Worth: $17.00
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Cast:
Ernest Klein, Jeff Gertsmann, Eugene Jarvis
Intro:
...a fascinating look at the history of gaming, and entertaining even if you’ve never sunk a video basket or mowed down a pixelated drug dealer.
Mortal Kombat, Narc and NBA Jam, all famous titles in the world of arcade video games and part of the focus in director Joshua Tsui’s excellent documentary, Insert Coin.
The action follows the journey in chapters of gaming manufacturer Midway, chock full of interviews with the pioneers of this legendary company. Midway was one of the first in the field to use live-action capture techniques, where real footage is shot in a studio and converted into pixelated imagery for video games. It was also the ‘punk rock’ gaming company where shock and awe tactics were used in the battle for arcade domination against the other big players, Gottlieb and Bally, famous for pinball machines like Ace High and Twilight Zone.
Narc started the ball rolling for Midway, designed by legendary developer Eugene Jarvis, extensively interviewed for the film. It was one of the first ultra-violent video games and a frequent target of parental criticism of the video game industry. The object is to arrest and kill drug offenders, confiscate their money and drugs, and defeat “Mr Big”. Narc became the first billion-dollar arcade game in the USA taking over from the likes of Donkey Kong and Pacman.
Mortal Kombat was another major hit for the company. Its use of comical violence, where a player could, among other things, rip an opponent’s head off while also removing their spine, horrified members of the public and ended up seeing company executives face up to a Government regulator intent on banning the game, which only fuelled the public’s salacious appetite and sales continued to go through the roof.
After graduating from film school, Tsui spent several formative years working for Midway as a game developer, eventually coming up with such titles as Fight Night and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Having inside knowledge and remaining acquainted with his work colleagues, Tsui realised that an important story could be told about the early days of gaming; Insert Coin becoming his first film.
Tsui conducts the interviews on his own, a personal approach eliciting candid, often hilarious responses from his subjects. Anecdotes explain how the game based on Terminator II starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by James Cameron was created; director Paul Anderson discusses how the film based on the game for Mortal Kombat came about. Archival footage has rock stars Aerosmith in motion capture sessions for Revolution X.
With its use of interviews and archival footage, Insert Coin is reminiscent of Australian documentary masterpiece Not Quite Hollywood. It’s a fascinating look at the history of gaming, and entertaining even if you’ve never sunk a video basket or mowed down a pixelated drug dealer.
