Despite "Diary of a Camper"s importance in establishing machinima, commentators have criticized the film's actual content. Marino called the plot "simple"; likewise, Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd believed that "it wasn't much of a story", and Lowood wrote that "the plot offers little more than a brief sequence of inside jokes". Among major "Quake" movie review sites, Roger Matthews of the "Quake" Movie Library called the film "not much more than a deathmatch with a camera". On Psyk's Popcorn Jungle, Paul Coates wrote, "This movie is "dull". It is "not very interesting"." Stephen Lum of The Cineplex criticized the film for its "weird humour".