Plastic surgeon Hank Chien swept into headlines in March 2010 when he racked up the world's highest score in the video arcade game Donkey Kong, ousting reigning champ Billy Mitchell with 1,061,700 points — more than 10,000 points above Mitchell's long-standing score.
Chien, who majored in computer science and mathematics degree at Harvard University and graduated from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, said he was a natural at the videogame, which relies on a barrel-jumping hero to rescue a damsel in distress from a 2-D great ape.
Chien reportedly set the world record during a two and a half hour game on a Donkey Kong machine inside his Manhattan apartment where he lives with his brother.
It was a surprise upset for Chien, who said he first developed an interest in Donkey Kong after watching the 2007 documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters." The documentary follows gamer Steve Wiebe as he tries to wrest the world championship title from Mitchell.
Chien's world championship title was short lived, as Mitchell reclaimed the world's top score in August 2010, with a score of 1,062,800. Chein reclaimed the top spot with a score of 1,090,400 in February 2011.
