EPTHmm... there's really no thread about this yet? I guess not enough folks could pull themselves away from those awesome Dear vs HerO matches to watch television...
Seriously... if you're in Canada, go watch it.
http://www.globaltv.com/obsessions/index.html
Rise of the eSports Hero aired up here in Canada at 8PM on Global. A VOD of the complete episode will be up on Global's website come Sunday, albeit restricted to Canadian viewers. Folks outside of Canada will unfortunately have to wait until they ink distribution deals in other countries.
To the best of my knowledge, it's the first contemporary eSports documentary to appear on broadcast television in North America, and it aired in an hour-long primetime slot. That's huge. Even opposite the Leafs game and a big figure skating championship, hundreds of thousands of Canadians, the vast majority of whom had probably never heard of eSports, will have watched this documentary tonight.
The film opens with an introduction to Evil Geniuses in the context of a broad overview of StarCraft 2 and its professional scene, including a lot of clips of Artosis and Alex Garfield explaining the business and competition (with a who's who of well known eSports personalities chiming in with sound bites here and there). They hit all the important points, and enormous crowds of screaming fans at MLG Orlando highlighted just how big and exciting these competitions can be.
Geoff "iNcontroL" Robinson takes the spotlight first with a really touching story of his mom skipping rent to send him to WCG and launch his eSports career. Chris "HuK" Loranger and his dad show up next. Without ever having to say so, the filmmakers present the players' families as some of the real heroes of eSports. It makes Greg "IdrA" Fields's lack of parental approval seem even harsher by comparison.
The second act follows the EG players through their run at MLG Orlando 2011. Much of it is just footage of the players and gameplay with minimal editorial commentary. I thought that letting the energy of the tournament speak for itself did a good job of conveying the eSports experience. Anna comforts iNcontroL after an early loss. They move onto IdrA's epic defeat of Boxer (I still remember that match more than 2 years later...) and eventual loss to MC. And finally, HuK going through to win the whole thing, setting him up as the foreigner hope for SC2.
Act three offers a small taste of HuK's problems with management but quickly shifts gears to give us a taste of the training environments, both in Korea and the old EG Lair in Arizona. A significant portion concentrates on Geoff's relationship with Anna. The final segment heads to IPL 4, delving into gamer psychology as IdrA takes a devastating loss to Bomber.
Act four turns to focus more on the management of EG as HuK gets knocked out as well. We even see a montage of Alex Garfield running through the streets of San Francisco. I was quite surprised by how much focus and screen time Alex gets in this documentary. He's always been more of a behind the scenes guy, letting people like iNcontroL or SirScoots be the public face of his company, but in this documentary, he's practically the fourth musketeer.
The second half of that act and most of the fifth deals with Geoff's potential caster transition. Here in late 2013, we have the benefit of knowing how that turned out, but back in 2011 his declining results and attempts to juggle roles created problems. With disappointed performances at MLG Anaheim and high hopes for the upcoming NASL finals in Toronto, the filmmakers set up more conflict. They kinda go out of their way to present Chris as a spoiled little asshole...
Which sets up the final act. Prior to this documentary and the media circuit he did to promote it, I hadn't been aware of just how rough his childhood in Florida had been. Instant sympathy. Despite his crushing 0-3 loss to Alicia in front of the hometown crowd, they manage to end the documentary on an upbeat note.
I though Rise of the eSports Hero did a fantastic job of presenting StarCraft II and eSports to the general public. Indeed, it made a career in eSports seem rather glamourous. Ultimately, however, it was less about the industry than it was about the people. The primary target audience may have the uninitiated laymen, but there were more than enough insider tidbits to satisfy even those of us who've been following the scene for a while. They actually managed to catch Greg smiling in a charming but fleeting birthday party video.
I found that the real take home message of this film was not merely how hard these pro gamers work to achieve their dreams but the importance of the people supporting them, and that's a side of eSports that the fans rarely see. Even if viewers don't appreciate the gameplay footage, the reaction shots of Alex and others in the crowd tell them all they need to know.
That shot near the end of HuK's dad (who clearly doesn't understand the game) standing behind Chris while his brother explains what a colossus is? Priceless. Seriously, HuK's dad is adorable and awesome.
Anna is just as amazing. She has a really touching segment describing how she needs to feel out how much comfort Geoff needs when he loses. The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and every guy watching will be insanely jealous. iNcontroL's story arc in this film ends with him walking down the aisle and kissing the bride.
I really hope that Landrock and the others behind this documentary can get it into the hands of viewers outside of Canada, because you all need to see it. And it's definitely something you want to show to your friends and family to help them understand just why you love eSports.
. It also has a part with Anna making the cake, it should be on EG's youtube channel)
A great look at the people and passion of E-sports.
