A Collection of Gaming Documentaries for Video Game Fans

The gaming industry has, in the past 2 years, grew exponentially. It has already generated over $100 billion in revenue each year and will continue to go on a steady rise. I wish I could turn back my biological clock and be in my 20s today because it’s the ideal time to venture into professions and build a career in the gaming industry; game developers, game designer, concept artist, story writer, gaming journalist, you name it.

No such luck for me to get more involved than just being a regular gamer. Apart from that, I’m quite a nerd who enjoy learning all about the industry behind the scenes. This is the reason why I’m curating this list of amazing gaming documentaries that I came across over the years with the latest on top of the post. So, while you’re taking a break from all the gaming, sit back and enjoy these documentaries.

FROM BEDROOMS TO BILLIONS: THE PLAYSTATION REVOLUTION (2020)

Available for buy or rent on Amazon.

The PlayStation Revolution is the third documentary in the From Bedrooms to Billions series, featuring the amazing story behind the creation of the Sony PlayStation. It’s a recommended watch for those who are interested in video games and its history. Find out how and why Sony made the decision to venture into video game business and outperformed previous dominators Nintendo and Sega.

This documentary features interviews with the minds behind the console along with some of the world’s epic video game developers responsible for hit games such as Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider and others.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS ORIGINS (2019)

Watch on Netflix. Also available for buy or rent on Amazon.

League of Legends Origins features a broad yet relatively concise piece that explores the history of Riot Games, the rise of LoL that took the world by storm as well as the community that made LoL not only one of the most-played PC games but also the fastest growing in the world of eSports.

GOD OF WAR: RAISING KRATOS (2019)

Sony Playstation’s channel in YouTube do provide some incredible cinematic journey into the production of their smash hit games and God of War – Raising Kratos is one of it. This documentary follows the visionary creative director Cory Barlog’s return to the franchise after fatherhood and also covers every aspect of production until its hugely successful launch. This is a must see film for the fans of God of War franchise.

Click on the video below to watch for free on Youtube.

FINAL FANTASY XIV DOCUMENTARY SERIES (2017)

I may be bias in saying this but being a huge fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, I would say that Final Fantasy XIV is most likely the most beautiful game art ever being made in the history of video games. You can watch this documentary for free at noclip’s YouTube channel which makes crowdfunded documentaries on video games. There are 3 parts to this documentary:

PART 1: ONE POINT O tells the story of Final Fantasy XIV version 1.0, how the design is inspired by Final Fantasy XI, and the development team’s reaction to its failure.

PART 2: REWRITING HISTORY shows how the Square Enix team spent over a year patching version 1.0 only to have it destroyed.

PART 3: THE NEW WORLD shows the launch of A Realm Reborn.

Click on the video below to watch Part 1 for free via YouTube, then proceed to noclip’s channel for Part 2 and Part 3.

ATARI: GAME OVER (2014)

Atari: Game Over is a 2014 Xbox Originals documentary film, directed by Zak Penn, that documents the fall of Atari through “The Great Video Game Burial of 1983.” Faced with an overwhelmingly negative response to “E.T.,” Atari disposed of hundreds of thousands of unsold game cartridges by burying them in the small town of Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Click on the video below to watch it for free on Youtube.

FREE TO PLAY (2014)

Free to Play is possibly the most well-known gaming documentary on Netflix. The film follows the lives of three professional gamers and provides a more in-depth look at what it’s like to work as a gamer these days. You’ll learn about the players’ backstories and how they rose to prominence as professional gamers. You’ll also learn that life isn’t always simple for them, especially because professional gamers are still stigmatised. The documentary is about the game Dota, but even if you aren’t familiar with the game, it is one of the best gaming documentaries available.

Click on the video below to watch it for free on Youtube.

THE SMASH BROTHERS

The Smash Brothers is a 9-episode gaming documentary series written and directed by Travis ‘Samox’ Beauchamp. This documentary follows the most prominent and successful Super Smash Brothers players throughout the game’s history, providing a raw view on one of the most popular esports. While the film is amusing, it also offers vital insight into the lives of professional gamers as they compete against one another. You will undoubtedly love one of the best gaming documentaries available, with nine episodes to view.

Episode 1: Show Me Your Moves (Introduction to the documentary and overview of competitive Melee)
Episode 2: No Johns (Follows the career of Christopher “Azen” McMullen)
Episode 3: Don’t Get Hit (Follows the career of Joel “Isai” Alvarado)
Episode 4: The King of Smash (Follows the career of Ken “Ken” Hoang)
Episode 5: Revolution (Follows the career of Chris “PC Chris” Szygiel)
Episode 6: Paper cuts (Follows the career of Daniel “KoreanDJ” Jung)
Episode 7: The Robot (Follows the career of Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman)
Episode 8: The Natural (Follows the career of Joseph “Mango” Marquez)
Episode 9: Game! (Describes the EVO 2013 fundraiser, Nintendo’s subsequent decision to block the tournament from streaming, and the eventual overruling and successful participation of Melee)

Click on the video to watch it for free on Youtube.

INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE (2012)

Directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, Indie Game: The Movie showcases the work of indie game developers a.k.a the underdogs of the video game industry. Primarily focused on the making of indie games such as Super Meat Boy, Braid, and FEZ, this Sundance award-winning documentary shows the creative freedom of being an indie game developer but at the same time the tension and drama that came along with it.

Watch on Amazon Prime. Also available for buy or rent. Click on the video below for its trailer.

MINECRAFT: THE STORY OF MOJANG (2012)

Minecraft: The Story of Mojang follows the development and shows a lot of hidden scenes of Markus’ game studio Mojang. This documentary is a remarkable story of hard work and brilliance that will provide fans with a newfound appreciation for Minecraft and the development team behind the game.

Click on the video below to watch it for free via DailyMotion.

KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS (2007)

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a documentary about competitive retro gaming directed by Seth Gordon. It’s about Steve Wiebe’s attempt to break high-score world record for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong from Billy Mitchell.

Watch it at Amazon Prime. Click on the video below to watch its trailer.

This post is originally published on April 19, 2021 and have gone through numerous updates since.