State Of Play

Written by STEVEN DHOEDT I Camera STEVEN DHOEDT  I Original Music REGINA LOK YAN TO I Edited by GERT VAN BERCKELAER  I Sound Edit & Mix  RAF ENCKELS I Production Manager DAVID KIM TAE HOON I Produced by STEVEN DHOEDT  KIM MIN-CHUL  GERT VAN BERCKELAER

A co-production with MINCH & FILMS I RTBF I TV CHOSUN

Supported by FLANDERS AUDIOVISUAL FUND I CREATIVE EUROPE I KOREA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION I  SEOUL FILM COMMISSION

‘STATE OF PLAY’ is – on the surface – a film about cometitive sports. But this time the sport in question is rather unusual. ‘Starcraft’ is a video game and especially in the West people don’t usually relate this with professional sports (just yet). In this case, the city of Seoul is the epicenter of the Starcraft Pro League. Players of StarCraft do not excel in extraordinary physical or athletic performances. They possess an exceptional concentration skill, ultra fast reflexes and an unusual stamina. Their playing speed is measured in ‘actions per minute’ (APM): it’s the amount of actions per minute a player can execute with keyboard and mouse. But just as most athletes, these players are very young when they start their professional career. Most of them quit school at 15 and embark on an extremely strict training schedule. Parallels can be easily drawn with the lifestyle of e.g. a professional gymnast or figure skaters.

The fascination to tell this story was triggered by the unusual Korean culture. The micro-world of the StarCraft Pro League is like a mirror of the South Korean society. A society so competitive that it almost seems logical that a simple videogame would result in a professional competitive sport. South-Korea is a country that aims high. It’s a country in full development that wants to prove itself on all levels – technologically, economically as politically.
‘STATE OF PLAY’ thus opens a window on the South Korean society and the rather unknown subculture of e-Sports.

Globally, hundreds of thousands of young players are seriously contemplating a professional career as a gamer. Annually, millions of viewers are attending the leagues or following the tournaments online. As competitive gaming is gaining momentum all over the world, it is time to show the true face of eSports.

Unlike several popular TV shows and newspaper articles before us, it is not our goal to demonise or to glorify the world of competitive gaming. This is not a world of
gaming addicts or social outcasts. Neither is it world where everyone achieves their dream and lives happily ever after.

Our aim is to show that eSports, even if it’s still in its embryonic phase, is a respectable spectator sport bringing joy and excitement to millions of people. For the athletes, it demands years of training and dedication to reach the top. As with all good sport stories, ‘State of Play’ thus depicts a journey of victory but also of defeat. Of hardships but also of friendships.

Ultimately, our film asks the same question so many athletes ask themselves: what does it take to be the best?