Guinness releases wacky videogame records

A boy dressed as ''Mario'' plays with a Nintendo DS at an exhibition stand during the Gamescom 2010 fair in Cologne August 19, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Ina Fassbender

By Paul Casciato

LONDON | Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:27pm EST

LONDON (Reuters) - The most perfect virtual bowler, the most swearing in a videogame and the most popular game on Facebook are just some of the records listed in the 2011 gamer's bible of wacky achievements from Guinness World Records.

The new "Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition" published on Thursday features an array of record holders from pensioners to schoolchildren, demonstrating the extent to which people from all walks of life have embraced videogames.

"Gaming has become a hugely important part of popular culture and this year's Gamer's Edition reflects just that," said Guinness World Records Gaming Editor Gaz Deaves.

The oldest gamer to make the book is 85 year-old John Bates from Onalaska, Wisconsin. The former high school principal became hooked on Nintendo's Wii Bowling and went on to achieve the Most Perfect Games on Wii Sports Bowling (2,850).

At the other end of the age spectrum is nine-year-old Ryota Wada from Tokyo, who has been recognized as the Youngest Gamer to Achieve a Perfect 'AAA' score on music videogame Dance Dance Revolution.

Mitsugu Kikai, 25, from Tokyo is recognized for having the largest collection of memorabilia related to videogame character Super Mario (5,400 individual items) and Annie Leung from San Francisco is featured for achieving the highest score on Guitar Hero 3 for a female (789,349 points).

Other records include the most swearing in a videogame, the most people to sing to a karaoke videogame and the most popular game on Facebook, which is FarmVille with 60 million monthly active users.

The book also contains the results of a poll conducted by Guinness World Records to find the best videogame character.

More than 13,000 gaming fans voted and chose Mario, the good-natured mustachioed Italian plumber as the top character.

Second spot went to Link from the popular Legend of Zelda series, and third went to the genetically engineered super soldier, Master Chief, who made his first appearance a decade ago in Halo: Combat Evolved (Microsoft, 2001).

(Editing by Steve Addison)