Free to Play

Will eSports (competitive videogaming, to those of us not in the know) ever be considered as valid a pursuit as, say, football? In some part...

Will eSports (competitive videogaming, to those of us not in the know) ever be considered as valid a pursuit as, say, football? In some parts of the world it's already big business; in South Korea the top gamers are treated like pop idols and regularly coin it from big money sponsorship deals. In the west, meanwhile, only a small core of enthusiasts know the names of gaming's biggest stars – and only a tiny minority would ever consider pursuing eSports as a career.

Free to Play, a documentary produced by gaming corporation Valve, follows a handful of competitors seeking to win a share of the biggest eSports prize fund ever put together – and to secure their position as stars of the gaming world. The game is Dota 2, an action role playing title also made by Valve, in which two teams do battle on a fantastical terrain. The film's stars are Benedict "Hyhy" Lim from Singapore, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin from Ukraine, and Clinton "Fear" Loomis from the US. Each of them has faced adversity in their efforts to make a living as a professional gamer – but will any of them get a share of the $1 million prize on offer at the 2011 DotA 2 international tournament?

What the critics say

Look out for

Gaming houses

From 13m: For a brief illustration of how differently gaming is viewed in other parts of the world, skip to 13 minutes in to learn about China's gaming houses, where gaming professionals live together en masse and practice around the clock to hone their skills.

South Korea

From 18m20s: More cultural vertigo: the Korean football team received a motivational visit from the country's best-know Starcraft players to help psych them up ahead of their World Cup fixtures.

It's an age thing

14m15s: Just as with real sports, there's an expiry date on professional gamers' talents – and apparently it's just 26 years old. Any older than that, and your reaction times will be slower, and you're days of glory will be over. Hence:

Concerned parents

13m50: "It's a scary thing when you see your child put their whole life into gaming" says Clinton Loomis's mother. "What if nothing comes of it." Benedict Lim's father is similarly worried (49m50s) – what good can come of spending 15 hours a day sat at your computer, and not studying? Considering this film was made by a company with a vested interest in getting people to play games more, it's good to see it didn't shy away from the possibility that these kids might, in fact, be wasting their time.

What else?

What do you think of Free to Play? Let us know in the comment thread below.