LIFF: Break The Game Review

Gryphon Writer Lucas Assagba reviews documentary film Break the Game, part of the Cinema Versa strand of LIFF 2023.

Spoiler Warning

Jane M. Wagner’s Break the Game is a documentary that follows Narcissa Wright, a gamer and streamer, and her journey on the streaming site Twitch between 2017 and 2023. Using archived livestreams, Wagner presents a story of triumph over adversity. Though it takes an unexpected angle, her representation of Narcissa’s six-year journey is frustrating, and at times tear-inducing, but still left me with a sense of delight. 

The former world record holder of a 2014 playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Narcissa is renowned for speedrunning, a practice of finishing a game as fast as possible. Wagner does a great job at setting the scene for this subculture of gaming. While I was familiar beforehand, that knowledge isn’t necessary to understand the documentary. 

Narcissa’s six-year journey is frustrating, and at times tear-inducing, but still left me with a sense of delight

Lucas Assagba

In 2015, Wright came out as trans, and her fanbase dropped in numbers. Wagner follows her journey to regain her old audience. Having peaked at 18,000 viewers, Wright attempts to achieve 20,000 viewers as she tries to beat 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in record time.  

A standout aspect of Break the Game is its representation of the gaming community, showing its rampant transphobia and homophobia. Through Narcissa’s Twitch chat, bigotry and exclusion are huge issues among gamers, and Wagner shines a much-needed light on the issue. However, she also highlights the sense of community one can find online. Wright still keeps a dedicated fanbase, even starting a relationship with viewer and fellow streamer D_Gurl. 

While seeing the raw footage is enough to provoke emotion, Wagner excels in her presentations of Narcissa’s experiences. She utlises segments of pixel-art, which dramatize and stylise the events of Wright’s life. This serves as a love letter to the medium of gaming. The documentary pays homage to games including The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure.  

Narcissa doesn’t achieve a world-record run in Breath of the Wild, but that isn’t where the triumph lies. Instead, Wagner presents the value of gaining human connection, mostly through the joy Wright feels when she meets D_Gurl in real life. At the end of the documentary, she intentionally gets banned from Twitch and moves back in with her parents.  Although Narcissa doesn’t reach her goal of 20,000 viewers, the journey Wagner presents is much more fulfilling. A captivating story of identity, community, and love on the internet, Break the Game is a true feat, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

You can read about LIFF and other reviews including on the Gryphon’s Arts and Culture Page.