At a recent Tabletop Tuesday event, a special screening of The Next Great American Game took place. The documentary’s director, Douglas Morse, was in attendance, and briefly addressed the audience to explain the project.
Despite being a fact-based genre, it is still important for documentaries to have narratives – as without them, you just have a collection of scenes with nothing tying them together. Morse had wanted to look at the board game industry and specifically game designers but struggled to find his movie’s narrative – at least, until he met Randall Hoyt.
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• Director: Douglas Morse
• Exhibition: 2D
• Rating: Not yet rated
• Run Time: 82 mins
The Next Great American Game begins with an introduction to Hoyt. He is a college professor who has decided to try his hand at designing board games. He immediately feels that one of his projects, a traffic simulation board game called Turnpike, will be the next big thing and sets out to find a board game publisher to help him get his game out there.
Almost immediately, you can understand why Morse decided to use Randall as his subject. He is funny, forthright and fiercely enthusiastic. His conviction and good humour immediately gets you to like him and root for his success – despite the fact that his constantly repeated adage to publishers of his belief that Turnpike is “the next great American game.”
From the beginning of his journey, the publishers and critics he meets are just as forward and upfront with their views as Randall. Some come off as dismissive but most simply and clearly outline why they do not have the same view of Turnpike as Randall does. His reluctance to change his game is a big topic in the movie, with the battle between the artist and the game developer being the main focus. Whether you have any interest in board games is irrelevant as the theme can apply to any form or media.
Morse is particularly good at keeping the focus on Randall and his journey. It feels like the viewer is beside Randall as he travels from conventions to expos to publisher meetings – rather than a camera man. Morse also manages to tease out information from Randall regarding his mental issues. They are discussed frankly and with great honesty, from the medication he takes to the group therapy sessions that he used to inspire another game he devised, titled Talk/Listen.
The project was paid for via a successful Kickstarter campaign that Morse ran. While the topic is fully explored and the subject is interesting, my only real complaint regarding The Next Great American Game is the production values behind it, specifically on the sound design. As the movie takes place at conventions and loud expo halls, some of the dialogue is difficult to hear. The worst offender though is a conference call that occurs halfway through the movie. However, this is a nit-pick more than anything else.
Outside of the main movie, the DVD comes with hours of interviews with other game designers that Morse completed while he was looking for his subject. The discussions are a lot more in-depth than the ones featured in the story, and feature with some of the board game industry’s top creators. They provide a detailed look at the process and personalities involved and are enjoyable for any fan of the medium.
The Next Great American Game is a fascinating look into the life of a budding board game designer, as well as the industry as a whole. While you do not need to be into board games to enjoy the main movie, the bonus features are also superb for fans. If you have a passing interest in what it takes to get something you create into the hands of those who will enjoy it, I would highly recommend this.
