Inside A Documentary About Video Games Pt 1

In March, a pair of filmmakers approached me with the invitation to participate in a documentary film they’re producing. The film is titled Your Computer is Killing You: The Side-Effects of a Techy Lifestyle and explores the unforeseen side effects of the rapid integration of technology into our culture. They’d seen my article on video game addiction and asked me to elaborate on my experience as one of their sources.

This is a documentary of my experience from within a documentary…

The offer was incredibly flattering; especially since I’m no sociology professor or an addiction medicine specialist. However, I have lived through my fair share of horror stories and anecdotes regarding gaming habits gone way out of control.

I looked into their site to get a stronger perspective of their film and its message. I was concerned at first, since first glance suggests the film’s message leans heavily toward the idea that computers and video games are a blight on our society, spreading personal injury and anguish to those who come in excessive contact with it. I felt that the best move I could make is to submit my views and experience, even if they serve as counterpoints to the film’s religion. As long as I give honest testimony, I’ve done good work.

The bulk of my discussion–and this is not to spoil the film–will revolve around the common misunderstanding of video game addiction. What I hope to convey is that unlike many narcotics, video games aren’t inherently addictive. The addiction is actually a symptom of an even larger emotional or behavioral disorder. People seek escapism when they’re depressed. It’s when a person is unable to face treating that depression that they become emotionally dependent on their escapism, thus the “addiction” is formed. By encouraging people to better understand the nature of video game addiction, I want to do my best to offer constructive ideas on how to properly treat video game addiction.

That point made, I’ll also tackle the frequent demonization of video games in the mainstream media. Akin to video game addiction, games are far too often associated with other tragedies, even though they may only be bystanders to the event.

Another topic that I’ve been asked to cover are any personal experiences I’ve had with either video game addiction or tech-related injuries. Luckily, I don’t know anyone who’s suffered physical trauma, aside from gamer gut. I do have a handful of socially embarrassing stories in my magic bag of anecdotes that I plan to share.

With my thoughts assembled, I set aside my initial reaction of “Yee-ee! I’m gonna be in a movie!”, put my game face on, and accepted their offer. To quote Jello Biafra, “Don’t hate the media—become the media.”

For the first phase of my participation, the directors sent me a handful of questions pertaining to my understanding of video game addiction. Fortunately for me, they indulged me in my long-winded (read: “blowhard”) responses, as I’m one to explore a thought to my fullest.

Director Brian Bentow speaking about the film at BlobLive! LA

Satisfied with my yarns, the directors decided I was applicable for the next step: Putting me on film. Or at least, YouTube. They’d told me that if they managed to gain enough funding, they’d fly a film crew over to my neck of the woods to get footage of me in an interview-style review of the subjects I covered in my responses. Plan B, they’d just send a webcam my way and we’d do the interview online.

Fast-forward two weeks later when I received my webcam.

That weekend, we attempted to record my material. The directors and I connected via Skype, each recording their own side of the video. We went through a series of questions, similar to those sent to me in our previous email exchanges. This was also my opportunity to get familiar with the filmmakers themselves, putting to rest my reservations of taking part in propaganda.

One director would later tell me that while I had interesting things to say, I did not offer much visually… That is, rather than emoting while I spoke, I remained cold and clinical. Not good cinema. His criticism was constructive, which I appreciated. From then on, I resolved to better sort out my points so that I could effectively emote when I discussed them.

Within the next week, we’ll be attempting our second take of recording my coverage. Once that’s in the can, I’ll be happy to report on the next stage of my experience! In the meantime, you can learn more about the film on their website and check out the film’s trailer below: