A new eSports documentary kicks off this weekend from Razer.
Team Razer: Great Games is an hour-and-a-half documentary broken up into three episodes which follow members of Team Razer who play StarCraft 2, Dota 2 and League of Legends. More importantly, it's the sort of documentary that doesn't just explain the games and their popularity, it shows how the players make fans of everyone who watches they play.
All three of the videos can be viewed on Polygon when they go live.
"When we say eSports is in Razer's DNA, we really mean it," said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. "We pioneered eSports in the early days by supporting budding professional athletes and we helped grow some of the largest tournaments around at the time — we still continue to accomplish that today in a way few others can. With Great Games we wanted to showcase the rise of eSports in a way that inveterate and new gamers alike may enjoy, and it provides an exciting glimpse into the lives of some of the world's most talented eSports professionals that call Team Razer their home."
The three half-hour episodes were directed by Travis "Samox" Beauchamp, director of the documentary The Smash Brothers. The first installment, which will go live on Polygon at 9:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 29, takes the viewer back to the very beginnings of contemporary eSports, "focusing on the formative moments of StarCraft: Brood War, with scene-heroes such as Jaedong and Flash, then turning to StarCraft 2 and the promising first footsteps of future star, HerO."
The second episode, which goes live at at 9 a.m. ET on Dec. 6, shifts focus to the world of MOBAs, following Team Liquid in their pursuit of victory at The International.
The third episode, which goes live at 9 a.m. ET on Dec. 13, focuses on League of Legends.
"eSports is a phenomenon that so many people are still unaware of, and I want to change that," says Beauchamp. "Athletes from different cultures pursue their passion with these games, with millions of people watching, each player driven by a desire to be the best of the best. Illuminating the lives of these StarCraft, Dota 2 and League of Legends champions will help eSports novices to understand that ambitious gaming is not only a hobby, but a serious sport."
