10 Best Video Game Documentaries Of All Time
1. The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters
Released: 17 August 2007
Steve Wiebe battles for a high score in the cut throat world of competitive Donkey Kong. 12 years on from its release, The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters is still the cream of the crop when it comes to video game documentaries. Many films have tried to capture the magic of '80s arcade games and the personalities still playing them, but none are as successful as this one. It's funny, moving, and surprisingly dramatic.
An underdog narrative sees every-man Wiebe playing out of his garage while rival Billy Mitchell, a hot sauce mogul and video game legend, seemingly has the scorekeepers in his pocket. You can't help but be charmed by nearly everyone in this documentary, regardless of how they're presented because ultimately, it's just a bunch of people who really love old video games.
Controversy over Donkey Kong scores still rages to this day so, if the 79 minute film leaves you wanting, there's plenty more Kong related content to watch and read online. King of Kong holds scores of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.1 on IMDB and 83 on Metacritic. Furthermore, Metacritic named it the #20 Best Movies of 2007 across all genres.
King of Kong is widely available for rent or purchase through online platforms such as iTunes, YouTube and Google Play. In the UK, iTunes appears to be the cheapest option at just £0.99 for rental and £3.99 for purchase. If you want the DVD, then Amazon sells the Ultimate Donkey Edition at £9.99. The US looks to have comparable prices, with streaming costing slightly more and the DVD costing slightly less.
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