Spencer Halpin's Moral Kombat
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| Spencer Halpin's Moral Kombat | |
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| Directed by | Spencer Halpin |
| Produced by | Spencer Halpin Ramy Katrib |
| Written by | Steven Kent Skylar James |
| Starring | David Walsh Jack Thompson, Michael Rich Lorne Lanning Greg Fischbach Dean Takahashi Jef Griffiths John Marmaduke Pamela Eakes Andy McNamara Greg Ballard Bob McKenzie American McGee Hal Halpin Dave Grossman Phil O'Neil Marie Sylla Ed Williams Richard Ow Henry Jenkins Jason Della Rocca Doug Lowenstein Vince Broady |
| Music by | Mark Petrie |
| Cinematography | Jeff Orsa |
| Editing by | Lakan de Leon |
| Distributed by | TBA |
| Release date(s) | TBA |
| Running time | 80 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$650,000 ~ $1 Million |
Spencer Halpin's Moral Kombat is a 2007 documentary film, directed by Spencer Halpin, an American independent filmmaker. The title of the film is in part a reference to the Mortal Kombat series of video games, which are notable for their extreme violence. The title was changed from Moral Kombat to Spencer Halpin's Moral Kombat to avoid the risk of a lawsuit[1].
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[edit] Overview
Shot entirely in high-definition video, the full-length feature documentary studies the controversial, polarizing subject of the video game controversy through a series of interviews with experts on both sides of the matter – some believing that violent games should be banned, others supporting their protection under the First Amendment.
The film makes extensive use of green screen technology to blend the subject matter being discussed (games, characters, archival news footage) in the background, while keeping the interviewee actively in the shot.
The trailer was uploaded to YouTube on December 27, 2006 and was met with overwhelming concern and dismay from gamers around the globe who felt it sensationalized the topic and serves as a rhetoric piece for anti-games and anti-gamer activists and political figures. The trailer was viewed over 100,000 times in the coming weekend and spurred debate on scores of websites.
Interviewed in the film are leading politicians, journalists, academics, consumer advocates and special interest group executives, game developers, retailers, trade associations and publishers. The interviewees among others, include: Dr. David Walsh, Jack Thompson, Dr. Michael Rich, Lorne Lanning, Greg Fischbach, Dean Takahashi, Jeff Griffiths, John Marmaduke, Pamela Eakes, Andy McNamara, Greg Ballard, Bob McKenzie, American McGee, Hal Halpin (Spencer Halpin's brother), Lt. Col Grossman, Phil O'Neil, Marie Sylla, Ed Williams, Richard Ow, Dr. Henry Jenkins, and Jason Della Rocca.
[edit] Negative feedback to the trailer
The film's objectivity has been debated and challenged heavily since the release of the trailer, with many video responses to it being posted on YouTube. Notable among the responses are a series of videos that point out statements made by Jack Thompson, each with a web location leading back to the statement itself. Many respondents believe that Mr. Thompson's participation in the movie may rob it of its credibility.
Many have suggested legal action against the film, while others have suggested a campaign to have the film delayed until certain parts are removed or corrected. As of July 07 the movie has yet to be released. The trailer has been answered with dozens of videos calling into question its credibility, and has over 146 pages of comments. Though there are some positive remarks, the overwhelming majority are negative and in many cases have been demanding everything from the movies being banned to an apology from the creators for its supposed biased nature. No response as yet has been heard from the creators on the site, but many sarcastic posts in relation to the clip of Flight Simulator X have been made.
According to Spencer Halpin, the trailer was not targeted at gamers, but rather the "42 year old women" who were concerned about video game violence issues, but didn't fully understand them. Professor Henry Jenkins recently released an online review of the complete film, applauding it as a balanced representation of both sides of the debate.[2]
