Top Films About E-sport

by Joshua Sherman

With multi-million dollar grand prizes on the line, eSports is a huge industry where the stakes have never been higher. Here are the best eSports films that put you in the action and show the highs and lows for the players.

Sport has always made for compelling filmmaking, and eSports films are no different. The mixture of nerve-shredding tension and conflict keeps us on the edge of our seats until the final whistle has blown. While traditionally audiences and directors have gravitated to athletic sports, we’re seeing a golden age for eSports films emerging as the value of the competitive video game market continues to blossom. Here are some of the very best eSports films that help show the blood, sweat, tears, and, frequently, dangerous levels of obsession that drive these players to compete for multi-million dollar prize pots.

How to Watch eSports Film on Gaming Websites?

As eSports films have become more popular, gaming websites have picked up on this trend and run with it. Nowadays gaming websites are moving more towards video content. This is due to the rise of Twitch streamers as much as to the development of eSports films. Twitch has millions of followers tuning in to watch the biggest matches in eSports live on https://mr.bet/at, while many game streamers are millionaires themselves. 

1. The King of Kong (2007)

For one of the earliest eSports films to reach mainstream notoriety, it makes sense that the subject matter relates to one of the godfathers of modern video games. The King of Kong follows American restaurateur Steve Webb as he tries to record the world high score for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, the gaming debut of a certain mustached Italian plumber you might be familiar with. As with the best eSports films, his mission is far from straightforward, as an increasingly bizarre plot emerges with rivals in the classic arcade gaming scene using increasingly underhanded methods to foil their opponents. Today The King of Kong is still one of the greatest movies about the obsession video games bring out in fans and sets the standard for all other eSports films.

2. True Sight: The International 2018 Grand Finals (2018)

The International 2018 eSports film YouTube hosts is to eSports what the Rumble in the Jungle was to boxing: a nail-biting display between two equally skilled opponents where no one could predict the outcome. The International is Valve’s premier eSports tournament for the ludicrously popular Dota 2 game that started life as a Warcraft community mod. With eight figure prize money on the line, China’s PSG. LGD engaged in a bloody tug of war with Europe’s OG in one of the most dramatic eSport matches ever recorded. This Netflix sport film takes you along for the ride with the players, providing a close-up experience of the highs and lows of life at the very top of eSports.

3. FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community (2016)

The fighting game community has always been a little different to the rest of the eSports films. Where the fan base for first-person shooters and real-time strategy games tended to coalesce online, since the 80s beat 'em up fans have always had to lug sticks to the nearest arcade to test their skill against opponents face to face. Rise of the Fighting Game Community is a well-produced overview of the FGC’s past, present, and future. Like other notable eSport films, the action leads to the Evo tournament in Las Vegas that hosts the Olympics of fighting games. It’s a great look at the passion that the community generates, in all its trash talking, quarter draining glory.

4. The King of Chinatown (2010)

Another eSports film drama centered on fighting games, The King of Chinatown follows American Justin Wong as he sets out to make his name as the world number one Street Fighter player. Wong is a God in the FGC scene, and responsible for what is probably the most famous eSport moment of all time. Of all these eSports films, this feels like the most personal. Much like boxing and tennis, beat em ups are a solo sport: there're no teammates to take the pressure off your back or buy you some time to catch your breath, which accounts for the intensity of the scene’s fans and players. The film shows that Wong might not be lacking for friends, although some of them may not be all that they appear. It’s an intense depiction of one man working his way up the eSports ladder.

5. The Celebrity Millionaires of Competitive Gaming (2015)

As the value of eSports has soared, so has the pressure on performers to deliver in matches with millions of dollars on the line. The eSports short film, The Celebrity Millionaires of Competitive Gaming, takes an unflinching look at the darker side of the business and how those at the top of the sport handle the non-stop stress to succeed. It looks at eSports the world over but pays particular attention to South Korea, where many eSports are as popular as any physical competition. It’s an eye-opening look at the lives of youngsters who have found themselves millionaires almost overnight just for playing the games they enjoy.

6. Team Liquid - Breaking Point (2016)

Anyone with more than a passing interest in eSports films have heard of Team Liquid: probably the largest and most accomplished single roster of eSports players in the Western world. They field teams in all the major games like Dota 2, League of Legends, Hearthstone, and CS:GO. Although Breaking Point eSports films are produced by Team Liquid itself, it’s a remarkably unflinching look at the damaged egos and insecurities boiling just behind the eyeballs of some of the best players in eSports. Like any good nordisk eSport film, it’s a reminder that behind the astonishing talent, these players are just as human as the rest of us.

Conclusion: Step in the Game with eSports Films

Together, these films show why eSports is such a growing business. It’s an arena where only the greatest talents make it to the top, but sometimes even that isn’t enough to steer them through the stress of success. Fortunately, we’re certain to have more of these excellent eSports films to look forward to as eSports continues to grow with every new smash-hit multiplayer title released. Who knows? Did you have a favorite Tentang eSports film that we missed? Maybe there’s a game with an eSports scene you think would be great for a movie? Let us know in the comments section below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joshua Sherman is one of the most widely known writers that specialize in technology. He has written many other informative articles, he mostly writes about technology. Apart from being an excellent writer, he loves traveling, playing games, watching TV and meeting new people from anywhere in the world.