Despite positive reception,
[18] the documentary was criticized by some professionals in fitness, nutrition, and science communication.
[7][19] For example, sports nutrition expert
Asker Jeukendrup said, "
Game Changers ticks almost all the boxes of pseudoscience, and none of the boxes of science"
[6] while Joe Schwarcz, director of the
McGill University Office for Science and Society complained, "There is good science to be had for promoting a plant-based diet, but this film strays too much into pseudoscience for my appetite." Schwarcz criticized the film, saying "the feats of the athletes in
The Game Changers cannot be considered to be proof of the benefits of a vegan diet for athletic performance". According to Schwarcz, the evidence presented "is quite flimsy", the filmmakers indulge in
confirmation bias and
data dredging, and "some of the research cited on behalf of veganism is funded by the
organic or
avocado industries".
[5]
The journal of the Hungarian Dietetic Association
Új DIÉTA (New Diet) criticized the film, calling it "pseudoscience rather than real science" and "propaganda for veganism". The journal criticized the film for "one-sided research" and claims lacking in scientific basis, saying "
The Game Changers only includes research that is conducive to the message they want to convey, that a vegan (plant based) diet is better in all respects than a diet containing animal-derived foods". The journal opined that it is "of paramount importance" that a documentary of this type approach the topic with scientific rigor, but "instead, the filmmakers placed more emphasis (on) eliciting emotional impact than the proper scientific background". The journal observed that "the film details at length" a consensus that vegan diet "is the most ideal" from a sustainability standpoint, however, according to a study in 2020, "it cannot be stated that the vegan diet would be the most sustainable". According to the journal, the filmmakers have numerous
conflicts of interest, noting that "the speaking doctors, celebrities and professionals are all dedicated vegan activists, vegan distributors, and famous vegan fanatics like Jackie Chan or Arnold Schwarzenegger."
[20]
Mail & Guardian writer Luke Feltham criticized Wilks claim that "we are presenting the facts and letting people make their own decisions". According to Feltham, "But that's not quite true. At every turn
The Game Changers does its best to instill horror at even the thought of drinking a glass of milk. The claim is that not only is all meat—not just red meat—unhealthy for you, it will also hinder your athletic performance dramatically. There's even a neat animation of your capillaries collapsing in on themselves". Feltham also perceived a number of conflict of interests among the filmmakers, saying, "it's hard to shake the sense that there is a strong agenda here." Feltham called the film "an hour-and-a-half advertisement for vegan living" and concluded that "instead of inspiring a balanced diet,
The Game Changers happily goes to the other extreme".
[21]
Registered Dietetian SaVanna Shoemaker gave a mixed review for
Healthline: "While a vegan diet may provide several health benefits, the film tends to overstate these claims while ignoring research on other eating patterns."
[22] Paul Kita, food and nutrition editor for
Men's Health, complained of factual inaccuracies in the information presented and data taken out of context in a misleading fashion saying that the documentary "presents only one side of the facts, often via controversial sources, grand extrapolations from small studies, and statements that are flat-out misleading."
[7]
