LOS ANGELES, CA, JULY 23, 2012—Artifact Studios has unveiled Critical Path , the definitive documentary archive project for in-depth interviews with the great creative and technical minds that lead the art form and entertainment medium of video games. In Critical Path, video games’ most influential designers and visionaries explore the art, philosophy, politics, and psychology of games—and generally talk shop—in an interactive online format housing more than a hundred conversation clips.

“We’re at an amazing point in history where digital entertainment is emerging and changing our culture,” said the documentary’s director David Grabias, whose films and series appear on outlets such as PBS, HBO, and National Geographic.“We are interested in documenting the minds, thoughts, and inspirations behind the evolving medium to try and translate its meaning today, and potential to be a leading artform tomorrow.”

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 33% of Americans identify computer and video games as their favorite entertainment activity, far surpassing movies and television. But unlike television and movies, game makers are relatively unknown. Critical Path aims to lift the veil and acquaint the world more closely with designers shaping the medium that is rapidly transforming art, entertainment, communication, even education.

Two years into production, Critical Path’s online interview archive has 121 video clips ranging in length from 30–120 seconds distilled from over 30 hours of interviews. The interactive web format allows the viewer to sort conversations by topic or speaker.  Critical Path features lead developers of mega-games such as Civilization, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, The Sims, Halo, as well as indie designers pushing the art form through games such as Journey, SpyParty, Passage, and more beloved games and franchises. The archive is ever evolving, with the goal of including interviews from every designer of every significant video game—past, present and future—and revisiting designers with new topics as the medium grows.

Subjects range from level design to the relationship between story and play to social impact to what makes a game compelling, even addictive. Feedback from the user community will inform the subjects and topics of interviews added to the site over time.

Artifact also has in the works an upcoming CRITICAL PATH documentary film (date unannounced) that explores what is it about digital games that draws people to play.

The Critical Path interview archive can be experienced at www.criticalpathproject.com

About Artifact

Located in Los Angeles, Artifact is home to award-winning and emerging filmmakers specializing in documentary films and story-driven marketing. Recent credits include“Behind the Wall: The Making of Skyrim” for Bethesda Softworks and the HBO documentary feature“Koran By Heart.”

For more information and to view the CRITICAL PATH trailer visit www.artifactla.com