Jane M. Wagner Interview| URGENT Kickstarter Boost

WITH MERE HOURS TO GO – THIS IS AN URGENT KICKSTARTER BOOST – Back this cool documentary about a trans woman gamer, to be made by a cis female filmmaker HERE: BREAK THE GAME: THE DOCUMENTARY by Jane M. Wagner Kickstarter Campaign.

I found the BREAK THE GAME: THE DOCUMENTARY Kickstarter video compelling. Films like KING OF KONG have explored gamer culture, but never from a the point of view of a trans gamer. The fact that there has been so much harassment inside of gaming surrounding women in gaming (to say nothing of trans women in gaming), makes this film seem like an important dissection of our current moment in time, but using a very pop culture lens for that conversation. What is driving you to make this film?

Narcissa is perhaps the most unique and individualistic person I’ve ever met. There are other documentaries on aspects of this story – on speedrunning, or overviews of women or LGBTQ+ gamers. What makes Break the Game different than any other documentary is that it takes a very personal and intimate approach to telling the story of ONE streamer – her rise and fall, her attempt at a comeback, and her personal life. Narcissa’s transition is a part of her story, it’s not the film’s only focus.

I also want audiences to understand that there’s backlash against women and trans gamers. There are dark corners of the internet devoted to hate-watching trans gamers like Narcissa, stalking their every and even posting longform YouTube documentaries that portray her as mentally ill, just because she’s trans.

The backlash and targeted hate campaigns women have faced in the gaming world has been extreme. It’s disgusting. My intent in making this film is to allow Narcissa to speak for herself and regain control over her narrative. I also want to motivate people in the gaming world to think more critically about their community – how they treat one another online, the pressures that streamers like Narcissa face, the toll streaming and being in the public eye can take on a streamer’s mental health, and that cyberbullying can have real world affects on those who have been targeted.

But there’s more to these women’s stories than the hate they experience online. There are a lot of other reasons why Narcissa’s story is fascinating – she’s a digital pioneer at the forefront of a new medium, she’s one of the most creative minds in gaming, her story is a redemption story, it’s a story about online community and family, it’s a universal love story, it explores both the beauty and drawbacks of online friendship, it’s a meditation on the boundary between the real and virtual world.

I think people will really connect with Narcissa’s desire to feel loved and that the romance that blooms between her and D_Gurl will be a familiar storyline that will guide viewers through the uncanny valley of the digital world. Narcissa’s story poses a series of questions that we as an increasingly digital society are grappling with. How many likes do we need to feel loved? How do we construct our real and digital identities? Where can we find community and love?

Speaking of the digital world, how do you cover online life in a documentary?

Unlike most movies about the online world, Break the Game embraces the digital landscape it takes place in – which means we pull liberally from the 3000+ hour archive of livestreams, gaming videos, and vlogs that Narcissa has saved plus tweets, online chats, and other digital media.

Narcissa lives unapologetically online. This may seem dystopic to most people, who think gamers are lonely and alienated from society. But I had a fascinating conversation with Narcissa that really changed my perspective… and that’s a perspective shift I want to bring to the audience of the film. At one point I asked Narcissa if she was familiar with the concept of Plato’s cave and thought that she was only seeing the shadows of the cave (or that she wasn’t experiencing reality). Narcissa countered that the world outside was the cave, and reality was when she turned her computer on and connected with the virtual world.

In a way, that proved out during the Kickstarter campaign. Members of Narcissa’s community have reached out with incredible stories about how online gaming has changed their lives. One woman told me she met her wife in Narcissa’s stream chat. Another told me they found housing when they were homeless through Narcissa’s community. There are friendships and romantic connections that change lives – and they all started on the internet in a gamer’s livestream.

How did you meet Narcissa?

I’ve told this story a few times, but here it goes:

I came across Narcissa’s story completely by accident and in the most millennial way imaginable – by falling down an internet rabbit hole. In December of 2015 I was casually playing Diddy Kong racing on my N64 when I found myself stumped by a boss. A YouTube search revealed something incredible: an entire subculture of gamers who played video games differently – instead of just playing, they took the old games I knew and loved and tried to beat them as fast as possible. These gamers competed for world records by using glitches, exploits, and reverse engineering the code to get to the end in a fraction of the time. It was mesmerizing and I was hooked.

I watched video after video and something became very clear. At the center of this subculture was one elite and beloved gamer named Narcissa Wright. Based on the crowds of people who watched her play, it was obvious that Narcissa was a bit of a celebrity and completely idolized by her community.
But when I googled Narcissa’s deadname, I learned that things had changed. It was about a month into Narcissa’s transition and the online hate and vitriol was extreme. Despite the hate, I was intrigued to find out that Narcissa was still streaming. I was inspired by her willingness to put herself out there, be vulnerable, and share so much of herself publicly. A lot of other streamers put on a bit of an audience friendly persona, but Narcissa was willing to be her raw, intimate self.

After a year of lurking in Narcissa’s stream, I saw a video where she vowed to surpass everything she did in the past by making a comeback with Breath of the Wild. Ever since I discovered her stream I had thought about making a documentary but was too scared – but watching Narcissa leap into the unknown and throw herself into something gave me a new sense of courage and motivation. So, I DMed her on Twitter and our journey together began.

Back this Kickstarter HERE.