Trailer for Beyond the Game, which screened at 2009 Vancouver International Film Festival.
The reality of the video game World of Warcraft boasts more than ten million inhabitants. Now, two of them are locked on a collision course in the virtual universe. In one corner is China’s Sky, who endured his parents’ abusive deterrents to become a championship video gamer. Standing between Sky and another World Cyber Games gold medal is Grubby. The Dutch upstart’s penchant for playing villains in the Warcraft realm lends him a nefarious air in this battle of wills and skills.
Jos de Putter’s lively documentary confirms that the arena of competitive gaming makes for highly compelling viewing while amply illustrating how the "virtual worlds" of the Warcraft class of games are so easy to get lost in (indeed, much of his film makes you feel as if you were actually in the game itself). Profiling both the gaming subculture--competitions take place in China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and elsewhere, culminating in the World Cyber Games held in Seattle--and its key players (who enjoy surprising celebrity status), de Putter capably sets the stage for the climactic duel. When Sky and Grubby finally throw down, "screen captures" of the showdown, play-by-play commentary and the furious clacking of keys lend the proceedings as much drama as any of cinema’s great “big game” moments.