In Cullen Hoback's documentary Monster Camp, we examine the lives of several members of the Seattle chapter of NERO, the New England Role Playing Organization. The members participate in weekend long events every few months where they go into combat as a character of their choosing, or the game's choosing. There are humans, elves, trolls, and even something called a "Death Moth" that can eat your brain and control your mind.
NERO is essentially a culmination of Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, and any other role playing game (RPG) you can think of. There are PC's or player character, which are the people who chose to play as a character with a name, history, and special powers. There are also NPC's, or non player characters. These are the monsters, goblins, and other baddies that try to take down the PC's.
The group consists of several members, including some who travel hundreds of miles to take part in the huge event. Over the course of a weekend, members fight at all hours of the day and night, depending on what the plot members conjure up. The folks behind the scene take care of the monster costumes, plot lines, and schedules for the events. They are basically the gods of the game and what they say goes.
What I like about this film is that we are not shown the game from a specific angle or particular bias. We are shown the truth and nothing but the truth. For the majority of audience members, these people will seem like social misfits and nerdy outcasts. I see a group of people who share a common interest and an understanding for their desire to become someone else.
The film consists of mostly in field reporting during battles and the time in between. There is no narration but some some title cards fill in some information not told to us through the footage. It's nothing glamorous like a Michael Moore documentary, but it's still exciting nonetheless.
I found this to be a very enlightening film. It's not everyday that you get to see such a select group of people doing what they love; role playing. There are millions of people around the world that play games like World of Warcraft or Dungeons and Dragons, but only a handful of those play these games in real life. This is a light, informative, and nonjudgmental film. With a run-time of under 90 minutes, I think you all can spare the time to watch these people in their element.
NERO is essentially a culmination of Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, and any other role playing game (RPG) you can think of. There are PC's or player character, which are the people who chose to play as a character with a name, history, and special powers. There are also NPC's, or non player characters. These are the monsters, goblins, and other baddies that try to take down the PC's.
The group consists of several members, including some who travel hundreds of miles to take part in the huge event. Over the course of a weekend, members fight at all hours of the day and night, depending on what the plot members conjure up. The folks behind the scene take care of the monster costumes, plot lines, and schedules for the events. They are basically the gods of the game and what they say goes.
What I like about this film is that we are not shown the game from a specific angle or particular bias. We are shown the truth and nothing but the truth. For the majority of audience members, these people will seem like social misfits and nerdy outcasts. I see a group of people who share a common interest and an understanding for their desire to become someone else.
The film consists of mostly in field reporting during battles and the time in between. There is no narration but some some title cards fill in some information not told to us through the footage. It's nothing glamorous like a Michael Moore documentary, but it's still exciting nonetheless.
I found this to be a very enlightening film. It's not everyday that you get to see such a select group of people doing what they love; role playing. There are millions of people around the world that play games like World of Warcraft or Dungeons and Dragons, but only a handful of those play these games in real life. This is a light, informative, and nonjudgmental film. With a run-time of under 90 minutes, I think you all can spare the time to watch these people in their element.