I like podcasts, websites, and books about video games just about as much as playing them. A movie about video games? I’m so there. A trailer for the forthcoming documentary Video Games: The Movie was just released.

It got its start as a Kickstarter campaign. The project raised over $100,000 a year ago. This is the first feature for writer-director Jeremy Snead who has a few short films to his credit.

The film is executed produced by actor Zach Braff and game creator Cliff Bleszinski (Unreal, Games of War). Former Microsoft exec J Allard, the guy who lead Xbox’s creation, is a co-producer. The doc has interviews with a wide variety of video game celebs like Chris Hardwick, Clare Grant, Wil Wheaton, and Alison Haislip.

Video Games: The Movie will be available on demand and in theaters on July 15. You can preorder on VHX.

Everyone loves comic strips. And that’s probably a good thing because they permeate much of our popular culture. Whether you read them in the daily newspaper, as a web comic, or see them shared on Facebook, comic strips are hard to avoid.

I love comics and have since an early age. I remember laughing hysterically at collections of Garfield comics in elementary school. This fascination with comic strips and cartooning has stayed with me my entire life. When a film documentary on the subject hit Kickstarter, I jumped at the chance to become involved. I plunked down 20 bucks and waited.

Fast forward exactly a year and the Stripped movie was placed into my hands. Well, placed in my digital inbox to be exact.
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A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing Indie Game: The Movie at the Indianapolis Museum of Art thanks to our favorite gaming site, HorribleNight.com and a little help from the Canadian Consulate. Justin from Horrible Night helped get this movie shown in Indianapolis, and I’m very glad he did. It’s not only a fantastic documentary for people who love video games, it’s just a great film. My wife didn’t know what to expect at all, and she loved it.

The movie follows the creators of Super Meat Boy and Fez, two super awesome and popular indie games, as they struggle getting their games done in time with just one or two people handling all the work. The film has interviews from a lot of people in the gaming community, and is just a lot of fun to watch. The passion these guys have for their work takes center stage here and makes for a very personal and fascinating documentary.

I’ve been wondering when I could own the film after seeing it, and soon after our screening they announced that digital copies can be bought through VHX for a very reasonable $9.99. You don’t get all the special features the physical copies have, but you still get:

• HD 1080p
• HD 720p
• Mobile
• English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Traditional Chinese, English Subtitles
• Clean (Swear-free) versions available

I’ve already pre-ordered my copy, and I can’t wait to add it to my media center. I’ll probably end up buying a Blu-ray once their released too, because I’d love to see the bonus content and support the filmmakers even more.

You can pre-order the digital copy here for $9.99.

Surely you know what Minecraft is. The game maintains a fascinating position as global cultural phenomenon while simultaneously keeping its underground status.

For the uninitiated, Minecraft is a game where you build things. It’s also a game where you are preyed upon by zombies and scary spiders. Part Lego, part horror film, it’s an addictive “little” indie game that has over 4.6 million registered users. Over one million of these users have paid about $20 each to participate. Oh yeah, and it’s existed as a playable Alpha for most of its life.

Filmmakers at 2 Player Productions have begun work on a documentary about Mojang, the Minecraft: The Story of Mojangcompany Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson formed to further development of the game. They’ve released a 20-minute proof-of-concept to help fund the film’s completion.

There’s a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $150,000 necessary to complete the documentary. At the time of this writing, they’re over half way to being fully funded. It’s inevitable that they’ll get there before the Mar. 26 deadline but if you act now, you can be a part of this special project. There are special rewards available to backers at different contribution levels.

Check out their Kickstarter page for more info. If their sample video is any indication, this is going to be a very compelling film worthy of your time—and contribution.

Super fan Jambe Davdar recently completed work on his film documentary of Star Wars: A New Hope. His “Star Wars Begins” combines numerous sources for a comprehensive look inside the landmark 1977 film. The project he calls “the ultimate audio/visual commentary” took nearly four years to complete.

Oddly enough, this is the third Star Wars-based documentary produced by Davdar. The filmmaker previously created “Building Empire” and “Returning to Jedi” about the final two movies in the original trilogy. The new production can be found in 14 parts on YouTube. A downloadable DVD image for each documentary can be had, provided you know where to look. (*Cough* Bit Torrent *cough*.)

I previously watched Davdar’s “Building Empire” and I can’t wait to spend some time with “Star Wars Begins.” His Pop-Up Video style of presenting information over the existing film is a great way to learn more about George Lucas’ creation. He also intercuts alternate angles, rare footage, and various interviews for a compelling presentation.