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World 1-1 Documentary -DVD
Retro Gaming Review
 |
| Title: | World 1-1 |
| Manufacturer: | Lighthouse Pictures |
| Platform: | DVD |
| Release Date: | 2015 |
| Part #: | n/a |
| Rating: | 4.5 out of 5 |
| ESRB Rating: | N/A |
Rating: 
The World 1-1 documentary film takes an in-depth look at the inception of video games and how they evolved from computer labs to living rooms. While many documentaries are fluffy and cheerful, World 1-1 delivers the facts via interviews with former Atari employees and numerous luminaries - many of whom are still in the gaming industry.
Video games have permeated our society so deeply that it's hard to imagine the world before their existence or a world in which the video game industry was deemed dead - finished! World 1-1, conceived and created by Daryl Rodriguez & Jeanette Garcia, begins in the atomic age where the need to develop computing power came to a head and spans to the Crash of 1983 when the video game industry came to an abrupt halt.
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The personalities of the pioneers, the creations of the engineers, and the challenges, technology and business deals. See the games and hear the stories from the creators themselves. This is the story of how Atari helped create the games industry years before it should have happened.
The interview style of World 1-1 lets you hear the history from those who helped create it. Choosing to focus on the early days allows the film to provide a lot of detail not often found in similar projects.
The personalities of the pioneers, the creations of the engineers, and the challenges, technology and business deals. See the games and hear the stories from the creators themselves. This is the story of how Atari helped create the games industry years before it should have happened.
The interview style of World 1-1 lets you hear the history from those who helped create it. Choosing to focus on the early days allows the film to provide a lot of detail not often found in similar projects.
In between lies a great story. It's the story of how enterprising minds came together and created an industry where there had previously been none! Fueled by fun, fame, and fortune they pioneered the technology, designed the games, and made up all the rules as they moved forward.
Narration by Colin Moriarty (former IGN Editor) bridges the topics, but the real story is primarily told by those who lived and created it. Any interpretation is up to you, the viewer, as the facts come from those who were there in gaming's early days.
The interview style gives the film a layer of authenticity often missing from those seeking to tell the tale of how video games came to be. Among those appearing are Nolan Bushnell, Al Alcorn, Howard Scott Warshaw, Dona Bailey, Steve Mayer, Owen Rubin, Joe Decuir and more.
It's also worth noting that World 1-1 covers gaming's early years. While many other projects try to tell the whole story from Atari to PlayStation, they are not able to go into as much detail as you'll see in World 1-1.
When thinking about the audience for a film like this, I come to realize why so many video game stories are laden with fluff - it appeals to a wider audience. I applaud Rodriguez & Garcia for choosing detail over fluff. The quality of this film comes from the amazing people interviewed and the way in which their information was portrayed. For those who love video games and have a passion for their origin, this is an excellent documentary film. True to the form, it documents rather than sensationalizing.
As one who grew up in the early era of video games, it's history and documentation is of particular importance to me. How many history lessons are able to be taught by those who made that history? History lessons, taught in classrooms, would be far more impacting if they were taught by those involved! If you love video games, this is an engaging look at the origin of video games from those who helped make it all happen.
Their tale ends with mention of a new gaming company that would reignite video gaming - Nintendo. After seeing World 1-1, I can only hope that there will be several more installments that include similar detail and care.
FYI: This review is based on an online screener of the World 1-1 film provided by the filmmakers.
Final Judgement:
World 1-1
provides 2 hours of great detail about the inception of video games and how they lept from massive institutional computers to living room consoles. Focusing on Atari, interviews from many former Sunnyvale employees gives this documentary an authenticity rarely found in video game history lessons. If you love video games and have an affinity for facts & details, this lesson will feel like chatting with an old friend.« Return to Retro Video Game Reviews
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