Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade

[Scourge]

Sundance Movie Review

From the review:

Filled to the brim with 1980’s pop music, Ghosts takes a look at the many eccentric characters that populated the world of competitive arcade gaming. The characters are most times weirder than you could ever imagine. Some of them even play for over 50 hours strait in search for the elusive high score. This is a day before continues, where every life counts because you only get one quarter.

...

Chasing Ghosts does for the old school video games what Trekies did for Star Trek.

http://news.com.com/2300-1026_3-6150404-1.html

Chasing Ghosts was inspired by this 1982 Life magazine photo of teenagers who were recognized as video game world champions. The photo was set in Ottumwa, Iowa, where Walter Day, the self-proclaimed keeper of high arcade game scores, had launched his Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard. (The scoreboard was later relaunched on the Web, long after the arcade doors were shut.)

In this still shot from the movie Chasing Ghosts, players--some would-be record-holders--line up to play the "latest" video challenge, Armor Attack.

This still from the movie Chasing Ghosts shows a typical arcade scene, abuzz with activity and youth, from the era's halcyon days.

In this still from the movie, one of 16 selected from 856 submissions to the Sundance Film Festival's U.S. documentary competition, two players battle for gridiron supremacy on a "new" dual-player game console.

Looks cool. I'll buy the dvd if it comes out, but I doubt it will show in a theater near me.

[NeoZeedeater]

This looks must-see for gamers. I'm looking forward to it.

[Frogacuda]

Sqoon told me about this. Sounds nifty. Armor Attack rules, by the way.

[Sqoon]

Looks like it's going to be a good year for VG docs: the lesser known King of Kong was also picked up at the lesser known Slamdance last week.

http://www.slamdance.com/2007/festiv...sp?film_id=994

[1CCOSA]

Definitely looking forward to this. I wonder if they'll also interview the guy who got the world's best ever Pac Man score (which was only a few years ago IIRC, I think Namco even gave him an award).

[voltz]

Back then I used to enjoy going to these places and had my time limited because of who was taking me home. Now I'm grown enough to drive anywhere and there's not a goddamn place I can visit anymore.

I seriously want my youth back.

[1CCOSA]

Also from the review:

One of the story-lines follows a best friend team who meet for the first time in 20 years after a nasty break-up over a high score.

ha Wow. Now that piques my interest.

[Korly]

when I was looking for King of Kong last night, I could not manage to find this one. Did it ever hit DVD?

[bbobb]

I missed this before. This looks more interesting to me then King of Kong.

[Dyne]

when I was looking for King of Kong last night, I could not manage to find this one. Did it ever hit DVD?

netflix says "release date unknown" but it can be saved to queue. i also have Azumi in the same situation even though i rented a bum copy from BB Online last year. so date unknown doesn't always mean it's not out yet.


*glad i cleared up absolutely nothing*