MMO and MMORPG Documentaries

The MMO genre is unique. These games are the closest we've gotten to building alternative realities complete with their own geography, culture, and social hierarchies. Often the interactions that occur in these digital worlds have a lasting impact on the real lives of the players involved. Unfortunately, these worlds are usually closed systems that are impenetrable by those outside the community.

A number of high quality documentaries now exist to bring the unique and fascinating stories behind these games to the masses. Some cover the MMORPG genre as a whole while others focus on a single game or single aspect of a game such as its professional ‘esports’ scene. I’ve collected several such documentaries that I found to be particularly engaging and of a high production quality.They are presented below in no particular order.

Final Fantasy XIV Documentary (2017)

Game(s) Covered: Final Fantasy XIV

A look at how Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 came to be. A 3 part documentary about the development process of FF14 and how much the game was inspired by Final Fantasy XI. The documentary also shows the game's shortcomings and why it was eventually redeveloped into A Realm Reborn.

The Story of Digital Extremes (2018)

Game(s) Covered: Warframe

Noclip tells the story of Digital Extremes, the studio behind the enormously successful space ninja simulator Warframe. The studio started off simply developing games for major publishers before finally working on their own game, Warframe, which was originally known as Dark Sector, and was first pitched at E3 2005.

Life 2.0 (2010)

Movie removed from Youtube but accessible on Netflix here.

Game(s) Covered: Second Life

Let’s start with an old media darling. During its boom years, Second Life got more coverage from the media than its actual playerbase ever warranted. Its not so much a ‘game’ as a virtual world or social experience. As a long time gamer, I’m already familiar with the story of WoW, EQ, etc but I have never played Second Life nor do I have any friends who played it. For those reasons, this documentary actually presented me with a fresh experience.

Looking for Group (2014)

Game(s) Covered: World of Warcraft

Released to help mark the 10 year anniversary of World of Warcraft, this documentary takes us backstage to see how Blizzard crafted the defining game of the MMORPG genre. While many of us know parts of this story, there’s still plenty of great clips in here that make it worth watching. For example, many developers on the original WoW team were avid EverQuest players and it is clear that EQ served as the fount of inspiration for World of Warcraft. I always suspected that this was the case, but now I’ve heard it from the source!

A Tale of Internet Spaceships (2014)

Game(s) Covered: EVE Online

Even among hardcore gamers, EVE Online seems almost impenetrably complex. I’ve dabbled with the game, but I enjoy reading about EVE far more than I do actually playing it. What separates EVE Online from other MMORPGs is its single persistent server, open PvP, and the entirely player driven economy and political system. While the subject matter is very interesting, I feel this documentary focuses too much on the development and real world community side of the game and misses an opportunity to dazzle outsiders with what’s possible within the EVE universe.

Free to Play (2014)

Game(s) Covered: Dota 2

While not a MMORPG, Dota’s mark on the gaming world is undeniable. What started as a custom map for a strategy game (Warcraft 3) has morphed into a global phenomenawhose playerbase and prize pools both stretch into the tens of millions. The culture that has formed around Dota and the impact it has had on the lives of its top players as they seek the world championship title is the subject of this documentary by Valve.

Road to Worlds (2014)

Game(s) Covered: League of Legends

The original Dota custom map didn’t just spawna stand alone sequel, it created a whole new genre - the MOBA. The most popular MOBA, and the most popular video game in the world right now is League of Legends. The competitive scene surrounding LoL is very similar to Dota’s and this documentary chronicles the struggles faced by a group of pro players as they prepare for the annual championship tournament called ‘Worlds.’ The grand finals for the event took place in Seoul, South Korea in 2014 and filled an entire FIFA World Cup football stadium.

Second Skin (2008)

Game(s) Covered: World of Warcraft, EverQuest, EverQuest 2, and Second Life

Second Skin is am independent film that looks at the MMORPG genre through the lens of 7 gamers, all of which have had their lives changed by various virtual worlds. The film follows three distinct stories involving topics like relationships and addiction.

A New Hero: The Rise of College ESports (2016)

Game(s) Covered: Heroes of the Storm

A New Hero: The Rise of College ESports follows the story of one Heroes of the Storm team as they compete to be the best team in HotS. The documentary focuses on the Heroes of the Dorm collegiate tournament and how one team, the Heroic Four, fought its way to be heroes.

Internet Addiction AmongChinese Teenagers (2015)

Game(s) Covered: Dungeon Fighter Online, World of Warcraft

This documentary isn't about MMOs in specific but is about internet addiction in China which largely revolves around game addiction. Games like World of Warcraft and DFO are mentioned in the documentary. It's set in a military hospital in Beijing treating kids who are addicted to online games. The kids stay there for months at a time and cannot leave (prison like environment). Quite fascinating and also sad.

The Runescape Documentary 15 Years of Adventure (2017)

Game(s) Covered: Runescape

Runescape celebrated its 15th year of operation in 2017 and hit 250 million registered users. It's one of the most iconic MMORPGs out there and is a must watch for anyone interested in the game or MMO documentaries in general.

I will update this list as new documentaries are released and asI find some that I missed. If you happen to know any high quality documentaries that cover online gaming, let me in the comments section below!