I’ve been playing games since I was a kid and I struggled for years with people who thought online games were stupid and action games made you violent. I considered this a chance to present some insight into what gaming really can be about – passion, friendship and experiences you can’t get in the real world.
~ Ben Dressler
Let’s face it, the gamer lifestyle is something that not a lot of people understand. /AFK The Movie examines the life of a gamer told to give up the only thing he’s ever loved: World of Warcraft.
To people that don’t play video games, that’s called 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 keyboard, to cut off the one thing you love doing, mainly because you realize that it controls everything that you do. But, what’s the fine line between loving video games and being obsessed with them? Does it make a difference and should we even care?
The subject matter of /AFK The Movie covers World of Warcraft and online gaming. But you don’t need to know the difference between Horde and Alliance to connect with the film. We’re all addicted to something, be it cell phones, websites, video games, or chocolate (or a dangerous combination of all four). Step “away from your cell phone” for a day and see how you react. Is a cell 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 creating the film, and from his perspective, what message was it trying to communicate to gamers and those telling so-called “addicts” they need to quit:
JHS: What motivated you to write the script? Did you feel like you wanted to write something that could speak “for all WOW players?”
Two things. First, the feeling that no one had ever done this before. I think it is really rare that you have an idea that is kinda unique and not really out there. When I first saw Memento I was just so amazed that after decades of filmmaking, someone could still come up with something so inventive. And even though we were not the first to combine real live action and video game footage, I don’t know of any film who did it to the extent that we did.
Second, I wanted to make a stand for gaming. I’ve been playing games since I was a kid and I struggled for years with people who thought online games were stupid and action games made you violent. I considered this a chance to present some insight into what gaming really can be about – passion, friendship and experiences you can’t get in the real world.
JHS: In your opinion, why do people feel the need to put down the “gamer” lifestyle?
I honestly believe that they just don’t know better. The main character in /afk says at one point: “It’s not just me sitting in front of a coloured window.” But that is exactly what people see when they see someone “game.” They don’t see what you think, feel or experience while you play. I’ve had so many people that watched me play WoW and thought it was really boring. But when I let them play for an hour or so, they would buy the game themselves. Luckily, people with gaming experience will grow into important positions like in journalism or politics. So eventually that tendency to look down on gamers will fade from society, I’m pretty optimistic on that.
JHS: You said you basically had no budget because you couldn’t profit off the film, What kind of restrictions did that put on you as a filmmaker?
Since I knew there wouldn’t be a budget from the start, I could focus on writing a script that would work with very few characters and locations. We had five days of shooting for a 25 minute film with a very small crew. And since I didn’t want to rush the actors too much, there was very little time left for the camera and lighting department. We also couldn’t afford to buy a lot of props so we had to work with what we got in our homes. The room of the main character is basically made of geek stuff from ten people combined.
It basically came down to pulling a lot of favors and using to the best what was already there. I think if you decide to work with that restriction, it’ll automatically lead to new, creative ways of telling your story. Though I recently read that German filmmakers in particular get into Hollywood mainly because they can make cheap films that look like expensive films. Well, that is flattering, isn’t it?
JHS: What would you tell those who deal with people telling them to “quit video games.”
It is really difficult to give a general answer to that one because it depends on the circumstances. Generally I would recommend to try and make those people understand what gaming means to you. Find out why they think games are stupid and show that you understand them as well and take their concerns seriously. Don’t just switch to retaliation mode. When I was in school, I used to talk to my parents about the games I was looking forward to play and what I found fascinating about them. Usually I could make them relate to that somehow.
JHS: Based on the lack of success of some major motion pictures, it seams very challenging to take the concept of a video game and turn it into a movie–with very few films making an effort to “get into” the life of BEING a gamer. What was your experience in this regard?
I think there are two types of game movies…Adaptations and Sci-Fi films. Adaptations are almost always awful OR just solid action films with the game’s name in the title…So yeah, there is almost no films about real gamers-to be honest I can’t name a single one. And I’m quite in wonder about that!
But it is difficult, and I think that the people who make it must know video games as thoroughly as films….My point is that to really learn from Video Games as a medium, filmmakers need to understand how a game tells its story, what can be translated and what can not.
JHS: What does WOW offer that no other game on the face of the planet offers?
In all honesty – there are a couple of games on the planet I haven’t played yet! However, I think that WoW did and does an incredible job at making hardcore gaming accessible to all kinds of people. Back in EverQuest days, MMORPGs were such an exclusive genre that even most gamers didn’t know or care about. Today you will raid with people who wouldn’t even consider themselves a real gamer. And yeah, maybe that is a piece of pioneer work that no other game can repeat ever again.
Paul Nyhart – who has written 891 posts on The Jace Hall Show.
Paul Nyhart is the Head Editor and Writer of JaceHallShow.com covering everything from game reviews and previews to the cultural impact of video games.

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