Creators that were at the forefront of the early video game revolution are now the focus in a fascinating 10-part documentary web series, The Artists, now streaming on CBC.
The series offers a deep-dive look into the relatively undocumented first three decades of video game history, through the lens of the designers, developers and programmers that lay the groundwork to redefine pop culture as we know it.
The Artists also investigates the intersection of creativity and technology, approaching specific games from this era as one would explore a seminal film. For a massive audience, video games are films of the 21st century, their primary source for storytelling. How did that happen?
The icons of the industry are interviewed for this series include:
- Alan Acorn, the creator of "Pong", one of the most popular original video games
- Chris Crawford who defended designing video games is a form of art. The creator of "Dragon Speech", he devoted his life to this form of storytelling.
- John Romero, creator of "Doom" invested the first-person shooter games, which undeniably changed the industry forever.
- Dani Bunten-Berry, one of the first transgender video game creators who came out publicly in the 80s at a time where it was so taboo in society, even more courageous in a male-dominated industry.
This coming Saturday, April 28, CBC, Rogers and Hot Docs will be hosting a free screening at the Royal Cinema in Toronto. Filmmaker Peter Mishara will be in attendance with a Q & A to follow.
Want to binge at home? Watch Season 1 of The Artists here cbc.ca