Five Awesome Video Game Documentaries

So listen, guys. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of way into video games. I’m so into them that approaching them the way highbrow literary critics approach books is kind of my bag. And while waxing poetical on the emotions that video games can evoke within my own personal experiences is all well and good, every now and then I like to kick back and let other people do all the work. That’s why I’ve gone on a recent video game documentary kick.

Documentaries are awesome, not least because they offer an in-depth, behind-the-scenes viewpoint into my favorite subjects. I love learning about the history and development of video games in particular, because at least I sound like I’m not some immature waste of a human being at cocktail parties. There is no quicker way to end a conversation than telling someone you’ve just met that your dream of dreams is to write scripts for video games, believe me. If you’ve never seen someone’s eyes glaze over while you’re talking to them, use that line at your next soiree.

“Hey Mr. President, have you ever played Portal 2 blah blah blah blah…”

So while I’ve barely got your attention (I figure I still have you this far since you’re frequenters of a site like Unreality), here are five fantastic documentaries on the the subject of video games.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

If you watch only one documentary on this list, make it this one. Not only is this movie a glorious throwback to the arcade culture of the 80’s but it features a cast of characters that are in truth, stranger than fiction. First of all, you’ve got Walter Day, the owner of the Twin Galaxies arcade in Iowa and “king of video game stats.” He’s an iconic figure, being the guy who wrote the actual rule book on competitive electronic gaming, and wearing his signature referee jersey at every gaming event at which he appears. And sometimes just around town, it seems. He is the officiant to end all game officiants, and his word is law. Then you’ve got Steve Wiebe, the boyishly fresh-faced gamer going for the world record score in Donkey Kong, a family man who practices playing on his own DK arcade machine in the garage while his wife tries to maintain some semblance of normalcy for their children.

But most of all, you’ve got Billy Mitchell. He owns the “Rickey’s World Famous Restaurant” chain, based in Hollywood, Florida. That’s right, not that Hollywood, the other one. He also has his own line of hot sauce. Video games = bold flavors. He set the high score for Donkey Kong back in 1982, and he is none too pleased at the appearance of the would-be usurper Steve Wiebe. He is also the possessor of the most epic mullet in the history of all mullets.

httpv://youtu.be/Ok6kiLK0Idc

He also holds the world record for “Douche-Baggery,” from 1982 until the end of time.

Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade

Your roots. Billy Mitchell’s the one with the bad teenage mustache.

Chasing Ghosts is more of an overview on the golden age of arcade gaming, so should be your go-to nostalgia pick. That is, if you’re old enough to have nostalgia about the golden age of arcade gaming. My god, I’m really showing my age here, aren’t I? This one focuses much more on Walter Day, the aforementioned “referee” of high scores and owner of the Twin Galaxies arcade. My husband’s grandfather was a toy inventor (humble brag alert: he was kind of a big deal—he invented Hungry Hungry Hippos and Barrel of Monkeys, among other awesome toys), and the hubs remembers his grandpa taking him to see Twin Galaxies as a toy industry museum of sorts. Naturally I’m jealous. My better half is very much not a gamer, though he always dutifully reads my articles and then gives me the double guns of support. But I digress. Chasing Ghosts is a kinder, sweeter documentary covering much of the same ground as King of Kong, but it doesn’t focus on the competitive nature of gaming and instead skews towards a “good old days” viewing of the arcade experience.

httpv://youtu.be/xmO2qvRgOV4

“In video games, this is the equivalent of the Sgt. Pepper’s album.”

Rise of the Video Game

This an excellent 5-part series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel. Unfortunately (and stupidly), it’s not available to buy or rent on DVD, but you’ll be able to find it with some extremely primitive Googling skills. The kind of Googling skills where you go straight to YouTube and search “Rise of the Video Game.” I’m sure you all can handle it. This is kind of a “Video Games 101,” in that it gives an erudite survey of the history of video games, both in terms of development and marketing. The later episodes (cleverly named by “levels” as in episode 1 is “Level 1” and so on), even get into real-world military applications and touch on the once and future applications of higher level AI. The series moves along at a speedy clip, hardly ever verging into drily academic territory. It’s actually something I would love to own on DVD, since it’s the program I’d want to hand to people who are near and dear to me but still view my commitment to video gaming culture as something of a childish relic I’ve heretofore been unable to shake.

httpv://youtu.be/Ras4E4N1S5E

This is so rampantly available in full on YouTube that I’m actually unable to find just a short clip to play for you all. So here’s the first nine minutes of the first episode. Don’t watch it all or you might get fired.

Indie Game: The Movie

I’ve actually got mixed feelings about this one. I eagerly anticipated its release, among many other fans of the (not quite anymore) burgeoning indie game movement. The film has a tendency to preach to the choir, though, and rather than learn much of anything new, the audience is instead treated to a bunch of indie game designers kvetching about how difficult the gaming industry as a whole turns out to be, and how their minor quibbles absolutely RUIN their days lives. That’s a truism that’s worth exploring, but I found myself turning against the subjects more often than empathizing.

HOWEVER. What I do love about this movie is its relatively minor focus on Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid, one of my favorite games of all time. He’s presented as a kind of framing device: the guy who made it as opposed to the other subjects, the guys struggling to do so. He is by far the most interesting talking head of the bunch, and isn’t afraid to get a little vulnerable when speaking of his work. Blow is often written about as some kind of pretentious d-bag, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that’s quite far from the truth. He comes off as very simply a game developer unafraid to take his work as seriously as any other artist in any other entertainment field, something I can readily get behind.

httpv://youtu.be/yo5fTDoYGe0

Don’t let my lukewarm comments above deter you, this film is well worth checking out. And then go buy Braid, for chrissakes. All I have to give you people are my recommendations!

 Get Lamp: A Documentary About Adventures in Text

Interactive fiction. A subject near and dear to my heart. These are the games that set me on my path to gamer nerdom, and I couldn’t be prouder of it. Especially because I’m actually too young to have experienced the heyday of text games, so I encountered them in a self-induced fit of forced retro nostalgia that predated any awareness of the term “hipster.” *adjusts horn-rimmed glasses* I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone but a true gamer; I don’t think it’s the kind of documentary that can be appreciated by a layman in the world of gaming. That being said, I don’t think you necessarily have to have any familiarity with text games to appreciate it. If you are a gamer, especially one who appreciates narrative, you will appreciate this film.

A writer’s dream, interactive fiction games presented their players with a book they could navigate, living the life of the protagonist. They also contained some of the most difficult puzzles I personally have ever encountered in a game.

httpv://youtu.be/JzOPVe7Usms

Before the first person shooter there was the second person thinker.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is an interview with a player in which she admits she never actually solved one of her favorite text games. And it’s clear from her face that it doesn’t even matter. There aren’t many games that afford players that kind of joy.