NYAFF 2026 Review: Gamer Girls

A film such as Gamer Girls makes me thankful that I won’t be including scores on my reviews this year. Similar to last year when I reviewed Smashing Frank, I walked away scratching my head at the whole endeavor while understanding that there is likely more at play than what I gathered from the movie. It would be easy for me to state that Gamer Girls isn’t good, but that’s not really the entire story here (the same goes for Smashing Frank, even).

Gamer Girls is something of a “make or break” film for directing duo Veronica Bassetto and Sophie Yang. Reportedly made on a very modest budget with some of the cast and crew pulling double duty, the film follows the progress of a reformed group of girl gamers as they attempt to recapture the magic that made them fall in love with video games in the first place. Set amid Hong Kong’s burgeoning esports scene, the film flashes between the real-world drama unfolding between its teammates and the digital carnage happening in its fictional game.

It truly is a fantastic idea for a film, not to mention one with a striking visual identity. The problem at its core, however, is that so many ideas are thrown around that it never feels like Gamer Girls winds up understanding what the main theme of the movie is supposed to even be.

Gamer Girls
Directors: Veronica Bassetto, Sophie Yang
Release Date: November 4, 2025 (HKAFF), March 12, 2026 (HK), July 21, 2026 (NYAFF)
Country: Hong Kong

Gamer Girls begins in the present day following the breakup of notable esports team Dollhouse, a group composed entirely of women. Each team member is struggling to adapt to life without gaming, but none are as lost as Summer (Angela Yuen). While she turned her back on everyone years ago, she never stopped dreaming of Dystopian Glory, the in-universe game that bears a strong resemblance to League of Legends and Deadlock. Despite finding “comfort” in her day job, Summer gets the itch to catch up with her old friends again. After meeting them one night, Summer decides she shouldn’t be so ready to give up on her dreams, and attempts to get the gang back together for one last rodeo.

What’s very clear from the jump is that Gamer Girls wants to take a look at the discrimination that women face in gaming competitions. While we’re never given a straight answer for why Dollhouse broke up in the past, there are snippets of moments where Summer and her friends are called “gamer whores” and told they are only doing things for clout. One of the girls, Miko (Jeannie Ka-Yan Ng), even has her account hacked and used to create an OnlyFans page, tarnishing her reputation at wide. This broader social commentary never disappears, but it doesn’t serve as the main narrative hook for the film.

What unfolds is almost something of a sports film where we see training montages, watch as the main cast rekindles their friendship, get a look at how a big corporation is attempting to hijack esports for personal gain, and even see the buds of a potential romance in the making. It’s an understandable and even dependable way to structure the film, save for how start and stop the plot developments are.

Take the inciting incident, for example. When Summer visits her friend Kaki (Wing-Sze Ng), we learn that her brother, Cat (Hei Chun Larry To), is an aspiring esports competitor who has become something of a social recluse. Looking down on his sister and her past accomplishments, it’s clear that his B-plot is going to be something of a redemption arc where he understands the extra battles women face when entering any male dominated space. That does happen, but entirely off-screen and so late into the movie that I forgot he was a character.

There’s also the angle of Raven (Sabrina Cheung, who also contributes to the soundtrack) being homeless, which she somehow hides from everyone for a shockingly long time. I guess the idea is that after her gaming career, Raven couldn’t make anything work, but her specific situation is never really addressed again. It gets discovered by Lilith (Alma Kwok) one night, and while Lilith offers to house her, Raven declines. It only serves as emotional manipulation to pull on audience heartstrings, then disappears as the story refocuses on Summer.

Even with Summer, there isn’t a clear narrative throughline. At points, she is seen with her unnamed boyfriend (Cheuk-Hei Wu), who seemingly doesn’t understand why she won’t settle for “normalcy.” Her father (Max Tat-Lun Cheung), whom Summer initially hides her decision to leave her stable job from, does at least impart wisdom along the way. There is a brief touching on of generational expectations and how they can force people into roles that don’t fit them, but his presence is too infrequent to feel truly integral. Summer also eventually breaks up with her boyfriend, which is totally understandable from how he responds to her, but doesn’t seem to really change anything in her life. Her problem is more about being selfish and wanting to win, but that is also not the main conflict of the story.

I think a good way to put it into perspective is that Summer’s old boss, Ms. Chiu (Vincci Cheuk), reveals that Summer made deals behind everyone’s back to shoot herself up the esports ladder. Summer then did some marketing work for her, but Ms. Chiu is too concerned with controlling the public perception of esports to make money rather than care about what the games are about. Summer is more about expressing herself in-game, a place where she feels she has control, which I guess is lacking in her daily life.

It's a confusing mess of micro-stories that never congeals into a whole. I suppose the overall message is that society is difficult to navigate, but after an hour, I started to check out a bit and wait for the in-game sequences. These are a real highlight because despite the incredibly low budget (supposedly about $5 million HKD, which is around $638,000 USD), the CG effects are astonishing. I recall a few years back reviewing Louis Koo’s sci-fi action film Warriors of Future and being very impressed with how well the digital effects were for an otherwise low budget film. Gamer Girls may have topped that, especially if the reported cost is as low as it is.

Designed by co-director Bassetto, the world of Dystopian Glory bleeds neon tones and bisexual lighting. While the rules of the game are never quite clear (there’s something of a Deus Ex Machina that can instantly win a game for one team, which is bullshit), it features players who design avatars after themselves to then do combat in a completely ruined Hong Kong. I’m guessing some of it is nostalgia for the Walled City, but it looks phenomenal in motion. Through a mixture of green screening, compositing, and practical effects, these moments punch well above their weight and set up an intriguing angle the film never really goes down.

There’s a moment where Summer is talking with her new love interest, Login (CY), while they are both playing the game. His is another side-story that doesn’t quite mesh with the overall theme, but regardless, I like the idea that the titular girls use Dystopian Glory as a means to connect with people. In an era where esports in Hong Kong has been under attack by the Chinese government (who can forget the Blitzchung controversy from seven years ago?), that the youth still fight for it is inspiring. I just wish this in-game communication became a stronger pillar of the story.

A late story plot twist also attempts to spice up the drama, but as I said before, there is just too much happening in Gamer Girls. Similarly to last year’s Smashing Frank, the ending is so abrupt that I get the feeling things had to be cut more than a concrete plan was in place. Smashing Frank’s director may have given me proper context for that film’s specific conclusion, but Gamer Girls sets up a new conflict only to drop the credits like a sequel is coming. That’s why I said it feels like this is a “make or break” film for its directors. They threw everything and the kitchen sink into the mix because they might not get another shot at directing a film.

The Hong Kong film industry is fiercely competitive with many projects getting passed over due to a lack of funding. Gamer Girls managed to secure some pretty big talent and exceptional CGI with a budget that would make a Hollywood executive eat themselves in confusion. It shows that you don’t need to break the bank to create an emotional journey, but you should probably consider why bigger studios make suggestions and edits to projects before releasing them into the wild. I believe there is a great story of comradery and resilience at the center of this movie. It just needed some editing to get there.

Maybe you will feel differently, though. More than that, maybe the film will open your mind up to how gaming and esports is perceived outside the western hemisphere. As a lifelong gamer, it was great to see an outside perspective on the hobby I’ve loved for roughly 90% of my life. That it puts a spotlight on women fighting against the system is also a big plus, especially in an era where marginalized groups are constantly under assault. I just wish I could root for Dollhouse alongside all of their fans.