Game Documentaries
A list of Video Game and Pinball Documentaries
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- DirectorAnthony CaulfieldNicola CaulfieldStarsShahid AhmadNigel AldertonNick Alexander'From Bedrooms to Billions' is a 2 and a half hour feature length documentary movie telling the remarkable, true story of the British Video Games Industry from 1979 to the present day. Developments in computer technology in the UK of the late 70's early 80's helped inspire a generation of small team enthusiasts, hobbyists, school kids, bedroom coders and entrepreneurs to make and release some truly classic games. 'From Bedrooms to Billions' tells the story of how the creativity and vision of a relatively small number of individuals allowed the UK to play a key, pioneering role in the shaping of the billion dollar video games industry, which today dominates the modern world's entertainment landscape. 'From Bedrooms to Billions' is the first to attempt to bring this amazing story together. Featuring interviews with key contributors to the UK story such as Peter Molyneux, Jeff Minter, David Braben, David Perry, Mark Healey, Jason Kingsley and many others from across video game development, publishing and journalism from over the last 40 years, combined with compelling archive. 'From Bedrooms to Billions' reveals some of the remarkable stories, struggles and successes that saw the UK video games industry go from quite literally nothing into a major force littered with original thinkers, innovators and eccentric characters. The film takes you on a wonderful journey through those early 8 bit years, the transition into the 16bit era and PC, the influence of the Japanese and American consoles and the availability of finance, right through to the present day of triple AAA games, indie development and the future. 'From Bedrooms to Billions' is regarded as the most comprehensive and thorough video game documentary ever created and is essential viewing for anyone interested in video games, either as a player or as a creator.
- DirectorAnthony CaulfieldNicola CaulfieldStarsShahid AhmadRichard AplinBrian BagnallHow the Commodore Amiga helped influence a generation of Developers to take Video Gaming to a whole new level.
- DirectorAdam CorneliusStarsThor AackerlundDain AndersonSebastian BlancoA documentary that captures the greatest world record Tetris players as they prepare for the Classic Tetris World Championship. From the days of Thor Aackerlund and his historic victory at the 1990 Nintendo World Championships, right up to the present and Harry Hong's perfect "Max-Out" score, this documentary expertly chronicles over two decades of Tetris Mastery.
- DirectorTomaso WalliserStarsChuck PeddleJack TramielSteve WozniakWhen Jack Tramiel invented Commodore in the 1970's, he envisioned computing for the masses and not just the upper classes. Spearheading the personal technology revolution and combatting giants like Apple and IBM, Commodore became a household name by changing the way in which we interact, create and play with computers. From the advent of the groundbreaking Atari and Tetris games to the evolution of contemporary technological design, 8 Bit Generation dives into the home computer explosion and explores Commodore's key role in shaping the future in which we now live.
- DirectorLincoln RuchtiStarsWalter DayBen GoldSteve Sanders1982's Video Game World Champions share their philosophies on joysticks, groupies and life.
- DirectorZak PennStarsZak PennJoe LewandowskiRobert RentschlerA crew search for all of the old Atari 2600 game cartridges of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" that were tossed into a landfill in the 1980s.
- DirectorBrad CrawfordStarsBrian AshcraftDaigo UmeharaAaron Chmielowiec100 Yen is a historical documentary about the evolution of arcades and the culture surrounding it - from the birth of arcades to the game centers that still thrive today.
- DirectorPatrick CreadonStarsJudy BarbosaSøren BjergMichal BlicharzThis Is a documentary about life and struggle of people for becoming professional gamers.
- DirectorAnna BradyLester FrancoisStarsShawn AllenRobin ArnottMark BacklerGameLoading Rise of the Indies is a feature documentary exploring the world of indie game developers, their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture.
- DirectorIan SanterStarsBrent BushnellNolan BushnellJoe CiaramelliAn anthropological look into the rich culture of video games.
- DirectorJason Scott SadofskyStarsErnest AdamsScott AdamsHollywood AndersonWith limited sound, simple graphics, and tiny amounts of computing power, the first games on home computers would hardly raise an eyebrow in the modern era of photorealism and surround sound. In a world of Quake, Half-Life and Halo, it is expected that a successful game must be loud, fast, and full of blazing life-like action. But in the early 1980s, an entire industry rose over the telling of tales, the solving of intricate puzzles and the art of writing. Like living books, these games described fantastic worlds to their readers, and then invited them to live within them. They were called "computer adventure games", and they used the most powerful graphics processor in the world: the human mind. Rising from side projects at universities and engineering companies, adventure games would describe a place, and then ask what to do next. They presented puzzles, tricks and traps to be overcome. They were filled with suspense, humor and sadness. And they offered a unique type of joy as players discovered how to negotiate the obstacles and think their way to victory. These players have carried their memories of these text adventures to the modern day, and a whole new generation of authors have taken up the torch to present a new set of places to explore. Get Lamp is a documentary that will tell the story of the creation of these incredible games, in the words of the people who made them.
