Chinatown Fair opened as a penny arcade on Mott Street in 1944. Over the decades, the dimly lit gathering place, known for its tic-tac-toe playing chicken, became an institution, surviving turf wars between rival gangs, changing tastes and the explosive growth of home gaming systems like Xbox and Playstation that shuttered most other arcades in the city. But as the neighborhood gentrified, this haven for a diverse, unlikely community faced its strongest challenge, inspiring its biggest devotees to next-level greatness.
For one of the longest-running game franchises in history, Street Fighter creators Capcom needed something exceedingly special to accompany the release of their 25th anniversary edition of the game. AREA 5 produced, shot, edited, and finished a documentary that spans three countries, more than two decades, and tells the story of how a game not only birthed an entire genre, but changed the lives of a generation.
In this panoptic documentary on the niche culture of the retro video game collector, follow gaming enthusiasts and fans as they relive their childhood memories, make new ones and champion to keep an antiquated media format alive.
A documentary exploring the underworld of online gaming.
The Name of the Game is a feature-length documentary about the team up between the legendary arcade game designer, Eugene Jarvis, and the Finnish game developer, Housemarque. The end result of the collaboration was the critically acclaimed PS4/PC title Nex Machina. The film gives the audience an unprecedented access to the unpredictable and plain crazy world of making a video game – uncensored.
“The Power of Glove” is a documentary that chronicles the history & legacy of the notoriously “bad” Power Glove, a 1989 Nintendo controller that promised to forever change the way humans interact with technology. Originally released by Mattel, the Power Glove was the first mass-marketed gesture-based video game controller. It was designed by an eclectic team of hard-working and bright-eyed dreamers, and its marketing hype was immense. Immediately after its release, however, gamers were disappointed by the Power Glove, and critics panned it as a worthless gimmick. Yet unlike many gimmicks and critical failures of the past, the Power Glove has not been simply swept under the rug. Nearly three decades after its release, the Power Glove continues to resonate with video gaming and technology fans, becoming the focus of art pieces, songs, videos, hacking projects, and other forms of cultural repurposing. “The Power of Glove” tells the story of how and why the Power Glove lives on.
This DVD covers all works from the original Street Fighter to Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future. The contents that explain each work include not only the full recording of the advertisement videos, but also a complete description of the system description and basic techniques of game, the techniques that were popular at the time, and the super fan material related to the series.
The oral history of a team of geeks and misfits in the back of a Chicago factory creating the biggest video games of all time. Midway Games pioneered the concept of live-action gaming, kick-starting a new arcade boom and grossing billions of dollars with hits like Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam.
Hello, my name is Miho Nakayama. Thank you very much for participating in the Famicom event "Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School." And congratulations on winning a prize! I send you an autographed videotape. Please be careful with it. I will remember the drama (game) we starred together in forever as a precious memory, and I’m going to do my best in songs and dramas in the future. I’ll be happy if you also remembered this as a precious memory. And please watch over me from now on forever. Well then, I’m looking forward to the day we’ll meet again. For those who beat Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School and registered their "Best Ending" victory via the Disk Fax network, this tape was given out as a special prize to 8000 winners. This tape showcases behind the scenes footage of Nakayama Miho and her involvement in the game.
Promotional video depicting the company history of Japanese video game manufacturer SNK up until 1992. Creator of many arcade games, the Neo Geo Multi Video System (MVS), Hyper Neo Geo 64, Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System (AES), Neo Geo CD and the Neo Geo Pocket.
A feature-length exploration of the game's creation, and a love letter to the trials of exploring new territory. There are no road maps or guide books for creating a new world. The only way through is to fail—over and over again. This is the story of how a team of artists, musicians, programmers, writers, actors, filmmakers, playtesters, and a lonely UI designer—came together and pushed each other to build something larger than themselves.
Explore the history of the ground-breaking Full Motion Video (FMV) game, Night Trap, in this documentary brought to you by My Life in Gaming. Directors Coury Carlson and Marc Duddleson interview Night Trap creator James Riley, remaster lead Tyler Hogle, and gaming historian Jeremy Parish in this nearly hour-long look at the history of Night Trap.
Second Skin takes an intimate look at three sets of computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by online virtual worlds. An emerging genre of computer software called Massively Multiplayer Online games, or MMOs, allows millions of users to interact simultaneously in virtual spaces. Of the 50 million players worldwide, 50 percent consider themselves addicted.
A light-hearted look at the worldwide phenomenon of video games, and how they have revolutionized technology and forever changed popular culture.
This documentary takes you inside developer Supergiant Games for every step of the game’s journey: from before its surprise announcement, to its full launch almost two years later, and beyond, as the game grew into a worldwide phenomenon. The result is a unique chronicle of one of the most celebrated games of 2020, and an insightful look at how a small team can bring a game to life.
To cap off Bungie's 20th Anniversary festivities, the team has assembled a near hour long documentary covering the studio's past, present, and future. Featuring insight from the team -- including their ever illusive Creative Director, Jason Jones -- and interviews from key industry veterans and luminaries, "O Brave New World" is both a celebration of Bungie's legacy and a love letter to the community of gamers who have embraced Bungie's games for two incredible decades.
Exploited, abused and sometimes abandoned most gamers fail to reach the top, but like all sports heroes exist. FRAG is the true story of professional video gaming outlining the evolution of the 1980’s arcade game competitions to the elite tournaments of today for millions of dollars around the globe.
This is a journey through time analyzing the history of Virtua Cop, its Saturn port, and revelations on why Sega's 5th gen console performed the way it did. You will see source material that you cannot find anywhere else — woven into a tale straight from the trenches of 90's video game development.
Within the French and American armies, virtual reality prepares soldiers for their future battles just as it treats post-traumatic stress disorder after their baptism of fire. Antoine Chapon meets Cyril, former military video game designer and a veteran, who is dealing with the return to civilian life and loss of identity.
Take a step into the exciting new world of video game entertainment, and hear from the people responsible for the biggest smash hits on your computer!