Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas Festival

Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas Festival

November 7, 2008

GamePolitics readers will likely recall previous coverage of Moral Kombat, the controversial documentary on video game violence directed by Spencer Halpin (left, brother of ECA president Hal Halpin).

According to a press release issued by the Dallas Video Festival, Spencer is the recipient of the META Media Award, described as "a Director’s Choice Award for outstanding achievement for media about media."

Of Moral Kombat, festival president Bart Weiss said:

This is not an easy ‘Nasty video games are bad and are the cause of the destruction of man’ type of video.  It is thoughtful, very thorough, and it definitely presents both sides of the argument. The film is incredibly well-produced and directed, melding the interview into hi-res images from the games.  Indeed, by the end of the film you are exhausted by the barrage of these graphics, many of them violent. 

 

The effect is, well, the effect of these images.  For someone like me who is not a gamer... the effect is disconnecting and without playing gives you an idea of what it's about.  The film makes you feel what video games really are while you're hearing about their effects; it's very powerful and a must-see. Many documentaries have footage that shows you what the subject is about very few make you feel it like this one does...


Those interviewed in Moral Kombat include:

  • Senator Joe Lieberman
  • Jack Thompson (game biz critic, recently disbarred)
  • Dr. David Walsh (NIMF)
  • Dr. Henry Jenkins (every gamer's favorite academic)
  • Dean Takahashi (game journalist)
  • Lorne Lanning (game designer)
  • Andy McNamara (Game Informer editor)
  • Lt. Col. Grossman (game violence critic)

Additional info on Moral Kombat is available at the film's website.

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

Comments

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

Congratulations to Spencer Halpin for this award.

Talking about Moral Kombat, I think it would be useful to read what Henry Jenkins has to say about it :

- Part one : http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/11/moral_kombat.html

- Part two : http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/11/why_you_should_see_spencer_hal.html

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

Is this a free doco? Any actual download links? The only thing on the film's website is itunes and I'm not going to be installing that.

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

Hope to buy it on Amazon.com one day soon. Also any word on Playing Colombine doco and when that would also be released?

 

 

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

I read the articles about the video and I got to say that this is a really good thing.

 

I did not care if old Jack Thompson was in the video.

 

His opinion may be based on his behaviour to see violence in Videogames as training kids to kill but this is what the anti-gaming side said even as far back as the early 90s or even as far back as Death Race in 1977.

 

And also it also has got the side of Game Developers and even a few gamers who's opinions are formed because they have played the Violence games and yet are never affected.

 

Good or Bad, I think to have both sides of the bedate, no matter how extreme they are, is a way that is verry important for anyone new to this debate to understand,

 

I just hope that when people who are not gamers when they see this, that hopefully they would not judge us in any negative way but instead understand that we, as gamers, as just like any normal human being that has got a different form of entertainment.

 

well that is at least what I hope.

 

 

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

I havent seen the documentory, But does it have positive views that prove video games arent the cause of violence?, Cause i refuse to see it if JT's ugly face is in it, but then again, i really need a laugh from the lovable lying and now disbarred attorney.

 

_______________________________________________

El "magnifco" Taco

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

Cool soon it will be downloadable from Itunes. :D I want it on DVD though. :P

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

I would really like to see this documentry. Its defintly something that should be made by now.

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

Even including Jack Thompson makes this film non-existient to me, sorry.

 

That said, I can't wait to go to this years Thompson free (and post-disbarment) VGXPO.

Re: Video Game Violence Documentary Grabs Award at Dallas

Y'know how someone made a cut of ... Episode 1 (I'm pretty sure) that removed Jar-Jar? Maybe they could come out with a 2nd edition of Moral Kombat, sans the JT ramblings... ;)

300 Episodes and counting: http://www.orangeloungeradio.com/

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JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
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Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
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JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
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JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
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chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
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Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
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