The Raise of The Nerd

WARNING: The following article contains foul language. You have been warned.

So there I was, sitting in front of my computer, and clicking on some random youtube link I saw — it was a video review. Right away comes a guy grabbing beer from his fridge. So what is this, the Angry Nintendo Nerd? Well, the guy looks kinda nerdy — with his white shirt, pocket full of pens, and the glasses… Oh great, he’s going to complain about the first TMNT on the NES? Oh well, I had nothing better to do anyway, so I decided give it a watch. To be quite honest, that was my first youtube video review, ever. At first, he sounded a bit nitpicky, but as he went on, memories of my childhood came rushing back — the beautiful memories of the second game with my friend, followed by the disappointing prequel; memories of my meager (but damn good) game collection that lacked a TMNT title; followed by memories of the Christmas that a relative bought me a TMNT game. By then, I had 2 out of 3 chances of getting one that kicks ass, instead, I was handed a piece of ass. Yes, I was disappointed, but I still played it with the excitement of a new game (that I hadn’t played in years) back then. Watching the nerd rip apart the game was like seeing my childhood being liberated — liberated from the cage of denial. Watching the AVGN tearing it apart was therapeutic for me. Watching that guy made me laugh! Watching that video made me a fan.

That’s a true story.

As I saw more and more of his videos, his fan base also grew. Pretty soon, I’m hearing my own real-life and internet friends talking about him. To quote one of my friends, “He’s not just known on youtube, you can bring up the AVGN at other non-game related forums, and you’d find fans of his.” Slowly, interviews started appearing, and by now, most fans know the creation of the nerd like the back of their hand. His videos are even breaking down the language barrier to draw in not just European, but Korean fans as well. Right now, his popularity is just starting to seep into mainstream media, and I’m willing to bet that that’s not the last we’ll see of it. He has his own merchandise, makes appearances to autograph signings, and a bonafide internet phenomenon. So how did a small time independent filmmaker become such a beloved person on the internet? How is he able to bring together gamers of all race, gender, and even those who’re younger than the games he reviews? What makes him special and stand out from the rest of the online video reviewers? In this article, I hope to look at what makes the AVGN popular to his fans. Honestly, I just wrote this because I thought it would be fun for me, and fellow AVGN fans.

Seeing how this is a game site, obviously, the first appeal is that he talks about games. For those of you still completely in the dark, the AVGN reviews bad games. Granted, not all of the games he reviews are as bad as he says, but the main idea is to entertain people. Believe it or not, I don’t just watch it for the games, but to watch games entertain me in a different fashion. We know there are shabby game based movie adaptation, and even game magazines disguised as a TV show on cable, but the AVGN are neither of those things. There are hundreds of other youtube reviewers out there, some good, some bad, but many of them serves as a straight up review. The AVGN isn’t just here to tell us this game sucks, he’s here to make us laugh or cry. We’re being entertained even if the person playing isn’t. Think about this for a moment — do you need the nerd to tell you that Shaq Fu sucks? The truth might be that deep in your subconscious, you watch it to be entertained. I know I don’t click on a review wondering if the game in question is good or bad, because they’re all bad. Don’t get me wrong, the games do play a part of making his videos a success. Fans (myself included) enjoy speculating on what game he’ll review next, and hope to see their favorite crap get crapped on. He makes it fun to watch, but I’m willing to bet the nerd wasn’t having fun when he was playing. Notice I said ‘make you laugh or cry’ before? Well, the cry part refers to how I feel when I watch an especially bad game. Watching him play was enough to frustrate me, imagine how bad he feels since he has to play it. Once again, we can watch it cause it’s fun. There’s no way I’d be willing to watch a straight up normal review of Dragon’s Lair on the NES.

