WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.950
- Hey everyone, Carolyn from Kotaku here

2
00:00:01.950 --> 00:00:04.260
and I'm joined today by Jane Wagner,

3
00:00:04.260 --> 00:00:07.380
director of the new film "Break the Game."

4
00:00:07.380 --> 00:00:09.240
Can you tell us a little about

5
00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:11.250
what "Break the Game" is all about?

6
00:00:11.250 --> 00:00:14.550
- Yeah, "Break the Game"
follows video game live streamer

7
00:00:14.550 --> 00:00:18.607
Narcissa Wright as she
attempts to be the fastest

8
00:00:18.607 --> 00:00:21.900
"Legend of Zelda," specifically
"Breath of the Wild" player.

9
00:00:21.900 --> 00:00:25.140
She's trying to win back her former fans,

10
00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:30.060
many of whom left her
after she transitioned,

11
00:00:30.060 --> 00:00:32.010
living entirely in the virtual world

12
00:00:32.010 --> 00:00:34.230
consumed with this quest.

13
00:00:34.230 --> 00:00:38.190
It gets complicated though
when a follower in her chat

14
00:00:38.190 --> 00:00:40.770
named DGirl starts flirting with her

15
00:00:40.770 --> 00:00:44.130
and Narcissa is kind of forced to decide

16
00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:45.690
where she's gonna find value in her life,

17
00:00:45.690 --> 00:00:47.580
whether it's through chasing fame

18
00:00:47.580 --> 00:00:50.940
or through in-person IRL connections.

19
00:00:50.940 --> 00:00:54.180
- I'm curious, how did
you first learn about

20
00:00:54.180 --> 00:00:55.800
or hear about Narcissa

21
00:00:55.800 --> 00:01:00.210
and what drew you to the idea
of making a film about her?

22
00:01:00.210 --> 00:01:02.250
- So I came across Narcissa's story

23
00:01:02.250 --> 00:01:06.178
in a very internet rabbit hole way.

24
00:01:06.178 --> 00:01:10.260
I took out my N64 over winter break

25
00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:12.510
and was playing "Diddy Kong Racing"

26
00:01:12.510 --> 00:01:16.440
and I couldn't beat Whiz
Pig, one of the early bosses,

27
00:01:16.440 --> 00:01:18.180
which is a little embarrassing.

28
00:01:18.180 --> 00:01:22.530
So I went to YouTube
and came across videos

29
00:01:22.530 --> 00:01:25.620
of speed runners playing the game.

30
00:01:25.620 --> 00:01:29.220
I spent hours going next video, next video

31
00:01:29.220 --> 00:01:31.230
and came across some of Narcissa

32
00:01:31.230 --> 00:01:34.110
legendary "Ocarina of Time" runs.

33
00:01:34.110 --> 00:01:36.510
And one thing that was really
clear when I saw those videos

34
00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:41.510
was that Narcissa was beloved
by the speed running community

35
00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:43.950
and I was really
intrigued to find out more

36
00:01:43.950 --> 00:01:48.330
about this celebrity of a new
to me subculture in games.

37
00:01:48.330 --> 00:01:49.590
So, I looked her up,

38
00:01:49.590 --> 00:01:52.230
it was about a month
after she had transitioned

39
00:01:52.230 --> 00:01:55.110
in December of 2015 and she was streaming.

40
00:01:55.110 --> 00:01:56.580
I just went on her stream

41
00:01:56.580 --> 00:02:00.360
and instantly I felt like
I was seeing the future

42
00:02:00.360 --> 00:02:04.350
of where games were headed,
where media was headed

43
00:02:04.350 --> 00:02:06.350
and where our relationships were headed.

44
00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:09.930
Everything from the community in the chat

45
00:02:09.930 --> 00:02:14.930
to the vulnerability that
Narcissa put out there

46
00:02:15.510 --> 00:02:19.680
really pulled me in and I
knew this was fertile ground

47
00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:21.120
for a documentary.

48
00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:22.800
- A large part of the film's power

49
00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.320
comes from the way that it's,

50
00:02:25.320 --> 00:02:27.450
on one hand pretty unflinching

51
00:02:27.450 --> 00:02:31.500
about depicting the harassment and abuse

52
00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:34.440
that one can experience on Twitch,

53
00:02:34.440 --> 00:02:37.050
certainly that Narcissa
experiences on Twitch,

54
00:02:37.050 --> 00:02:40.500
but it also definitely shows the potential

55
00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:43.890
for community and warmth and support

56
00:02:43.890 --> 00:02:46.623
that people can find there as well.

57
00:02:47.640 --> 00:02:52.640
How did you, I guess,
navigate those dualities?

58
00:02:55.530 --> 00:02:59.010
What did you want, I guess,
viewers to kind of understand

59
00:02:59.010 --> 00:03:04.010
or take away about Twitch or
Narcissa's experiences there

60
00:03:04.770 --> 00:03:08.610
from how you depict it in the film?

61
00:03:08.610 --> 00:03:10.740
- Yeah, it was really
important to me as someone

62
00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:15.600
who's grown up playing games
and in these digital spaces

63
00:03:15.600 --> 00:03:19.890
to have a really nuanced,
authentic inside view

64
00:03:19.890 --> 00:03:24.890
of what it's like to be
online and to be a gamer.

65
00:03:24.990 --> 00:03:28.800
I feel like so much of
popular culture in the media

66
00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:30.723
really sensationalizes it,

67
00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:34.410
especially in a negative direction

68
00:03:34.410 --> 00:03:37.357
and I didn't go into the film saying,

69
00:03:37.357 --> 00:03:38.850
"I want it to be this way or that way."

70
00:03:38.850 --> 00:03:41.520
But I want it to be real and nuanced

71
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.520
and show both the the
beautiful moments of connection

72
00:03:47.040 --> 00:03:49.470
and community that can
be found in these spaces.

73
00:03:49.470 --> 00:03:54.240
But, unfortunately, in the
case of Narcissa story,

74
00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:58.980
there was a lot of toxicity,
harassment, bullying

75
00:03:58.980 --> 00:04:00.240
that she experienced

76
00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:03.780
and I didn't wanna shy
away from that reality.

77
00:04:03.780 --> 00:04:07.770
I think this film really
offers the opportunity

78
00:04:07.770 --> 00:04:11.160
to really spark a dialogue
of how we can have

79
00:04:11.160 --> 00:04:16.160
safe social interactions
on these online spaces

80
00:04:16.440 --> 00:04:20.490
and also to kind of bring
platforms like Twitch

81
00:04:20.490 --> 00:04:23.910
to the table to take accountability

82
00:04:23.910 --> 00:04:27.720
and really provide their content creators

83
00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:30.210
with the resources that they need

84
00:04:30.210 --> 00:04:31.980
to have positive experiences

85
00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:33.720
and for their mental
health to be supported.

86
00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.600
- So where can folks see "Break the Game?"

87
00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:38.880
How can folks watch this film?

88
00:04:38.880 --> 00:04:43.880
- So currently we are doing
a big theatrical push.

89
00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:48.930
We are screening in New York,
cities all over the country.

90
00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:52.680
You can check our website
for a list of screenings.

91
00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.800
We're especially doing a lot
during Pride Month this June,

92
00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:59.340
we will be doing Twitch
screenings with content creators

93
00:04:59.340 --> 00:05:01.530
where you can watch the film live.

94
00:05:01.530 --> 00:05:02.363
- Excellent.

95
00:05:02.363 --> 00:05:04.380
Well thank you so much for
being here with us today

96
00:05:04.380 --> 00:05:06.510
and thanks for watching folks.

97
00:05:06.510 --> 00:05:08.673
Keep attuned to kotaku.com.