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[distantmantra]

It was entertaining, but I wish they would’ve talked more about the downfall of Atari (and mention the fact that Atari turned down the rights to the NES), Sega, etc.

This was produced by the Seattle PBS affiliate, KCTS. With Nintendo and Microsoft in their backyard, you’d think they would have done a better job with their fact checking.

 

[Duckhuntdog]

ah WTTW Chicago

Yes, your Window To The World. I am not Will Klinger.

 

[rareside]

It's on now in Dallas.. Woohoo!!

 

[FortNinety]

you need a new schtick.

"Just one more level man, then I'll get around to the smiting. Seriously."

"You said that more than two millennia ago!"

"And I'd be there already if these prayers weren't constantly interrupting me. Can't you, you know, do something about those?"

"

"

:lol :lol :lol

BTW, if I'm not mistaken, the documentary was produced by KCTS, which is the local Seattle PBS station, who also helped produced the greatest show of the 90's, Bill Nye the Scinece Guy!!!!

 

[bobbyconover]

:lol :lol :lol

BTW, if I'm not mistaken, the documentary was produced by KCTS, which is the local Seattle PBS station, who also helped produced the greatest show of the 90's, Bill Nye the Scinece Guy!!!!

It was probably a straight-up pet project of Greg Palmer, the guy I was talking about (and the narrator). He has done several of these docus for PBS over the years, most famously a multi-parter about 5 or so years back about death/dying and how different cultures deal with it in radically different ways. That one was actually pretty decent, you might've seen it while you were out here.

And it's funny you should mention Bill Nye, because I remember Greg 'breaking' the news to us kids that Bill Nye, who we all knew at the time from Almost Live!, was getting his own show. Nobody believed him. Then a few months later it came on and ended up being this huge deal. Same thing with the Carmen Sandiego gameshow featuring Rockapella!

 

[rareside]

I thought it was well made for a general documentary on videogames. Steve Kent rocks! Like others, I thought they focused on MMORPG's more than necessary, but that may be because I hate them. Well, I've never really played 'em, but as one of the guys suggested on the program, they just seem like chatrooms w/ a game attached.

I liked how current the program was as well. A few shots of Doom3 here and there, plus that coverage from some big LAN party in 2003.

What the hell was armor monkey?

 

[AirBrian]

What the hell was armor monkey?

Ha, I was thinking the same thing. And what was that comment about Mesquite, TX? It was when they were talking about Pong and lawsuits and the interviewee mentioned some big thing in Mesquite...

EDIT: Ah, good 'ol Google.

Space Invaders was linked to juvenile crime, reports of gangs of youths robbing grocery stores to get money to play the game circulated. Residents of Mesquite, Texas, tried to get Space Invaders banned, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

 

[ShadowRed]

Ha, I was thinking the same thing. And what was that comment about Mesquite, TX? It was when they were talking about Pong and lawsuits and the interviewee mentioned some big thing in Mesquite...

EDIT: Ah, good 'ol Google.

They also passed a law that banned anyuone under the age of 18 from entering an arcade. It was overturned in court.

 

[FortNinety]

It was probably a straight-up pet project of Greg Palmer, the guy I was talking about (and the narrator). He has done several of these docus for PBS over the years, most famously a multi-parter about 5 or so years back about death/dying and how different cultures deal with it in radically different ways. That one was actually pretty decent, you might've seen it while you were out here.

And it's funny you should mention Bill Nye, because I remember Greg 'breaking' the news to us kids that Bill Nye, who we all knew at the time from Almost Live!, was getting his own show. Nobody believed him. Then a few months later it came on and ended up being this huge deal. Same thing with the Carmen Sandiego gameshow featuring Rockapella!

Alright, so you might dig this then.... a few years ago when I was back home visiting family for X-mas, I was at the Gameworks in Seattle. There was a guy dressed as Santa giving out 5 dollar cards to customers. He came up to me and it was... John Keister, host of Almost Live! I used to be a big fan of the show back in the day, and while living in New York, I missed the latter years, the ones where I hear the show was going really downhill (didn't everyone celebrate when the show finally left the air?). Anyway, he was doing the gig for publicity of something and when he came up to me, I made some smart -assed comment... I think it was something related to Ross Shaffer, the original host of Almost Live back in the 80's who left to become the host of Fox's Late Show and which in turn opened up the spot for Keister to become host (but not before going to Hollywood to be Ross's Ed McMahon for just four episodes). I felt sorta bad, and sorta proud of myself at the same time.