The Dungeon Masters

I watched this film because documentaries about hopeless dreamers are generally entertaining (see American Movie and King of Kong), and you can’t help but laugh at the three in this. I know the filmmaker is trying to make out that they’re anti-hero’s in some way, escaping into their fantasy worlds for failing to deal with the problems in our so-called ‘real’ one, but they’re really not. One of them abandoned his family without saying goodbye because he’s ‘not very good with goodbyes’ he says. He then re-unites with his estranged son who looks awkward and angry at the sight of his father suddenly turning up at his work dragging a camera crew behind him. Amazingly he’s re-married since. His ‘current wife’, as he calls her, seems normal too. And so does the other guys wife, who has clearly grown to resent her husband (who looks like Matt Groening had the Simpsons not been successful) for bumming around the house arranging his dice while she supports the family and does the housework, and in one scene the guy sets his son up with a nice, soon-to-repressed memory by collecting him from school in a cape. I guess the one positive thing about this gaming is that it keeps people like these off the streets and instead of climbing a clock tower somewhere they can instead inflict fantasy violence on their fantasy friends. Now I’d like to see a documentary exploring the motivation of the people who marry them.

I found it difficult to tell whether this was a documentary about how roll playing games effect some of the more extreme fans or whether it was a quick look at one possible outcome of fairly severe attachment disorders. However it made no difference to the actual show. I found the people the programme followed interesting in an entertaining manner (as in I was happy to watch them knowing I won't ever have to talk to them.) and was pleased at the fluidity of the show, which stopped me getting bored. It was obviously edited to show the subjects in the light the producer desired. Despite this it was nice to watch a documentary concerning people that strangely did not leave me fearing for societie's future as things like 'one born every minute' have done on the occasions I have had to watch them.

An excellent and sensible portrayal of the 'humble' human spirit, one faced with its own limitations, and the ensuing sense of personal powerlessness, and furthering feeling of alienation in an already coldly individualistic world. I'm no 'gamer' but theres nothing peculiar here, the work oozes with underlying unhappiness and insecurity, quite necessitating each characters resultant escape into this shared imaginary world. Saddening, yes, but not without its heroism and hope.

i found this documentry left me feeling quite depressed,The characters all seem to be searhing for something,giong to parties meeting with there friends playing there games,but to me they all came across as very lonley individuals,self absorbed in there own gratification,this guy with the boy i felt sorry for,his son should be his world,but it seems he is to busy in his quest for aceptence he is missing out on the most important thing in his life.......

This is such a good 'Mock' documentary at times I wondered if it was real. The characters as fantastic, must have taken a really warped imagination to come up with this. You dont have to be into D&D to like this it could be about any subject that has fanatical fans. It is an examination of people whose lives get consumed by their hobby.