Billy Mitchell’s Legacy Remains Controversial
Billy Mitchell is a name you’re either ignorant of, or intimately familiar with – there’s no middle ground. The niche interest of finding the “perfect” game of Pac-Man is something that inspires a lot of friendly competition, and as you may expect, players become extremely familiar with each other over time. This is especially true for Billy Mitchell, whose legacy as the self-proclaimed “video game player of the century” was founded upon a Pac-Man high score that remains in the Guinness Book of World Records to this day.
There’s no denying that Mitchell is skilled at what he does, but what’s up in the air is whether his “perfect” run was even a legitimate attempt. For various reasons, people aren’t allowed to use most emulators in their quest for Pac-Man fame, and many claim that Mitchell did just that.
Back in the day, Mitchel had a website – Perfectpacman.com – which ceased functioning sometime in the 2000s. The domain fell out of use, and because of that, was picked up by a dedicated Pac-Man fan years later. It wasn’t used to “expose the truth” of Mitchell’s record until September 2nd, 2021 – but when the first part of a 6-entry epic was posted, there was no going back.
The series is called “Video Game Fraud of the Century”, with each entry being labelled as a “dot” instead of part 1, part 2, etc. Given the game it’s discussing, you can probably guess why.
While a small handful of perfect Pac-Man runs have been completed since Mitchell’s attempt, his run remains the most infamous due to a controversy that its creator just can’t seem to shake. Whether you see this website as karmic justice or a misuse for the “perfectpacman” name will depend on your stance on Mitchell’s run, but regardless of your opinion, it’s still probably worth it to hear these posts out. Each one is a pretty hefty work in its own right, and was clearly made by someone with a great interest in this topic. If you have the time, they’re definitely worth your while!