Free to Play (2014) User Reviews

Unexpectedly riveting.

[Phoenix-24 · 9/10 · 20 March 2014]

I had intended to just watch the opening, after so many people I know were recommending this to me. "I gave it a shot," I was going to say. "It's just not my thing." Minutes later, I was shushing my family so I could hear the movie. I couldn't turn it off until the credits rolled. SO good. Such a fantastic character study of these quite different people, their quite different lives, and their shared dedication to Dota.

I'm not into Dota. Not even a little. I think I played it one time, and didn't enjoy it. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this either. 75 minutes of Dota? Yawn.

But it's not 75 minutes of Dota. In fact, for a documentary about a Dota tournament, there's very little Dota in it. They don't really explain the game much at all, or why certain units were chosen over others. This was 100% fine with me (since, let me stress, I am not into Dota). Instead, it was all about the _players_, and was incredibly compelling.

Who do you cheer for, when you have sympathy for all of them?

A surprisingly emotional look into the growing world of E-Sports.

[hanz12891 · 8/10 · 19 March 2014]

Free to Play follows the story of three pro-gamers who are given the chance to win 1 million dollars from the tournament of the online video game Dota 2. The Ukrainian prodigy Dendi, the American veteran Fear, and the Singaporean talent HyHy.

Right off the bat, this is a beautifully shot and expertly edited documentary. The in game footage itself has been spiced up to fit the drama, and even though you will hear a lot of gaming jargon, it will be very clear as to whose winning or losing in the heat of things.

What I didn't expect, was the amount of emotion Free to Play builds up. You realize that these players have literally given it all to pursue a career in gaming and the pressure is on. Pretty much all three, especially HyHy, have parents who blatantly disprove their career choices and would rather have them studying and pursuing a more stable path. The film does not glamourize E-Sports as a sure fire way to fame and fortune. E-Sports is a high risk, high reward, winner takes all industry and does not guarantee a steady income. How these players deal the pressure from home, and at a tournament at such a young age is truly remarkable. Close to the end, this movie can become a real tear-jerker for the light hearted.

E-Sports is a fast growing industry, and Valve has made a great contribution to promoting it. As for the criticism that Free to Play is just an extended commercial for Dota is very unfair. It is akin to calling 'Senna' an extended commercial for Formula 1. Of course the sport in question will be featured time to time. Free to Play is a look into the human side of this sport and the motivations and challenges of the players. My only real complain is that it is a bit short. I would have loved to see another 20 minutes just to hit the 90 minute mark.

Overall, this is a solid and well made documentary. It is available to watch for free on YouTube and I would recommend playing it in full HD.

Well made documentary with little flaws.

[MatthiasK90 · 9/10 · 19 March 2014]

Great documentary about the topic e-sports and the actual players behind it. The focus lies on 3 professional dota2 players (Dendi, hyhy and fear) and their way to, and eventually in, the biggest e-sports-tournament (1000.000$ prize pool), back to the date in 2011, but focuses not only on their gaming career but also on their familiar background and displays the flaws and positive aspects of the correlation. A further aspect is the difference between the 3 protagonists and their motivation which led them to gaming. I really sympathized with them in the end.

The movie was very well shot and got me easily entertained through the 75 minutes, although it was a little bit overly clichéd sometimes (keyword: hyhy's relationship) and people could say that the movie polarizes a bit, but that's only nitpicking. Though the international was nearly 3 years ago, I still got goosebumps by watching this and its also nice to see that e-sports is getting more and more of a deal.

Beside the fact that serious documentaries about this topic are hard to come by these days, I would definitely recommend it.

9/10

Incredibly experience

[pokemonthgeneration · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

This movie is basically for everyone who doesn't understand the hype on e-sports to get it, it's seriously amazing, i couldn't have loved the movie more than what we got.

I really loved features from different sections in the e-sports world, from North America to CIS to China each one of those guys had to work hard to achieve what they've achieved. Fear for example has been like 10 years in the e-sport scene and just one couple of weeks ago he got to win his first lan (monster invitational) which i must imagine must feel amazing.

So yeah i'm rating this 10/10 because it's obviously worth the wait, it's an incredibly piece of work and valve and the players (in general) should be proud of this movie.

Best eSports documentary to date!

[christian-enh · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

The documentary follows 3 high profiled DOTA2 players through their daily lives as professional gamers. It shows their struggles to perform well, but also to make a living and show their families that they are making the right choices.