I think because he approaches each review more as entertainment than a simple review, that he is able to come up with a different style or theme each time. Sometimes the videos make us laugh for different reasons. He started out just as a man sitting around critiquing games, and it worked well, but that didn’t stop him from trying different things. Sometimes he would bring in his friend, Mike Matei, as special guess star on the show. Even then it’s still anything goes. You could be watching the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz swear, or see Bugs Bunny get the snot kicked out of him. My personal favorite involve games so bad it’s good. In this case, the comedy isn’t just provided by the nerd, but the pure suckage of the game along with the nerd comes together in a huge laugh riot. The Atari Porn games would be one such example of me laughing at the jokes, and laughing at the game. Fans seem split on what style they like or which review is better. Some say his older reviews were better, while others continue to enjoy each new episode. I find it fascinating that people who watch a man for his opinions would argue with other fans about their opinions. I’m willing to bet that if he didn’t try to experiment with different styles, the show would probably be stale by now.

Another thing that makes it interesting is that the AVGN is a character. He has his trademark costume, his looks, his foul temper, his vocabulary, and his drinking. The nerd curses, but so does everyone, but when the nerd curses, it’s usually funny. Look, I can say fuck right now. Did that make you laugh? What about the line: “It’s like trying to stick your dick in a cheerio?” It’s over the top silly tongue in cheek humor that makes the swear funny. It also makes him one of the most quotable person online. I even caught myself screaming “what a shit load of fuck” when I lose at a game. I’m not going to beat around the bush and tell you this is high class entertainment, but it’s become part of his character that it feels wrong not to see him swear. And you gotta love the drinking to soothe the pain. I can actually see someone going into alcoholism if they had to play so many bad games. People are now even associating beer brands with the nerd. You know you’re a character when people want to dress up as you for Halloween.

I know I found my next Halloween costume… If I could afford all those rockets, missiles, and tanks. Oh well, I guess I’ll settle for Space Marine AVGN then.

The more I watch the nerd, the more I begin to appreciate his cinematography skills. While watching the nerd, I also started watching other reviews on youtube to tie me over till the next episode. At first, I didn’t notice it, but the more I watch, the more I begin to appreciate his skills in cinematography. Compare to some (not all, of course) other reviews that are either badly lit, off screen game footage, or devoid of any camera work. The AVGN videos often possess a clear image with some dynamic shots to show off the scene. It wasn’t until the 2006 Halloween Special that many of us got a glimpse of the true talent within. Using his skills, he put together a mini horror-movie-game-review to showcase his love of horror, and let his filmmaking skills shine. I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me, that video was also the one that opened my eyes to the wide range of works he’s done. To me, he wasn’t just the AVGN anymore, he was filmmaker, James Rolfe.

Remember I said we watch the AVGN because he entertains us? The exposure gave his other works a chance in the spotlight, and it just opened up a whole new world for his fans, and for James himself. For a filmmaker, it’s important to have an audience, and for us fans, we were given more entertainment. Sure, his work isn’t going universally appeal to everyone, but at the very least, it shows that he’s not just a one trick pony. I’m not a horror zombie fan in the least bit, but I went ahead and watched The Deader The Better, and loved it. Like me, other people weren’t just AVGN fans anymore, they were James Rolfe fans. Although he now spends a majority of his time making his AVGN videos, he also dabbles in other projects while showing off more of his old work. Another one of his short satirical rant series known as “You Know What’s Bullshit” has a mere seven parts so far, but the hilarious rant quickly gained support from fans. Watching his documentary on his life and love of filmmaking opened our eyes and allowed us to get to know the him better. It showed off his dedication, and how he developed as a filmmaker in his youth. He was able to break away from the Angry Nerd character, and gave me a look at the real James Rolfe. In my opinion, being able to break away from his character is the biggest secret to his popularity. He’s no longer just a character, but a regular person that many of us fans can connect with. I’ve heard of first hand accounts from other people who met James personally, and expected him to be more flamboyant; but instead, he met a guy who was down to earth and almost seems shy.

