ISU: FREE TO PLAY

KAYLI CHEN
ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL
ENGLISH
ENG4U
MR. BUCKLEY
FRIDAY, JULY 24TH, 2015

Over the past decade, society has developed tremendously, and along
with it, technology. Now, more than ever before, video games are a large
aspect of culture and life in different parts of the world. In the documentary
Free to Play, Valve Corporation demonstrates that professional video game

ISU: FREE TO PLAY

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players have difficult jobs because they must overcome personal adversity,
family pressures, and the realities of life.
The documentary follows the lives of three players that go by the
names of Benedict Hyhy Lim, Danil Dendi Ishutin, and Clinton Fear
Loomis. As the documentary progresses, it can be seen that each of the
players experience multiple hardships and misfortune while on the path to
success. To begin with, Benedict Lim encounters a major confliction between
his passion and education. During the time of his final exams, he discovers
that the largest international tournament for DotA 2 will be taking place
simultaneously. Ultimately, he decides to attend the tournament against his
parents approval. By the time he [reaches] the final day of the tournament,
Benedict has missed two exams and must repeat his last semester of school
(Free to Play, 2014). Unfortunately, he fails to win the tournament and finds
himself at a loss of what to do. Similarly, Danil Ishutin encounters misfortune
as he travels the path to becoming a professional video game player. As
Danil is growing up, his father unexpectedly passes away due to cancer. As a
result, his family begins to struggle financially and Danil learns how it feels to
live a poor life (Ishutin, 2014). With this being said, many thoughts are
constantly weighing on his mind as he decides to peruse his dreams.
Identically, Clinton Loomis has a difficult time pursuing his career because of
his fathers departure during the early stages of his childhood. As an escape
from reality, Clinton turn to video games and finds comfort in them.
Unfortunately, this becomes too much for Clintons mother to accept and she
decides that [he] just [needs] to go somewhere else (Loomis, 2014). Being
kicked out of the house, Clinton struggles to develop his skills without the
proper equipment. Through the documentary, it is clear to see that personal
adversity is a large factor in the lives of professional video game players. In
many cases, they are unable to continue competing in tournaments and
struggle to move forwards.
In addition to this, a large amount of pressure is often created by
family members and it becomes increasingly difficult to develop as players. A
common example of this is when parents pressure their children into quitting
video games and advise them to focus on school. Parents being to worry
when [they] see [their] kid putting their whole life into gaming and not
college and not the traditional things (Loomis, 2014) because "they dont
know anyone [who has] made a living at gaming (Loomis, 2014). As a result,
their children become paranoid and have a difficult time committing
themselves to their dreams. Furthermore, video game players feel an
abnormally large pressure to generate money for themselves, as well as their
families. A lot of financial responsibilities are laid upon [them] (Loomis,
2014) and it requires [them] to be successful (Loomis, 2014). For players
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like Danil or Clinton, where there is only one parent producing income, it
becomes essential for them to succeed. In correspondence, a lot of pressure
is created for these players while they are competing in tournaments.
Moreover, there is also pressure in the sense that they want to make their
parents proud. At the end of the day, people like Clinton only wish for their
parents to be more understanding and willing to support [them] (Loomis,
2014). For many, the only way to accomplish this is by succeeding and
placing first during international tournaments. In this sense, it is extremely
important for video game players to strive for success and stay determined,
as they must prevent family ideals from controlling their lives.
Finally, the realities of life also heavily impact the difficulties of being a
professional video game player. To begin with, there is a bad stigma that
surrounds e-sports. Up until 10 years ago, competitive gaming [was not]
even really a thing (Nielsen, 2014). As a result, many people have begun to
view the gaming scene as overrated and do not believe that it has the
potential for the creation of legitimate careers. This makes it extremely
difficult for players to continue believing in themselves and their ability to
succeed. Moreover, the video game industry is also incredibility time
consuming. Most players spend at least 15 hours at the computer a day
(Lim, 2014) and because of this, it is very difficult for them to maintain their
relationships with loved ones. In Benedicts case, he lost the love of his life
due to scheduling issues and it is constantly weighing on his mind. Aside
from these issues, there is also the fact that the gaming industry is very
difficult to succeed in. After the conclusion of tournaments, the big teams
get big money, but the 9th to 16th place earn nothing and their salaries are
not worth considering (Stipic, 2014). These players are living paycheck to
paycheck and if they do not win, they do not get paid. This is a difficult
lifestyle for anyone to adapt to, not just video game players. The possible
risks of going into the gaming industry are very large and can easily be
forgotten. However, professional players must be able to overcome these
obstacles if they want to succeed.
Overall, I would say that I agree strongly with the ideas embedded
within the documentary. However, this may be due to the fact that I play
video games myself and therefore, understand the passion that can come
along with them. To me, being a professional video game player is no
different than being a professional basketball player. In both cases, it is a 5
on 5 games. In basketball you have the point guard, the wings and forwards.
In Dota you have three categories too; agility, strength, and magic/intel. You
definitely have to understand the game and work on it, hone your skills (Lin,
2014). Both games take a large amount of strategy, commitment, and
discipline, but for those who are able to fully dedicate themselves, the
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outcome is miraculous. After watching and analysing Free to Play, the only
bias that I am able to find is the fact that it is created by Valve Corporation, a
company in the video game industry. Aside from this, I find that the
documentary covers many different perspectives and ideas in careful detail.
The film addresses both negative and positive aspects of the video game
industry, as it should.
In conclusion, professional video game players have very difficult jobs
because they constantly encounter personal adversity, family pressures, and
the realities of life. However, if these players are able to overcome the
negative aspects of their jobs, they will be able to succeed and create a life
where they are paid for doing what they love the most.