Jane McGonigal
G4M3RS, a documentary
I served as associate producer and researcher for this 2003 feature-length film about competitive Counter-Strike players. The documentary, produced and directed by Kiyash Monsef as part of The Gaming Project, follows two Counter-Strike clans (top-ranked team The Speakeasy Offensive and underdogs Second 2 None) in their quests to capture the top prize of $25,000 at the Summer 2002 Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) Championship. G4M3RS had its world premiere at the Summer 2003 CPL Championship in August has received rave reviews from top gaming sites and publications. It is currently screening at film festivals and is available for purchase on DVD.
G4M3RS, which PC Gamer magazine called "Chicken soup for the gamer's soul," looks at how the game has affected the friendships and family lives of its most dedicated players. In addition, it addresses the issues of in-game cheating, women in Counter-Strike, and corporate sponsorship of CS clans. The film features tournament matches with top teams from around the world, including Schroet Kommando (Sweden), fzer0 (Australia), Evil Geniuses (Canada), and Domain of Pain (USA). Gamers also includes interviews with Counter-Strike co-creator Jess Cliffe, CPL founder Angel Munoz, Gamespot.com executive editor Greg Kasavin, and others. In the photo: This screenshot is from the clan CSArt. Counterstrike fan art is one of the subjects addressed in G4M3RS: The documentary.
