Kyle Mitchell
Free to Play is a documentary focusing on the competitive scene of the popular video game, Defense of the Ancients, or commonly referred to as DOTA. It highlights some of the personal experiences behind well- known players in the scene, as well as provide details about their backgrounds and how they came to be professional gamers. The film mainly goes over one tournament in specific, The International. The tournament was record breaking at the time of its creation, with over $1,500,000 in prize money. It was held in 2011 in Cologne, Germany and had 16 different teams compete.The film went over the lives and beginnings of the three players, Benedict "Hyhy" Lim, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin and Clinton "Fear" Loomis. They were each on different teams, Scythe Gaming, Natus Vincere, and Online Kingdom respectively. The three players all had different ways that they found their teams and ended up competing, and they all had very different backgrounds.One of the ways that the film communicates these ideas is to have players come on camera and have a one-on-one conversation with the camera, explaining their actions and providing background on their thoughts. That method of exposition lets us connect to the characters far more than simply introducing them as part of the story. We are able to really relate to these people because their lives can seem so similar to ours on some of the most basic levels. They go through almost everything everyone else does, they have families, school, etc. They also just happen to be really interested in gaming. It really goes into detail about how they treat gaming as a whole, and how their families reacted to their devotion to DOTA. It gives us insight as to how these players discovered the gaming world, and what they plan to do with their new interests.The film also covered the events of the tournament itself, from start to finish. We saw the advancement of the players in the tournament, as well as all of the worries that they had, communicated to us via the players speaking to the camera directly. The film makes us feel almost as if we are in the tournament. The speed quickened and slowed with certain events that were high and low points, it gave us occasional pauses to think about what was happening, as well as provide a window of opportunity for the players to speak their minds.The target audience of this film was most likely to people who play these games normally, and would like to get into the competitive scene of any sort of video game in general. It also could be for people who do not know much about gaming culture and wish to understand more of it. Either way, this film did exactly that, and very effectively. Even if you did not understand much at all about DOTA or any other game like it, the film was also able to accurately describe the terms within these games that may have been confusing to people not familiar with the gaming culture. Every time a new term was introduced, they would show the word and the definition on the screen, and give enough time to read and absorb it.Overall the film did an amazing job of bringing us into the world of the competitive gamer, from describing the average backgrounds that these people came from, to the process of entering the competitive scene, and so on. I highly recommend anyone interested in gaming culture even in the slightest to go see it for themselves. The film itself is easy to access, as well. It's available for free on YouTube in full HD, so go watch it. You won't regret it.
Delangsta
It's a well made documentary and the individual stories are well told, but Free to Play is really just a really long advertisement for Valve's video game, DOTA 2.It's not a problem if you're into the game and would like to learn a bit more about it's e-sport presence, but the title is a little misleading since there are many types of games out there in the 'free to play' category and not a single one of them is covered in this documentary.It's part of Valve's campaign to nurture and grow the e-sports scene, which is commendable and allows me to forgive them for being a bit deceiving with this effort.
Nattawat Khempromma
It was great ! I'm so exciting with this movie. It can make you to be cry. Good Story. Not have to use much money to make this movie! but is just use idea to make it. I can feel is too good movie. I can't explain how this feel. You must watch it by yourself. And think to much when you watch. When you come to the end of the movie You will like to share best story and maybe is can make you to be sad when you join in movie this movie have a lot of epigram to teach you! and it can be Inspiration to make you to serious in something you need and want to make it success. you will have the team you cheer buy if the lose then you feel sad but i not tell you which team is lose just watch it buy your self ha ! Don't have the say to much. Just Watch It !
Akash Shende
I play Dota myself occasionally and only through this game have I become introduced to the E-Sports scene. I have never accepted and recognised the sacrifices that these E-Sport players really make. When I thought of pro-gaming, I imagined a normal teenager juggling his social life, studies and gaming separately with ease. It is only through this documentary that I have come to come to terms the real sacrifices that a gamer in the pro scene makes, the life changing decisions they make and the struggle to get to where they have become and to break out into the scene. It does stir some emotions within you and you really start to appreciate the decisions they have made to pursue a career that has not been well recognised by modern society, a career that has been stigmatised with addiction and just plainly being a 'waste of time'. The documentary delves deep into these issues and the shows the attempts made by pro gamers to break free from these false views to truly make this career something they love doing and a career that others can appreciate. It shows how the prize pool for DOTA 2 International laid the foundations for the strong E-Sports community that is present today and the establishment for a much bigger scene in the future.
