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Another SXSW has come and gone here in Austin, TX, and as the dust settles, there are a few gems that we came across to share with you. One of this year's documentary entrances was an interesting look in the MMO culture with Second Skin. There is plenty of media out there following and commenting on gaming culture, so it was refreshing to see a true documentary that was not biased and showed a broad enough spectrum to actually enlighten the viewer about this rapidly growing pastime. They followed a group of friends who were engrossed in World of Warcraft and showed their lives taking many turns during the duration of filming. They also depicted some of the good and the bad that is now associated with the culture.
As with any activity, there are those individuals who become so engrossed it becomes an obsession. They did a good job of showing this side as a relevant scenario to the MMO culture without slanting it to look like MMO players are just mindless, machine-loving drones. They follow a man who threw everything away by refusing to get up from the game. They also show him dealing with this addiction and rebuilding his life.
You obviously couldn't talk about MMO culture without talking about those who successfully find love online. There are many of us who now know at least one person or couple that met playing online games and had it blossom into a real world love. Besides love, there are many other social bonds that find their way out of the game and into our everyday lives. Clans and other social groups bind together in the real world, further infiltrating parts of players' daily lives.
If you have ever found yourself trying to explain what it was to be an MMO player, this is a very unique look at the community and a way to introduce others to what it is like, both good and possibly bad. This is a must see for anyone who calls themselves a gamer. Catch the trailer and future distribution here. |