Hacker Cinema
Insert Coin
2020 · Film · documentary · 103 min
Directed by Joshua Tsui
The oral history of a team of geeks and misfits in the back of a Chicago factory creating the biggest video games of all time. Midway Games pioneered the concept of live-action gaming, kick-starting a new arcade boom and grossing billions of dollars with hits like Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. The documentary covers much of Mortal Kombats history, including the creation of fatalities and characters such as Liu Kang, Kitana, Johnny Cage and Scorpion.
2 positivefrom 2 commenters
Where to watch
No streaming data for this title.
Videos commenters linked
From YouTube links in the comments below. Most are clips and trailers; “Full” means the uploader says so.
2 comments on Hacker News
Warren obviously downplays his work after Gottlieb/Ratslime* because this talk is about Q*Bert but it's worth watching the documentary Insert Coin about the technology he was helping to develop at Williams/Bally/Midway in the years afterward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1OXgCmOvbQ
The digitization of live actors wasn't completely novel but definitely helped accelerate a generation of iconic arcade titles in the 1990s.
(* I had heard the story about "Mylstar spelled backwards is Ratslym!" from others in the business and nobody could remember who it was but Warren admits it was him and that's awesome.)
Random, but have you seen the documentary Insert Coin on the heyday of Williams and Midway? I'd love to hear your stories from working there.