Rarity: Retro Video Game Collecting in the Modern Era (2021)

The Hobby

Follows longtime collectors and a new generation of buyers from the trading card industry, diving deep into the real-time trading card fever as the hobby goes nuclear.

From Dreams - Making "The Last of Us: Left Behind"

Go behind-the-scenes to explore the themes of love and loss and how The Last of Us: Left Behind single player story chapter was created.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

In this hilarious arcade showdown, a humble novice goes head-to-head against the reigning Donkey Kong champ in a confrontation that rocks the gaming world to its processors! For over 20 years, Billy Mitchell has owned the throne of the Donkey Kong world. No one could beat his top score until now. Newcomer Steve Wiebe claims to have beaten the unbeatable, but Mitchell isn't ready to relinquish his crown without a fight. Go behind the barrels as the two battle it out in a vicious war to earn the title of the true King of Kong.

Atari: Game Over

The Xbox Originals documentary that chronicles the fall of the Atari Corporation through the lens of one of the biggest mysteries of all time, dubbed “The Great Video Game Burial of 1983.” Rumor claims that millions of returned and unsold E.T. cartridges were buried in the desert, but what really happened there?

Quecoeur et les garçons

It's quite incredible: this girl is a loving, faithful wife, never a slip or a glance out of place, and now she's met 6 lovers in three months! It's because she leads a double life: on the one hand, cushy evenings at home with her little husband, and on the other, torrid evenings flirting with hotties under the pseudonym Quecoeur. And the husband? He says nothing. Or not much, but he's watching. This is "Second Life" (SL for those in the know): the chance to build a new, more exciting life on your computer...

Pixel Poetry

Are videogames art? Do they influence violent behavior? What effect have they had on society? How would you describe videogames to Leonardo da Vinci? These are always great questions to start a conversation. Pixel Poetry is a documentary film about progressive creative culture as it has been championed by one of its greatest advocates - videogames. Using popular debates that have long surrounded videogames as a catalyst for this, the film will analyze the misunderstood notions and arguments in art and technological advancement to bring a new perspective to a compelling discussion about the evolution of its meaning.

STREET FIGHTER SAGA ~Kakutou Bushiden~ Famitsu DVD Video

This DVD covers all works from the original Street Fighter to Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future. The contents that explain each work include not only the full recording of the advertisement videos, but also a complete description of the system description and basic techniques of game, the techniques that were popular at the time, and the super fan material related to the series.

The Art of Playing

Indie video game developers push games to new frontiers in storytelling, music, animation and design. Texas has the second largest concentration of game companies in the U.S. Along with major game developers like EA and Blizzard, there is a small but committed group of independent developers and artists working diligently on home computers.

Running with Speed

Follows speedrunners, past and present, collaboratively digging for secrets and working to uncover mind-blowing shortcuts and glitches which are used to streamline their runs in top game franchises.

Gameplay: The Story of the Videogame Revolution

A feature documentary on the history of video games. From 'Pong', 'Pac Man' and 'Mario' to 'Call of Duty', 'Grand Theft Auto' and everything in between it tells the story of how this industry was created, by whom and where it is headed.

Becoming Jessica Nigri

A portrait of cosplayer Jessica Nigri, from a magical childhood growing up with quirky parents in New Zealand, to entering middle school in the U.S. where she was mercilessly teased for her "nerdy" interests.

Idol Hotline: Miho Nakayama's Tokimeki High School

Hello, my name is Miho Nakayama. Thank you very much for participating in the Famicom event "Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School." And congratulations on winning a prize! I send you an autographed videotape. Please be careful with it. I will remember the drama (game) we starred together in forever as a precious memory, and I’m going to do my best in songs and dramas in the future. I’ll be happy if you also remembered this as a precious memory. And please watch over me from now on forever. Well then, I’m looking forward to the day we’ll meet again. For those who beat Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School and registered their "Best Ending" victory via the Disk Fax network, this tape was given out as a special prize to 8000 winners. This tape showcases behind the scenes footage of Nakayama Miho and her involvement in the game.

The New 8-bit Heroes

The New 8-Bit Heroes began after discovering childhood illustrations of a proposed game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Embarking on a quest with fellow creatives, Granato and his team set out to retrofit their skills to realize the abandoned ambition of developing a brand new, cartridge based game for the 30 year old console. What began as a novelty project about making a video game quickly shifts into an analysis of the relevance of the ambitions shed in our youth and an examination of what happens when we inject them into our adult lives.

Making Fun: The Story of Funko

From a small garage in Redmond, Washington, to the furthest corners of the earth, Funko's story is one that is centered around the fans and the global community that arose from their unique passion - a story that spans twenty years full of joy, ambition, adversity, and... well... toys.

Insert Coin

The oral history of a team of geeks and misfits in the back of a Chicago factory creating the biggest video games of all time. Midway Games pioneered the concept of live-action gaming, kick-starting a new arcade boom and grossing billions of dollars with hits like Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. The documentary covers much of Mortal Kombats history, including the creation of fatalities and characters such as Liu Kang, Kitana, Johnny Cage and Scorpion.

Brian and the Boz

In some ways, Barry Switzer and Brian Bosworth were made for each other. The Oklahoma coach and the linebacker he recruited to play for him were both out-sized personalities who delighted in thumbing their noses at the establishment. And in their three seasons together (1984-86), the unique father-son dynamic resulted in 31 wins and two Orange Bowl victories as Bosworth was awarded the first two Butkus Awards. But then Bosworth's alter ego: "The Boz," took over both their lives and ultimately destroyed their careers. In "Brian and The Boz," Bosworth looks back on the mistakes he made and passes on the lessons he learned to his son. It's a revealing portrait of a man who had and lost it all, and a trip back to a time when enough just wasn't enough.

World of Warcraft: Looking For Group

An all-new documentary celebrating 10 years of adventure, camaraderie, and /dancing on mailboxes all around Azeroth. Explore the history of WoW with its creators, and journey into corners of Blizzard and the WoW community you’ve never seen before.

Minecraft: Into the Nether

Minecraft. The game that took the world by storm. Follow the story of how the Minecraft phenomenon has ploughed through the 21st century selling over 54 million copies worldwide on a multitude of platforms engaging an audience in the millions which is still continuing to grow. The game boasts the biggest digital world in gaming history with a fan base stretching to every corner of the globe. Youtube viewing numbers have grown and online participation has tripled over the last few years creating a new industry for enthusiastic gamers. Vast communities have been brought together through it's educational impact, YouTube celebrities, festivals and game events pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity to the limits.

The Gleaners and I

Varda focuses her eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism.

My Own Landscapes

Within the French and American armies, virtual reality prepares soldiers for their future battles just as it treats post-traumatic stress disorder after their baptism of fire. Antoine Chapon meets Cyril, former military video game designer and a veteran, who is dealing with the return to civilian life and loss of identity.

The History of Final Fantasy

A brief documentary providing a basic overview of the Final Fantasy Series up to the point of creation in 2006. Has the look of a fan-made documentary and was never released for television. Released as part of the Collector's Edition for Final Fantasy XII.

The Making of Bioshock

A series of interviews with the key developers of the groundbreaking video game, Bioshock.

Imagining Bioshock: Making Rapture Real

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Geoff Keighley sits down with Creative Director Ken Levine and Director Shawn Robertson for a feature-length retrospective discussion about the origins of Bioshock.

Knit's Island

Somewhere on the internet is a land where communities pretend to live out a survivalist fiction. The avatars of the directors of Knit’s Island spent 963 hours there, creating a fascinating film resulting from their encounter with these communities. The “players” reveal their fears and fantasies, in an at times unsettling blurring of the real and the virtual.

