If you've always wanted to know what the development process of an independent game is like, explore the world of eSports in depth, or discover the mystery of the buried E.T. cartridges, among many other things, then get comfortable and prepare to enjoy the best video game documentaries.
Atari: Game Over (2014)
Discover how the E.T. game was the main reason for Atari's failure and how the company tried to hide the fiasco by burying the cartridges in the desert. Using as a starting point the excavation of Atari's games, located in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Zak Penn delights us with a short but entertaining documentary centered on the E.T. cartridges that were buried in 1983. The excavation took place on April 26, 2014, where only 700,000 games were recovered from the 1,300 buried cartridges. Throughout the documentary, several figures share their testimonies, such as George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Howard Scott Warshaw, the programmer responsible for what many consider the worst game in history: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Directed by Zak Penn, Atari: Game Over is available on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4wjMn6yjOjQHow Videogames Changed the World (2013)
This special aired by Endemol UK examines the 25 most important video games according to Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror). From Pong to The Last of Us, the documentary covers the history of each game as completely as possible, covering technical details, narrative resources, and their subsequent impact on popular culture. Among the experts chosen are developers, journalists, politicians, and celebrities, with recognizable names like Peter Molyneux, Felicia Day, Tim Schafer, and Will Wright. Fun and informative, along with a well-chosen selection of games, you can watch How Videogames Changed the World in the video below.
https://vimeo.com/86920129Double Fine Adventure! (2015)
The development process of Broken Age was recorded by 2 Player Productions as part of the Kickstarter project. In 2011, Paul Owens of 2 Player Productions wrote an email to Greg Rice and Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions proposing a documentary series that would show the development of a game from start to finish. Rice and Schafer accepted, and a portion of the Kickstarter money was reserved for the documentary, which was originally only available to backers, but starting in March 2015 the company began offering the episodes for free on YouTube. Double Fine Adventure! has been praised for its honest and open look at the development process, showing all the design and creative obstacles to overcome. With a total of fifteen episodes, you can watch the entire series in the video below.
Free to Play (2014)
Free to Play critically examines the lives of Benedict "hyhy" Lim, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin, and Clinton "Fear" Loomis, three professional Defense of the Ancients (DotA) players who participated in The International, the most lucrative eSports tournament at the time. The documentary's central focus on these three players is how their commitment to DotA affected their lives and how they prepare for the Dota 2 tournament in Cologne, Germany. Produced by Valve Corporation, Free to Play is not only one of the best video game documentaries, drawing parallels between competitive gaming and other sports activities, as well as an in-depth look at eSports, but also delves into the aspects that make up these players' lives, showing us what it means to live playing competitively.
Indie Game: The Movie (2012)
Probably the most popular documentary related to video games. Indie Game: The Movie deals with the struggles of independent game developers: Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes during the development of Super Meat Boy, Phil Fish during the development of Fez, and also Jonathan Blow, who reflects on the success of Braid. In each of the stories there are victories, defeats, tears, and smiles, where you'll get to know independent development in depth when a game depends on teams of one or two people. And as an epilogue you can watch Indie Game: Life After (2016), which includes 100 extra minutes with commentary, additional content, and short films showing the behind-the-scenes of the creation of the three games and the aftermath of their developers' lives, among other details. Both Indie Game: The Movie and Indie Game: Life After are available on Netflix.
Man vs Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler (2016)
This spot could easily have been occupied by The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007), but given that it's already old and outdated, it's better to fill it with a more current one with a similar theme, such as Man vs Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler. This documentary follows the story of a group of players trying to accumulate one billion points in the arcade game Nibbler (released in 1982), a feat that Tim McVey first achieved in 1984. Get ready for an emotional roller coaster that will make you happy and sad, but glad to meet a guy like Tim McVey. If you liked The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, you'll love this documentary. Man vs Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler is available on Netflix.