Another thing that I personally find fascinating is that I get to see a phenomenon being born before my very eyes. I’m the kind of guy who likes to observe from the shadows and watch things grow. It’s probably also why I enjoy games like Sim City and Harvest Moon. I got to see him go from relatively unknown, to listening to his radio interview on satellite radio, but with success also comes the downfalls of success. By downfall, I don’t mean James himself, but rather the fan base grows out of hand. It’s funny and sad to see that to this very day, people still take some of the Nerd’s word far too seriously. You’d think that after watching a man take a dump all over Bugs Bunny’s face, people would realize these reviews aren’t meant to be taken seriously, but all too often you’ll see someone whine about a game they like being trashed on. The most hilarious of which is seeing Mischief Makers appear in an intro causing a bit of a ruckus among fans. Of course, in the very same video, Fatal Fury Special also showed up in the intro, but no one said a thing about it. To quote the Nerd’s FAQ: “If you take my reviews seriously, you are missing the whole point. Think for yourself. I may actually like some of the games I’m complaining about. I only focus on the negative. Some of my complaints may be legit and others far fetched.” That’s not to say his reviews don’t have their points since I myself agree with his TMNT review quite a bit. His points are pretty dead on, but also exaggerated in some games. While I haven’t encountered any reviews that I disagree with — mainly because I’ve never played most of them — but as a fan, I actually look forward to seeing him rip apart a game that I enjoyed as a kid — Godzilla: Monster of Monsters. If the game gets blasted to hell, you won’t see me get bent out of shape over it.

Cheer up Marina, James doesn’t really hate you… I think…

The worst offense of all are fans going around harassing other youtube video reviewers’ account. Some are imitating the nerd, while others are just trying to do their thing; but to harass someone who is most likely a fellow AVGN fan by other AVGN fans just reflects badly among us more…normal fans. They go so far as to start this idiotic feud with fans of another popular youtube reviewer. This fanatic behavior was even been parodied by The — very funny — Nostalgia Critic, but a quick look at some of the comments in that video just makes you lose hope for humanity. Then again, this is youtube. I guess you just have to take the good with the bad. Some of us are even trying to distant ourselves from these crazed people who are nicknamed the AVGN Nazis. In my mind, these guys aren’t fans, these people are out to make James and his fan base look bad. Right now, there are hundreds of people on youtube making their own video reviews. Some might have been inspired by the nerd, while others just want to be heard. Those who understand his success were able to see beyond just the reviews, while others who lack originality gets the boot. While I admit some fans go a bit overboard on lambasting anyone who even slightly makes an angry review, even I roll my eyes at the blatant uninspired reviews that try to capitalize on this new trend. Now the Happy Video Game Nerd is someone who takes the formula, and gives it a completely original (not to mention simple) twist, thus achieving his own success. I mean, review good games, what a concept! I’m surprise no one thought of this sooner! Now all we need is the Emotionless Video Game Nerd to reviews decent games.

When I first wrote this, the 8th “You Know What’s Bullshit” video hadn’t even been released yet. He’s still one of the top ranking youtube directors, and just got his name on IMDB. His fan base is becoming bigger by the minute. His fame’s already spread as far as Korea where his subtitled Silver Surfer review became a hit. Kyle Justin’s theme song is instantly recognizable, while everyone and their cat is trying to sing the same song on youtube. His first DVD release was sold out in a few days, and the autographed edition was gone within hours (ARRRGGHHH!). Over zealous fans continue to bicker on the forums over whether they like the newest episode or not. As you can see, the Angry Video Game Nerd isn’t going anywhere. Hopefully, I was able to shed some light on what and why he’s popular — at least in my eyes. Who knows, maybe you don’t agree, and have a completely different opinion on why you like him. Whatever the reason, I respect the guy and wish for his continued success.

Originally, I wanted to end this article with a little interview with James, but I realize he’s very busy and probably won’t be able to answer them in a timely fashion. Plus, the recent events have urged me to speed up my plans on the next article. This one was written purely for my own personal entertainment. Instead, I’ll hold back on that and just post this first, and follow up with an interview later.

Cow Cow