Whether it's Pac-Man or R.B.I. Baseball, Zelda or Bubble Bobble, video gamers have always had their favorite titles at which they believe they are unbeatable.
Shane Kukiattikoon, a psychology senior, thinks he is the world's best at Super Mario Kart on Super Nintendo, and he's backing it up with cash.
The Nintendo wizard offers opponents the chance to win up to $1,000 from him in Battle Mode, in which characters attempt to knock away each other's go-kart's balloons using turtle shells, banana peels and other weapons.
Kukiattikoon plays opponents in matches in which the first player to win 10 rounds wins the match. A round begins when players square off with a full three balloons; weapons are obtained by running over question-marked boxes along the playing course. Kukiattikoon, who refers to himself as "Dr. Mario-Kart," requires a 2-point margin of victory - but that's never been a danger.
"Out of 62 matches, 56 have been sweeps where I never lost a round," Kukiattikoon said. "If somebody beats me, I'll give them $100 for every round they beat me by."
If you beat Kukiattikoon 10-8, you receive $200. If you beat him 10-0, he'll pay you a cool grand.
The Doctor requires no entry fee to play him, and even offers a $5 prize to anyone who can match half his score - another situation he hasn't encountered.
Kukiattikoon assured The Daily Texan he was backed for the money he was offering, and he hypothesized that the one-sided wager contributed to his other-worldly play.
"I'm covered, but that's not to say I'm wealthy," he said. "It motivates me because I have something to lose."
Kukiattikoon said the idea for the competition started when his former boss at Gyro's & Kebobs in Wichita Falls left the store and its television unattended.
"I set up and took challengers for the first time there," he said. "Now it's becoming much more organized."
The Doctor will be traveling to QuakeCon 2003 in Dallas on Aug. 14-17 and the Oklahoma Gaming Exhibition in Oklahoma City on Sept. 20. Before that, he'll be taking challengers at the Austin Gaming Expo at the Marriott at the Capital on July 26.
His cash offer will be on the table at the events, and Kukiattikoon said until then he will take on anyone who challenges him. Interested players can contact him at his Web site, www.mario-kart.net/challenge.
On Wednesday, Dr. Mario-Kart quickly demonstrated his Mario Kart proficiency, which brought about memories of Fred Savage's brother in the 1989 film "The Wizard." Playing with Toad, he destroyed his opponent with three deftly-thrown red turtle shells in a mind-boggling four seconds.
"That might have been my fastest match ever," Kukiattikoon said with a satisfied chuckle.
Obviously referring to other matches, Kukiattikoon said talented opponents bring the best out in him.
"The top 10 percent of players can get rounds off me," he said.
Dr. Mario-Kart is looking for sponsors to help him cover travel expenses to the various gaming expos. His dream would be to be recognized by Nintendo as the "Official Mario Kart Champion."
"All that would be nice," Kukiattikoon said. "But the main point of this is to find a challenge and rekindle the spirit of
competition for this excellent game."
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