THE GAMERS: DORKNESS RISING is an indie comedy that explores the wacky world of Dungeons & Dragons and the people who play it. The story is about a real geek who wants to play the game seriously only to have his efforts thwarted by his group of friends wanting to mess around instead. This film is very cheap and slapdash, with wooden acting throughout, and some of the cosplay scenes are largely embarrassing. But there's no denying the enthusiasm of those involved, although to enjoy it you really need to be a fan of roleplaying games yourself.

I don't know if I can put this in perspective for the poor souls who have yet to check this movie out on YouTube or buy a half-dozen DVDs in support of the making of The Gamers 3.It's funny. Going to get that out right away, it's funny. And not just if you're a gamer. They actually don't make a lot of jokes about Dungeons & Dragons the game or any other game for that matter. They focus more on character-driven comedy, like when one player kills a random civilian in an effort to speed up the story. His in- game excuse was so great that they got not one but TWO jokes out of it.Unlike such unholy abominations as The Guild, these characters are actual characters. One's a perverted college student who roleplays as one of his professors (who also happens to be female; still funny). Another's the owner of the game store where they play, who also has a bad habit of dying a lot (oh, the hilarity they get from THAT gag). Player 3 is a TRUE obsessive gamer. Oh, you thought The Guild crew were too into the game? They know naught about gaming! This movie portrays how obsessive a gamer ACTUALLY is; he does not just formulate strategies to be thrown out in the first round of combat, he studies his adversaries, LEARNS their strengths as well as their weaknesses, and commits them to memory so that he may be better equipped to destroy him with his mighty Basic Melee Weapon Attack (a second one if he commits a Full-Round Action to it).Rounding out the cast is Joanna, a newcomer who serves as the audience's guide through the campaign while getting a formal education on one of gaming's more bizarre creations: Ninja Burger. With pirates. Why pirates? Go watch the movie and find out.The Dungeon Master also doubles as the party's policeman (a paladin) in order to keep Players 1 through 3 in line before they kill off too many random nameless civilians (and one named Willem, I think).Summing up, this movie not only serves as a guide to gaming's more eccentric personalities but also goes out of its way to sneak in a basic education on how to play. And even though the main 3 gamers are totally out of their minds (like most of the people I prefer to game with), their over-the-top personalities are tempered by the more grounded Joanna and Dungeon Master. The jokes are clever and the story leads to oodles of comedic opportunities, every one of which is taken advantage of.Now... ONWARD! TO WAFFLES!

There are few films that deal with things that I would consider myself an expert on, this one is.After some years of Fantasy Role Playing we split, me not leaving without a sense of shame of what I had become: a dork.You see, these things are really canonical, it happens to everybody.First you create a character fairly and it dies after the first attack.Then you help a little with the constitution, and while you're at it, why not help with strength, intelligence, intuition, charisma and dexterity too? This in turn frustrates the game master who doesn't know how to deal with this invincible gang. And after a while it bores the players too, so they start to create ever more exotic race-profession combinations, no matter how ludicrous it is.I created a Druedain warrior monk, yeah, not that far from the film.And that's not all to be said about the destructiveness of the inherent dynamic of this devilish game (think the hunt for experience points), but just watch the film, it shows it all - and of course the stupidity of its most basic premisses.For this end, in turn, there is no better profession than the bard. I don't exactly understand why the bard became a character in the first place, after all, the blacksmith is none. But once it became one, it had to be mapped into the game flow, that is: it had to be made lethal, at least indirectly. The poking of fun out of this never comes to an end and rightfully so.Sure, it's not exactly a professional production, but I haven't seen a better satire in ages.

Best fan boy movie I've ever watched save "Free Enterprise."In some ways it reminded me of an early Kevin Smith film.If you do any kind of role playing, this movie will likely have you laughing often at its insatiable fun. Don't expect a big budget here, the acting is also questionable at times, but it really adds to the fun of the atmosphere they create. The script is truly humorous with a lot of witty moments worth experiencing.The bard that always gets killed had me rolling. The sexually confused player also had me smiling a bit too. But in the end... It was just a great movie showcasing some better moments in the lives of a few geeks having a great time with role playing.If you are bored, and ever got into role playing, this will do nicely for a distraction. A real unexpected treat.