Diary of a Camper
Machinima fans, take note: it all began here.
Diary of a Camper is a short machinima movie from 1996, made in Quake. While Quake movies made with the demo-recording function were of course being released before, and some of them (such as Quake Done Quick) featured an element of artistic expression in the form of fancy camera work, Diary of a Camper was the first movie to have an actual plot and dialogue rather than just being a gameplay recording.
Set during a team deathmatch game, the movie features a team of players who find themselves up against an enemy camper[1]. They lose two of their own to the camper, but then manage to blow him up and proceed to inspect his remains, concluding that he is/was none other than John Romero.
Within the 98 seconds of the movie, one can spot the following tropes:
- Big No: "CAMPER NOOOOOoooo!"
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The camper's chosen nickname is literally "[A]Camper".
- Killed Mid-Sentence: "DIE CAMAAARGHH!!"
- Names to Run Away From Really Fast: "[A]Camper", in the context of a multiplayer game.
- Special Effects Failure: The camera partially glitches into the ceiling as it moves to where the camper is hiding.
- Word Salad Title: There's a camper, but he's not the viewpoint character, nor does his diary feature at any point.
- The X of Y
- ↑ in gamer slang, a "camper" is a widely reviled kind of player who sits hidden in a strategic location to kill anyone who happens by, instead of seeking out enemies actively