It follows Danil "Dendi" Ishutin (Ukraine), Benedict "HyHy" Lim (Singapore) and Clinton "Fear" Loomis (USA). It starts off a bit before The International in 2011, follows the players at the event, after the event and around The International 2 in 2012. They play on different teams at the competition and will meet each other in battles, but only one can emerge victorious and win the grand prize of $1.000.000, a prize pool that will not only show their families they did the right thing, but also change their lives forever.

It also follows Clinton's issues by being kicked out of his house, Benedict's though choices with love, and Danil's issues with showing his family that this isn't just a small hobby.

The documentary is really well done, very emotional for gamers around the world. And in general a brilliant documentary that any gamer should watch, even if you don't play the same game as the players in the documentary. Because it's more than just about a game, it's about players that want to make a living doing what they love. And eSports growing much larger than before, and ready to take on giants like Football, Handball, Basketball and other large acknowledged sports.

Revision From Le Portucale

[www-osiris_zr · 24 March 2014]

Hello mi name Eries Luís and i is from Le Portugal. Me is also a player from Dota 2 and be following that game from DotA. This film is very like my life with the difference that i play bad do-to and nobody noes me. It is my dream to be don-do and teener Una sister like don-do sister. Hyhy and fear are bad at do-to and have no sisters like don-do sister. Love this Filmer pols watch. Me favored champ is pudgy and DAT why i love don-do and his Hermina. If somebody noes don-do sister pals tell him to her teach me to finger like playing don-do invoker. Pls no coppering pasturing fricasseeing my dangering sorry for my bad englander.

Free to Play

[bluezinx · 7/10 · 19 March 2014]

Why did it took so much time too release this? This documentary would be more relevant in 2012. We're in 2014 now where there is one esport on the verge of becoming mainstream if it is not mainstream already, with 4 major championships happening live and WEEKLY in front of a crowd (LPL, OGN champions, LCS NA & EU).

Also in that same esport there are multiple players making 6 digits salaries without even wining a single tournament. This documentary seems to focus heavily on the idea of "one in life-time opportunity big ass tournament million dolla prize". While in the biggest esport out there prize money is not even the main source of income for the players. Of course there is a World Championship which should out the Staples Center but its not even a requirement for the teams to make it there cuz , many teams didn't even make it to the WC and can still earn some good money to justify playing games for a living

Amazing!

[selinsoylu1987 · 10/10 · 20 March 2014]

What a fascinating movie! Different people, different lifestyles, different languages, different reasons to play, different ambitions, different feelings... Just one game to gather them all. An e-sports movie that can make you cry, smile, proud and so on. In my opinion Dota 2 is UNIQUE. Unique with its quality, players, teams, coaches, casters, fans, community, visuals, tournaments... It has the soul. To win or lose is not the point. Success is something we always look forward to. I clap for these three success stories. The movie is so impressive. Congratulations to everyone has a role to make this movie. My hat goes off to Valve.

Beware of the propaganda

[Delangsta · 7/10 · 1 August 2014]

It's a well made documentary and the individual stories are well told, but Free to Play is really just a really long advertisement for Valve's video game, DOTA 2.

It's not a problem if you're into the game and would like to learn a bit more about it's e-sport presence, but the title is a little misleading since there are many types of games out there in the 'free to play' category and not a single one of them is covered in this documentary.

It's part of Valve's campaign to nurture and grow the e-sports scene, which is commendable and allows me to forgive them for being a bit deceiving with this effort.

Great Movie and Summary of Esports

[shehchin · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

First, let me say that this is an excellent documentary as compiled by Valve. More specifically, this is not your typical documentary you might see about dolphins or fast food. However, FreeToPlay IS a documentary that opens up a new world to viewers who may or may not be familiar with the game of Dota2 and or Esports (Video Game) world.

The movie revolves around 3 professional Dota players - Dendi, Fear, and HYHY, all coming from different cultural backgrounds, albeit sharing the same passion and aspirations for the game. Each of their stories are distinct, yet share similar elements of struggle as each of them go through phases in life battling against the social conventions of having to go to school and the pressures of getting a real job.

FreeToPlay has successfully encapsulated the evolution of the gaming industry and its potential to grow in the years to come, paving the way for young aspiring gamers to consider Esports as a viable and legitimate option as a career. Nevertheless, the movie has also been spot on in sharing the real consequences of sacrifices one has to make to becoming the best, as illustrated by the story told by each individuals life.

All in all, FreeToPlay is an eye opener. An interesting and captivating story to show the world how gaming is not just about the 'fun'. It is more than that, it is, in short about life, competition, dedication, - ESPORTS.

Life is a game

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

Or gaming is life? I think that is more of an apt description. And this may allow some people who are less into gaming to understand the mindset of those who actually love gaming. Although this of course is a whole different level of gaming we are talking about here.