- DirectorJeremy MackStarsBill CarltonRobert MruczekTerry NelsonAlthough technology continues to evolve, a group of die-hard gamers refuses to abandon the classic arcade games of yesteryear. The 80's live on for these enthusiasts, who compete against each other and history to record the world's highest scores. Portland gamer Bill Carlton is one of the most brazen, fearlessly taking on some of the toughest records on the books. HIGH SCORE follows Bill as he attempts to take down the Atari classic Missile Command and its twenty year-old record. To get the 80 million points he'll have to play the game on one quarter for over two days straight. There is no pause button. There will be no sleep. There can only be one victor in this classic story of Man versus Missile Command.
- DirectorLisanne PajotJames SwirskyStarsJonathan BlowBrandon BoyerRenaud BédardA documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
- DirectorJordan LevinsonCalvin TheobaldStarsJustin WongIsaiah TriForce JohnsonDaigo UmeharaKing of Chinatown documents the two-year journey of professional video game player Justin Wong as he, along with his manager, TriForce, attempt to make a career of gaming in the competitive Street Fighter 4 scene.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- DirectorSean TiedemanStarsRichie KnucklezWalter DayBilly MitchellFollow the rise and fall of the King of Arcades as one man pursues his dream against all odds.
- DirectorKurt VincentStarsAnthony CaliHenry CenAkuma HokoruThe story of Chinatown Fair, the legendary arcade located in the heart of New York's Chinatown. This documentary explores how the arcade became a shelter to a community as diverse as the city surrounding it and changed lives in doing so.
- DirectorRobert McCallumStarsJay BartlettRobert McCallumThor AackerlundAn adventure-filled documentary on Nintendo that follows two gaming enthusiasts, as they hit the open road in hopes of buying all the 678 official retail-licensed Nintendo games in 30 days with no online purchases.
- DirectorJeff Von WardStarsChris AlcottPete AshdownJean BaudinBeginning with Space Invaders in 1978, arcade games began to appear everywhere. By 1982, there were 13,000 dedicated arcade locations across North America. It was the Golden Age of Arcade Games, generating $3.2 billion dollars in 1983. By 1985, revenue had fallen 97%. Atari declared bankruptcy. Arcades closed. Most of the old games were converted or destroyed. A few were packed into warehouses where they remained, largely forgotten, for at least another decade. This is the story of arcade video games, and the generation who grew up in the arcades attempting to collect and preserve their fondest memories.
- DirectorBrett SullivanStarsRoger SharpeRick StettaSam HarveyWhat made more money than the entire American movie industry through the 50s and 60s? Pinball. Special When Lit rediscovers the lure of a lost pop icon. A product of the mechanical and electrical age, the American invention swept the world and defined cool. Now it is relegated to a nostalgic footnote deserving a better fate. Joining the fans, collectors, designers and champion players from across the globe who share a world many of us didn't know still existed.
- DirectorGreg MaleticStarsDuncan BrownLarry DeMarGeorge GomezIn 1998 pinball was dying, thanks to a saturated market and shrinking player base. Williams, the world's largest pinball manufacturer, planned to abandon the game in favor of the more lucrative video slot machine business. 'The Future of Pinball' is a 60-minute documentary that tells the story of 'Pinball 2000,' a clever attempt at resuscitating pinball that failed just at the moment a lot of people thought it might succeed. A 'Soul of a New Machine' for the pinball world, 'The Future of Pinball' is a compendium of interviews with legends of the pinball industry, photos, and films of the best games the industry has produced. It's a story about personality and passion, of bold success dizzyingly followed by a stunning failure.
- DirectorStephanie BethExperience recent designs for video games in the 21st Century. The developers, their peers and the world of support structures for these expose the magic explored in a number of games. Thatgamecompany is watched during it's build of JOURNEY(2012); also, Jason Rohrer, Alexander Bruce, Douglas Wilson, and Zach Gage. Shot in San Francisco, New York, Davis, Austin and Copenhagen.
- DirectorDave DanzaraStarsBryan ArmitageNathan BarnattChris ConnallyA documentary on classic video arcade collectors across North America. Those who were the first to look into the neon haze of a vector/raster screen and fall in love. The first quarter poppers, the "vidiots" who never grew up.
- DirectorJeremy SneadStarsSean AstinAl AlcornPeter ArmstrongLearn how video games are made, marketed, and consumed by looking back at gaming history and culture through the eyes of game developers, publishers, and consumers.
- DirectorSteven FletcherStarsChris HuelsbeckMark KnightDavid PleasanceThe Commodore Story of the PET Vic20 C64 and Amiga from engineers, games developers and how Commodore influenced the first 8-bit generation users.
- DirectorZachary WeddingtonStarsTrevor DickinsonDave HaynieRobert J. MicalIn a world of green on black, they dared to dream in color. 1985: An upstart team of Silicon Valley mavericks created a miracle: the Amiga computer. A machine made for creativity. For games, for art, for expression. Breaking from the mold set by IBM and Apple, this was something new. Something to change what people believed computers could do. 2016: The future they saw isn't the one we live in now. Or is it? From the creation of the world's first multimedia digital art powerhouse, to a bankrupt shell sold and resold into obscurity, to a post-punk spark revitalized by determined fans. Viva Amiga is a look at a digital dream and the freaks, geeks and geniuses who brought it to life. And the Amiga is still alive.