Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade

Video games. A multi-billion dollar industry. 30 years ago, only an elite few were playing the things. Chasing Ghosts takes a look at those 'losers' and props them up in all their geeky glory. A lot of fun to watch for those both in to games and not, CG evokes great nostalgia for those who grew up during the 80's. It's a shame this came out at the same time as King of Kong. Because this is a great documentary that captures the time and people it is about vividly. But KoK is an outstanding documentary on the subject matter that manipulates the audience with a deft hand. And so the victor goes the spoils, and the defeated be forgotten. A shame, because this is a good film.

This movie made me laugh, sad, and look away in disgust. You all know the plot by now. Some of the people in this documentary are so over the top, it's hard to believe their real people. One guy has a mullet. A mullet! Who has a mullet in 2007? If you've seen King of Kong, you know who I'm talking about, and he's just as unlikable in this film as he is in King of Kong if you ask me. It could be the mullet that just makes me hate him though. Anyway, back to the movie, a few others have very, um, odd collections, to put it nicely. I won't ruin what they are, but they aren't things I would ever invest it. But don't get me wrong. Some of these guys seem to be normal people you would meet on the street and think nothing of. They all took their arcade gaming experience and made it either the high point of their life, their entire life, or just one thing they did in the past that it isn't really who they are now. You'll feel horrible for some of them, laugh at others, and see yourself being best friends with one or two of them. They may have been famous for similar things, but they are extremely different people.

Of course, a comparison to King of Kong is necessary, and while King of Kong is better, I still enjoyed this documentary all the same. 8/10 may be pushing it, it's probably more a 7.5. If you like documentaries, this is one to check out. If you like video games, this is one to check out. If you're really bored and want to watch a movie, this is one to check out. If none of the above apply to you, then. . . go on with your bad self.

When it comes to documentaries about old-time video gaming, "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" is still the standard against which all others are measured. However, "Chasing Ghosts" serves as a nice little companion piece to "Kong" by explaining more of the history behind how the "Twin Galaxies" arcade helped video games "go national".

For a basic plot summary, "Chasing Ghosts" gives some background information on Twin Galaxies arcade by primarily focusing on the participants in the big video game championship in Iowa in 1982. Billy Mitchell (the "villain" from "King of Kong") is (of course) in on the action again, but this time surrounded by many other formidable arcade-style gaming champions who were truly the first of their kind back in the early 1980s.

For anyone who has ever experienced the thrill of playing a video game, this documentary gives some history as to how the industry became the billion-dollar mega-giant it has morphed into today. The arcades were a HUGE part of that success, with Twin Galaxies being the first arcade to recognize national champions, and "Chasing Ghosts" tells that story.

Be warned, however, that if you aren't "into" gaming at all then this is one you should probably stay away from, as without an appreciation of the industry all these guys will seem like complete losers, idiots, selfish jerks, or worse. Some of them may very well fit those descriptions, but only gamers can appreciate their extreme skill in such a specific area.

Overall, then, "Chasing Ghosts" should be watched right after "King of Kong" for some more background information on the "Arcade Wars" of the early 1980s. It doesn't have the gripping drama of "Kong", but it is at times informative, funny, and interesting.

Arcades are after my time, unfortunately. My only experience for years had occasionally been the scarce surviving ones that existed in those ma and pa pizzerias or in some local food shack that eventually removed it for whatever reason. They were the stereotypical "Mrs. Pac-Man." For years I never thought I'd play a game other than one that has become so iconic and archetypal you could almost visualize and play it fluently in your sleep.

Then came an arcade a close friend told me about a summer around two years ago. It was $15 to get in, and after that, "you're on your own," he told me. What he meant was there was a bright red button visible on most arcade machines that warranted a "free game" and all machines were rigged so that the button would be in effect. The second you walked in the place, you felt overwhelmed by the conglomerate of colorful, captivating electronic machines that offered cult favorites, such as the "Pac-Man" and "Donkey Kong" line of games, and those that went under the radar, "Elevator Action" (one of my new favorites) and even "TRON," based off the 1984 groundbreaker. The palace even featured tabletop arcade machines, newer machines housing the "Marvel vs. Capcom" and "Street Fighter" series, and provided their customers with a refreshment or an energy drink at little cost. It was a paradise I'm now itching to revisit just be typing this.

If that is the closest I come to a true arcade experience, then by God it was beautiful. On to the documentary at hand, Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade is a wonderfully engaging documentary that presents its subjects, arcade junkies with high scores on numerous games, with care and attention. Some of the faces we are acquainted, or even reacquainted with if you were fortunate enough to see The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, are Billy Mitchell, the "Mrs. Pac-Man" champion with a slick mullet, Joel West, possessing a high score on "Berzerk," Chris Steele, the king of "Centipede," Kent Farries, who painstakingly mastered "Donkey Kong" and "Space Invaders," and who can forget the referee of it all, Walter Day? We are told early in the documentary that the video game capital of the world is a place called Ottumwa, Iowa, which housed the Twin Galaxies arcade center where all these champions would hang out for afternoons on end and play their favorite games. Day declared himself the authority of video gaming high scores, saying the score would be official in his book if you achieved it on one of his prized machines. Day went on to publish a well-over seven-hundred page book, which he is shown writing here, that compiles the high scores on video games throughout years of playing. If he ever recovers from such a monumental effort, I'd love to hear how much money in quarters those hunks of metal made.

The most charming thing to hear from these indelible greats was probably their little tricks and primitive thinking that would go on to be pretty foreign to today's audiences. Chris Steele goes on to talk about how him and a friend would discover tricks such as the "double tap" on arcade machines, by placing a pencil's ends on two buttons and tapping the middle of the pencil back and forth, so as to hit the buttons at a rapid rate. Him and his friend would also label their high scores under the obviously ambiguous name of "WIZ," and remark with wit and humor how the question, "who is 'WIZ'?" would come up often in the arcade. It's the subtle, little welcomed things that we will miss from these establishments.

What struck me as a greater surprise was to discover how short of a lifespan arcades actually had. They were accompanied by a sudden rise in popularity in the 1980's, but by the later end of the decade, they were then met with the look of distaste. Home-gaming, made popular by Atari, but mainly Sega and Nintendo, was advancing in not only consumer-familiarity and recognition, but also stylistic and graphical attributes. Games became brighter, more vivid and fleshed out, as apposed to the redundancy of many arcade games. Not to mention, once you paid the flat rate, you could freely stay home, go to the bathroom, get something to eat, and pause your game without the fear of something happening. The moral here is that time makes you bolder, children get older, and I'm getting older too.

NOTE: Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade was released to video on demand outlets two weeks ago, but Hulu is offering the documentary in its entirety free of charge, http://www.hulu.com/watch/319596 Starring: Billy Mitchell, Walter Day, Joel West, Chris Steele, and Kent Farries. Directed by: Lincoln Ruchti.

My wife and I recently enjoyed watching this documentary. We love video game-related documentaries and collectibles, including King of Kong and Star Worlds Arcade: A Pocket Full of Tokens and I'm Heading to the Arcade. Chasing Ghosts was well presented and edited. Sure, there's no MTV-styled "reality TV" conflict set up, but this documentary is better for exactly that reason. The characters are real -- they are unique and lively individuals telling their gaming tales in their own ways. A reviewer suggested that this film is depressing because, in his judgment, the characters aren't living up to his ideals of the well-lived life. Who in fact does?

Plenty of video gaming footage. You'll enjoy riding a wave of 80s nostalgia with this one. And the icing on the cake here is the excellent music score! Break out star: Walter Day and his guitar. A fun and recommended film!