The Remarkable Life of Ibelin follows the video game persona of 25 year old Norwegian Mats Steen, who died at the age of 25 from a rare degenerative muscle disease. The disease left him bound to a wheelchair for much of his life, with only very limited movement in his fingers. The documentary shines a light on Mats' meaningful impact on people’s lives, despite never meeting them in person and having his own life be cut tragically short. 

 

Mats used the World of Warcraft as an escape from the reality of his medical condition and a means to live a full life he physically could not achieve in the real world. His parents were devastated by the impact of their son’s condition and the thought that Mats would never experience the joys of a life, including friends and meaningful relationships. Only after his passing did they learn how fulfilling his virtual life had been. His parents were showered with messages of love and affection from fellow World of Warcraft players who had come to know and love Mats’ character Ibelin over hundreds of hours of gameplay and written conversations. The game’s servers had archived thousands of conversations and interactions in the game which are brought to life in the documentary through the same graphics Mats had experienced while living vicariously through Ibelin.  

 

The documentary is both heartwarming and heartache inducing. One of my favorite moments involved Mats counseling a fellow player and imparting wisdom far beyond his years to help a mother and her autistic son develop a loving bond in real life. The doc also delves into how the game allowed Mats to have virtual romances as Ibelin, something he never felt possible in his real life. While an overarching somber tone casts a melancholy shadow over the documentary, there is an abundance of joy captured by a fulfilling, unorthodox life led by Mats as Ibelin in a world welcoming to everyone.