BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

totallyparanoia I didn't make it past the time-line at the beginning, when they omitted the Wii U from it. That, there, told me the to watch the rest would be to waste my time. 'Nuff said.But I do have to write more.The little I did watch had nothing but flash and pizazz, but seemed like a rotten apple on the inside. I feel the authors of this work have never actually played a video game, never actually watched a documentary, or even watched a YouTube video by people like the Gaming Historian or Kim Justice. Lots of MTV-style flash in the pan editing, most likely done on a MacBook Air with the default iMovie version installed.So, they funded this on Kickstarter? They need to return the money to the investors. And calling themselves "The Movie"? They missed that honor by a King's mile! There are ways to do documentaries on this subject, and still be accurate. Even offering a companion book, etc. I mean, I doubt they covered video game magazines, like Nintendo Power, GamePro, etc., that were VERY powerful during video game history.Nope. Just a bunch of ignorant PS3 players who "think" they know video games. I'll repeat my opening paragraph to close:"I didn't make it past the time-line at the beginning, when they omitted the Wii U from it. That, there, told me the to watch the rest would be to waste my time. 'Nuff said."

zkonedog "Video Games: The Movie" is not a bad documentary. Unfortunately, it isn't a great one either. The main problem here is that it tries to tackle "the history of video games" in a sub two-hour documentary. In essence, the subject matter is just broad enough to appeal to pretty much everyone, but not specific enough to appeal to anyone in particular.The general format of this movie is to look at the creation of video games all the way through the "current generation" (PS4, XBOX One, Wii U, etc.). It looks at pretty much all areas of the industry, from its initial creators (the guys in white shirts and skinny ties monkeying around with circuits) to its ever-improving technology, and even delves into the philosophical underpinnings of why people enjoy being "gamers".Like I said, though, this is a very general look at the industry. If you know nothing about gaming industry/innovation, you'll probably get something out of this. But, if you've been at all paying attention over the last, say, 30 years or so, there is nothing new here. Again, not to say that it is bad...just rather bland. The epitome of a three-star rating.When it comes right down to it, I like to appeal my own personal principle for documentaries: Does it cover a subject that A. Someone cares about; and B. Shows something in a new light. "Video Games: The Movie" nails "Part A", but completely fails on "Part B". It got me to watch, though, so the strategy must be working to a certain extent (!). Just don't expect anything deep and you'll enjoy it.

tmakarowrow First, the good news. If you enjoy your Video Game history books & documentaries, you will more than likely enjoy this. It's a fun overview of gaming, with plenty of enjoyable parts to make you nostalgic and entertained, done in that very slick, polished US Hollywood kind of way. A few celebrities pop through and talk about the effect gaming has had on their lives as well. Yes, I enjoyed it, and will purchase the DVD when it comes out next month as I love documentaries on the gaming industry. Now the bad news. It's very lightweight. It omits far too much to be considered a decent documentary on gaming history- And the earlier Documentary "Game Invasion"- which still made too many omissions- is still superior in that regard of better fuller coverage of the industry. If you are looking for a fun overview of gaming to watch, and can forgive many, MANY, omissions- and can forgive a bit of industry Cheerleading- you will still be entertained by this. Perhaps adding an extra 30-45mins and adding more detail may have sorted some of the issues. I think the reason there are quite a few exceptionally poor reviews for this, is because many feel this movie could have and should have been so much more, was hyped to be more, so left many disappointed. We still wait for the definitive Video Game History documentary. The recently released 'From Bedrooms to Billions' is a brilliant example of how it can be done- Which covers the early UK gaming industry. We need a similar thing done for the industry in general.

gavin6942 "Video Games: The Movie" aims to educate and entertain audiences about 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.Immediately there are some concerns: the intro runs a bit too long (but the use of Queen is a good choice). And then we have the necessary interview of Wil Wheaton (who is less annoying than usual here), but also some nice unexpected gems like the creator of "Metal Gear Solid" and the president of Nintendo. And then there is Chris Hardwick, who comes across far more dorky than he does on television.There are some interesting statistics on ages, genders of those who play and purchase video games. As people generally know, the ages have been increasing and more women are getting into the gaming scene.The film goes somewhat into history, with Nolan Bushnell of Atari widely thought of as the father of video games. Yes, they tracked down Bushnell for an interview, and he in turn gives the "father" title to MIT scientists. We also get a nice description of pixels and "bits" for those not familiar. The history is, perhaps, too brief, with many systems getting no coverage at all, and much of it in no particular order.We have the legendary tale of the E.T. game made in five weeks in the fall of 1982, which helped launch the term shovelware, and indirectly killed off the Atari.If this was re-edited to be more in chronological order, it would be a stronger film, but it is not a bad one.