We are Chris Roberts (Star Citizen, Wing Commander), Chris Kluwe (NFL Barbarian, Author), Zack Below (Producer) and Erik Cieslewicz (Director) from pro gaming documentary Die Noobs. AMA!

Chris Roberts - What was the best game you felt you ever made, and why was it Privateer?

Oh shit. Good question blood king.

Don't know a damn thing about gaming, but Chris Kluwe, the Vikings were chumps for letting you go. Still have a refashioned Favre jersey with your name spelled out in purple duct tape. Keep being a decent dude about same sex marriage and equality in general.

Thanks! (And if you want to get into gaming it's easier now than it's ever been before - there's so many options out there :) )

Loate, have you backed Star Citizen? If you did, can we fly together?

Mr. Roberts, I have nothing to ask, just want you to keep on being awesome and building the game of my dreams.

I did, and yes. We'll blast some pirates.

This is for Zack:

How far can you punt a football?

Over that mountain.

So, as a woman, whose only experience with online games to date include FarmVille and Candy Crush, and the fact I get bored easily and don't own a console. What would be a good place to start? There are so many consoles and so many games. It's kinda overwhelming.

Honestly, if you don't mind mucking about with a computer a bit, downloading a SNES emulator will allow you to experience a lot of really great classic games for free (Super Mario World, Final Fantasy 4 and 6, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Super Metroid). A lot of us grew up with these games as our defining influences, so you can see the foundations of much of what's being done today, and you can digest them in as big or small chunks as you want.

Otherwise, Nintendo makes fairly accessible games for new gamers (Mario and Zelda tend to start out pretty forgiving), so a Wii or WiiU wouldn't be a bad choice. Also don't discount ioS gaming - there's a lot of cool stuff being done on tablets and phones that is very reminiscent of the early 16 bit days, just make sure you look at reviews for the games so you don't get stuck with a stinker (a lot of people are pushing ioS games as quick cash grabs, and you'll want to avoid those).

Oh, a 3DS would also be a worthwhile thing to look into. Great games, portable, and access to downloadable older games from the Nintendo Store. Only downside is you have to deal with the Nintendo Store.

I love to muck around on the computer. I have been kicking around the idea of a Wii for awhile just haven't bought it. I was actually going to get it for yoga and Wii fit. Hmmmm...gaming...dual purpose...money justified. In the meantime, I will look into WoW on my (ahem, Mac) :) and Sonic- do they have Sonic? I used to love that game when I was a bit younger.

I game on a Mac too, you're not alone. Also love my Wii U.

If you have a PC, I would recommend starting out with World of Warcraft! You will have a lot of fun. :)

Chris, was working with Jared Allen badass? Does he really order extra mayo on everything? Why doesn't he grow back his mullet?

He's a funny guy, and I believe his wife is the one responsible for the de-mulleting. I've never seen him order extra mayo on anything.

I'm confused... these people doing this AMA have nothing in common! (and only one of them is commenting on everyone's questions)

We're all in involved with Die Noobs. Chris and Chris will both be appearing on camera to talk about video game culture and the phenomenon of eSports in the film.

Mr. Kluwe did you conduct any research before concluding that we wouldn't all be turned into lustful cockmonsters?

On a more serious note, do you think that article damaged your chances of finding work with a NFL team?

In a similar vein, do you think Kerry Rhodes ability to find a team at a position, which is severely lacking talented players, has been affected by the photographs taken of he and his friend?

Part one - I conducted extensive research. EXTENSIVE.

Part two and three, I'll defer until I'm done playing football to comment.

If you had to eat a cat what type of sauce would you use/ how would you cook it?

Sweet Baby Rays.

Sriracha, three hours buried above coals at around 250 degrees.

Any advice for a noob like me?

Practice. It's the only way to get good at anything in life.

Relevant

Chris Kluwes, so when are you getting your own Minnesota Public Radio show and how was your time on WITS?

WITS is awesome, and I can't wait to be on it again in October :)

How long have you guys been playing these games? Are there women players?

Jason and I gamed together for 12 years before meeting in person. The first time we ever met was the first day of production for Die Noobs! I was pretty drunk when he finally showed up at like 2:30 AM. Awkward and sweet meeting. The next morning we filmed at Lambeau Field with Superbowl Champ Tom Crabtree.

