From Bedrooms to Billions

This is an excellent documentary film featuring many of the pioneers from the UK computer games industry, which started at the end of the 1970s. The film contains interviews with people filmed in the present day reflecting back on their careers, many of whom are still in the games industry. I recognised many of the personalities featured but for some I knew the game but not the person behind it, so it was good to put faces and names to the games that I loved playing and to hear how the games came about.

I found the film fascinating because it gives insight into what went on behind the scenes at these companies and how they were started on a shoestring but became incredibly successful, with each one having a different story to tell. As a child growing up I typed in computer listings into my ZX Spectrum and Amiga and played many of the games featured, so this film was of great interest to me. I'd recommend this film to anyone interested in the history of the UK games industry or who remembers playing games on early computers as this is a really well put together production. The Special Edition is worth getting for the extended interviews.

This for me has to be one of the greatest, well made documentaries I've ever seen. For the best part of 2·5 hours I was glued to the TV. There are some great interviews with key people from the birth of the games industry in the UK, combined with game footage and a great soundtrack. For a retro gamer like me it took me back to my childhood and great memories. However, you don't need to be a gamer to enjoy this, it is simply an excellent documentary. Check out the bonus disc too, some extended interviews and insights not in the main film! The highlight for me was seeing the great Matthew Smith, most famous as the man behind Manic Miner.

I love this film. Not only for its in-depth and fascinating recap on the UK game industry starting in the 80's, but because its edited as a true story.

The flow of the film starts at the introduction of computers in the home and works its way through the home programmer, the initial reselling and publishing of games into the more serious side of struggling business and eventually where we're going today. Its a fantastic journey that touches on a bit of everything and its one I can relate to having grown up in that whole era.

If you want one of the best documentaries about the early games industry, then this is the one you seriously should be watching. Immensely enjoyable and very much re-watchable... :)

As you can see from my score, this movie is not just perfect, it is mind blowing. (I give it 9.5 but the rating system doesn't do .5). Compared to the AVGN movie you may have seen put about these days, this movie is actually AWESOME. Let me explain.

In order to get an idea of the history of retro machines, first you must present the story from the eyes of the kids and teens who made the games, and why they made them. Then you must bring in the story of the UK games industry, moving through the BBC and ZX spectrum range, and the frontier of Memory Vs the imagination. Then the Commodore C64, and the frontier of audio. Finally the Amiga, as the final frontier of game-play and graphics. Then 'the console gap' which lead to the modern day; where games are now versions of revisions. In short, this documentary covers it all, from the eyes of the makers who made it happen. Rather than an emotional roller-coaster, instead this is a soft and gentle deep thread of fascination from end to end. Everything about Crash and Zzap64! is in there; which was written by young adults of my own age-group (something I didn't realise at the time!), and even though every topic is here, we as an audience get the feeling of only just skimming the surface.

The games are far and wide (I recognised about half), and include many hits from the three big machines, ZX, C64, Amiga. (NES and SEGA also feature, as well as PS4). In the Amiga section they feature many 3D games: such as Stunt Car Racer, Midwinter and Mercenary III. I thought the Amiga content flew by quite quickly, but there were a lot of Amiga guys throughout the whole movie, talking about the general idea and logistics of producing games.

The whole production feels like it was produced with so much love and affection, the homage to the period so vivid it's almost as though its still here with us. A time when we could all be friends, together as gamers, having fun, living a dream. If you are reading this message, YOU were there; now you can relive those times again and again forever.

The extra material in the Special Edition is also worth a look for C64 and Amiga fans, with Jon Hare on Sensi Soccer (5mins), Mike Montgomtery on creating Speedball 2 (almost 6mins). The making of Shadow of the Beast (8mins), Peter Molyneux on Populous (15mins). David Braben talks about the original Elite (31mins), plus there are a rake of C64 related materials, including 17mins of Geoff Crammond talking about The Sentinel, and his time on the BBC Micro with games like Super Space Invaders and Revs. And even an extended interview with the legend Matthew Smith and his days with Manic Miner (6mins). Plus more! As you can tell, I think this is the most glorious tribute to that whole period, period! So gather all your friends around and make this a celebration. This one is definitely worth watching.

If you're reading this, you're a kindred spirit. A fan of classic games, and game history. A passionate soul, and as such will not need too much in the way of description. Just simply know if you are of that ilk, this Documentary is one of the best of the topic of gaming history, and just unmatched in terms of the UK industry. It just covers just about all you would want it to and all you can reasonably expect it to unless it was to become a TV series. From the games to the people behind them, to those magazines you loved of the time, it's superbly done. There are slight omissions there, but very few and to bring those up would be very nit picky indeed. It is just a stunning labour of love. And opt for the special edition, and you will get another disc featuring interviews and extended interviews with many of those on the first disc, covering some of those old favourites like Elite and Sentinel. There aren't many Documentaries that cover the UK market, although there are a couple that do the US one quite well. This well and truly fixes that, and goes on to be probably the best one ever done in my opinion. I was so close to giving this 10/10. If you have a passion for this subject you have to have this. Enough said.