The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop
Director Simon Ennis' documentary The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop examines the culture of boardgames from a variety of angles including friends playing with each other, podcasters attempting to carve out a brand, contestants attempting to win in the first ever tabletop tournament, designers working on getting their own games developed and sold, and even a bit of history of the start of board games from a historian.
As an introduction to those who may have not glanced at a boardgame since they were 12, the documentary works well enough as a primer on the subject. Personally, I would have liked far more of the creators and their games, a wider selection of groups playing games together, and even the podcasters, as the glitz of the tournament does take a bit of the attention away from the love of the game that's so much easier found in the other interspliced segments.
You may not know much more about board games after watching the documentary, other than perhaps be surprised about how large their community has grown, but if that's enough to pique your interest in the subject then Ennis' documentary is a success.
- Title: The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop
- IMDb: link
