Games You Can't Win

Games You Can't Win

A​ transgender woman, a sufferer of severe mental illness​, and the parents of a child with cancer transform their experiences into intensely personal video games.

2016 · 8 min · Documentary

Games You Can’t Win explores “empathy” gaming, a new video game movement in which developers are sharing some of their most intimate or traumatic personal experiences through artful, documentary-style video games. Using a combination of intimate verité footage and video capture from the games, the short film tells the stories of three developer and the personal experiences that inspired their game.

Directed by Malika Zouhali-Worrall

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

1h 50m together

Games You Can't Win

Union

Both from Malika Zouhali-Worrall.

More from Malika Zouhali-WorrallSee all →

UnionUnion · 2024
Union
★ 7.72024
MovieDocumentary
Up against one of the most powerful companies on the planet, a group of Amazon workers embark on an unprecedented campaign to unionize their warehouse in Staten Island, New York.
Songs from the HoleSongs from the Hole · 2024
Songs from the Hole
★ 7.52024
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Sentenced to life in prison at 15, musician JJ'88 finds hope by writing songs during solitary confinement in this award-winning documentary visual album.
Thank You for PlayingThank You for Playing · 2015
Thank You for Playing
★ 7.32015
MovieDocumentary
For the past two years, Ryan and Amy Green have been working on That Dragon, Cancer, a videogame about their son Joel's fight against that disease. Following the family through the creation of the game and the day-to-day realities of Joel’s treatment, David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall create a moving testament to the joy and heartbreak of raising a terminally ill child.
SeedsSeeds · 2025
Seeds
★ 7.02025
MovieDocumentary
An exploration of Black generational farmers in the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the significance of owning land.
POVPOV · 1988
POV
★ 6.91988
SeriesDocumentary
The home for the world's boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action.
Call Me KuchuCall Me Kuchu · 2012
Call Me Kuchu
★ 5.92012
MovieDocumentary
In Uganda, a new bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato - Uganda's first openly gay man - and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat the legislation while combating vicious persecution in their daily lives. But no one, not even the filmmakers, is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes the movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world.
Through the NightThrough the Night · 2021
Through the Night
★ 5.82021
MovieDocumentary
When one’s sole focus is to provide for their children, the stakes are extremely high. The need for multiple jobs to make ends meet has become a common reality for many families in this country, which leads to a very important question: who looks after the children while their parents work? Through the Night examines the economic and emotional toll affecting some American families, told through the lens of a 24-hour daycare center in Westchester, New York. At the center of it all is Nunu, the primary caregiver and a hero to many families in need of a safe space to bring their children.
BoatbuildersBoatbuilders · 2026
Boatbuilders
2026
MovieDocumentary
Over the course of 16 months, at the head of a remote harbor in Maine, the workers of the Brooklin Boat Yard meticulously build a 56-foot wooden sailboat. As the seasons change and the vessel takes shape, director Luke Lorentzen immerses the viewer in a close-knit community rooted in time-honored craft, shared joys, and mutual respect.
Windows of TimeWindows of Time · 2026
Windows of Time
2026
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A divine vision inspired Hubert Taylor to pick up a home video camera and spend decades documenting the life of his Georgia hometown. His gaze keeps returning to his own father, the gospel singer Brother Theotis Taylor, whose legendary falsetto took him to Carnegie Hall. With co-director and music archivist Cyrus Moussavi, he unearths an unseen community archive and shapes it into a moving meditation on art, family, community, and legacy.
Made in PalestineMade in Palestine · 2019
Made in Palestine
2019
MovieDocumentary
Hirbawi Textiles is the last-remaining factory in Palestine that produces the iconic Palestinian scarf known as the Kuffiyeh.
Amyra León: Strange GraceAmyra León: Strange Grace · 2020
Amyra León: Strange Grace
2020
MovieDocumentary
A portrait of Amyra León, the musician, poet, author and activist who channels deeply personal experiences of pain and healing into raw, majestic, and often cathartic performances that celebrate love, Blackness and womanhood.
Video VisitVideo Visit · 2021
Video Visit
2021
MovieDocumentary
Each week, people visit the Brooklyn Public Library to video call incarcerated loved ones. A story of two mothers and their sons, and the librarians who keep the families connected.

More Like This

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter