Review: How Video Games Can Connect Us to the World
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a documentary on Netflix, explains how a terminally ill boy found freedom in World of Warcraft.
Many people see video games as trivial distractions, a way to pass the time. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin shows how online worlds can become a lifeline for those isolated in the real one.
The documentary follows Mats Steen, a Norwegian boy diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As his ability to move and breathe declined, his parents worried he was withdrawing from life, spending most of his time playing World of Warcraft.
When Steen passed away at 25, his parents posted an announcement of his death on his blog. They never expected what happened next—a flood of heartfelt messages from people around the world, sharing stories of how their son had impacted their lives.
In real life, Steen could barely move his fingers. But in the digital realm, as the red-headed, muscular Ibelin Redmoore, Steen was a hero. He made friends, embarked on grand adventures, helped others, and even found love. He lived the kind of life online that his condition denied him in the physical world.
For Steen, gaming was freedom. "I'm trapped in a shell that can't sustain me very well," he once wrote. "My great escape is gaming….In there my handicap doesn't matter, my chains are broken and I can be whoever I want to be."
Blending real-life interviews with World of Warcraft–style animation that recreates Ibelin's in-game experiences, this documentary challenges the idea of what a "full life" means.
