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September 10, 2015, NEW YORK – The Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer’s Edition book hits shelves today filled with more fascinating information than ever! The must-have for video game addicts is packed with new records, facts, figures, stunning photos and all the inside knowledge gaming fans crave. The series that spotlights the best and brightest in the world of video games remains the go-to source for the most essential knowledge in the interactive world. This includes features on The Evolution of Mario, Classic Rivalries, The Evolution of Controllers and more than 20 pages on the international phenomenon Minecraft.
Leading the Minecraft section of the book is Kurt J Mac’s entry for Longest journey in Minecraft. Kurt embarked on an epic quest to reach the fabled Far Lands, an area roughly 7,767 miles from the players initial spawn point and chronicled his journey on his YouTube channel “Far Lands or Bust.” After three years of continuous travel in the game, Kurt only made it about 16% of the way to the Far Lands but he did manage to score the record and raised money for charity Child’s Playwhile doing it! Another standout record from the Minecraft section is LJ Pegross’s entry forFarthest distance ridden on a pig in Minecraft. Pegross grew tired of traveling the game’s vast terrain on foot and switched over to traveling via hog. Since beginning his adventure, he has logged a hoof-blistering 414.47 miles.
Guinness World Records has also added a very special feature to this year’s edition. MinecraftChallenges offers readers a chance to make it into the record books. The Guinness World Records gaming consultants have created a series of 10 challenges that put the skills of users to the test as they race against the clock (and each other) for a chance to take home each title. To make it official record attempts must be recorded and uploaded to guinnessworldrecords.com/minecraft.
The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2016 Gamer’s Edition also shines the spotlight on accomplishments outside of in-game achievements. William Cruz won an Ubisoft competition to travel to the Himalayas, the setting for Far Cry 4 where he played the game at a dizzying height of 18,569 feet, earning the record for Highest-altitude game console session on land. A team of skydivers, meanwhile, took gaming to new heights by playing Skylanders: Trap Team from an altitude of 12,500 feet to earn the title for Highest-altitude freefall videogame session. While we’re on the topic of games you can play just about anywhere, the addictive social game Candy Crush smashed the record for Most “likes” on a Facebook videogame page at 75,187,303 at the time the 2016 edition went to print.
Creative talent is also prominently featured in the latest edition of the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2016 Gamer’s Edition. Steve Blum and Jennifer Hale are named Most prolific video game voice actors, male and female, respectively. Blum has lent his voice to at least 354 games including Batman: Arkham Knight, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and The Elder Scrolls Online, while Hale has famously portrayed characters in more than 168 games including the Metal Gear Solid and Mass Effect series.
Other standout records in Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer’s Edition include:
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Most difficult version of Tetris – Federico Poloni programmed Tetris with an algorithm that analyzes the board and then selects the worst possible piece for the gamer to have to insert, making for a truly twisted version of the game
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First playable video game on an item of clothing – To celebrate the 30th anniversary ofTetris, superfan Marc Kerger designed a playable T-shirt of the game
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Largest collection of Silent Hill memorabilia – Whitney Chavis has been collecting memorabilia based on the horror franchise since 1999 and has amassed 342 different items, including t-shirts, posters, towels and much more
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Most readable books in a video game – Elder Scrolls Online boasts a massive 2,235 readable books that players can peruse while taking a break from the action
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Largest life-sized Pac-Man maze -Created for a Bud Light TV spot shown during the 2015 Super Bowl, the maze measured 6,252.3 sq ft.
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First LEGO videogame made entirely out of bricks – The LEGO Movie Videogame was the first LEGO game in which everything in the game was constructed out of bricks, from buildings and furniture to machines and vehicles
Stephen Daultrey, Editor of the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition said “This year’s Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2016 is a fantastic collection of exciting gaming records and features on everything from speed-runners to social media superstars, eSports champs and developers. Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2016 is guaranteed to entertain with its range of trivia, facts, stats and gaming craziness.”
A must have for all gamers, the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2016 Gamer’s Edition is now available for $14.99. For more information, visit www.guinnessworldrecords.com.
About GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (GWR) is the universally recognized global authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, the annual GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS book has gone on to become one of the best-selling titles of all time, with 2.8 million copies sold in 2013. Since its launch nearly 60 years ago over 132 million copies – and 3 million e-books – have been sold in 20 languages, in more than 100 countries. The internationally renowned brand is also available across a number of platforms; GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS global television shows are watched by over 750 million viewers annually, over half a million subscribe to the GWR YouTube channel, the global website receives 14 million viewers annually and the brand has over 4 million fans on Facebook. In 2013, OFFICIALLY AMAZING became the registered trademark of Guinness World Records Limited.