CBC’s new online miniseries, The Artists, begins with a retro CBC logo that looks ripped from a VHS tape. And that lo-fi aesthetic sets the vibe for the nostalgic deep dive that lays ahead. The ten-part documentary series looks at gaming’s first three decades and highlights the programmers and designers behind the games. The entire series is up on CBC’s website and you can watch it on your electronic devices with CBC player or stream it to your television with a Google Chromecast.

Watching The Artists, I couldn’t help but think of Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film, Hugo. That film is a love letter to classic films but also points out how legendary innovators fall into anonymity. Gaming is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but the average gamer can’t name the creative director of Grand Theft Auto V, the studio behind Monster Hunter: World, or the voice actor who plays God of War’s Kratos (Christopher Judge). The Artists is a step towards changing that.

All ten standalone episodes clock in at roughly ten minutes long and profile the people behind gaming’s most seminal moments. It’s easy to stream a couple episodes on the go but I suggest sitting down and watching them all in a feature-length binge. You don’t need a palette cleanser between each innovator’s story. And about those innovators. Tim Schafer, John Romero, and Chris Crawford aren’t household names but they’re rock stars in the gaming community; for a good reason. These men are as charismatic as they are talented and watching them dish on gaming history is like feasting on a buffet of intellectual delicacies.

As a life-long gamer, watching The Artists feels like a breath of fresh air. It thoroughly explores gaming’s rich history in a way we don’t often see. Gaming is more mainstream than ever, but still feels like the entertainment industry’s dirty little secret. In pop culture, nothing signals an emotionally stunted man-child more than a guy on a couch with a joystick in his hands and wearing a headset.

Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty pull in sales numbers that put the Marvel Cinematic Universe to shame. Gaming rakes in more cash than Hollywood and the music industry…combined. Documentaries like The Artists go a long way to legitimizing video games as art. After learning about the passion and meticulous craftsmanship that goes into designing games, it’s harder to dismiss the artform.

I’ve only watched half of the episodes so far and I didn’t want to step away. My schedule is too hectic to finish off the series but I can feel it calling me back like a siren’s song. The Artists sits at the highly coveted intersectional sweet spot of entertaining and educational. If you’re a lifelong gamer you don’t want to miss out on this series. Even if you don’t know Assassin’s Creed from Apollo Creed, this series is fun and engaging enough to hold your attention and possibly sway you over to our team. Even though I haven’t completed The Artists, yet I hope that CBC brings it back for a second series.

The Artists is available to stream on CBC.ca or on the CBC app.