Altogether, the movie itself is fine, even excellent, although I wished that there had been a little more (okay, any) of Truman’s life/show before he begins to suspect that something is amiss, so we had a better feel as to what would make this TV show so popular (since the life Truman leads is not exactly spectacular or non-repetitive) and how Christof and his minions have managed to fool Truman for thirty years. I also wished that the clues Truman stumbles upon had not been so many or so obvious (the rain scene, in particular, could have been handled much more subtly). On the other hand, I thought the faux product placements that bring in the Truman Show’s revenues were cute and I really enjoyed the GM aspects of the film: How do NPCs react to unexpected situations and questions? What can the director hurriedly patch together when Truman goes somewhere he was not expected to go? How is Truman persuaded to avoid doing things (like leaving Sea Haven) that would thwart not only the story-line, but the entire Truman Show campaign setting? I was particularly amused by the travel agency and power plant scenes, as well as by hearing the radio disc jockey quickly explain why a stage light fell out of the sky onto the street in front of Truman’s house. You can’t as a gamer help but wonder how you would keep the game going and, even more importantly, how you would keep the game interesting—nay, riveting—for thirty years of 24/7 action. This is made even more compelling by the fact that in the back of your mind you always know that Christof is not doing things to a character, but to a real person. Thus, when that person (Truman) is put at risk or hurt or frightened, you realize that there are many things your character might do in a game that you could simply not do in real life.

Although most of the press on the movie bills it as a social commentary on the lack of privacy in modern society and the pervasive influence on television and it certainly has that aspect ("Many viewers leave it on all night for comfort."), I found it to be more of a commentary on raising children (and running campaign characters) and letting go of them. Christof spends his entire life creating a world for Truman to live in and interesting things for him to do while learning the important, hope-inspiring, lessons of life, only to have Truman attempt to leave Sea Haven for the real world. Chrisof is the Creator, the ultimate GM, and he desperately wants to continue to control Truman’s life and keep him in Sea Haven; telling him in a closing scene of the movie that all of the lies and deceit (and role-playing) of Sea Haven exist in the real world, it’s just that in Christof’s world, he can protect Truman from harm. While that is a sad and poignant moment in the movie (I found the movie kind of depressing—even more depressing is that Truman’s dream girl is named Lauren Garland and Jim Carrey was, in real life, being divorced by Lauren Holly as the movie was being made), it is also a comment that is very telling from a gamer’s point of view. While an intelligent, psychologically stable person can readily differentiate reality from fiction, we know from the impact of dreams, stories, and film that a person’s memory of fiction—of make-believe, if you will—is stored in the same manner and is as accessible and important to a person’s personality and psyche as reality in many ways. The adventures that you and your friends access by playing characters in role-playing games give you joy and frustration and excitement and concern that is meaningful to you as a complete person, even though you clearly know what is reality and what is just a game.

One of the reasons I prefer tournament gaming with pre-generated characters to campaigning is to embrace the variety of experiences and lessons that different classes, races, genders, personalities, and backgrounds gives me as a player and a person. Though many aspects of my life may be routine, I have memories of great adventures, heroic deeds, clever solutions, dangerous moments, and proud accomplishments that I through my characters have experienced with my friends and fellow gamers through their myriad characters. And I know that the lies, and deceit, and role-playing of the real world exist, but in the gaming world these things cannot really harm me. I am protected, even though my character may not be. Gaming teaches the lesson enunciated so well in The Princess Bride. Life is not fair. It is up to you to make it the best that it can be with the skills and opportunities you have been given.