Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1591
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are just that, games. Yet, for the millions of people who play them, they are a means of escaping from everyday life, offer- ing the ability to become someone—or something—else. MMORPG players invest a significant amount of time "living" inside their virtual world of choice, whether it's World of Warcraft (WoW), Second Life, EverQuest, or some other al- ternate-reality universe (see Editor's Note, pg. 2). At times, players' friendships inside these games are just as strong, or even stronger, than their real-life bonds. is despite the fact that they know almost nothing about their cyber buddies outside the boundaries of the virtual, make-believe worlds in which they live and play. So, who are some of the real people who inhabit these worlds? Are they anything like their alter egos? And, what happens when reality starts intruding on fantasy, and vice versa? ose are some of the issues that are brought to light in the documentary Second Skin from Pure West Films. e movie, which introduces viewers to some real people who populate online virtual worlds, utilizes in-game sequences to punctuate the information and contrast the real and alternate lives of several gamers who are the subject of the live-action movie. "e documentary focuses on how being an avid gamer has transformed and affected their lives over the course of a few years," says Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escoriaza, director and editor of Second Skin. Second Skin follows the real and virtual lives of several MMORPG players who log countless hours each week playing their favorite online game. The documentary incorporates the players' avatars into the live action. January 2009 32 n n n n Film