Need Help On Making A Documentary - Help!

[Treyzter]

OK. So i'm in a broadcasting journalism class and I am doing a documentary about video games and how people have their own personas or egos in the video games. It will also be about why people play video games other than its fun (a more emotional approach). This documentary will be like Indie Game: The Movie in terms of style. I want this to be emotional and very deep. I came up with interview questions but my teacher said they were "ok" and that I had to come up with better questions to ask to gamers. Since this is a gaming community, can anyone come up with open end type of questions to ask about the gamer and the video games he/she plays? It needs to be deep, and emotional for the most part. For example, one of my "ok" questions were "Why do you play video games?""What video game character is your persona based off of?" etc. A gamer might be a 17 year old girl but is playing Skyrim to escape reality and her problems. I can't come up with questions because I'm a horrible writer. What are some good questions to ask about the gamer, the games he/she plays, the gamer's life? Thanks in advance!

[Clypse]

Hi there! Sounds like a nice topic for a documentary.

Questions to begin with might be: "What are your earliest memories when I comes to video games?" "What was the first game you played?" For many people gaming starts at an early age and most will tell you about the games they played in their childhood and, if they are a little older, will have some nostalgic feelings about this.
If you wan't to the documentary to be emotional, well, ask questions about emotions. ;) You could ask the players if they felt joy, pain, anger, sadness while playing. Ask them what games or which specific moments in a game made them feel a certain way. You might question them if they ever cried because of the death of character i a game or if they really felt hate for an enemy.
You allready mentioned the the girl who plays to escape reality. You can ask "What do I use games for?" Is it entertainment? Do you play to escape? Do you play to socialise? Do I play to relieve aggression? Do you want to discover something new?

Another way might be to take some games that are considered "best games of all times". Ask people why they love those games and why they think they are so good.
Or just talk to your friends about games or even browse the steam forums and look for people who totally adore a certain game. Listen closely and you might come up with questions from that conversations.

Also, you might consider to read some basics about game design. It could help you to get you a better understanding of how games work. "The Art of Game Design" by Jesse Schell gives a good introduction imo. But you can also google for "(video) game design" or look on you tube.

That's just a little brainstorming on my side, but I hope it helps a little. Good luck with your film!