Really in depth look and great edit of the interviews and looks behind the scenes or rather into the "outside" lives of gamers. Outside as in while not playing games ... but that was clear, right? Anyway a good documentary for anyone interested even if that may not be more than a "fringe" group of people - they will certainly love this.

Incredibly well made documentary on the rise of e-sports and the struggle for recognition

[Psycho-42 · 10/10 · 20 March 2014]

This film gives you a great insight into the world of e-sports and its rise in popularity. What used to be considered as a basement dweller's hobby is on its way to become a recognized, legitimate sport. And in some countries, this already is the case.

More importantly, however, the film allows you to follow the lives of three professional gamers on their way to "the international", a Dota 2 tournament whose victors would receive the highest prize money for a gaming event at that time: one million dollars.

You get to experience the pressure they undergo in the face of the tournament, but also their struggle for recognition with their families. What their peers consider a waste of time could in fact end up make those kids millionaires and celebrities.

From the beginning to the end, the film grips you tight and does send you on a roller coaster of thrill, anticipation, excitement and also disappointment, sadness and reflection. You feel for and with the people in Free to Play, also thanks to a great job in editing and scoring.

Even if you are not familiar with Dota 2 or the e-sports scene in general, I would highly recommend watching this film as it opens both the world of e-sports and the private lives of those 3 gamers. And it's definitely worth a watch.

An eye opener, even for avid gamers

[Seraphion · 7/10 · 5 June 2015]

The plot neatly follows through the classics of a competition documentary, highlighting more than one individuals with stories worth telling. They are competing in the movie's competition which is relatively new to the rest of the world due to it being a niche market at the moment. I really like how the documentary nicely captures the views from people from different nationalities. This brings enough legitimacy to the thing being focused about, the world of competitive gaming in general and the game DOTA2 in particular. What I think is quite lacking is instead the on-screen footage of how the teams win their games and the spirit of competition within the game. For the rest is really an eye opener since the movie reveals facts of different treatments gamers receive in different countries.

Good, just not for me.

[Kyle-Violett · 4/10 · 24 March 2024]

I mean... It's a documentary based on eSports with Steam Achievements. If you like eSports or the topic of the documentary interests you, watch it. I personally only watched it because I saw it had achievements and just had to get them. The filming is good, and the story that it was telling was a story that just wasn't for me. All this was to me was a long-winded talk about a topic I don't care for about another topic's competitive scene that I also don't care about. Congratulations to the people who won. It was years ago by now, but still, congratulations. This film would have most likely been a lot better if I wasn't just sitting here contemplating about why I just HAD to get the Steam achievements. I stuck through it and got all five achievements. Was it worth it? No. Was it a waste of 2 hours? Yes. Would I have done anything better with that time? No. So at the end of the day, I spent 2 hours watching Dota 2 competitive players through their day-to-day lives before the event just to watch a team I have never heard of before win a competitive event that I have no interest in just for Steam achievements.

First ever gaming documentary, simply the best!

[smartbilal_18 · 10/10 · 20 March 2014]

Was just expecting it to be good but not that good, brought tears to my eyes after seeing professional gamers using a trash desk, few notebooks and borrowed CRT monitor to fulfill their dreams. Its pretty hard for gamers to manage studies, gaming, social life, and professional life together yet they do it. Its really sad to see that gaming industry haven't flourished in developing countries yet like some of the Asian countries including Pakistan & India where there are too many passionate gamers who never had a chance to show their set of skills internationally and they might possess more than the gamers we know these days. Hats off Valve, you made us gamers proud.

Inside the Life of Professional Gamer

[veelasky · 9/10 · 19 March 2014]

Free To Play is a documentary movie made by Valve, Inc (game company) to show life of the professional gamer, in this case Dota 2.

The movie follow the story of 3 professional gamer: Danil "Dendi" Ishutin, Clinton "Fear" Loomis, and Benedict "HyHy" Lim, on their take on the first biggest eSport tournament in the world: The International 2011, with the prize pool of total 1.6 million dollars.

Some say this might be just a long duration "commercial" about the game, of course, maybe Valve want it to be as an extended commercial to promote the product, but nevertheless, this movie also really show the human side of the professional gamer, the struggle with the stereotype that they faced everyday, and their personal lives.

if you are an avid gamer, I'll recommend this any day! 9/10

Misleading title, poor documentary on video games. Its just a Defense of the Ancients 2 tournament "documentary"

[tetrahex · 28 March 2014]

If you came to learn about "free to play games", you will be disappointed. The title is misleading, this movie only covers one game, defense of the ancients and small group of teams in their efforts to win a million dollar prize. It doesn't even do this very well, it really just amounts to just the equivalent of a puff piece bio on each "athlete" you see on sports channels.

