The all-time high score of 33 million set 28 years ago on Q*Bert has this year proved to be one of the most unassailable marks in video game history.
Last night, Rob Gerhardtâs record, set in 1983, survived a third assault this year when iron-man gamer Rick Carterâwho in August racked up a billion-point world record performance in Nibblerâfaded after a 59-hour performance and ended his bid at 28 million.
Scott Patterson, who carried Carterâs attempt live on his website, noted that Carterâs marathon effort followed a 16-hour drive to reach the event, in Ottumwa, Iowa. Thatâs one hell of a biathlon.
Two attempts earlier this year by George Leutz ended in disappointment. In April, someone kicked a power cord elsewhere in the arcade, creating a surge that reset Leutzâs Q*Bert cabinet after 36 hours of work. In May, Leutz went after the record again and he succumbed to fatigue at the 54-hour mark.
https://lastchance.cc/q-bert-record-attempt-scuttled-after-machine-unplugged-5792711%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Bad luck didnât strike just Carter. At the same marathon event, hall of famer Tim McVey was eight hours from reclaiming Nibblerâs world record mark from Carter, Patterson writes, when a motherboard failure struck. âThe game drew the maze in an odd position where the Nibbler snake was outside the maze. They tried to see if they could correct this and keep the game going but no luck.â McVey recorded the first billion-point performance on the game back in 1984.
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