Monday, November 12, 2007 Do you play? By Carlo Carrasco Cybercafe Contributor
THE Internet not only revolutionized global communications, it also produced its own celebrities online.
Among these emerging crop of Internet celebrities is James Rolfe, more famous online as the Angry Video Game Nerd or AVGN. He produces videos of himself reviewing old video games and related products. He films himself at home, edits the video via a personal computer, and then he uploads it to YouTube.
Today, the 27-year old amateur filmmaker and game enthusiast has a dedicated fan base ranging by the millions. Not only does he maintain a YouTube directory, his videos (lasting five to fifteen minutes each) are broadcast over ScrewAttack.com, CineMassacre.com and, more importantly, at GameTrailers.com, which has exclusive rights to his newer reviews. AVGN is also one of the top twenty directors of all time at YouTube.
So what makes him angry? The answer: Terrible video games and devices. Examples include E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600), Top Gun (Nintendo Entertainment System), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (NES), Super Noah’s Ark 3D (SNES), the Sega CD add-on system, the Nintendo Power Glove and more. Unlike other reviewers, AVGN reviews the worst games from the past (a very painful thing to do) and explains to viewers why they are worth bashing. Adding flare to his expression is his use of profanity, which does not overwhelm his message, fortunately.
By watching his video reviews, you’ll see him bash games like Ghostbusters on the NES, a game that I played back in the mid-1980s. That game, as he points out, had very poor controls, atrocious gameplay and an insulting ending for those who finished it.
He explains that despite what was established in the movies, players playing the Ghostbusters are forced to buy ghost-fighting equipment from a store (the Ghostbusters are supposed to be the inventors of their own machines), drive the Ecto-1 vehicle through NYC’s streets (bumping other vehicles would penalize the player hundreds of in-game dollars) that are overly long, etc. He even points out the misspelling on the game’s ending message: “Conglaturation!!”
In another video, you’ll see AVGN bash the failed Sega 32X add-on hardware, a device that added 32-bit capabilities to the 16-bit Genesis console. Despite the upgrade, 32X games had very primitive 3D polygon graphics and often boring gameplay. Like his other reviews, the 32X review has sarcastic humor.
In addition to reviewing games and devices, AVGN occasionally reviews movies and, in the real world, the famous nerd sometimes performs in public speaking events. Just recently, he started a new entertainment line called Angrynerdcomix.com
AVGN represents celebrities created by the Internet. He is not involved in lavish TV productions. He is not rich compared to other stars.
He is an independent video game collector who took it upon himself to record and broadcast game reviews, clips that can destroy a product’s or company’s market credibility. His videos are very enjoyable to watch as these are filled with humor, sarcasm, clever editing and excellent gaming-related details. No doubt about it, AVGN is here to stay and his videos will keep us, gaming nerds, entertained for the foreseeable future.
