Race to World First (2013) Online

There have been three attempts at using the World of Warcraft as the subject of a documentary and I am glad to say that the third time is the charm. Both of the previous attempts fixate on the known stereotypes and the cautionary tales that have given massively multiplayer online games an undeserved bad rap.

"Race to World First", breaks that mold and gives us a chance to see the positive things that can evolve from a social game like WoW. It also offers a glimpse into the lifestyles of the very best players in the world and shows us what it takes to rule a place like Azeroth. The film doesn't steer clear of the hazards of excessive game play but what I love about this film is that it doesn't dwell on it. "Race to World First" is an eloquent and accurate exploration into the communities that comprise these modern day, online worlds and is an expertly crafted film that left me wanting another film.

Race to World First makes you feel talking face to face with the Raidmembers of Blood Legion. It gives deep insight into raiding at top levels, without displaying all the gamer stereotypes(which is often the case in other documentaries).

The last 10 minutes you can see the TOP guilds racing for world firsts in the first Cataclysm content, which is SO interesting and exciting to watch.

To sum it up it's a really, really good documentation about raiding in the World of Warcraft, BUT you must've played WoW before to understand what's happening. You shouldn't touch it if you've never played a MMORPG before.

Race to World First manages to capture the raw excitement and the race that the top players in Warcraft endure with each and every new piece of content for them to beat.

The film looks at various guilds, with the members themselves providing in-depth insight into their lives both in and outside the game, with a touch of looking at how raiding impacts their everyday life, and what they have to go through in order to become a world champion of raiding.

The film also provides humorous moments, when the seemingly strong guild of Blood Legion are suddenly faced with the problem of their leader disappearing and it provides an interesting commentary on how the members of the guild deal with this sudden change of pace for them.

The film truly captures the highs and lows that most Warcraft players have to go through in order to beat the hardest encounters, but this film really shows what the best of the best players have to go through, which is something that a lot of Warcraft players don't get to see and experience.

Overall, Race to World First is a great film, which is beautifully crafted, with informative graphics, great shots from within the game and a great commentary by the players themselves.

Welcome to World of Warcraft; the massive multiplayer online game being played by millions around the world. To the mere mortals who don't play, they see simply nerds playing their online game with a fanaticism that really doesn't make sense. It doesn't seem productive at all, does it? If it's just a game, why is there all sorts of merchandise for it? Why does every other TV show reference it? What's up with this game?

Enter Scott Johnson, and the amazing team of the "The Instance" podcast. They took it upon themselves to put together a look at the hardcore players of WoW, and put it on film. And by the gods, it is a most amazing and accurate look. You learn about why people play this game. You learn about the relationships that are built within the game. You are introduced to the amazing teams working together across the lands of Azeroth. You learn what it means to be a hardcore raider who are racing toward the elusive world first against other guilds. You learn what it means to be revered by a virtual community. You learn what it means to be a part of an amazing virtual community.

I'm a heroic raider as well, someone who raids just as Blood Legion and the others in the documentary do. I completely approve of this documentary, it's an amazing piece of work in showing what we do. I've shown it to many of my friends who don't understand why I play a game. I've even shown it to my parents and they understand now. It's a great learning tool and is a focusing lens on an aspect of gaming that is often overlooked or mocked.

"Race to World First" is an amazing piece of work that shouldn't be passed up by anyone. If you're a WoW player, or know someone who plays, watch this. It will open your eyes and you'll understand so much more.

Since the release of this film it has been hard to not hear about it if you play World of Warcraft. I would say it had even become an annoyance. I held out for the longest time primarily because I despise the guild that they featured and assumed it was a bunch of BS. I also find it annoying that people call it "The Race to World First" now instead of "Progression Race" it's the latter people.

That said, I was encouraged by a guild mate that I respect to see the film. I downloaded a pirated copy and was pleasantly surprised. The movie did an impeccable job of recreating the experience. I was absolutely blown away with the race sequence and I didn't hate the BL guys as much as I thought I would. I am looking forward to the next project by these guys. Sorry I didn't pay for the film. I will buy the next one.

I'm giving it an 8 because they should have focused on another guild but they did a good job regardless.

I've been a raiding since Burning Crusade. Friends and Family don't get why I did it. There is no easy way to explain to euphoria I would receive achieving a long-time goal on the internet. Race to World First explains it all. The commitment, competition, progression, drama, glory. This film shows you the world that most people who play World of Warcraft has never gotten to experience before. The only downside to this is the guild they decided to follow. I admit that it was enjoyable watching Blood Legion chewing each other out with their drama from Guild Leaders or frustration from lack of progression during the race. In the end, I would rather watch the Top Dog, than the underdog.