Editing Donkey Kong (section)

==Gameplay==
The player controls the character, "Jumpman" (later: "Mario"), who jumps over barrels thrown by Donkey Kong while climbing ladders up a crooked construction site to reach the top of the screen to rescue his girlfriend Pauline (who was originally called Lady in Japan). Each screen is a game stage, with stages grouping to form levels. Each successive level is progressively harder.

''Donkey Kong'' is one of the earliest examples of the [[platformer]] game genre; it is sometimes said to be the first platform game, although it was preceded by ''[[Space Panic]]''.<ref>Crawford 94.</ref> In contrast to ''Space Panic'', however, ''Donkey Kong'' was the first platform game to feature jumping,<ref>{{Allgame|4724|Space Panic}}</ref> introducing the need to jump between gaps and over obstacles or approaching enemies, setting the template for the platform genre.<ref name="GamesRadar">{{cite web|title=Gaming's most important evolutions|page=3|publisher=[[GamesRadar]]|date=Oct 8, 2010|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/f/gamings-most-important-evolutions/a-20101008102331322035/p-3|accessdate=April 11, 2011}}</ref> Competitive video gamers and referees stress the game's high level of difficulty compared to other classic arcade games. Winning the game requires patience and the ability to accurately time Jumpman's ascent.<ref name="De Maria 82">De Maria 82.</ref> In addition to presenting the goal of saving the Lady, the game also gives the player a score. Points are awarded for finishing screens; leaping over obstacles; destroying objects with a hammer [[power-up]]; collecting items such as hats, parasols, and purses (apparently belonging to the Lady/Pauline); and completing other tasks. The player typically receives three lives with a [[1-up|bonus]] awarded for the first 7,000 points, although this can be modified via the game's built in [[Dip switch|DIP switches]].