You learn nothing about the games or why they matter. Strategies are only mentioned, nothing on screen demonstrates any of this, to a lay person, its just a confusing mish mash of random violence and button mashing. It fails to show why these "sports" matter or why anyone should care.

Its a constant problem in this film, you are told things, but you aren't shown them.

This film just doesn't cover any new territory. The idea of gaming as sport is not new, and coverage of south Korean star craft tournaments and the rest have been a thing for years, so there is nothing here that has not been covered before. The ratings are heavily skewed because steam heavily promoted this film on their service, and being that it was free and the peak number of simultaneous players for that game exceeds 500,000 each day, there are a lot of fans who are more than happy to just rate this thing a 10 just because they are grateful for the attention. Its why at this point 84% of the votes are a perfect 10, which this film is very far from being by any rational measure.

Much better documentary films to watch are "King of Kong" or "Senna" or "Exit from the Gift shop", each gives you some insight into an area of expertise even if you weren't a fan of racing/donkey kong/or graffiti art, each film brings the viewer into that world, and gives them an understanding of why it matters and why they should care. You watch "King of Kong" and you feel some understanding of how they play and what they have to do to be that good, and a few of their strategies. In this film however, you just constantly told these people are the best and that they have strategy, but none is on display. When they decide to show gameplay, its the most generic and context free footage possible, zoomed in to show action, not strategy, for a non dota 2 gamer it has no meaning, then they take it a step further and tart up that action by rerendering in CG.

The title of the film is just misleading. Nothing about the free to play model is covered, this is merely coverage of a few teams playing for a million dollar prize and not a very interesting one at that. Tournaments for games have been going on for over a decade now, starcraft tournaments in south Korea being the most prominent, and this has been covered in countless other "video game" documentaries and such. This isn't new territory.

Good doc

[Maxwell_Kennedy · 7/10 · 28 June 2018]

I realize that this pieces is a passive commercial and the filmmakers likely had to fulfill a contract, but it's good anyway. I have recently started binging on esports docs and this is one of the better ones.

As a gamer myself this was most passionate documentary I ever watched

[munkhuu_tolife · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

Through the whole movie I was impressed, by all meanings I thought doing things people they really love is what you really have to do. This movie is based on three professional gamers their life, their fate for taking the path to play on!

Made by Valve this is truly impressive they just gone into our head heart whatever to make entire audience feel that this feeling where you become so passionate about, whole movie I felt something that is hard to explain by words. It's just your life and you decide how to live it.

And there's our guys who chose way of gaming, how they struggle to get accepted by their family and people, how they try hard to get money for living, how they go over the win or lose. This is the documentary that we're gonna talk about boom-start of E-Sports, as said in movie they (Professional players, Dendi, hyhy, Fear as main) will be the ones who we will be talking about. When gamer becomes a father, when gamer becomes a mother and then everyone takes it little bit serious or more calm that will be the golden age of gaming!

As for the production making of this film was truly amazing. They had this beautiful old videos about their life and photos everything being greatly edited and also cinematic gameplays coming in when some hero gets killed or kills other which I found truly amazing it is documentary you don't show every game and they made it so great at all the parts where you get emotionally pumped up. Also the music I don't really know who did this but it was amazing perfectly made exactly for the moments exactly for the feeling you are gonna take.

This was best documentary on almost every documentation ever made.

Great but limited F2P documentary

[HectorVF · 6/10 · 18 July 2014]

Telling the lives of 3 of the best players in "The International", a great e-sports tournament. Sadly that makes this film only about DoTA 2, not covering other games with its incredible and different gaming scenes. Anyways, is a great storytelling about how they make themselves gamers in a world that scarcely sees games as a competitive area or a sport as is treated chess or poker. A great insight of the risks and even the importance of determination by the player, nice made film.

It would be a way better film if it treated the three big types of F2P games: free "hardcore" games (as is DoTA 2), social games (Facebook and the similar) and free casual games (as iOS/Android) Feels even kind of propagandish for the game as "the best F2P game", but its true that doesn't lies about the different outcomes of the three gamers and its problems.

6 of 10

Heart crushing movie, for those who are into games

[lucas-martins-953-133105 · 10/10 · 20 March 2014]

Amazing production from valve, a great documentary showing how games are changing life's of several people out there.

The movies fallow's 3 guys, showing all that games and the E-sports market could do for their life's.

