Steve Wiebe

Steven J. Wiebe, commonly known as Steve Wiebe, is an American competitive gamer best known for his rivalry with Billy Mitchell in the quest for the highest score on the classic arcade title Donkey Kong. Born on January 3, 1969 in Seattle, Washington, Wieby grew up in a family that encouraged both academic and artistic pursuits; he learned to play piano early and later earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington in 1991. After a stint as a testing and analysis engineer at Boeing (1996‑1999) and a software testing role at Bsquare (1999‑2001), he completed a Master of Education at City University of Seattle in 2004, paving the way for his subsequent career as a mathematics teacher at Redmond High School. Wiebe’s gaming legend began when he first broke the one‑million‑point barrier on Donkey Kong on July 4, 2004, posting a score of 1,006,600 and later surpassing it with 1,064,500 points in September 2010, a record that stood until January 2011. His high‑score pursuits were documented in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, which highlighted his meticulous practice routine, his calm demeanor under the bright lights of venues such as the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin and the TAO Nightclub in Las Vegas, and the intense rivalry that energized the retro‑gaming community. In addition to Donkey Kong, he briefly held the world record for Donkey Kong Jr., posting a 1,190,400‑point run in February 2010. Beyond the arcade, Wiebe released a contemporary Christian album titled The King of Song in 2009, appeared in several Hollywood productions—including Four Christmases (2008), Horrible Bosses (2011), and Pixels (2015)—and lent his voice to the animated series Code Monkeys. He lives in Redmond, Washington with his wife Nicole and their two children, balancing his responsibilities as a teacher, musician, and basketball enthusiast while remaining an iconic figure in competitive gaming culture.