Love Child, a new documentary about online game addiction in South Korea, has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
According to the festival's official website, the documentary explores the adverse affects of South Korea's fast and affordable internet infrastructure through the story of a couple whose three-month-old daughter died of malnutrition while they were playing the massively multiplayer online game, Prius Online. The Korean MMO's name was later changed to Arcane Saga, and was finally shut down in December 2013.
The story wasn't reported on much in the United States since it broke in 2010, but the couple received a reduced sentence after the court recognized their addiction as a mental disorder.
The filmmakers talked to game developers, the police detective assigned to the case, the lawyer, and the family.
"Korea has had high speed Internet for much longer than we have in the States," director Valerie Veatch said in an interview with Indiewire. "They have a very sophisticated gaming industry and culture. This story was completely different [than] it was played in the international news media. It was fear that [drove] these news stories."
Veatch's previous documentary ME @ THE ZOO_, told the story of Chris Crocker, who uploaded the viral “Leave Britney Alone!” video to YouTube.
Documentary about gaming addiction
