I just finished watching “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” on Netflix, and I’m still crying. The moving documentary explores the too-short life of Mats Steen, a young man who suffered from Duchenee muscular dystrophy, but who found a meaningful life within the virtual MMO world of World of Warcraft, and his character, Ibelin.
It’s also a reminder of the importance of gaming as a doorway, rather than a barrier, to relationships between parents and their kids.
I admit, when I think of online gaming, I tend to think of meeting with real-life friends and battling monsters (or other players) together. I forget that many games are used as much for building virtual communities, if not more-so.
The documentary reminded me of joining a guild in EverQuest when I was a teenager in the late 90s and early 2000s, and fond memories of making virtual friends and often just hanging out in towns, as friends do.
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” explores Steen’s life as he becomes increasingly immobile, while remaining an active player in the game, and his guild, Starlight.
For WoW fans and veterans, the doc features animation using World of Warcraft models to virtually reconstruct entire scenes that Ibelin participated in, thanks to over 40,000 pages of game dialogue recorded by the guild. The combination of 3D animation, including facial expressions, and voice-over sells the emotional impact and importance gaming can have on our lives, particularly during tumultuous years.
“It’s not a screen, it’s a gateway to wherever your heart desires. I boot up the screen, and I leave this world.” — Mats “Ibelin” Steen
The doc centers much of its storytelling on the positive impact Ibelin has on other guildmates, especially two women at different stages of their lives, as well as the heartbreaking secrecy that Ibelin keeps through much of his online life.
Steen passed in 2014 at the age of 25. It was only afterwards that his parents discovered the loving, kind community of friends and guildmates he had nurtured through thousands of hours of online gaming.
“It has only been the last week that we have really got close to realizing the full impact of the digital community in his life,” says his father, Robert Steen, at the funeral.
Filmmaker Benjamin Ree created the documentary independently, and only after it was finished did he approach Blizzard Entertainment. Thankfully the company became big fans, officially granting the film the rights to use the models (though I believe “World of Warcraft” is never actually named in the documentary).
In support of the film, Blizzard created a custom pet DLC for World of Warcraft. The Reven Pack adds a cute fox-pet with an investigator outfit — a nod to Ibelin’s character. One hundred percent of the purchase price ($20) goes directly to CureDuchenne, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, patient care, and support for those affected by the disease.
The Reven Pack is supported by World of Warcraft as well as WoW Classic (Modern WoW also features a transmog backpack for the cuddly fox). It’s only available for purchase through January 7, 2025.
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is streaming now on Netflix. It’s rated PG-13 for brief, strong language.
