I've been playing games since I was a kid and I struggled for many years with people who thought online games were silly and action games made you violent. I considered this a chance to show a few insight into what gaming can really involve - passion, friendship and experiences you cannot get in the real world. ~ Ben Dressler
Let us admit it, the gamer way of life is something that not many people fully understand. /AFK The Movie looks at the life of a video gamer told to let go of the only thing he's ever loved: World of Warcraft.
To the people who do not play video games, that is referred to as quitting. For hard-core gamers and MMORPG players around the world, that's called "Euthanasia."
The film examines what life is like stepping away from the computer keyboard, to stop the one thing you adore doing, mainly because you realize that it controls everything that you do. But, what's the fine line between adoring video games and being addicted with them? Does it make a difference and should we actually care?
The subject matter of /AFK The Movie covers World of Warcraft and online gaming. But you do not need to know the difference between Horde and Alliance in order to connect with the movie. We are all hooked on something, be it cell phones, websites, video games, or chocolates (or a dangerous combination of all 4). Step "away from your mobile phone" for 1 day and see how you react. Is a cellular phone that much different than a video game? Why is one an addiction and the other is simply a habit?
I spoke with Ben Dressler, the filmmaker who made /Afk come to life.
What was the process like making the movie, and from his own perspective, what message was it attempting to communicate to gamers and those telling so-called "addicts" they have to quit:
JHS: What inspired you to write the script? Did you feel like you wanted to produce something that could possibly speak "for all WOW players?"
Two things. First of all, the feeling that no one had ever done this in the past. I believe it is truly rare that you have a concept that is kind of different and not actually on the market. When I first saw Memento I was so amazed that after decades of filmmaking, an individual could still think of something so inventive. Although we were not the first one to merge real live action and video game footage, I don't know of any film who achieved it to the extent that we did.
Second, I wanted to make a stand for gaming. I've been playing video games since I was a kid and I struggled for a long time with individuals who thought online games were stupid and action games made you chaotic. I considered this a chance to show some knowledge into what gaming really can cover - passion, friendship and experiences you can't get in real life.
JHS: In your own opinion, why do individuals feel the need to put down the "gamer" way of life?
I actually believe that they just do not know much better. The main character in /afk says at one point: It is not just me sitting in front of a coloured window." But that's exactly what individuals see whenever they see someone "game." They don't see what you think, feel or even experience as you play. I have had a lot of individuals that observed me play WoW and believed it was really boring. However when I let them play for an hour or more, they would buy the game themselves. Luckily, people who have gaming experience will grow into important positions such as journalism or politics. So at some point that inclination to look down on gamers will diminish from society, I am pretty optimistic on that.
JHS: You mentioned you basically had no budget because you could not make some money from the movie, What kind of constraints did that have on you as a moviemaker?
Since I knew there wouldn't be a budget from the beginning, I could focus on producing a script that would work with very few characters and locations. We had five days of shooting for a 25 minute motion picture that has a really small crew. And since I did not like to rush the actors too much, there was very little time left for the camera and lighting department. We also could not afford to buy a lot of props so we had to work with what we got in our houses. The room of the main character is actually made of geek items from ten people combined.
It basically came down to making lots of favors and utilizing to the best what was already there. I do think if you decide to work with that restriction, it'll easily bring about new, creative ways of telling your own story. Though I recently read that German filmmakers in particular get into Hollywood mainly because they can make cheap movies that appear to be like expensive movies. Well, that's flattering, isn't it?
JHS: What would you tell individuals who deal with individuals asking them to "quit video games."
It really is not easy to provide a general answer to that one because it depends on the situations. Generally I would recommend to try and make those individuals understand what gaming means to you. Know why they think games are brainless and show that you understand them also and take their concerns seriously. Don't just switch to retaliation mode. When I was in school, I used to speak with my mom and dad about the games I was looking forward to play and what I found interesting about them. In most cases I could make them relate to that somehow.
JHS: Based on the lack of success of some major movies, it appears very difficult to take the concept of a video game and turn it into a film - with only a few movies making an effort to "get into" the daily life of BEING a gamer. What was your experience in this regard?
I believe there are 2 types of game movies... Adaptations and Sci-Fi films. Adaptations are almost always awful OR just solid action movies with the game's name in the title... And so yeah, there's almost no movies about real gamers - to be honest I cannot name a single one. And I'm pretty in wonder about that!
But it's difficult, and I think that the people who make it must know video games as completely as movies....My point is that to really learn from Video Games as a medium, filmmakers have to understand how a game tells its story, what can be translated and what can not.
JHS: Exactly what does WOW present that hardly any other game on the face of the planet offers?
In all honesty - there are a number of video games on earth I have not played yet! However, I think that WoW did and does a terrific job at making hardcore gaming accessible to many individuals. In EverQuest days, MMORPGs were such an exclusive genre that even the majority of gamers did not know or like. These days you will raid with individuals who would not even look at themselves a true gamer. And yeah, maybe that's a piece of pioneer work that no other game can do again.
