Frag (2008)

Below the surface of a simple game is an underbelly of corruption, money, partying, drugs, and even death.

Director:

Mike Pasley

Stars:

Michal Blicharz, Rafik Bryant, Sassan Dibadj

Cast

Credited cast:
Michal Blicharz	...	Himself
Rafik Bryant	...	Himself
Sassan Dibadj	...	Himself
Billy Mitchell	...	Himself
Angel Munoz	...	Himself
Todd Rogers	...	Himself
Steve Sanders	...	Himself
Daniel Serna	...	Himself
Johnathan Wendel	...	Himself

Storyline

The true story of professional video gaming. Almost everyone in the world has played a video game, but some kids do it for a living. FRAG shed light on the struggles that kids face while trying to break into and maintain success in pro gaming. At a young age, they are faced with making adult decisions that impact the rest of their lives. Below the surface of a simple game is an underbelly of corruption, money, drugs, and even death. Exploited, abused, and abandoned, most gamers fail to reach the top, but like all sports, there are heroes, FRAG pulls the curtain back on the biggest sport industry in the world..one that you know nothing about.

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Plot Keywords:

video arcade | arcade | game designer | independent film

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Taglines:

Pro gaming is about to explode...and no one is safe

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 2008 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cohesion Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 88 min (original)

Color:

Color (HDCAM)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

A fairly pedestrian effort.

I don't play a lot of video games, but this looked like an interesting doc and certainly a decent waste of my time. After all, times are changing, new revenue streams are always opening, and new careers and incomes are developed. Often times the best documentaries are on subjects you either have no knowledge about, or subjects that seem uninteresting. For example, Spellbound, a doc on spelling bees is amazing.

However, Frag, does not deliver. It's far too long with its running time of just under an hour and a half. It was simply bloated and did not deliver. Where were the hard hitting answers to the problems it raised? Drugs, corruption in the corporate ranks etc… While some of the gamers themselves were interesting, not enough was spent on them and their lives. (With the exception of Rafik; but Rafik was easily the most interesting, and a whole doc could be made on him alone and his struggles.) I'm sure this will appeal to most hardcore gamers, but I have a hard time seeing this develop a following like Air Guitar Nation or King of Kong, or remembered years down the line.