I would actually have been very surprised to have heard the film was accepted to Slamdance, not because of the 'controversy', but simply because the film, I'm sorry, is just not very good.

Given some of the excellent raw material in the film (including several great appearances), it's almost impossible to make a terrible film out of it. That being said, there is a much better film waiting to be made on this subject, with this material (much as there is a much better game waiting to be made about school violence). Reaction in the MIGS crowd was *very* mixed, and that has to be the most positively inclined group I can imagine.

It's very easy to cry 'unfair', given the blatant unfair treatment of SCMRPG! at the hands of Slamdance, but I worry about lessening the impact of the initial fight by crying foul here. I can imagine Slamdance is inundated with controversial documentary films. Most of them better made, to boot.

If distribution was really the issue, I've seen some remarkable full documentaries on YouTube and/or Google. Festivals are no longer gatekeepers for these films. And drumming up interest online does not prevent a later festival entry or distribution deal.

I am hoping that both this film and Moral Kombat get greater distribution and support from within the game development community itself.

I've been following the Discovery Channel's recent retrospective on gaming, and while it is better than the others I have seen, it is still largely a rehash of information that's known and lacks the critical commentary I'd enjoy seeing.

@Cloo:

If you have any suggestions, please do send them my way; the film isn't finished yet so your feedback is welcome.

I have screened the film to a number of non-game audiences whose response has been extremely positive. While they've never heard of Jack Thompson before, they've also never heard of 'Darfur is Dying,' 'McDonald's Videogame,' or 'Disaffected!' As a result, the experience feels fresh and innovative to them because they assumed all videogames were somewhere between Super Mario Brothers or Grand Theft Auto. Of course, most people outside the gamer community have never heard of SCMRPG, either.

... and submitting to Slamdance was more of arc for the story of the film than an interest in screening it - though Slamdance might have made some PR amends by doing so.

@DannyLedonne

Sure thing-- didn't think it was useful to make specific comments, considering so few have seen the film so far. I've sent them to your email. Hope they're helpful!

Why would anyone want to display this game at their festival? Oh wait, it is a piece of art, isn't it. As opposed to America's army, which is a "propaganda machine".

I hear Danny Ledonne does not want to make games any more. Good riddance to bad rubbish.