La singular vida de Ibelin

Well, Rarely do i find a documentary that shreds me to the core.

It's great in it's simplicity, but this true story hits you to the core on an international level. A must see for every parent and educator who is afraid of the online gaming community.

Now, I rarely get emotional these days, it has been a few years since I have tears run down my face during such a long time. The documentary hits every chord it touches, for me at least. True, when you look at the story objectively, and take all the emotional items out of it, it is a story so cliché that it borders on the sickening delights of a cheap RomCom. It follows exactly the same story line one could imagine in a movie of that kind. Yet the true story and the testimonies of his family and the online community give it a message that hits home hard.

Personally I was touched as my life has many similarities to our hero, but for quite different reasons and for sure I am not a hero, Mats is! In every single definition of the word.

May there be many Ibelin's in this world, and the online worlds, and I hope 'World of Warcraft' erects a statue in Azeroth (or names the 30 minute route he ran every day) to the exceptional person that was Mats "Ibelin" Steen, and may they produce a full scale movie about his and his characters life with all profits going to the research of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Mats Steen was a poor, unfortunate lad who was born with a disease that caused his muscles to slowly whither away. This led to a life lived mostly bound to a wheelchair until he faded away and died. A horrible and empty way to live and die.

Or was it?

As it turned out the young man, who was an avid participant in a game called World of Warcraft, had built an alternate, online life with friendships and even some romantic relationships. Through his alter-ego "Ibelin" Mats lived the life he always wanted and seemed to find ways to help others on his way. It wasn't until after his death that the depth and extent of how many people his digital life had positively affected came to light.

I have a kind of parallel experience from my own youth in that during the 80's I was very into role playing games. We were the geeks and the other outsiders who kind of banded together over a game that offered a means of escape from the everyday world. We were misunderstood and vilified as losers or even satanists. So, in watching this film, I recognized the world and the negative mindset endured by those who love online games. The setting had changed but the negativity towards the game was the same. I understood.

It was very life affirming to see how Mats's character "Ibelin" released him from his physical constraints and gave him the opportunity to live a life lived well. Maybe this shows a way forward for people with such extensive physical difficulties, a way to put them entirely into a virtual reality so they can live a happy life through virtual avatars? Or maybe that's just wishful sci-fi thinking. Either way, I wept at several points in the film, sometimes through sadness, sometimes through joy. I'm not the kind of guy who cries easily but this film pushes enough of the necessary emotional buttons to make even a stone gargoyle cry.

I find I'm still not convinced about the wholesomeness of online gaming, a lot of very unpleasant things have happened in some quite high profile cases. But, if someone were to ask me if online games are a good thing, now I've seen this film, I'd have to say yes, the majority of the time.

God bless Mats and Ibelin, sleep well.

A must see for everyone. A heartwarming and touching movie about my fellow Norwegian man. I cried and got to think about his life when he lived. No spoilers so just sit back and feel the movie.

You will not be disappointed at all. Ibelin has been in Norwegian media for some time and I was wondering if this could be a good movie, so hell yeah... Shows me as a father that when kids are more in a virtual word it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just something I don't understand just yet.

So please sit back and let the movie take you through a young man's world so far away from our world. And if you are living in Ibelins world; I salute you 🇳🇴

I was lucky enough to be at a screening where Mats' father presented the film, and afterwards he and the audience reflected around it. A mother in the audience said that the film gave her more understanding about her son's relationship with gaming, and they reflected on the fact that adults often judge the gaming culture before they have seen the whole picture. I think that was an interesting reflection.

This film was so beautiful and heartwarming. The movie addresses many issues surrounding gaming, and tackles a number of prejudices many have against gaming and shines a new light on it. It opened my eyes to the freedoms it gives to many, and the fact that so many strong and lasting communities and friendships gets made and exist on this platforms. It also focuses on making the most of the life you have, and the power that lies in caring, being kind, showing respect and listening to others. Would recommend it heartily!

This is probably the most unprofessional but honest review I have given on IMDB. This was a beautiful story amazingly animated and curated to understand his nature and impact in how the digital age can still grip and touch us all. As someone who has constant Existential fears and worries around death. The story of Ibelin reminded me of the purpose we all share in this life, is our relationship with each other, how love and respect helps eachother to grow, and that if we open our hearts and allow each other to embrace both our gifts and our flaws, we can share something special regardless of the canvas our senses create.