Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Second Skin

  • 20082008
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
752
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Second Skin (2008)
  • Documentary
An intimate, fascinating look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging, hugely popular genre of computer games.An intimate, fascinating look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging, hugely popular genre of computer games.An intimate, fascinating look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging, hugely popular genre of computer games.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
752
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza
  • Writer
    • Victor Pineiro-Escoriaza
  • Stars
    • Dan Bustard
    • Ashley Esqueda
    • Andrew Monkelban
Top credits
  • Director
    • Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza
  • Writer
    • Victor Pineiro-Escoriaza
  • Stars
    • Dan Bustard
    • Ashley Esqueda
    • Andrew Monkelban
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Bustard
    • Selfas Self
    Ashley Esqueda
    Ashley Esqueda
    • Selfas Self
    Andrew Monkelban
    • Selfas Self
    Nick Yee
    • Selfas Self
    • Director
      • Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza
    • Writer
      • Victor Pineiro-Escoriaza
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Second Skin
    5.0
    Second Skin
    Second Skin
    6.1
    Second Skin
    Second Skin
    6.3
    Second Skin
    Indie Game: The Movie
    7.6
    Indie Game: The Movie
    Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters
    7.5
    Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews5

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Fascinating film about the Virtual World of Gaming
    This amazing wide-ranging documentary had its world premiere this week at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. The overflow crowd here loved it. This film could have easily been done as a pro- or anti-gaming screed. Instead, it really presented a balanced picture of the gaming subculture. It demonstrated that community doesn't have to be in-person physical community and certainly can exist in virtual form. (Incidentally, this phenomenon isn't new, there are many other sorts of virtual communities that have long existed on the internet outside the gaming world.)

    It showed how these massive interactive role playing games involving millions of people - particularly World of Warcraft - can be addictive and, indeed, dangerous. It also showed the bizarre global aspect of Chinese "gold farming" where thousands are working in computerized sweatshops to earn virtual prizes to be sold to American gamers for real money. Thus these gaming communities have many of the negatives that exist in the real world, but they also have many of the positives.

    The film also shows couples who have met in the virtual world and fallen in love. It shows disabled people who are able to live better lives in the virtual world than in their own damaged physical bodies. The film shows that participants can learn much and strengthen their own self-esteem from the gaming experience. There is a danger of addiction, but most gamers seem to grow out of that after a while and live normal lives in the real world.

    The film combines both personal stories, useful statistics, and analysis from scholars who have studied the virtual world of gaming. The games come off as magnificent forms of entertainment that can used or abused like any form of entertainment - TV, alcohol, etc. The film is well-edited with fabulous graphics taken from the games themselves.

    For those of us on the outside of the gaming culture, Second Skin is a wonderful and very fair-minded introduction that shows the different aspects of this fascinating subculture. I hope this film gets a wider distribution so that more people can gain a better understanding of this somewhat hidden aspect of our society.
    helpful•39
    9
    • JustCuriosity
    • Mar 12, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 7, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • My Gaming Addiction
    • Production company
      • Pure West Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $450,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Second Skin (2008)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Second Skin (2008) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.