HOW VIDEO GAMES CHANGED THE WORLD

CHARLIE BROOKER PRESENTS:

A Two Hour Special for Channel 4 

How Video Games Changed the World is a one-off documentary about the history of video games, the most significant titles that have made an impact on society and – dare we say it – how games have even changed our lives. Yes, we said it. 

Presented and written by Charlie Brooker, How Video Games Changed the World provides an intelligent, funny and entertaining look at some of the most influential and iconic video games in history (even the absolutely dreadful ones). We will be reminiscing back to the launch of Pac-Man and the birth of the first electronic icon for 80’s popular culture. Moving through to the booming nineties we will be looking at video games’ first credible female character, digital cover girl and tawdry teenage boy fantasy - Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft. Now in the 21^stcentury we take a critical look at how Minecraft and its fan base of armchair architects are reshaping the world one brick at a time, whilst shoot-fest franchises like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto are easily outselling other forms of entertainment on a day to day basis.

The documentary will feature seminal figures from the games industry like Nolan Bushnell and Allan Alcorn – the creators of Pong and Will Wright – the genius behind The Sims. Celebrities like Jonathan Ross, Dara O’Briain and Labrinth will talk about their gaming memories and we’ll hear from female gamers like Malorie Blackman, Rhianna Pratchett and Felicia Day to get a perspective on why we play games and how they have affected the modern world we live in. 

Charlie will also look at and offer opinion on other games that have helped to define the industry, reviewing their cultural and social impact – which basically means he gets to play loads of games. 

How Video Games Changed the World is part of Channel 4’s gaming night. 

‘How Video Games Changed the World’ was ordered by Tabitha Jackson, Commissioning Editor, Arts at Channel 4. The documentary will be Executive Produced by Annabel Jones and Charlie Brooker for Endemol. The Series Producer is Dan Tucker. 

The 2-hour documentary will broadcast on C4 at the end of November.