Yes! There are women gamers. (Example)

Acer.Scarlett is one of the best Starcraft players in the world. There are a handful of women pros, but you are right that it's very male dominated. Which is a shame, gaming really takes out a lot of the physical differences between the sexes and levels the playing field in that regard. Hopefully, we'll see more woman climbing to top tiers of the sport soon.

Edit: Another good looking doc, GTFO, is exploring that topic in a lot more detail: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1319761157/gtfo

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You need to go deeper: ask why you shot web.

6 figures??!?? To play video games?!?! GTFO!!! I save lives for a living and I don't make that! I'm going to go throw up now. But before I do, Chris Kluwe, I loved the book.

Thanks! Yeah, esports are becoming a huge thing, especially MOBAS (DotA, LoL, etc.). Don't be surprised to see that shift continue to happen due to people growing up with consoles and video games in the house.

These guys train just as much/hard as NFL athletes man. It is crazy awesome and inspiring. List of earnings of pro gamers

Hey Chris and Team! I'm a fairly new backer on your project but I've been interested since your video first hit the internet. I would like to know if in the final game, missions that can be collected include planet-side gameplay? For instance, will there be contracts to do work within cities or maybe travel from one planet's city to another planet's city and go to some point of interest, maybe some person of interest within that city? I'm just not clear whether or not some missions will require you to dock and complete objectives on the ground. Thanks!

edit: To add, I just think that feels more authentic to have to dock at the planet where your objective is, and then walk or drive to the person/place/thing that is your objective.

Double Edit: I still want to ask that question, but I've just realized in my haste I didn't actually read the context of the AMA! Well Shit, I'm a starcraft player, so lets talk pro gaming. I'm really excited for Die Noobs! And I'm super glad that this kind of crossover documentary is being made. My question: I'm a big MMA fan and I see that Josh Barnett is in this movie. Can you give us any teasers about the segment that he is in?

Josh was great, the moment the cameras started rolling, he knew exactly what I was going for. He is one of the training camp heads that the boys meet up with that train them how to be pros. So we have a lot of great footage of him with them in the ring.

You can see just a small preview of him power bombing Zack in the beginning of this trailer during his sound bite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTx_vW-F4-8

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Guys are starting to figure out reddit, but it's still early going. I'd say another 5-10 years before you have a multitude of guys that are completely versed in social media/tech stuff. As kids are raised in households that have consoles/PCs, they become far more comfortable with tech stuff.

I consider myself a pretty common gamer as in I play more than the average casual cod killer but less than the Moba jocks and im up to date with most releases and news. why should I watch your casuals service documentary?

It's actually about guys like you trying to go pro. They go to tournaments around the world and talk to pros about how they can do it. They see the culture along the way, and learn what it's all about. They learn that even big rockstars like M. Shadows playing in professional Call of Duty tournaments, that Korean Starcraft players train for twelve plus hours a day, that it's really not that different from playing more mainstream sports like NFL football. Not to give too much away, but they will play in a real pro tournament.

Plus it'll be fun. That helps.

@ChrisKluwe, do you still play WoW and if so, what server, faction and character name?

I don't, stopped about halfway through Cataclysm (got bored with raiding). I used to play on Kil'Jaeden as a troll rogue, Loate. Horde, of course.

Why would you name this documentary something so stereotypical?

It's German. It means "The Noobs, The."

Kluwe on your latest book what was your major inspiration? Still have plans for a new book? What will it take for a chargers fan to get your book and card signed

Inspiration was things I noticed in the world that bothered me. Definitely plans for another book. If I get signed with a team, I'll post an address you can send stuff to for signing purposes.

This is for the director Erik. So what's it like dealing with those two noobs? Herding cats?

Like a zergling rodeo.

The hardest part, sometimes, is not to laugh and ruin a good joke or something. It sucks to have to be the "serious one" on set, but we usually have had a blast without having to herd them too much.

Well I wanted to ask a question but I don't really know what to say so could you just make up a question yourself and then answer it?

