Against The Odds – Compelling eSports documentary

Red Bull Documentaries

Red Bull Media House is known for inspiring films that go ‘beyond the ordinary’ such as the story of travelling surfer, Frank Solomon, in Lets Be Frank, which won a Sports Emmy Award in 2017, and Blood Road, about ultra-endurance pro mountain biker Rebecca Rusch, which won a News & Documentary Emmy Award in 2018. Red Bull started signing esports athletes in 2006 and now works with over 49 athletes and or teams around the world.

This story is set in a fiercely competitive world that’s filled with huge arenas and screaming fans, where there are millions and millions of dollars at stake and lives are forever changed. Players are referred to as athletes; they play for millions of dollars, in front of millions of people, and are mobbed by fans to sign autographs. The preparation and hype around The International might surpass even the World Cup in soccer and yet, before watching this documentary, I had no idea this world even existed.

Teamwork makes the Dream Work

Against The Odds launched on Red Bull TV on August 7th. This fascinating documentary follows Team OG’s journey to Ti8 but it’s a story that goes beyond gaming to something that even non-gamers like me can identify with, it’s a story about friendship. It’s also a story about resilience, about watching your dreams being torn to pieces and somehow finding the strength to rebuild them and come back stronger than before.

Gamers, Johann and Tal were best friends and team-mates who, in this world, are known as N0tail and Fly. Their compelling journey began as team-mates on Team Fnatic in Ti3 (The International 2013) [sic]. In 2015 both players made it to Ti5, this time on competing teams. After Ti5, N0tail and Fly decided to create their own team so they would always be team-mates – three more players were recruited and Team OG was born. N0tail talks about kindness and empathy, Fly says that they lean on each other, and both agree that they founded Team OG on principles of friendship and the desire to win.

“When the stakes are this high and the odds are against you, you find out who your true friends are.” – a commentator at Ti8

The road to Ti6 began with the Majors, which are massive tournaments taking place in stadiums around the world. In 2015, Team OG scooped the Frankfurt Major thus winning both $3million and, more importantly, an invitation to compete in Ti6. The team went on to win the Manila Major too, meaning they were going into Ti6 as a favourite. But TI victory was not to be theirs and soon after The International they had a team shake-up, adding the very young and highly talented Ana to their lineup.

The campaign for Ti7 commenced immediately and Ana more than proved himself, attracting a lot of attention as they secured their Ti7 invitation. It struck me how the team was continually either playing a tournament or preparing for the next one in a never-ending circle of commitment and perseverance. N0tail summed it up by saying, “Your whole life is about that tournament”.

Downfall

Ti7 took place in Seattle and all eyes were on Team OG, whose enviable reputation for teamwork, communication and friendship preceded them. Having won another two majors, they were the out-and-out favourites to take the Aegis but yet again it was not to be, and every cruel twist of fate in Team OG’s downfall was heartbreakingly documented. Aged only 17, youngest team-member Ana bore the brunt of their loss. Scapegoated by fans and subjected to online abuse, he couldn’t cope and resigned his place on the team. Further losses early in the Ti8 campaign saw a rift set in which tore the team apart.

Three months before Ti8 in Vancouver, Team OG was in tatters, with just two team members surviving from Ti7 and very little time to rebuild. Worst of all, the friendship between the two founding members, N0tail and Fly, seemed lost and they would soon find themselves competing on different teams. I watched the next part of this documentary with my heart in my mouth, willing Team OG on to succeed, despite their fall to “dead last” in the rankings.

“Our boat caught fire during Birmingham. The ship was sinking, everything was sh*t, we probably had like half a ship. We managed to save it somehow. We made it into the most beautiful ship ever and yeah, I had to be the captain.” – N0tail.

This compelling documentary opened my eyes to the amazing world of eSports. The drama and high stakes drew me in and the camaraderie kept me engaged, but one thing stood out like a sore thumb. Maybe it’s just that I wasn’t paying enough attention, perhaps someone more eagle-eyed will correct me, but throughout the documentary, I didn’t spot a single female player, not one. Sure there were girls and women in the documentary, but they were fans, girlfriends, relatives and commentators, not players, and this surprised me. Gaming doesn’t require heavy lifting, it involves the mind, requiring quick wit, strategy, teamwork and the ability to remain calm under pressure, so there are no biological reasons why more girls aren’t taking part. Perhaps increased female participation is something we’ll see in the future, I certainly hope so.

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