By Sean Ewing
Video games might not sound like material for a documentary, but Video Game Invasion takes the subject seriously, and does an excellent job detailing the major points of the video game industry’s history. Tony Hawk narrates this documentary, and does a good job, most of the time.
The best part of this documentary though, is the nostalgia old gamers will get by watching it. It is deep enough that new gamers will have plenty to learn, and even the most old school gamer will find a new thing or two about the business of having fun.
Tony Hawk introduces and narrates the show. He does a serviceable job, but sometimes it feels like he is trying too hard. He is at his most charismatic when he is relaxed. At best, he feels like an intellectual friend, talking about a subject he actually likes. At worst, he sounds like a teacher trying too hard to be cool.
The subject matter is quite interesting, if you are interested in games (which you should be if you are watching it in the first place). They really reach way back, starting with the ancient Magnavox Odyssey. The old commercials are hilarious, and the developer interviews are interesting, but a little long and dry. They progress from there, talking about Nintendo’s introduction to the American market, Donkey Kong’s origins, the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Playstation and all the way up to current systems and games.
The commercials and advertisements for the older systems are usually hilarious, especially the StarScape commercial, where a professor lectures on about why people should play it. It is probably the worst commercial anyone will ever see. As they get current, you see interviews with current developers, such as Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, and PC gaming icon John Romero.
They have some amusing stories to tell, and very insightful observations, talking about how gaming has grown, and how obvious it is.
The documentary also talks about how big games are now and the expanding demographic of gamers. It is an eye-opening report, and is supported by some intelligent interviews with the head of www.gamegirladvance.com. They also show girl gamers going toe to toe with the guys at a LAN party, and from there talk about the computer gaming scene.
Gaming is an interesting subculture that not many people are familiar with. Entire families get together and play online in games like Unreal Tournament and Quake. Console gamers might not be familiar the PC gaming scene and Video Game Invasion did a worthy job of representing PC gamers and presenting what they do to people who might not be familiar. After the segment on PC gaming, anyone will be able to understand the terminology and understand a little more about the scene.
In the end, Video Game Invasion has a lot to say and it is well presented. It manages to be interesting and fun, while still being informative and intellectual. It never talks down to its audience, and takes the topic seriously. Gamers will find this a pleasant surprise, as most modern media tends to still treat gaming as a child’s hobby. Video Game Invasion understands that it’s not just a kid’s game anymore. The only real complaint is that it focuses very in depth on the 1970s era, and is a little sparse on modern systems. It doesn’t feel right that the
Intellivision gets 20 minutes, and Sega Dreamcast gets two minutes.Video Game Invasion is a great documentary, and will give gamers plenty to watch and learn. Everyone can learn something from it, and the documentary is easy to watch. It doesn’t feel like it’s just shouting information at you. Also important is that the documentary remains unbiased. No system or company is ever trashed, and the show is objective-which is vital for a documentary with subject matter that people are opinionated about. This show comes highly recommended to anyone with any kind of interest in games. There’s something for everyone.