The film may be interesting to some, although its length and one-sidedness make it seem like a long commercial for unlimited video game use. Most die-hard gamers probably already know it all Video Games: Moviebut even those familiar with his names of early game creators may still be enthralled by Snead’s interviews of A-list gaming visionaries like Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Pong designer Allan Alcorn and British designer Peter Molyneaux. And those who aren’t in the know will learn a thing or two about how video games have become household staples—not just for kids, but for adults who grew up playing them. Some of the many (and seemingly endless) interviews trace the growth of the industry from an innovation and economic standpoint (a few interviews are with corporate types, such as Nintendo COO Reggie Fils-Aime), while others focus solely on the ways in which gaming has influenced pop culture since the early 80s.

Unfortunately, it’s pretty boring to watch a bunch of somewhat famous actors wax poetic about how much Nintendo has changed their lives. Is it really important for a sitcom actor to remember the first time he played a certain game? Snead spends too much time on these slightly insightful musings and too little trying to present a balanced view of the industry. Instead of just showing various game creators and entrepreneurs mocking the media for claiming that video games are violent, the director missed the opportunity to provide the opposite perspective by explaining why games are (or aren’t) different from movies. It’s also a bit pedantic that the interviewees claim that video games are the ultimate art form – as important as or even more important than novels – without addressing the greater use of games by those who don’t consider themselves serious gamers.