The idea is that a shortest possible distance exists in the universe, called a Planck length, after the scientist Max Planck and his work on quantum theory. String theorists guess that the smallest parts of the universe, the things atoms are made up of, quarks and very tiny particles, are all strings that are Planck length. Just as one string on a guitar can vibrate at different frequencies to produce different notes, string theorists believe these tiny strings represent all those very different particles at different "frequencies."

What kind of soundtrack did you use and how did you come to decide what character and style it should have?

Electronica is so big in the scene we couldn't not use it. A lot can change between now and picture lock, but that's my feeling right now.

Dupstep artist Jonah Wei-Haas, formerly of Pinn Panelle is our composer and he's amazing. He does some glitch hop, electronica and even jazz. You can listen to his stuff a couple of different ways:

http://www.youtube.com/jweihaas
https://soundcloud.com/jweihaas

As an ex-pro halo 3 player and CoD:MW 2 pro back when I was 18-19, I left the scene learning a lot about life. About how much work actually had to be put into that career. I stopped playing competitively because it was either that, or lose the life I had in the real world at a very crucial time in life.

I went to college the whole time and am still going at 23 because I ended up missing some classes because I was practicing or playing in tournaments. I even still play competitive league of legends but no where near the amount I had to to become pro like I had in other games.

My question, what do you think of how e-sports is growing with league of legends? The world championship's are currently under way and the coverage is better than anything ESPN can put out because they aren't being funded by Disneys money and are completely self made. And where do you see it growing? How quickly? And do you see flagship games like league of legends which is easily overcoming games like SC2 or WoW in terms of competition?

I see eSports a lot like mixed martial arts was about 10 years ago. In the next ten years FOX (or someone) is going to be carrying tournaments just like they do UFC matches now. I think Blizzard's WCS attempt to make the sport more streamlined and less fragmented is steps in the right direction on that front as well.

I also see parallels with soccer in the states: about thirty years ago, every kid in America started playing recreational soccer. They're becoming adults with disposable incomes (so ad revenue) that understand the game and want to watch it played professionally. eSports is just a little bit behind that in terms of every kid in America growing up playing video games, becoming adults with disposable incomes and wanting to watch it played professionally.

Right now, you still get a little sticker shock when people here about professional gaming, but like you know, it's really no different than any other kid's game that adults play for money.

Chris, I really enjoyed your character in shadowrun returns. How much input did you have on the character? Also are there other huge geeks in the NFL? Do you ever get shit for it yourself?

Also good work sticking up for the lgbt community.

Thanks! Essentially, I Kickstarted the game and then they designed the character based on publicly available information - I didn't have any input other than pictures to help them create the graphical model (though I'm really happy with how it turned out).

As far as I know there isn't anyone in the NFL who is as big a geek as I am, but there are plenty of guys who play games, so I don't really get a lot of crap for it.

Chris Kluwe, do you remember a paladin called Jaw in FHF?

This clearly isn't him because that guy couldn't spell for shit.

Cluwe- what's it like being a pro football player and an author?

How do you valence the two?

What one is your favorite?

If you could play on any yea what would it be?

If you could meet any author who would it be?

Pretty awesome.

I focus on whatever I'm doing 100%. If I'm at football, it's football all the way. If it's writing, I'm writing.

I like both, because I like doing things well.

Any team would be one who wins the Superbowl.

Iain Banks or Terry Pratchett (sadly, Banks passed away recently).

Kluwe-- if you don't get another shot at the nfl, will you feel content with your career? You never won a Super Bowl but you used your platform to speak up on issues important to you, and now you're doing cool things not related to the nfl!

I will. I look at it that if I never play another down in the NFL, at least I got 8 years, which is 8 more years than 99.9% of the populace will ever get. I met a lot of cool guys and had a lot of fun experiences, and it also opened a lot of doors for me to succeed later in life. I also hopefully helped some people out, which I think is something we can all aspire to.

This is for the good ol' Chris Kluwe, no questions..just thank you for the care packages!

Glad you guys made it through safe!

Chris Kluwe, can we be battle.net realid buddies?

I don't play that often on Battle.net :)

Shut the fuck up about everything, chris kluwe.

Please see my response to Nathaniel Jackson, esquire, as to my feelings on that matter.