How Video Games Changed the World is a one-hour forty-minute documentary special from the creator of Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, that takes a look at the 25 most significant video games ever made and examines the impact they have had on our wider culture and everyday life.
We start off on this incredible techno-journey with the 1972 hit Pong, a table tennis sports game that was comprised of basic two-dimensional graphics and was manufactured by Atari. We learn not only of the expected technical achievements but also the political backdrop of the day and how gaming seeped ever more into the social subconscious. However, we also revisit some old arguments such as the debate which surrounded Lara Croft at the time and whether she represented a feminist presence or an objectified plaything.
The complete list is as follows:
25) Pong 24) Space Invaders 23) Pacman 22) Manic Miner 21) Elite 20) Super Mario Bros 19) Tetris 18) The Secret of Monkey Island 17) Street Fighter 2 16) Doom 15) Night Trap 14) Tomb Raider 13) PaRappa the Rappa 12) Starcraft 11) The Sims 10) Grand Theft Auto 3 9) Shadow of the Colossus 8) World of Warcraft 7) Wii Sports 6) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 5) Braid 4) Angry Birds 3) Minecraft 2) The Last of Us 1) Twitter.
From the list above you can see that throughout this journey we witness how video games have evolved over time, from penny arcade’s ruling the industry to a swift divergence into a medium that might be better described as art. These advancements have changed the way people work, communicate, and play.
This film also features interviews with Jonathan Ross, Dara O Briain and leading videogame designers including Will Wright and John Romero, Brooker examines how video games have become one of the most progressive art forms of the past 40 years.
Directed by: Al Campbell , Marcus Daborn , Graham Proud , Dan Tucker
good subject matter but it is orientated towards people with zero knowledge of the subject.
however, it becomes more tiresome listening to ‘celebrities’ just reciting the obvious of what is on screen – you could obtain the same info with the audio muted, just using your eyes. their presence spoils the content for me, they really are one-dimensional, lazy and worthless.