The Gamers (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Gamers


caption =
director = Matt Vancil
producer =
writer = Matt Vancil
narrator =
starring = Matt Cameron
Chris Duppenthaler
Justin MacGregor
Emily Olson
Phil M. Price
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =
released =
runtime = 48 mins
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0369445

"The Gamers" is a 2002 very-low-budget cult film written and directed by Matt Vancil and produced by independent movie company Dead Gentlemen Productions. It is an affectionate spoof of role-playing games, and often shown at gaming conventions. A sequel entitled "" was set to be released in 2006, but was delayed due to problems finding a distributor; it was eventually released on DVD in August 2008 at conventions and online.

Plot

The movie flips between following a group of gamers in a dorm immersed in a role-playing game, and their characters (played by the same actors) as they journey through a world of fantasy and wonder to defeat "The Shadow" and rescue a princess. The latter is theoretically a heroic quest, but while the game master attempts to foster in a narrative, the players tend to be more interested in their characters' tolerance for ale, whether there's anything in the rulebooks that forbids applying the sneak attack damage multiplier to siege weaponry, et cetera.

The movie both makes fun of gamer stereotypes and plays the discrepancy between an optimal RPG plot and the events of an actual RPG session for maximum absurdity. Characters attempting something dangerous freeze as dice clatter in the distance. The party thief picks the pocket of a bystander, then steals that bystander's pants to see if his skill statistics allow it. Characters spring to action, then keel over as their players forget and are reminded that the characters are asleep. Players argue and make snack runs, and their game is frequently interrupted by a girl from the same dorm who demands they keep quiet.

The Shadow is eventually defeated, and the movie ends by having the game characters cross over into the real world and kill their real-world counterparts. They are then confused by the documents about themselves and by the foul-mouthed nature of their "Princess."

References

The film makes reference to many real issues that arise in role-playing game systems and amongst roleplaying game groups. These include:

* Treatment of absent players: one player is absent from the table for most of the film. In most in-character scenes, he is shown simply standing motionless off to the side, being ignored by everyone present (even the enemies). This enables him to escape capture and subdual by a group of bandits, only for the player to arrive at the exact right moment to slay the bandits and rescue his comrades. In real role-playing sessions there is often difficulty and arguments over control of characters whose players are absent from the game.

* Random probabilities: in many roleplaying games, a character's level of ability (for example, their strength) translates into a percentage chance that a particular action is possible. This means that on rare occasions a highly able character may fail while a less able one succeeds at the same action. Several instances of this occur in the film, in situations selected to highlight the ridiculous results this can produce.

* Dead players: Player's characters can die in RPGs, leading to a difficult choice: That player must stop playing and leave the game entirely, or create a new character. When choosing the latter, that character must be inserted into the game's story, which often takes place in a contrived manner.

* Rogue tradeoff: many fantasy RPGs include a "rogue" character who is sneaky and cunning but somewhat weak, and a "fighter" type character who lacks those skills but is strong and tough. Unless the game is carefully balanced by both the designer and the GM, the rogue character can lose out because his skills do not balance his weakness. In the film, this is portrayed by a rogue character who repeatedly attempts to use stealth and guile to cross a chamber holding a fire trap, but failing and dying each time. The fighter then attempts to cross the chamber with no such skill, and succeeds because although he is hit by the trap, he is tough enough to not be killed or even significantly hurt by it.

See also

* "Fellowship of the Dice", starring Aimee Graham

External links

* [http://www.deadgentlemen.com/gamers/ Official site]
*imdb title|id=0369445|title=The Gamers