The Gamers (film)

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Not to be confused with Gamers: The Movie.

The Gamers

Directed by	Matt Vancil
Written by	Matt Vancil
Starring	Matt Cameron Chris Duppenthaler Justin MacGregor Emily Olson Phil M. Price
Running time	48 mins
Country	United States
Language	English
Followed by	The Gamers: Dorkness Rising
IMDb profile

The Gamers is a 2002 very-low-budget cult film written and directed by Matt Vancil and produced by independent movie company Dead Gentlemen Productions. It is often shown at gaming conventions. A sequel entitled The Gamers: Dorkness Rising was set to be released in 2006, but as of 2008 it has not been released.

1 Plot
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Plot

This movie follows a group of gamers as they play a role-playing game. At the same time, it follows their characters through the fantasy world they inhabit, as they attempt to reach the lair of "The Shadow" and defeat him. The scenes flip between the gamers in their dorm and their characters in the fantasy world (played by the same actors who play their gamer counterparts). The movie makes fun of both gamer stereotypes and the absurdity of many RPG rules and traditions. The game is frequently interrupted by a girl who lives down the hallway, telling them to be quiet.

In a bizarre twist, the characters cross over into the real world and kill their real-world counterparts. They are then confused when they find all the gaming documents about them.

[edit] References

The film makes reference to many real issues that arise in role-playing game systems and amongst roleplaying game groups. These include:

Treatment of absent players: one player is absent from the table for most of the film. In most in-character scenes, he is shown simply standing motionless off to the side, being ignored by everyone present (even the enemies). This enables him to escape capture and subdual by a group of bandits, only for the player to arrive at the exact right moment to slay the bandits and rescue his comrades. In real role-playing sessions there is often difficulty and arguments over control of characters whose players are absent from the game.

Random probabilities: in many roleplaying games, a character's level of ability (for example, their strength) translates into a percentage chance that a particular action is possible. This means that on rare occasions a highly able character may fail while a less able one succeeds at the same action. Several instances of this occur in the film, in situations selected to highlight the ridiculous results this can produce.

Rogue tradeoff: many fantasy RPGs include a "rogue" character who is sneaky and cunning but somewhat weak, and a "fighter" type character who lacks those skills but is strong and tough. Unless the game is carefully balanced by both the designer and the GM, the rogue character can lose out because his skills do not balance his weakness. In the film, this is portrayed by a rogue character who repeatedly attempts to use stealth and guile to cross a chamber holding a fire trap, but failing and dying each time. The fighter then attempts to cross the chamber with no such skill, and succeeds because although he is hit by the trap, he is tough enough to not be killed or even significantly hurt by it.