Mats Steen in The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)

These days, the claim that kids isolate themselves too much by playing video games is a bit of a misconception. From Minecraft to Fortnite, games are as much about compelling single-player experiences as they are about creating a community where gamers socialize and have adventures more fantastical than anything happening in everyday life. For the late Mats Steen, however, gaming allowed him to transcend the limitations of his own body and, in doing so, change the lives of so many people for the better.

Steen, the subject of The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, wasn’t able to have a normal childhood. Born with a rare genetic disorder called Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the Norwegian-born Mats grew up confined to a wheelchair, losing touch with his school friends and finding the most solace online. These digital outlets included a personal blog and the video game World of Warcraft, where he logged thousands of hours as Ibelin Redmoore, a nobleman and private investigator legendary among his gaming community. This revelation surprised Mats’s parents, Robert and Trude, and his sister, Mia, who, after losing Mats in 2014 at age 25, posted the news of his death on his blog, unsure if it would reach anyone. Instead, the family received condolences from dozens, if not hundreds, of players, each with their own story about the impact Mats and his avatar had on them. It’s these relationships, both on and off the computer screen, that make The Remarkable Life of Ibelin such a wondrous, if not heartbreaking, story about a life lived to the fullest in the most unorthodox way.

From a visual perspective, Ibelin offers the traditional documentary filmmaking format while doing something unique with the medium. Of course, there are interviews with Mats’s family and those he met in the World of Warcraft community, Starlight. But we don’t just hear from them. We’re also treated to a full re-creation of his life as the burly yet lovable Ibelin, told through animated character models, background environments, and archived text conversations brought to life with voice-over. Free of bodily constraints, Mats/Ibelin could be a fighter, a romantic, or even a comedic goofball. More importantly, he was allowed to become a real friend, with director Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief) highlighting those in Mats’s virtual community who came to see him as a moral bedrock.

These animated scenes strengthen the film’s aesthetic through its effective blend of fantasy and personal drama. Of course, when you’re a gamer, those feelings tend to intertwine. But it was through World of Warcraft that Mats learned about other players’ problems and lifted them up during their lowest points. He went on “dates” with fellow companion Rumour, yet he was also there for her real-life counterpart Lisette when her parents took away her gaming privileges. Another woman, Xenia, credited Ibelin with encouraging her to bond with her autistic son, Mikkel, by having him join the Starlight community, bringing them closer through the power of play. Gaming allowed these people to form lasting relationships with Ibelin that, even if they took place in a virtual world, were no less real.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin inevitably features a tragic third act, where, as Mats’s Duchenne condition worsens, he begins putting up walls between himself and fellow players, lashing out at them without warning. For all his experience offering wisdom to everyone else, it’s clear he struggled with letting them in on his secrets, fearing what they might think. If you’ve seen similar movie tropes, where the story ends up isn’t surprising. Yet it’s certainly effective. Through the gamers’ interviews, Ree paints a full picture of this community and why they held Ibelin in such high regard. While Mats’s story remains tragic, there’s a great sense of love and admiration for him, from those who saw him in person and those who knew him as Ibelin. The more we enter into his inner world, be it through voice-overs, blog posts, or in-game actions, the harder it is to see where Mats ends and Ibelin begins. And that’s probably for the best. Morally and philosophically, the two were one and the same.

Plenty of documentaries have invoked alternate visual styles to convey key emotions. What makes The Remarkable Life of Ibelin special is how it immerses you in the gaming sphere, helping us understand why this world and its guild members meant so much to Mats, and why he meant so much to them. Being Ibelin for Mats was at once an act of escapism and a source of passion. That he inspired so many along the way should make Mats Steen’s life an inspiration.