description:
Mats Steen, a Norwegian man born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, becomes increasingly unable to participate in everyday activities. As a result, he spends most of his time playing video games, particularly World of Warcraft. His parents worry that he will miss out on life, unaware of what he does in the game.
Towards the end of his life, he starts a blog about living with the disease. When he dies at the age of 25, he leaves behind the password to it. His family uses the blog to announce his death, leading to various replies from his friends. The film tells the story of his life in the World of Warcraft guild Starlight—where he played the character Ibelin Redmoore—through animations based on the game, interspersed with retrospectives from his guild members, family, and excerpts from his blog.
As Ibelin, Steen kept his identity and medical condition a secret, worried that other guild members would treat him differently if they knew. He refused to communicate outside text chat, but he still developed close relationships with other guild members. He was perceived as a reliable friend they could share their problems with.
Steen’s condition worsens over time, and it becomes harder for him to play the game. He appears more agitated, causing drama regarding his relationships in the guild, eventually leading him to lash out at a guild member. As his condition deteriorates, he develops severe breathing difficulties and has to be hospitalised. The guild member he lashed out at becomes concerned regarding Steen’s absence, and confronts him about it. He explains his condition, and his fear of others’ reactions. The friend encourages him to tell the other guild members, and he decides to apologise to the guild about his previous behaviour, later sharing his blog with them.
Eventually, Steen dies from muscular dystrophy. Five guild members from abroad attend his funeral in Oslo. The rest gather in the game, which becomes a yearly tradition. The film ends with a shot of his gravestone, which reads Mats “Ibelin” Steen.
