Hidden Levels Ep. 4: Machinima
Endless Thread18 Loka 2025

Hidden Levels Ep. 4: Machinima

Machinima — a portmanteau of “machine” and “cinema” — refers to movies filmed inside video games. The art form had a renaissance in the 1990s, and many thought it had a future in Hollywood. Among the early pioneers were the New York animation collective the Ill Clan, who puppeteered characters in real-time inside the video game Quake, bypassing traditional animation rendering. This technique exploded into a cultural phenomenon through the 2000s with hits like Red vs. Blue, South Park’s Emmy-winning World of Warcraft episode, and This Spartan Life, a live talk show filmed inside Halo 2's unpredictable virtual world.

However, machinima.com faced controversies and eventually shut down, erasing its archive and leaving many original artists sidelined. Today, machinima is experiencing a powerful resurgence in documentary filmmaking. Projects like Grand Theft Hamlet, filmed during the pandemic entirely within Grand Theft Auto 5, proved that sophisticated feature films could be created in active, real-time virtual environments. Award-winning documentaries like The Remarkable Life of Ibelin showcase the medium’s emotional depth and its potential for democratizing creativity. What started as a technical workaround has evolved into a legitimate art form that continues to redefine the meaning of movies, and games.

Credits: This episode was produced by Andrew Callaway and edited by Chris Berube. Mix by Martín Gonzalez. Original music by Swan Real, Jamilah Sandoto and Paul Vaitkus. Fact-checking by Lara Bullens.

*** Survey alert: Tell us what you love about the show, what you want more of; what you could stand a little less of. And if you complete the survey, we'll send you an extra episode (what Ben's calling a "dashboard confessional") in January.

Take the survey here: wbur.org/endlessthreadsurvey

Thank you!

Jaksot(434)

That Old Chestnut

That Old Chestnut

One of the nuttiest stories of near extinction and resurrection ever seen in the United States. It involves genetic engineering, warring factions of tree enthusiasts, and a mysterious, destructive pow...

26 Huhti 201831min

Busted

Busted

Weed, dope, kush, reefer -- whatever you call it, marijuana is quickly becoming legal across the country. It's also bringing people together, on Reddit. *** Survey alert: Tell us what you love about...

19 Huhti 201825min

Mission Improbable

Mission Improbable

What do you do when you're about to fly home from Japan and you realize you've left your passport in your hotel 300 miles away? Or when you're looking for pals to run with you from England to Italy? P...

12 Huhti 201827min

Fun Guy

Fun Guy

A lab at the University of Oklahoma wants your dirt -- really. A viral post on Reddit brought awareness to this fascinating program, which studies fungi from soil samples from around the country with ...

5 Huhti 201823min

Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect

With spring finally here and the MLB's opening day upon us, we're talkin' baseball -- the funny, the memorable, the peanuts, the hot dogs. *** Survey alert: Tell us what you love about the show, wha...

29 Maalis 201819min

Bill Hader Talks 'Barry,' Reddit And Why He's So Popular Online

Bill Hader Talks 'Barry,' Reddit And Why He's So Popular Online

Funnyman Bill Hader has a new show, "Barry," about a depressed hitman who heads to Los Angeles for a job, and ends up taking acting classes. He talks about his career as a comedian and how his stage f...

22 Maalis 201820min

Dirty 6th

Dirty 6th

Excerpts from Amory and Ben's live AMA at SXSW, plus their conversation with Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. *** Survey alert: Tell us what you love about the show, what you want more of; what you could s...

15 Maalis 201821min

Something Wicked

Something Wicked

We dive into a famous Reddit mystery involving creepy post-it notes, an iffy landlord, and a stranger who saves the day. *** Survey alert: Tell us what you love about the show, what you want more ...

8 Maalis 201827min