eSPORTS

eSports is a Vice documentary about e-gaming, an obsession for many, but an area of pop culture still largely associated with "nerds", outcasts who would rather sit alone in a bedroom playing online or console video games than go out and be social. The tide is turning on these sorts of attitudes towards gamers however, and this is happening nowhere as much as in Seoul Korea, a place that is way ahead of the game, no pun intended, when it comes to championing and providing an arena for the best online video gamers in the world!

That arena provided to gamers in Seoul is a literal one by the way. The world of intense internet gaming and over the top cos-play collide and fans pack the stadiums, cheering on online games as if they themselves were winning; though clearly that isn't what it's all about. The statistics are staggering when it comes to hours dedicated to, and damages incurred by, playing these games.

Government opposition to, and support of, gaming and gamers is a notable part of the political landscape. Even more fascinating, treatment centers that take a sort of Ludovician approach to recovery, as is pointed out by our narrator who happens to casually drop the coolest pop culture references throughout eSports, are a real possibility for many gamers in Korea who spend up to 18 hours per day on internet gaming.

Discover other ways gamers are managing to make a name, and a fortune, for themselves. Take a deeper look into the highs that come along with the lows, and change your mind about what can entertain and fascinate you. This documentary is a good watch for gamers and non gamers, and whether online or via consoles, most of us can connect on the basis that we know someone who games.

This documentary is no glorification of the gaming industry, neither is it an anti-gaming film. It exposes and educates us on its subject, while offering us into a glimpse into a world that some of us never even think about. Take a chance on something different, or delve further into an existing interest when you check out eSports, a Vice News documentary that's a little different from the sort of dark news journalism that is usually produced by the media outlet.