World of Darkness: A Game Documentary Review

Humans have always been been drawn to the occult. Whether out of fear or fascination, it has become an integral part of our culture. What does it feels like to walk among the creatures of the night?

World of Darkness is a fictional setting for a supernatural horror themed role-playing game that captured millions of audiences worldwide because of its unique take on the classic tabletop role-playing game. World of Darkness: The Documentary is an 88-minute film that showcases the rise and fall of one of the most popular role-playing game that ever graced the tabletop community.

The film starts off by giving us a glimpse of how the universe within the World of Darkness works. The community, its people and the lore that ties them all together. It's not just a game, there is also an art in the way they tell their story.

The documentary further explores what goes on beyond the game. We see how it all began, their inspirations and how it influenced and shaped aspects of our pop culture. From exclusive insights of the original creators and founders as well as inputs of long-time fans and players of the games to glamorous LARP events, elaborate storytelling and gorgeous artworks that inspired various books and films. No wonder it left such a huge impact even up to this day.

Aside from the beauty and excitement, they also discussed the nitty gritty and struggles the creators had to go through in order to make the games a continuous success. The reduction of sales, legal battles, explosion of vampires, werewolves and the likes in media and generally just keeping up with the changing times.

Overall it's an interesting journey to follow along. The narrative is clear and straight to the point with no dull moments. The documentary focuses more on the stories that revolve around the game and its message rather than the game itself so there won't be much in-game action. I am no expert when it comes to RPGs but coming from someone who has an avid fascination with the creatures of the night and whose creative influences comes from the gothic subculture, the thrill of having to live out your fantasy is what makes the World of Darkness truly great.