It would only be fair to start with The King of Kong: a fistful of quarters (directed by Seth Gordon), an excellent documentary about rivalry, offering a compelling glance into the nature of the idiosyncrasies that drive human competition. The film portrays Billy, the former Donkey Kong Champion, doing everything in his power to keep his record, set over about 20 years ago, and to deny new-comer Steve Wiebe (above) of his title as the new world record holder in Donkey Kong.
Steve, a high school science teacher, is seen as an outsider in the gaming culture where as Billy is accepted as an icon. In order to claim the ultimate title for Donkey Kong ‘supremacy’, the two men become bitter rivals in what is essentially a war between good and evil. As the story unfolds, we are exposed to moments of pure elation, only to be burst by teary anguish into the seedier side of the 80’s video game revolution. Director Seth Gordon skillfully captures a colorful set of characters that draw you into a hidden American subculture of die-hard classic video gamers in all their obsessive complexities.
The King of Kong does well to mirror the game of personal politics, but speaks a greater deal about the psychology of winning and losing in our society today, as does Spellbound (directed by Jeffrey Blitz); an Oscar nominated documentary focusing on the lives of eight middle-schoolers that make their way to the 1999 National Spelling Bee in D.C. During the first half of the film, the director takes us inside the different homes of the eight spelling champion hopefuls, who come from varying racial, geographical and socioeconomic backgrounds, revealing a cross-section of American youth and character. The second half of the film focuses on the children and their training process up until their final performances at the nationals where they share intense motivation, competition and sometimes an almost unhealthy drive to succeed.
Director Blitz uses the spelling bee as an allegory for the immigrant/minority experience in America, questioning the importance of race and class while signifying the value of dedication and solid work ethics. This inspirational message is in a sense ironic, since obstacles like class and race are often not overcome despite hard work, but Spellbound does conclude that even if one is an ‘outsider’- one can find a place to belong in America. Additionally, the film presents interesting questions regarding the nature of ‘competition’ through its stark contrasts of what it means to be a winner, a loser, and everything in between in society today.
Both films mirror the reality of human pathology – our relationship to the concepts of ‘winning’ and ‘losing’, especially in our weakness to cope with both matters. We are infused with the idea of winning from birth as most of us are taught that it is the quintessential standard for acceptance and glory. The concept traces back to the idea of supremacy which has always been a part of human evolution, but has the grids of modern society elevated the ideology into a realm of obsession and need that we can no longer cope without? Because winning is starkly outlined in society today and accepted as the standard for good, whenever we make mistakes we are subject to feeling like failures. But ultimately, failing is a part of life, just as equal to winning, yet somehow one has the power to make us feel everything that is negative while the other gives us the power to fly. Both are, in the end, extreme forms of greed. So at what point can one surpass the mind, surpass ourselves and our emotions to just accept the feeling of the now?
hilitehead 
elaborate?