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Recently I came across a documentary called Second Skin, a film which peels back a layer of a 50 million person community and shines a bright light on the phenomenon of the MMORPG.

MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, a genre which includes such powerhouse titles as Second Life, EverQuest and World of Warcraft (which has about 1/5 of the market). Second Skins so interested me as it is the rare documentary that doesn’t vilify its subject matter. It meticulously reveals both sides of the story surrounding these games and the people who play them, from the ruthlessly addicted who shun real life interaction in favor of the game to those who find liberation and one of their only means of interaction through these games.

The film follows several unique stories over the course of 18 months, punctuated by interpretation and information from specialists on the subject. Community, love, depression, obsession and the highest highs and lowest lows of the genre are examined throughout the course of the film, all the while drawing into sharper focus why exactly the genre is so intoxicating.

A professional on the topic suggested that many of the people who submerge themselves in these games work low-level or dead-end jobs and lead somewhat monotonous lives. Within the worlds of these games, however, they are someone with power or influence, whose only obstacle to success is a larger sword or a dragon guarding a chest of treasure.

Examining the genre through a lens of escapism is nothing revolutionary, but an author on the subject suggested a deeper attraction than that. In the realms of these games, everyone starts at exactly the same level. The playing ground is exactly even, something rarely found in the real world. In this context, you truly become what you make of yourself. He continues to ask that if this is what attracts so many millions of people to the virtual world, what does that say about our real one?

Second Skin is now available on DVD.