The Documentary That Ignited Esports in the West
By: Phillip Caron
Tags: Digital Life, Esport, Videogames, Features, Gaming

The Documentary That Ignited Esports in the West

“One way to forget about pain is to do something that you will be in completely.” Danil “Dendi” Ishutin

One million dollars. Can you imagine? You win a massive international video game tournament, and you and your team walk away with one million dollars. Valve held the first-ever “International” on August 17–21st 2011, in Seattle, Washington.

The Ukrainian team Natus Vincere that won the tournament, walked away victorious in dramatic famous.

The prize pool combined with high-level tournament drama were the kindling esports that needed to explode in the west. Much of the rest of the world already understood the limitless potential nestled within video game competitions, but the US was one of the last to join the fray.

There needed to be a massive event with enough leverage to draw in the casual audience, and Valve hit the nail on the head.

The International and it’s subsequent documentary Free To Play changed the minds of anyone left on the fence about the importance of the competitive gaming scene.

Source: Valve.

The State of Esports in 2011

Starcraft 2 was massive back in 2011, with 789 tournaments that year and a combined prize pool of just over $3 million, while Call of Duty held five tournaments with just over one million in total prizes.

To imagine Valve stepping in with a one million dollar prize for a single tournament, you can begin to understand how this tournament set the video game world on fire.

Childhood dreams were beginning to come to fruition. Dreams no one thought possible.

Year after year, the international came to Seattle, and year after year, I didn’t go. I regret that decision, and if the International ever reappears within the city, I will be the first one buying tickets.

Three years after the first International, the second wave of excitement washed over us, thanks to a documentary of all things.

Along came Free To Play.

The Single Best Video Game Documentary Enters The Scene

Free To Play was produced by Valve and released on YouTube in 2014, three years after the first tournament. The film was a short one hour and fifteen minutes, but editors used every minute to perfection.

The story follows three players as they pursue their dreams through the course of the tournament. “HyHy,” “Dendi,” and “Fear” each contained their unique struggles, perspectives, and fears as they navigated how video games would integrate with their lives, a battle all of us can find relatable.

Source: Valve.

What Free To Play Got Right

The decision to follow these players and their struggle with video games’ role in their life gave esports much-needed personality. No longer were video game competitions seen to the outside world as kids playing a game on a computer.

Instead, what translated through the documentary was all of the drama, intrigue, and hope traditional sports provided that, just repackaged for a new, underrepresented audience.

I could relate to the struggles of each of the pros. I was trying to find a healthy and productive role in gaming in my life.

These gamers were the pioneers of a brand new industry.

They had to forge ahead with little to no support from the outside world. The reward? A chance to blaze a path through an untraveled wilderness. A chance to play games at a professional level. They are now finally starting to receive the level of respect they deserve.

Free To Play captured the dilemma with precise editing and a deep philosophical understanding of these real-world problems.

Source: Valve.

The Tournament Coverage

Free To Play revealed video game tournament’s capacity for excitement. DotA tournaments are long and exhausting. Anyone who watches these competitions understands why we consider these players athletes.

The drama unfolds bracket after bracket with all of the intensity of any conventional sport.

We once again look back to the video editor’s deep understanding of gaming philosophy as they knew which scenes to leave and which to leave out.

The tournament’s narration was a perfect blend between the casual and hardcore audiences as they stopped only briefly to explain the mechanics of gameplay.

These decisions helped seal Free To Play’s fate as an excellent documentary.

Source: Valve.

The Future Looks Bright

Free To Play paved the way for casual audiences to enjoy gaming competitions, which have sprouted hundreds of gaming tournaments in the west over the last five years. We’ve witnessed everything from Fortnite to Warzone in the past few years, and I believe that it is mainly due to Free To Play’s influence on the casual audience.

I have dropped a link to the full documentary below, and Valve amazes us with beautiful documentaries that recap each year’s tournament.

This article is a thank you for the great work on what will become a memorable piece of gaming and esports history for years to come.