Addiction of any kind is harmful, and Netflix’s Not a Game is here to show us the same. It’s a documentary film directed by Jose Gomez and features many real-life experts, parents and gamers of all ages from different parts of the world. So is the documentary worth watching? Check out our review.
Not a Game starts with telling us how much technology has changed and, with that, people’s way of living. Today’s youth are a lot into different types of games, and some are extremely addicted. They show us the inception of computers, games and how slowly technology and inventions helped them reach every house.
Different experts from the gaming world to people who learn human behaviour talk about this obsession. They show us clips of how angry kids or teenagers behave when parents smash their games or laptops. Brenden McDonnell, who is the narrator of Not a Game, highlights that whenever the gamers are interrupted when they are playing, their response has usually been full of anger or frustration.
But that doesn’t mean that the director is only telling us that games are responsible for youth’s violent behaviours. In fact, some even deny this phenomenon. They also don’t accept another ‘fact’ that violent minds usually play too many video games. Throughout the documentary, they address many such myths and behaviours.
The docu-film also shows us how kids or teenagers make online friends from different parts of the world. The experts say that addiction to games isn’t kids fault, neither it is parents’. It is the change in life that technology has brought, and many parents are still getting a hang of it. They also show us clips of kids sharing their parents’ advice to beware of the real world. But when they are asked what advice their parents gave them to stay safe from the online world, the kids had no answers.
We also see how some lives have changed because the person was addicted to gaming. They made a career out of it. Their parents were not happy with their child’s inclination to this online world. However, seeing the kid flourish in the field made the parents happy and proud. The documentary shows that the consequence of gaming is like two sides of a coin. It can be good and, if gone out of control, can be bad.
A lot of real-life gamers of all ages are also a part of the documentary. They talk about their addiction and how their behaviour changed with time. It gives you tension and relief that some gamers have brought their life into control now.
Gamers can watch this documentary and figure out if the time they give to gaming is severe or not. They can understand if they are in control of the remote or the remote controls them. The non-gamers or parents can watch the Netflix docu-film if they want to understand why their loved ones can’t see anything beyond games.
Not a Game: Is it worth it?
Overall, Not a Game is a hard-hitting watch. It tells us the reality we all live in and how much the internet and advanced technology have changed our lives. Non-gamers may not really dig deep into it as the topic of online gaming might not concern them. There are chances that not every gamer would agree to what’s shown and dismiss the claims. Well, to each his own.
Not a Game is currently streaming on Netflix.
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