Free To Play is now available to watch and will hit you right in the feels

They said Free To Play was going to make me cry. They weren’t wrong.

Free To Play is a documentary that follows the struggles and experiences of three Dota 2 players —Benedict ‘hyhy’ Lim (Singapore), Danil ‘Dendi’ Ishutin (Ukraine), and Clinton ‘Fear’ Loomis (US) —on their road to compete for the one million dollar prize in The International 2011 (TI1). The documentary was first announced during The International 2012 (TI2) and was first aired only for the attendees of The International 2013 (TI3). Then almost a year later, Free To Play was finally released to the public. If you haven’t watched it, we have the video for you. Ready your heart.

As I said earlier, this movie made me cry. It’s not that I didn’t know what these players had been through or what they are still giving up for their careers, but rather it was learning the details of their experiences that allowed me to connect with their story better.

Was the documentary good? Yes, for many reasons, which may vary for different people. It’s good because it will hit long-term fans with a wave of nostalgia. It’s good because it presented situations that most people could relate to. It’s good because it made people ask questions like “When am I going to see a team from my country on the grand stage?” or “Would I let my future kid be a pro gamer in the future?”

I imagine it would be different for people who watched TI1 compared to those who didn’t. I imagine it would be different for those who play Dota 2 and those who don’t. I imagine the movie will have a stronger impact on those who know the legacy of these players since their Warcraft III (WC3) DotA days.

How would a person with no knowledge with eSports react to this film? I’m curious to find out. I think that at the end of the day, Free To Play gives the audience —gamer or not — a better look at what eSports is about and how people in this industry sacrifice and strive for their goals. So if you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend you do so as soon as possible.

Aside from the video posted above, you can also download and watch for free via the Steam client where you can also watch delete scenes from the documentary. Deleted scenes are also available here.

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