A heart touching, beautiful and emotional movie that can be watched by nerds or even the grandpas...

At first, me as a gamer was expecting a OK movie, but the value put in the production was so big, that i really got caught unprepared for this.

And this movie really show things that the population is'nt ready for it yet the new market of athletes with brains, skills, determination and strategy.

Games are there, constructing a new legion of fans that i'll be proud of being part

An accessible and intriguing look into the world of gamers and gaming.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 8/10 · 4 September 2014]

Video game producer Valve Corporation's Free To Play is an essential film for documentary lovers and video game enthusiasts. At a light 75 minute running time, it's an accessible pill to swallow, one naturally only brushing the surface, but in an entertaining way. The documentary details the events of The International 2011 based in Germany, the first gaming tournament for the game DOTA 2 with a record-breaking top prize of $1.6 million. Unfortunately as many of its players are teenagers, the tournament was scheduled during exam periods and many potential winners had to sacrifice a lot at home just for the chance at the jackpot.

However, the film wisely chooses three competitors from different teams to sum up the ethos of the tournament and its players, dipping into their backstories at will. They include a Singaporean player who's dealing with a broken heart and a disapproving family, an American player who's suffered from a life of financial trouble and a Ukrainian player who's father recently passed away. Their passion for gaming always shines through. Although many times their stories feel like the typical sob stories you find in entertainment shows, they add an essential conflict and internal desire to the story to make it more engaging. Their hardships are quite down to Earth and relatable, if somewhat sentimentally presented. It at least humanizes the players in a way that makes it feel like the tournament have more camaraderie with something at stake.

You don't need to know anything about DOTA 2 to enjoy the film as it features entertaining and impressive CGI interpretations of the battle, but still as a non-gamer it is difficult to see why the fuss over the game is warranted. It's the one thing that the documentary is lacking on, but it doesn't hinder it too much. Free To Play's main objective is to legitimize the career of a professional gamer, and it works quite well, making it quite tempting. Lacking a credited director, you can only assume that its lead editor had the biggest influence regarding a consistent style and focus, other than the current heads of Valve. Even so, the style is still quite distinct in its slick intimate look, use of text and contemporary choice of electronic music. It's a film that feels breezy and fresh, just trying to bring attention to the next big thing in popular culture, though it's arguable that it's already here. The e-sport will soon become a plain old sport.

8/10

Read more @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com)

nothing in life is free

[kscrguila · 1/10 · 26 February 2021]

There is no such thing as "free to play" nothing in life is free. The first resource you're burning away is your time which is the most precious of it all. No matter how rich you are you wont buy back wasted time nor your mental health wasted on gaming etc. Competitive gaming was a thing since games were invented so stop with this idiocy like this event is something revolutionary. All in all "pro" gaming is just another pathetic gimmick media BS to turn away attention from things that need to be addressed.

Dondo Supamida, Old Man Doto, and Switch to LOL stars in this film about Doto by non other than Volvo.

[wheaawee · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

This documentary is an excellent piece of work by none other than Volvo, whom is famous for being the ultimate creator of Hats among other less notable achievements like creating the Steam platform and Doto 2. We, as fans of Doto, are given the rare opportunity to get a Glimpse into what it is like to be a Doto player who RNGsus has blessed to be able to escape Elo-hell. A 75 minute thriller that is guaranteed to grip viewers to their screens as if they were Stone Gazed. As a fan of the late game, I only wish that this would have gone past 75 minutes, but alas that is not the case. However, this is still a masterpiece that will even keep fans who wished for a longer IG vs DK match entertained. Lots of Doto. Lots of Dendi. Lots of Fear. Lots of Hyhy (Mr. Switch to LOL). What else can anyone wish for? (Techies aside)I just wish Volvo would have used this as a vehicle to hint at the upcoming big hit Half-Life 3. Of course, the fact that Volvo cannot count to 3 on top of #valvetime will make this nigh impossible. Anyways, GLHF! 322/10 would watch again.

It was great !

[NattawatChea · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

It was great ! I'm so exciting with this movie. It can make you to be cry. Good Story. Not have to use much money to make this movie! but is just use idea to make it. I can feel is too good movie. I can't explain how this feel. You must watch it by yourself. And think to much when you watch. When you come to the end of the movie You will like to share best story and maybe is can make you to be sad when you join in movie this movie have a lot of epigram to teach you! and it can be Inspiration to make you to serious in something you need and want to make it success. you will have the team you cheer buy if the lose then you feel sad but i not tell you which team is lose just watch it buy your self ha ! Don't have the say to much. Just Watch It !