Man vs Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler (2015) More Tim vs Tim. Relatable characters, Hated cheater Dwayne. Surprisingly riveting, Even loved ones on eggshells. Tanka, literally "short poem", is a form of poetry consisting of five lines, unrhymed, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format. #Tanka #PoemReview

"Man vs. Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler" is riveting documentary about a man on a quest for redemption. The title seems like it should refer to an adventurer like The Crocodile Hunter or Indiana Jones who must face off against a slithery foe; however, this is actually a film that chronicles a video gamer's journey to reclaim his high score on Nibbler. I'm not telling you more... just watch it.

Before I saw this documentary, I can't recall ever hearing about a video game called 'Nibbler'. This surprised me a bit, as I grew up during the heyday of coin-op video games in the late 70s and through the 80s and played quite a few. Somehow I missed Nibbler. I also missed the insane record that some odd people have pursued...trying to score a billion or more on this game. This feat takes almost two days to do...and is grueling...though you do wonder why!This film is specifically about a guy from Ottumwa, Iowa who was the first to break the billion mark. While Tim McVey (not THAT one) did this, what's interesting about him is that decades later, he's STILL playing that accursed game in an effort to have the highest score ever, as his unbeatable mark has been beaten.Unlike "King of Kong", this documentary looks like it must have taken about a decade to make. Some of this might have been due to financing...and some due to Tim's continued obsession with the game. Regardless, it is interesting and I am glad I saw it...but I also felt that it was too long and my interest was waning a bit near the end.

MAN VS SNAKE tells the story of Tim McVey (the gamer not the bomber) who in 1984, on a single quarter (and over forty-four hours of non-stop play) was the first person in history to score over one billion points on a video game.I love that this is a thing, a whole subgenre of documentaries about classic video games and the people who set the high scores. Walter Day is great, and the whole entourage (Billy Mitchell, etc) are interesting characters. Tim McVey is very much an everyman, and his story is in some strange way inspirational.Nibbler, man... of all the games to pick... but they did a great job putting this together and keeping it moving. I suppose they could have had a bit more about the game's history and knockoffs, but I don't feel like it would be necessary.