book back in July,1985, has a video gamer stepped
to the plate intent on breaking a long-standing video game marathon world record.
But, with the Asteroids world record in his sights, Bill Carlton, of Portland, Oregon,
lasted 27 hours before his trusty Asteroids machine malfunctioned, ending his run for
glory at the Ground Kontrol Arcade * a Portland video game center specializing in
classic arcade games from the early 80s.
With 60 classic games to choose from at Ground Kontrol Arcade, Carlton chose Asteroids
for his ordeal, with other gamers also signing up for future marathons on other game
titles -- a sign that players are ready once again to tackle big ticket records; ones
that take days of playing to eclipse, demanding tremendous stamina as much as playing
skill.
"Carlton's 12.7 million points put him in 5th place in the all-time Asteroids rankings,"
explains Walter Day, editor of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of
World Records, the industry's record book. "Still, he would have had to play for more
than 2 more days to match the 41 million-point record established by Scott Safran back
in November, 1982."
A comprehensive report on the significance of Carlton's feat has been prepared by
Robert Mruczek, Twin Galaxies' Chief referee and can be found at
http://www.twingalaxies.com
"Long-range, high scoring marathons like Carlton's were the meat and potatoes of the
video gaming world back in the early 80s," says Day, who personally organized many
such marathons for Twin Galaxies back in the classic age of gaming. "You were deemed
a star if you could take a game for days on a single quarter. It brought tremendous
prestige and everybody tried to master their favorite game and marathon it."
During the heyday of the marathon age, Twin Galaxies found itself monitoring as many as
a dozen marathons every weekend * with the biggest crop being held the weekend of April
2-4, 1982, when Twin Galaxies organized the 1982 Defender National Championship, which
saw Defender marathons going on simultaneously in 23 different cities around North
America. "It was a weekend affair," remembers Day. "The kids took off Friday from
school and started in the morning, playing straight through until Monday."
Though Rick Smith of Mission Viejo, California won the National Championship that
weekend with 33,013,200 million points, he held the title for barely 1 month before
Marvin Norton of Thatcher, AZ snatched Smith's crown away with a 49 million-point
marathon.
The most unique marathon conducted during the golden age of gaming, was the 1st Annual
Twin Galaxies Iron Man Contest, which offered eight competitors a chance at winning
$10,000 in cash if they could keep their game going on one quarter for 100 hours.
James Vollandt of California, playing on Joust, lasted the longest with 67-1/2 hours.
To read more about Bill Carlton's Asteroids marathon, go to www.twingalaxies.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mainstream reporting started in earnest in 2004 Link
The award for tenacity, though, has to go out to Bill Carlton. The American made a
run at the long-standing world record for the arcade game Asteroids. After playing
for more than 27 hours, the machine died on Carlton, leaving him far short of the
world record, but making him a minor celebrity none the less - at least for a short
while.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asteroids Lurking
Soon afer the release of Asteroids, some players discovered that small UFOs would
be continually sent out when the asteroid count decreased to a certain level. Since
these UFOs were worth 1,000 points each - a significant sum on this game - a strategy
known as "lurking" soon developed around this. Players would shoot asteroids until
there was only one small or mid-sized rock remaining, and then maneuver the ship to a
spot approximately one inch from any corner of the screen. Small UFOs would then be
ambushed as soon as they emerged, using wraparound fire if necessary. Since each 10,000
points awarded an extra life, players could continue almost indefinitely once the
practice had been mastered. [1]
Record breaking gameplay
In March 2004, Portland, Oregon resident Bill Carlton attempted to break the world
record for playing an arcade version of Asteroids, playing over 27 hours before his
machine malfunctioned, ending his record run. He scored 12.7 million points, putting
him in 5th place in the all-time Asteroids rankings. In November 1982 Scott Safran set
the still unbroken record of 41 million points.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record breaking gameplay Link
In March 2004, Portland, Oregon Portland is the largest city in Oregon, and county seat
of Multnomah County. It is a major Pacific seaport located about sixty miles from the
west coast of the United States, situated on both sides of the Willamette River, just
south of its confluence with the Columbia River. According the US Census estimates, as
of July 2003, the city's population was estimated to be 538,544, a growth of 1.7% over
the April 2000 census figure of 529,121.
The Portland Oregon resident Bill Carlton attempted to break the world record for p
laying an arcade version of Asteroids, playing over 27 hours before his machine
malfunctioned, ending his record run. He scored 12.7 million points, putting him in
5th place in the all-time Asteroids rankings. In November 1982 Scott Safran set the
still unbroken record of 41 million points.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funspot Classic Gaming Event Official Invitations Email List Link
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the list of people who have been emailed invitations, urging them to come to
this year's event...
Ben Carter (Centipede)
Bill Carlton (Asteroids)
Brandon Erickson (Star Wars)
Carlos Krueger (Consoles)
Chip Sbrogna (Cliffhanger)(Will be in China)
David Foley (Ultracade)
David Palmer (Everything)
Dennis & Sascha Blechner (Time Crisis)(Can't come)
Don Morlan (Joust)
Donn Nauert (Everything)(Email Bounced Back)
Doug LLoyd (Pac-Man)
Dwayne Richard (Funky Fish)(Thinking about it)
Ed Ray (Centipede)
Eric Olofson (Everything)
Eric Furrer (Space Invaders)
Evandro Tessari (Brazil)(Moon Patrol)
Frank Breneman (Pac-Man)
Gary Hatt (Everything)(Thinking about it)
Gary Whelan (Galaxian)(Thinking about it)
George Weller (Karate Champ)
Glenn Cravens (Consoles)
Graham Dingsdale (COnsoles)
Greg Sakundiak (Everything)
Hector Rodriguez (Consoles)(Email bounced back)
Hugh Falk (Everything)
Jack Gale (Everything)(Thinking about it)
Jamie Allen (Classics)
Jay Woodard (Star Wars)(Email bounced back)
J.D. Lowe (Consoles)
Jean Baudin (Pooyan, Mad Planets)
Jeff Peters (Everything)(Thinking about it)
Jerry Byrum (Defender)(Email bounced back)
John McCann (Gorf)
John Rhodes (Joust)(Email bounced back)
John Thomas & Josh Powell (Wizard of Wor)
Juan Torres (Defender)
Kevin Booth (Consoles)
Leah Banks (Ms. Pac-Man)
Les Martin (Pac-Man)(Email bounced back)
Mark Androvich (Consoles)(Email bounced back)
Mark Robichek (Frogger)
Mark Little (SpyHunter)
Mark Soileau (Wizard of Wor)
Michael Eide (Dig Dug)
Michael Weeg (Asteroids)
Mike Klug (Pole Position)(Thinking positively about it)
Mike Lockhart (Scramble)
Mike Morrow (Everything)
Nicholas Legare (Strikers 1945)
Pablo Bert (Consoles)
Rick Carter (everything)(Thinking positively about it)
Rick Smith (Defender)(Email bounced back)
Robert Bonney Griffin(Everything)
Rodrigo Lopez(Consoles)(Thinking positively about it)
Ron Hallett (Galaga)
Stephen Knox (Consoles)(Can't come)
Steve Harris (Everything)
Steve Sanders (Everything)(Email bounced back)
Steve Reisenberger (Robotron)
Steve Wiebe (Donkley Kong)(Thinking about it)
Stuart Morrison (Consoles)
Tim Baldarramos (Pac-Man)
Tim Curtis (Space Firebird)
Todd Cravens (Classic)(Thinking about it)
Tony Bueno (Mr. Do)
Tony Perkins (Everything)
Tristan Ducluzeau (French Player)
Van Burnham (Email bounced back)
Wolff Morrow (everything)
Zack Hample (Arkanoid)
Who is Going to Funspot 2005??
Here's the list of People Definitely Attending
This list will be updated as people announce their plans on the forums...
Definitely Coming:
Abdner Ashman
Anna Cram (everything)
Brian Kuh
Christian Cram (everything)
Darren Harris
David Cruz (Tron)
Donald Hayes (Everything)
Fred Pastore
Greg Erway
Jason Cram (everything)
Joel Hedge
Kelly Flewin (Consoles and anything he can get his hands on)
Martin Bedard
Mike Stulir
Perry Rodgers
Robert Mruczek
Shawn Cram (everything)
Tim McIlroy
Todd Rogers
Walter Day
Official Referee www.twingalaxies.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twin Galaxies Message Board Link
Documentary on Classic Video Game Players Screening in Austin, TX
SXSW 2006 Film Screenings:
Twin Galaxies Forums Forum Index -> Coin-Op Video Games
View previous topic :: View next topic
Author Message
jmack
Location: NYC
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 5:48 pm Post subject: Doc Screening in Austin, TX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High Score
A documentary that I made, High Score, will be screening at the South by
Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. It will be playing Monday, March 13th at 4pm
and Thursday, March 16th at 7pm. For more information on the screening, here's the
link to the festival site, with a downloadable trailer:
http://2006.sxsw.com/film/screenings/film/F4767.html
The film follows Bill Carlton from Portland, OR and his attempts to break the WR
for Missile Command. It also features Robert Mruczek. The official website is:
http://www.highscoremovie.com
Thanks,
Jeremy Mack
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weehawk
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:26 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nobody ever made history by being a big puss."
Yeah, I'll be using that one.
_________________
John Cunningham (JTC)
Golden Era Game of the Week
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RMRUCZEK
Senior Referee
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:22 pm Post subject: Bill Carlton
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello fellow gamers:
For those who may not know, Bill is one of the very few gamers who has verified
marathons on two (2) or more different classic arcade titles, defining marathons
as 24 or more hours straight.
