EGO SHOOTERS!
The Strange World Of The Counterstrike Game Warriors
Steffen, a civil servant in real life, is highly intelligent, sociable and kind-hearted — yet regularly transforms into ‘Hellwoofer’, a feared and fearsome warrior in the online game Counter-Strike.
The popular computer game has been widely debated ever since the school shooting in Erfurt in 2002. While parents and educators voice scepticism and criticism, players praise the game for demanding teamwork, concentration and skill. Steffen, aka ‘Hellwoofer’, is part of Germany’s top team, ‘Mortal Teamwork’, and once a year they compete against other teams at the German Championship — a battle behind screens that draws more than 2,000 fans to this massive LAN party. The mostly young players spend three days in Göttingen in a marathon of a different kind, sleeping on mattresses in the same hall.
The magic and appeal of games like Counter-Strike often remains impenetrable to the adult world. This film tries to shed light on the unknown world of ‘Hellwoofer’ and his fellow cyber-fighters.
The popular computer game has been widely debated ever since the school shooting in Erfurt in 2002. While parents and educators voice scepticism and criticism, players praise the game for demanding teamwork, concentration and skill. Steffen, aka ‘Hellwoofer’, is part of Germany’s top team, ‘Mortal Teamwork’, and once a year they compete against other teams at the German Championship — a battle behind screens that draws more than 2,000 fans to this massive LAN party. The mostly young players spend three days in Göttingen in a marathon of a different kind, sleeping on mattresses in the same hall.
The magic and appeal of games like Counter-Strike often remains impenetrable to the adult world. This film tries to shed light on the unknown world of ‘Hellwoofer’ and his fellow cyber-fighters.
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