Video game champion ‘regrets’ jokes about death rumour

American video game champion Billy Mitchell has testified that he “regrets” joking about rumours concerning the death of a young man now central to his lawsuit against a Brisbane YouTuber.

Mitchell, 59, gave evidence in Brisbane District Court on Tuesday, the second day of his defamation case against YouTube creator Karl Jobst.

American professional arcade gamer William “Billy” Mitchell.

Mitchell rose to fame in the 1980s and ’90s through recognition of his high scores in the arcade games Donkey Kong and Pac-Man.

The Florida resident claimed his reputation was damaged and he lost out on $US65,000 in paid work as a result of a video Jobst posted on May 26, 2021.

On Monday, Mitchell gave evidence that he was physically sick when viewing Jobst’s video, which he said implied he “hounded a young man to commit suicide” by suing Ben Smith, another YouTuber.

Under cross-examination on Tuesday, Mitchell was asked about text messages he sent about Smith – known online as Apollo Legend – in response to social media rumours about his death.

“My wife found two different places online [that] Apollo Legend is dead. If it’s true, I will not shed a tear. I will try not to smile or giggle. No promises,” Mitchell said in a text.

The message was sent three years before Smith took his own life in December 2020, several months after settling a defamation lawsuit over claims Mitchell had cheated to obtain high scores.

Jobst’s barrister, Michael de Waard, asked Mitchell if the text messages undermined his claim to have been saddened by Smith’s death, and was made ill by being accused of contributing to it.

Billy Mitchell in 1999 after achieving a perfect Pac-Man score in Florida.Credit: AP

Mitchell said his messages were “dark humour” made when he did not believe Smith had died as the news came from anonymous social media users.

“I regret doing it. I wish I didn’t do it as three years later ... it came true,” he said.

Mitchell has testified that he returned to the public eye after 2007 largely due to his role in the documentary King of Kong.

Multiple internet forum users and YouTube creators would later allege he had cheated in competitions by not playing on original arcade machines.

Mitchell said on Tuesday he had sued people and high-score adjudicators for defamation over claims he “lied and cheated to get my scores”.

He denied he had a pre-existing negative reputation and that people expected him to sue those who claimed he cheated.

While on the stand, Mitchell appeared angry at times and said he was expected to “just answer a question and shut up” when he wanted to say more.

De Waard asked him if his own YouTube channel contained the only video remaining online accusing him of causing Smith’s death.

Mitchell said Jobst’s original video was seen by more than 500,000 people and the version with the claims edited out continued to prompt discussion about Smith’s death.

The trial continues before Judge Ken Barlow.

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