Let us admit it, the gamer way of life is something that not many people fully understand. /AFK The Movie looks at the life of a video gamer told to let go of the only thing he's ever loved: World of Warcraft.
To the people who do not play video games, that is referred to as quitting. For hard-core gamers and MMORPG players around the world, that's called "Euthanasia."
The film examines what life is like stepping away from the computer keyboard, to stop the one thing you adore doing, mainly because you realize that it controls everything that you do. But, what's the fine line between adoring video games and being addicted with them? Does it make a difference and should we actually care?
The subject matter of /AFK The Movie covers World of Warcraft and online gaming. But you do not need to know the difference between Horde and Alliance in order to connect with the movie. We are all hooked on something, be it cell phones, websites, video games, or chocolates (or a dangerous combination of all 4). Step "away from your mobile phone" for 1 day and see how you react. Is a cellular phone that much different than a video game? Why is one an addiction and the other is simply a habit?
I spoke with Ben Dressler, the filmmaker who made /Afk come to life.
What was the process like making the movie, and from his own perspective, what message was it attempting to communicate to gamers and those telling so-called "addicts" they have to quit:
JHS: What inspired you to write the script? Did you feel like you wanted to produce something that could possibly speak "for all WOW players?"
Two things. First of all, the feeling that no one had ever done this in the past. I believe it is truly rare that you have a concept that is kind of different and not actually on the market. When I first saw Memento I was so amazed that after decades of filmmaking, an individual could still think of something so inventive. Although we were not the first one to merge real live action and video game footage, I don't know of any film who achieved it to the extent that we did.
Second, I wanted to make a stand for gaming. I've been playing video games since I was a kid and I struggled for a long time with individuals who thought online games were stupid and action games made you chaotic. I considered this a chance to show some knowledge into what gaming really can cover - passion, friendship and experiences you can't get in real life.
JHS: In your own opinion, why do individuals feel the need to put down the "gamer" way of life?
I actually believe that they just do not know much better. The main character in /afk says at one point: It is not just me sitting in front of a coloured window." But that's exactly what individuals see whenever they see someone "game." They don't see what you think, feel or even experience as you play. I have had a lot of individuals that observed me play WoW and believed it was really boring. However when I let them play for an hour or more, they would buy the game themselves. Luckily, people who have gaming experience will grow into important positions such as journalism or politics. So at some point that inclination to look down on gamers will diminish from society, I am pretty optimistic on that.
JHS: You mentioned you basically had no budget because you could not make some money from the movie, What kind of constraints did that have on you as a moviemaker?
Since I knew there wouldn't be a budget from the beginning, I could focus on producing a script that would work with very few characters and locations. We had five days of shooting for a 25 minute motion picture that has a really small crew. And since I did not like to rush the actors too much, there was very little time left for the camera and lighting department. We also could not afford to buy a lot of props so we had to work with what we got in our houses. The room of the main character is actually made of geek items from ten people combined.
It basically came down to making lots of favors and utilizing to the best what was already there. I do think if you decide to work with that restriction, it'll easily bring about new, creative ways of telling your own story. Though I recently read that German filmmakers in particular get into Hollywood mainly because they can make cheap movies that appear to be like expensive movies. Well, that's flattering, isn't it?
JHS: What would you tell individuals who deal with individuals asking them to "quit video games."
It really is not easy to provide a general answer to that one because it depends on the situations. Generally I would recommend to try and make those individuals understand what gaming means to you. Know why they think games are brainless and show that you understand them also and take their concerns seriously. Don't just switch to retaliation mode. When I was in school, I used to speak with my mom and dad about the games I was looking forward to play and what I found interesting about them. In most cases I could make them relate to that somehow.
JHS: Based on the lack of success of some major movies, it appears very difficult to take the concept of a video game and turn it into a film - with only a few movies making an effort to "get into" the daily life of BEING a gamer. What was your experience in this regard?
I believe there are 2 types of game movies... Adaptations and Sci-Fi films. Adaptations are almost always awful OR just solid action movies with the game's name in the title... And so yeah, there's almost no movies about real gamers - to be honest I cannot name a single one. And I'm pretty in wonder about that!
But it's difficult, and I think that the people who make it must know video games as completely as movies....My point is that to really learn from Video Games as a medium, filmmakers have to understand how a game tells its story, what can be translated and what can not.
JHS: Exactly what does WOW present that hardly any other game on the face of the planet offers?
In all honesty - there are a number of video games on earth I have not played yet! However, I think that WoW did and does a terrific job at making hardcore gaming accessible to many individuals. In EverQuest days, MMORPGs were such an exclusive genre that even the majority of gamers did not know or like. These days you will raid with individuals who would not even look at themselves a true gamer. And yeah, maybe that's a piece of pioneer work that no other game can do again.
About the Author:
If you want a unique video game show which brings Holywood and video game together, then The Jace Hall Show is the best for you. It features movies like World of Warcraft movie as well as the discussion of World of Warcraft fans.
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