Free to Play follows the story of three pro-gamers who are given the chance to win 1 million dollars from the tournament of the online video game Dota 2. The Ukrainian prodigy Dendi, the American veteran Fear, and the Singaporean talent HyHy.
Right off the bat, this is a beautifully shot and expertly edited documentary. The in game footage itself has been spiced up to fit the drama, and even though you will hear a lot of gaming jargon, it will be very clear as to whose winning or losing in the heat of things.
What I didn't expect, was the amount of emotion Free to Play builds up. You realize that these players have literally given it all to pursue a career in gaming and the pressure is on. Pretty much all three, especially HyHy, have parents who blatantly disprove their career choices and would rather have them studying and pursuing a more stable path. The film does not glamourize E-Sports as a sure fire way to fame and fortune. E-Sports is a high risk, high reward, winner takes all industry and does not guarantee a steady income. How these players deal the pressure from home, and at a tournament at such a young age is truly remarkable. Close to the end, this movie can become a real tear-jerker for the light hearted.
E-Sports is a fast growing industry, and Valve has made a great contribution to promoting it. As for the criticism that Free to Play is just an extended commercial for Dota is very unfair. It is akin to calling 'Senna' an extended commercial for Formula 1. Of course the sport in question will be featured time to time. Free to Play is a look into the human side of this sport and the motivations and challenges of the players. My only real complain is that it is a bit short. I would have loved to see another 20 minutes just to hit the 90 minute mark.
Overall, this is a solid and well made documentary. It is available to watch for free on YouTube and I would recommend playing it in full HD.
