With the Summer Games now over, it’s time for Olympics lovers to turn their focus to Pyeongchang, where the next Winter Games will take place in 2018. But that’s a while to wait, so for now we can take in another competition set in South Korea, the StarCraft Proleague championship events in which teams of professional video game players vie for the tournament title. This year’s finals are happening soon, I believe, though you can also enjoy a look at the stories of gamers of different levels and their fans in the 2013 documentary State of Play, which follows the 2012 season. And for this week only, you can watch the film for free right here on Nonfics, care of Doc Alliance.
State of Play is directed by Belgian filmmaker Steven Dhoedt, who seems to be fascinated by South Korean culture, and that interest translates to our own through his work. Although it’s hard to show the game play in a way that’s easy to follow, especially to viewers not familiar with StarCraft, he still delivers a compelling portrait of this industry and culture through individual characters, including star gamer Lee Jae-dong. Dhoedt’s latest, the still-unreleased Reach for the SKY, looks at the competitiveness of the South Korean education system, and it’s similarly captivating. Hopefully that will become available for streaming soon, too.
As always with these limited free streams, the films can still be watched after the expiration date via Doc Alliance for a rental fee or as part of their subscription service. If the video above is no longer working, visit the film’s page to see your best viewing option.
