GET LAMP

• GET LAMP
• Filmed between 2006-2008
• Released 2010
• 2 DVDs, Collectible Coin
• Available for order here
• IMDB entry

While working on the BBS Documentary, Director Jason Scott had a thought – “what other subjects do I think have gotten a short shrift and it’s the 21st century already?”. In brainstorming, he thought about the influence text adventures and interactive fiction, games like Adventure and Zork, had impressed themselves on his life. The title GET LAMP, a somewhat oblique reference to a common command many of these game programs had, popped into his head and he registered GET LAMP.  A year after the production of BBS: The Documentary had wrapped and the DVD set was selling successfully, Jason floated the idea of going ahead with a new documentary, and invited people to pledge money towards its release. The original fifty donators, who Jason dubbed The Adventurers’ Club, provided enough funds to buy a camera (A Panasonic HVX-200) and allow Jason the opportunity to record the strangest of things: a documentary about text adventures in high definition.

Across the next few years, Jason interviewed over 80 people about all aspects of text adventures and related fields, including educators, players, writers, and even cavers, and edited the final work into an interactive movie, called simply GET LAMP. Two dozen bonus features, including an hour-long history of the game company Infocom, rounded out the collection onto two DVDs.

The elaborate packaging, which includes a mural of adventure game icons painted by portland artist Lukas Ketner and a gold-and-silver individually numbered coin, has sold in the thousands and is still available from the site.

The movie has been heralded as very weird, somewhat odd, and a unique look into the world of interactive fiction and the very craft of writing… all filmed in high definition.