Additionally, he is one of the current top "Missile Command" players at TGTS, and
is a decent "Astro Fighter" player.
Robert
_________________
Robert T Mruczek
Senior Referee
Arcade/MAME Editor and Referee
Star Wars classic arcade marathon champion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 1st at Barcade in Brooklyn Link
Twin Galaxies Forums Forum Index -> Coin-Op Video Games
RMRUCZEK
Senior Referee
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:23 am Post subject: March 1st at Barcade in Brooklyn
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello fellow gamers:
There will be a special event taking place in the "Barcade" classic gaming arcade/bar
in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY on March 1st at 8:00pm.
Jeremy Mack, a producer, has put together a documentary concerning one outstanding
modern-day classic arcade gamer from the west coast. The documentary film, which
will be in the 50-60 minute range at most, will be premiered at this arcade.
I've asked Abdner Ashman to be there, and asked him to inform Darren Harris. I will
try to contact Zack Hample as well. But this is open to anyone wishing to attend.
Should you be able to make it, I will be on-hand in a referee capacity and will be
able to log scores on the spot. Their gaming roster includes the following titles.
There are 20-25 in total, but this is what I can remember for now...
Arkanoid
Berzerk
Centipede
Dig Dug
Donkey Kong
Ms Pacman
Smash TV
Star Wars
Tapper
Tempest (assuming they fixed it)
Hope to see you there.
Robert
_________________
Robert T Mruczek
Senior Referee
Arcade/MAME Editor and Referee
Star Wars classic arcade marathon champion
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
winslowe (Scores)
JC- Padilla
Orlando, FL
United States
Location: New York City, NY; Orlando, FL
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D'oh! If it was a couple days earlier I would have been able to make it, but I
leave town on the 28th. What horrible timing I have!
_________________
-JC- Padilla, Crazy Taxi Arcade Champion, GigaWing 2 Champion
"You cannot stop me with paramecium alone!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RMRUCZEK (Robert T Mruczek)
Senior Referee
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:31 am Post subject: Next Time, then !!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi JC:
Will try to get a copy of this from Jeremy and see what his plans are for
distribution.
Robert
_________________
Robert T Mruczek
Senior Referee
Arcade/MAME Editor and Referee
Star Wars classic arcade marathon champion
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jmack (Jeremy Mack)
Location: NYC
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 5:39 pm Post subject: High Score Documentary
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey, this is Jeremy Mack, the director of the documentary High Score. Currently,
the only place to watch the doc is at film festival screenings. Aside from the
Barcade party, it will be showing at a festival in Austin this March. I'll post
the info for that screening in a new thread. Also, I'll post on the forum about any
additional screenings as they arise.
Unfortunately I'm not allowed to sell copies of the film right now due to legal
issues with the music, but I'll certainly post here when/if that changes. Hopefully
it'll end up on television or for sale on DVD in the near future.
Thanks,
Jeremy Mack - Director, "High Score"
LINKS:
Other sites with same references to the above similar Asteroids article:
The Man Without A Life Link
Marathon Video Gaming Makes Comeback as Portland Man Plays Asteroids for 27 hours Link
Asteroids Record Still Stands Link
Old Sk00l Gaming & Emulation, Asteriods Gamers goes the extra mile Link
Marathon Video Gaming Makes Comeback Link
Twin Galaxies High Scores Tournament at Ground Kontrol in Oregon June 4-6, 2004 Link
Asteroids Record Stands Link
Portland Arcade To Face Foes in Houston and Madison, Wisconsin During Classic
Video Game Championship Link
1981 Silco West Asteroids State Championships Link
And while some people are struggling to find cure for cancer, others are trying to
break 20-year old arcade game marathon world records. Link
Gamespot: Portland man in 27-hour Asteroids marathon Link
Marathon Video Gaming Makes Comeback as Portland Man Plays Asteroids for 27 hours
Monday, March 29, 2004 - Twin Galaxies Link
The Furnace Archives: Marathon Video Gaming - Asteroids For 27 Hours Link
GamersRepublic.net: Portland man in 27-hour Asteroids marathon Link
Worthplaying.com: Marathon Video Gaming - Asteroids For 27 Hours Link
Gamestop.com Portland Man Plays Asteroids for 27 Hours - posted by Erich Becker
at 10:28 am 2004 CDT Link
Portland man in 27-hour Asteroids marathon Posted on Wednesday 31st March, 2004 Link
27 Hour Asteroids Record! Link
Scifiwire: Asteroids Record Stands Link
March 30, 2004 Asteroids Record Stands, From Skiffy's website: Link
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Carlton playing his favorite game, Asteroids
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