Good Video Game Documentaries

[bikingjahuty]

I haven't watched many of them, but the ones I have I've enjoyed. Recommend some great video game documentaries. Here are a few that I'd recommend.


The Smash Brothers: It's a documentary that outlines the Super Smash Bros Melee competitive scene from the early 2000s up until the early 2010s. I am not a competitive smasher, I love the game, but I am no even a fraction as good as the people in this documentary. Even if you're not a Smash fan I'd definitely recommend it since it outlines some very interesting rivalries as well as some pretty interesting people. The full thing is like 4 hours long, but luckily its broken up into chapters. It's also worth noting that this documentary has a massive early/mid 2000s vibe to it which is incredible. It's up on youtube for free.


Chasing Ghosts: I don't have much to say about this since it's been forever since I last watched it. Pretty much it's about the Twin Galaxies Arcade and the crazy competitive arcade scene in the late 70s and early 80s. You also get a lot of insight into people like Billy Mitchel, Walter Day, and several large video game personalities from the time. You also get interviews with some of the guys who were the best at arcade classics like Pacman, Missile Command, Donkey Kong, and several others. Definitely, definitely recommend for old school arcade fans.

[dhaabi]

It's been some time since I've watched it, but I remember Archipel's The Dreamcast, remembered by eight Game Creators being interesting, although I don't think I watched Part 2.

Archipel generally focuses on short form documentaries of a variety of topics, but many cover video games and key industry icons. The videos are all nicely presented.

[telly]

If you're into Twin Galaxies and Billy Mitchell, King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters is also great. Watched that for a college English paper.

[redblaze57]

Nintendo Quest- Man goes on a quest to collect every official NES game under a time limit. Sorry if it's not much of a description it's been a while since I've seen it.

[burningdoom]

G4's Icons is a great documentary series on various gaming subjects. Loved that show.

Console Wars on Paramount+ was a fantastic look at the war between Sega and Nintendo.

[bikingjahuty]

G4's Icons

This is a really interesting series. I have the Yu Suzuki one favorited on Youtube, but I remember seeing several others I thought were really interesting back when I used to watch cable TV in the mid-2000s.

[aliensstudios]

If you're into Twin Galaxies and Billy Mitchell, King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters is also great. Watched that for a college English paper.

That guy was outed as a huge cheater so that documentary doesn't hold up unless you just want to laugh at it.

[kashell]

If you're into Twin Galaxies and Billy Mitchell, King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters is also great. Watched that for a college English paper.

That guy was outed as a huge cheater so that documentary doesn't hold up unless you just want to laugh at it.

Now this is the type of stuff I can get behind watching.

[telly]

If you're into Twin Galaxies and Billy Mitchell, King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters is also great. Watched that for a college English paper.

That guy was outed as a huge cheater so that documentary doesn't hold up unless you just want to laugh at it.

Who Billy Mitchell? The film talks constantly about his shady behavior and dubious scores that he submitted and portrays him almost as the antagonist to Steve Wiebe.

[Cartagia]

Agreed.  If anything it is probably even better in hindsight, now that it's confirmed he's a cheat.

[telly]

Was talking more about the spectacle of Billy Mitchell and the competitive arcade scene in reference to Bikingjahuty's original post than anything, if that clarifies.

[conduit]

The Smash Brothers: It's a documentary that outlines the Super Smash Bros Melee competitive scene from the early 2000s up until the early 2010s. I am not a competitive smasher, I love the game, but I am no even a fraction as good as the people in this documentary. Even if you're not a Smash fan I'd definitely recommend it since it outlines some very interesting rivalries as well as some pretty interesting people. The full thing is like 4 hours long, but luckily its broken up into chapters. It's also worth noting that this documentary has a massive early/mid 2000s vibe to it which is incredible. It's up on youtube for free.

I'll echo that sentiment. That documentary ignited my interest in competitive Smash back when I had the time and passion to grind Smashladder. Anyone reading this with a fleeting interest in Smash or competitive gaming in its infancy should watch it. Those 4 hours will not be wasted.

I haven't watched any formal documentary like The Smash Brothers in a while, nowadays I dig around for retrospective channels. I figure they satiate the same desires you get watching documentaries. Here's a few I've come across for those interested:

Classic Gaming Quarterly's console launch videos are great.
GT Retrospectives seldom disappoint.
Noah Caldwell-Gervais when have nothing but time to kill.
GmanLives if you're into FPS.
ThorHighHeels for obscure games and chill vibes.

[bikingjahuty]

The Smash Brothers: It's a documentary that outlines the Super Smash Bros Melee competitive scene from the early 2000s up until the early 2010s. I am not a competitive smasher, I love the game, but I am no even a fraction as good as the people in this documentary. Even if you're not a Smash fan I'd definitely recommend it since it outlines some very interesting rivalries as well as some pretty interesting people. The full thing is like 4 hours long, but luckily its broken up into chapters. It's also worth noting that this documentary has a massive early/mid 2000s vibe to it which is incredible. It's up on youtube for free.

Classic Gaming Quarterly's console launch videos are great.
GT Retrospectives seldom disappoint.
Noah Caldwell-Gervais when have nothing but time to kill.
GmanLives if you're into FPS.
ThorHighHeels for obscure games and chill vibes.

I miss Gametrailers so much it hurts. I know they essentially became Easy Allies, however it just isn't the same as when they were Gametrailers. Thise GT Retrospectives, Pop Fiction, and even their countdowns are freakin gold even if some are a little outdated at this point. I've also watched a decent amount of Gmanlives stuff which are also great.

[gngtiger]

I think that High Score on Netflix is excellent. It focuses on game makers from the 70s through the 90s, and is narrated by Charles Martinet.

[kypherion]

This is more along the lines of speedrunning, but Summoning Salt has fantastic videos on all sorts of different runs and concepts. From Castlevania world records to the human limit of Super Mario Bros. (NES), there's quite a few interesting videos on their channel that I'd say are relatively entertaining. It's worth noting too that the speedrun videos aren't just a countdown of the records, but rather a progression of their shortening over the years and the history behind the runs.