2K Games, in partnership with the breakout filmmakers at Story Developing, announced The Art of the Game, a new feature-length documentary film from the co-producer of Muscle Shoals – a 2013 Sundance Film Festival selection. The Art of the Game documents a cultural shift in the entertainment people enjoy by following a group of students at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, as they compete for a job in the increasingly influential video game industry. Through a series of interwoven stories, the film explores the passion, creativity, and change taking place in interactive entertainment, and its often misunderstood artistic culture.
 
“The financial success of interactive entertainment in recent years has propelled the medium past film in the eyes of Wall Street, yet too often games are still treated as time-wasting toys,” said Matthew Davis Walker, director of The Art of the Game. “People overlook that games have tremendous impact on how we learn, communicate ideas, and convey empathy, and they do it in ways we’ve previously never imagined possible.”
 
“Today, interactive entertainment is the most compelling and dynamic medium to enable expressive creativity and artistic vision as has been recognized by The Smithsonian and The Museum of The Moving Image,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, the trade association that represents the U.S. video game industry. “This film provides remarkable insight into the innovation and passion that is driving the continued evolution of our industry. Companies such as 2K, as well as almost 400 universities around our nation that are currently offering courses and degrees in game design, are nurturing our future creative leaders by providing a strong foundation and the opportunity to enjoy a career of captivating audiences throughout the world with their art.”
 
“The interactive entertainment industry is full of creative and passionate people whose work touches millions of people worldwide,” added Matt Gorman, vice president of marketing at 2K. “When 2K partnered with the Academy of Art University last year we saw just how much talent the students have, and it inspired us to share their passion and creativity with the world through this documentary.”
 

 
The Art of the Game will be available for free on Machinima’s Main YouTube Channel, and the film’s official Facebook page starting May 12, 2014. Prior to that, the film can be seen in the following ways:
 
May 8 – Premieres live on Machinima’s Twitch Channel (twitch.tv/machinima) at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. PDT;
May 9-11 – Xbox Live via Machinima’s app on Xbox One and Xbox 360 dashboards.
 
The Art of the Game was executively produced by 2K, and directed by Matthew Davis Walker of Story Developing who co-produced Muscle Shoals, a 2013 Sundance Film Festival selection.