Classic videogame Lemmings celebrated in new documentary

The cult computer game Lemmings - which was originally developed in Scotland - is the subject of a new documentary.

Lemmings: Can You Dig It? explores the game's development, its 1991 release and its legacy.

The film had its gala screening at the Dundee Contemporary Arts theatre, in the same city where the game was originally developed by DMA Design, the company which went onto develop the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

First published for the Commodore Amiga by by Liverpool-based Psygnosis on February 14th 1991, the game has made its way to many other platforms since, including Sony’s PlayStation and, most recently, mobile.

The documentary was filmed remotely during the pandemic and celebrates this icon of Scottish and UK games culture by speaking to the people behind its original success, while investigating its legacy in gameplay and taking a look at how it inspired some of the world’s biggest games franchises ever since.

The film was commissioned by Lemmings publisher Exient and is directed by video game film producer Richard Wilcox of That Video Company.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be making Lemmings: Can You Dig It? available on general release,” said Jamie Wotton, creative marketing manager at Exient.

“It has been an absolute joy to watch the Lemmings story unfold through hundreds of hours of interview footage with the original DMA Design development team, video game industry execs and fans. The film celebrates everything that made the original game so special, including the city of Dundee in which it was made. And it celebrates the important place these little critters still have in popular culture.” 

The film can be watched on YouTube.