...for the peek it provides into the psyches of three dedicated DMs (Dungeon Masters) and various other participants in the milieu of tabletop role-playing games (predominantly, Dungeons & Dragons). Director Kevin "You're Gonna Miss Me" McAlester strives for what seems to be an impartial viewpoint, but argument can be made that there remains a significant "there but for the grace of God" undertone to the proceedings. All three of the main subjects quite obviously enjoy DM-ing as a means of escape from the sometimes debilitating realities of their oft-times mundane lives. The ability to control a fantasy world goes a long way toward mitigating the frustrations of the chaos of real life. The "drow elf" woman suffers from an abusive past, the military reservist abandoned his first wife and family, and the wannabee fantasy author is supported by a staid, hard-working wife.
It's hard to ignore the observation that these people, along with many of the supernumeraries, are overweight, lower-middle class, white people (there's only one African-American apparent throughout the film), and that the vast majority of the population of RPGers is male. Aspersions to the side, it's difficult to avoid noticing the essential escapist nature of RPGing. However, that said, is this really much different from the masses of people who fanatically follow favorite sports teams, or dote on the antics of favored celebrities, or are glued to TV sets tuned to "reality" shows like "Survivor" or "American Idol?" Or, for that matter, is it any different than focusing attention on any of a multitude of computer games, most of which are direct lineal descendants of RPGs like "Dungeons & Dragons?" Aided by precise and evocative camera-work from noted DP, Lee "Dazed and Confused" Daniel, director McAlester points an unflinching eye at a niche population in much the same way as similar docs, "Confessions of a Superhero" (costumed panhandling) and a LARPing doc the title of which escapes me at the moment. These folks may not be role models, but they're surely human beings subject to the same travails as all of us. Just as surely, something worthwhile can be learned from them.
It's hard to ignore the observation that these people, along with many of the supernumeraries, are overweight, lower-middle class, white people (there's only one African-American apparent throughout the film), and that the vast majority of the population of RPGers is male. Aspersions to the side, it's difficult to avoid noticing the essential escapist nature of RPGing. However, that said, is this really much different from the masses of people who fanatically follow favorite sports teams, or dote on the antics of favored celebrities, or are glued to TV sets tuned to "reality" shows like "Survivor" or "American Idol?" Or, for that matter, is it any different than focusing attention on any of a multitude of computer games, most of which are direct lineal descendants of RPGs like "Dungeons & Dragons?" Aided by precise and evocative camera-work from noted DP, Lee "Dazed and Confused" Daniel, director McAlester points an unflinching eye at a niche population in much the same way as similar docs, "Confessions of a Superhero" (costumed panhandling) and a LARPing doc the title of which escapes me at the moment. These folks may not be role models, but they're surely human beings subject to the same travails as all of us. Just as surely, something worthwhile can be learned from them.
