Fans of video games have a certain series they love or a company they swear is the best. While they might enjoy playing games, there is a good chance they do not know what occurred behind the scenes of the making and marketing of those games. With that in mind, there is also the chance people do not know about the history of the video game industry beyond just the basic bullet points.
Many documentaries are available to learn about everything from the development of Atari games to the modern practice of making indie games. There are also documentaries that let people learn about what MMORPGs are or explore the competitive scene for games like DOTA 2. In the same way that there is a game for every type of gamer, there is a documentary about games for every type of gamer.
10 Console Wars Tells The Story Of The Fight Between Nintendo & Sega In The 16-Bit Days
The documentary Console Wars was released in 2020 and focuses on the early-'90s fight between powerhouse Nintendo and underdog Sega. It explores how Sega came to take Nintendo's spot at the top, and how they briefly succeeded before letting hubris get the best of them. The documentary is based on the book of the same name by Blake Harris, following the then-CEO of Sega of America, Tom Kalinske.
Console Wars is a Paramount+ Original and can currently only be viewed by subscribers to that service. A fictionalized miniseries adaptation of the events covered in Console Wars is currently in production courtesy of Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, who both served as producers on the documentary.
9 Nintendo Quest Follows A Man Trying To Acquire Every NES Game Without Buying Any Online
Nintendo Quest was made in 2015 and follows a man named Jay Bartlett as he tries to acquire all NES games. He would have to find all 687 licensed games in 30 days, all without buying any of the games online. To make the task easier, Bartlett would only have to find games released in North America.
Bartlett and his friend, Rob McCallum, go throughout the United States to second-hand stores and people's basements in search of the games. As the quest progresses, the viewer is given a history on Nintendo and learn more about the games, as well as discovering Bartlett's deeply personal history with games and his reason for embarking on such a daunting journey.
8 High Score Follows The Development Of Early Video Games
High Score was released on Netflix in 2020 and focuses on the creation and development of video games in the 1980s and 1990s. It comes in the form of a docuseries, with each episode running for about 40 minutes. The series starts by focusing on arcade machines and early home consoles, ending with the transition from 2D graphics to 3D graphics.
The series touches on topics such as the 1983 video game crash to the console wars between Nintendo and Sega. It also discusses the creation of adventure and RPG games, such as the Ultima series and Final Fantasy, all while talking to some of the people behind some of the biggest games in history.
7 King of Kong Focuses On The Fight For The Donkey Kong World Record Score
The King of Kong was released in 2007 and focuses on competitive arcade gaming. It follows a man named Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the high score for Donkey Kong. He attempts to take the high score from the previous record holder, a restaurateur named Billy Mitchell who is an outspoken and proudly controversial figure in the world of video game world records.
Billy Mitchell reveals his high score to be 1,047,200 points. Despite some doubt about its authenticity, Wiebe attempts to beat the score with Twin Galaxies, the official governing body of video game world records, watching. Wiebe does not pass the score then, but does later does at home. The documentary is just a much about the strange and fascinating world of video game record-keeping as it is about the lives of the two men who are vying for the Donkey Kong high score.
6 Minecraft: The Story of Mojang Tells The History Of One Of The Most Popular Games Of All Time
For fans of Minecraft— and clearly there are many, as it's the second-best-selling game of all time behind Tetris— they will want to check out Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. It was released in 2012 and focuses on the history of Mojang and Minecraft. The documentary has interviews from Markus "Notch" Persson and Jens Bergensten about the creation and expansion of Mojang as a company.
Also included are interviews from people in the gaming industry and how Minecraft's popularity influenced the industry. Fans of the game were also interviewed, telling how the game impacted them.
5 Indie Game: The Movie Focuses On The Struggles Of Modern Indie Game Developers
Created in 2012, Indie Game: The Movie focuses on the struggles of indie game developers as well as the success of one developer. One part focuses on the creation of Super Meat Boy as well as the game Fez being stuck in development hell for years. The documentary also focuses on the release of Braid, with the developer reflecting on the success of it.
The producers chose the games to show the past, present, and future of game creation. Braid's creator, Jonathon Blow, begins the documentary by saying an indie game offers flaws and vulnerability, making it more personal.
4 Second Skin Gives A Look Into MMORPGs
Second Skin is a documentary made in 2008 that follows seven people as they play through MMORPGs. It focuses on the different aspects of playing MMORPGs, with the good and the bad included. Second Skin focusing on the life of a couple as they take their relationship from virtual to physical.
On the opposite side of that, the documentary also focuses on one player as his addiction takes control of his life. It also focuses on disabled MMORPG players and how they are given a voice and sense of mobility that they don't always have in the real world.
3 Free To Play Focuses On DotA Tournaments
Free to Play was created by Valve in 2014 and focuses on three professional DotA players. The players travel to Germany to take part in the first tournament for Dota 2 and how winning would bring meaning to their struggles. The main focus is how DotA affected their lives.
The documentary finishes with one of the players, Hyhy, winning $150,000 after finishing in third place. The documentary goes into detail on each player's life and what caused them to commit so much time to DotA.
2 Atari: Game Over Tells About The Fabled Landfill Of Buried E.T. Games
Atari: Game Over was released in 2014 by Zak Penn. It focuses on the history of the video game crash of 1983, ending on the excavation of the Atari game burial. The documentary features interviews from people who worked with Atari during the 1980s, including the creator of the E.T. game.
At the end, the crew excavated 1,300 games, including ones such as E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Centipede, and many others. It is explained that Atari emptied out a warehouse, choosing this landfill as the final destination for them. The documentary also goes on to reveal E.T. was not responsible for the video game crash, instead being unfairly blamed.
1 Pretending I'm A Superman Focuses On Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Pretending I'm a Superman was created in 2020 and focuses on the creation of the Pro Skater series. It is revealed the skateboarding industry was going through a rough patch, but the start of the X-Games and the Pro Skater franchise changed that. The documentary was released alongside the reboot of Pro Skater 1 & 2.
The documentary includes interviews with Tony Hawk and the other skaters involved in the franchise. The interviews show the rise of the franchise and the reaction from other famous skaters about it.