GameStop: Rise of the Players

From the makers of Console Wars comes the origin story of the GameStop stock market phenomenon, featuring exclusive access to the original players who lit the fuse on a historic amateur investor uprising. Spotlighting the human side of a sensational business drama, this documentary is a David vs Goliath tale about ordinary people waking up to the power they have in numbers.

From Bedrooms to Billions: The Amiga Years

A feature documentary that explores the influence of the Commodore Amiga and how it took video game development, music and publishing to a whole new level and changed the video games industry forever.

The Bits of Yesterday

In this panoptic documentary on the niche culture of the retro video game collector, follow gaming enthusiasts and fans as they relive their childhood memories, make new ones and champion to keep an antiquated media format alive.

Level Five

Laura, a French programmer, inherits the task of creating a game about the World War II Battle of Okinawa. Her research and interviews with Japanese experts and witnesses prompt her to reflect on life, humanity, and the lasting influence of history and memories.

Freaks & Errors: A Rare Collection

Obsession, love, money, and postage. Freaks and Errors: A Rare Collection, is the first, independent documentary film that reveals the rarely seen, expectedly eccentric and surprisingly large world of stamp collecting.

Console Wars

In 1990, SEGA, a fledgling arcade company assembled a team of misfits to take on the greatest video game company in the world, Nintendo. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pit brother against brother, kids against grownups, Sonic against Mario, and uniquely American capitalism against centuries-old Japanese tradition. For the first time ever, the men and women who fought on the front lines for Sega and Nintendo discuss this battle that defined a generation.

A Goodbye to Blessed Realities

A video essay that despite, multiple delays, finally released to document the story and cancellation of solo-dev Heavenly Den!'s game, Blessed Realities, as a way to bring closure to the game and the studio's story. The story is over.

What Happened to Crow 64?

A documentary about a long lost N64 game.

The Power of Glove

“The Power of Glove” is a documentary that chronicles the history & legacy of the notoriously “bad” Power Glove, a 1989 Nintendo controller that promised to forever change the way humans interact with technology. Originally released by Mattel, the Power Glove was the first mass-marketed gesture-based video game controller. It was designed by an eclectic team of hard-working and bright-eyed dreamers, and its marketing hype was immense. Immediately after its release, however, gamers were disappointed by the Power Glove, and critics panned it as a worthless gimmick. Yet unlike many gimmicks and critical failures of the past, the Power Glove has not been simply swept under the rug. Nearly three decades after its release, the Power Glove continues to resonate with video gaming and technology fans, becoming the focus of art pieces, songs, videos, hacking projects, and other forms of cultural repurposing. “The Power of Glove” tells the story of how and why the Power Glove lives on.

Operation: Jane Walk

The war zone of a dystopian multiplayer shooting game is used to embark some urban explorers on a winter walk, avoiding the combats whenever possible, as peaceful observers, inhabitants of a digital world, which is a detailed replica of Midtown Manhattan.

Jet Set Radio: The Rude Awakening

A mini documentary that was included in the HD release of Jet Set Radio that goes over the history of the game's development.

Wake Up Punk

Joe Corré, son of punk visionaries Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, burns an estimated £5M worth of punk memorabilia protesting the commodification of punk. The film takes this incendiary act of ‘cultural terrorism’ and the questions it raised to explore the lifespan and true worth of punk - the 20th century's most volatile movement.

Money Making Game

Across the world, people play video games every day. From mindless Phone time-wasters to expansive deep console adventures, video games are now an essentials part of our lives and culture. In the past, gaming has been painted negatively in popular media. "Anti-Social", "Lazy", "violent" are the buzz words that floated around, misrepresenting the gaming community. Through their love of video games, a team formed from across the world to raise money for charity using a common hobby. How does a gathering of just a couple friends turn into a multi-million dollar fundraiser, and what lessons did they learn along the way? Money Making Game is a story of friendship, love, and growth, and how they used it to change the world.