“Hey, wanna listen to some tunes?”
Today we’d like to talk about one of the most important figures in our community and that is James Rolfe, the man behind the Angry Video Game Nerd. What begun as a small film project all the way back in 2004 hosted on his webisite eventually grew into the anomaly that it is today. Today we not only look back on the character, as well as the man behind the gimmick, but also make an argument as to why he deserves to remain within public conscious.
But who is the name behind the face?
For the uninitiated, James Rolfe is the man behind the website, Cinemassacre.com. He’s responsible for classic web shows such as Monster Madness, where he reviews a ton of classic films from his childhood, but it’s when he created the Angry Video Game Nerd that he became a blip on everyone’s radar. Originally starting out as a short project only meant to last 3 episodes give or take inevitably evolved into something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Sooner or later, not only would James wind up attracting a sizable global audience (more on that later!) but would inspire the editing style of many video producers to come, especially on YouTube. It’s incredible in its own right as his video making style not only predates the concept of a “YouTuber”, but the website as a whole. Nearly all early avgn episodes on YouTube are reuploads from his website.
More than an angry nerd.
Right, so a small asterisk needs to accompany us each time we mention he inspired a plethora of online video creators. Now we’re here to celebrate his accolades, not his shortcomings. Although it needs to be mentioned even the so called “AVGN clones” are widely misunderstood, but more on that later.
As a continuation of our previous segment, we need to establish some ground here for those unaware and as such may think James is just a guy screaming into a camera. He certainly isn’t, not only does he have a passion for filmmaking, which clearly shows, but a lot of the episodes have some really fascinating stories in them. The Mega Man episode is actually excellent example of this where he travels back in time to meet his past self and collaborate with his past self. It’s a great episode.
The fingerprints of the AVGN
Right, so the topic of this is one that’s tough to dodge. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but with these guys, it’d be more like a slap to the face (thanks, death battle). However, we’re here to provide a somewhat more positive interpretation of the so-called AVGN “clones”. Sure, it gave us plenty of duds, but that’s common in the field of creativity. We as people make tons of errors, and only our few great deeds make us who we are. It’s just this is one of those instances where all the errors stood out, overwhelming the positive impact AVGN legitimately had. Today I’d like to make an argument as to why the AVGN clone hate is a bit overblown.
Meet Derek Alexander - the Happy Video Game Nerd, long lost cousin of the AVGN
In a twist no one saw coming, the AVGN had not a clone per se, but more like… a rival? A lost relative? Distant cousin? It was left somewhat ambiguous, likely on purpose as there was less emphasis on lore this time around. Unlike AVGN, Derek was less interested in building up the mythos and moreso interested in getting his feet wet as a reviewer, as he eventually went on his quest to stop skeletons from fighting.
Seriously, go check him out. You owe yourself a favor. He’s the most well-realized and well fleshed out of the AVGN clones. Calling him a clone is unnecessary as he’s quite on-par with the legend himself.
His final episode is what helped me appreciate castlevania as one of my all time favorite series!
But exactly made the videos so awesome?
Right, see, when James Rolfe is the G.O.A.T. of video making, it’s the truth. It must be understood that this wasn’t just some guy shouting at a camera. He did so much of that, but he did so much more.
As previously mentioned, James has a background in film, albeit humble one of the time, the man knew what he was doing. These episodes were not just well-written, they were well-produced. Fantastic shot composition, great scenery and choreography combined with a great camera all came in to produce some really enjoyable viewing. AVGN wasn’t just simple fun, there was a lot of high class artistry going on that this author’s ignorant film brain can’t begin to comprehend. These videos need to be studied in film class.
Right, global audience!
The bit at the start of the article shouldn’t be scoffed at. The Nerd had a wider reach than his often given credit for. If you’ve seen the movie, there was a brief bit in it where tons of people apparently learned English through AVGN which is incredible to hear.
Not to mention, we can’t understate the longevity retro games had worldwide, as they had a bit of an extended shelf life in most non-Ango parts of the world as evident in a great article written by our good buddy, Lee.
So, what’s Derek doing now? He stops skeletons from fighting!
Right, so an update is in order. As we said, he started his own series, Stopped Skeletons From Fighting, almost a decade ago! And to think this all spun off of a spin-off! It truly can’t be understated how large of an impact James Rolfe left on all of us. A lot of people would not be where they are now if it weren’t for the man behind the nerdy glasses.
I strongly recommend you go check him out. Dude’s great!
Stop Skeletons From Fighting
Stop Skeletons From Fighting Videos Celebrating the Weirdness Video Games by Derek Alexander & Grace Kramer ☠Intro/Outro Music by ☠ ► https://hellstarplus.bandcamp.com/album/ssff-trax ☠Artwork and Bumper by Studio Goblin ☠ ► https://www.studiogoblin.co.uk ☠Support us on Patreon! ☠ ►...
m.youtube.com
If you’re unsure where to start, the man has a plethora of esoteric lost tech videos. This RE4 is definitely a must, but most of his content is great and worth watching! He also has a fantastic documentary on Mighty No. 9! Worth a look!
Got any memories of watching the AVGN? Ask yourself “what were they thinking?!” in the comment section below!
Lastly, some housekeeping…
I will not hesitate to call this the most hellish article I’ve worked on. It’s like the universe was out to get me. Researching a person is not as easy as researching a game. This author was ready to commit to a full rewatch of both AVGN and the HVGN to grab the necessary images. Thankfully, tenor and a few other sources saved my skin. I wasted around 6 whopping hours looking for really minor stuff just to publish an article that was already ready and prepared to be published. Why did I go this far? I just really care. Funniest part? This was a blessing in disguise because turns out after all this effort, I was on the verge of publishing in the wrong category. Something a mod can fix with no doubt, but would’ve been embarrassing regardless. That said, got any favorite episodes? Please share! If you were curious, my favorite episodes are Silver Surfer, Bugs Bunny and Mega Man.
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