Profile: The Angry Video Game Nerd
Show: The Angry Video Game Nerd
Launched: April 2006
Distributed by: ScrewAttack.com and GameTrailers.com
Located: Brea, CA
Updated: Bi-Weekly
Talent: James Rolfe
Stand-Out Episode: - WARNING - Dialogue NSFW
The Angle:
The Angry Video Game Nerd is a pretty simple concept. James Rolfe plays oldschool 80s-era videogames, usually pretty awful ones, and rants and raves about how awful/nonsensical they are. Despite achieving an incredible level of success (it’s not unusual for every episode to amass 1 million views), the formula hasn’t changed much. Usually Rolfe’s on-camera persona gets more an more worked up by the awfulness of the game he’s playing until he explodes in a profanity-laced (and oddly hilarious) outburst like this gem, taken from his review of the original NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
Cowabunga? Cowa-f*ckin piece of dog sh*t! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick. This game is as appealing as a f*ckin’ ooze-infested dirty f*ckin’ sewer rat sh*t. I’ve had more fun playing with dog turds. Shredder’s my ass and Splinter’s my balls. This game is an inside-out asshole regurgitating putrid anal fecal matter. I’d rather f*ckin yank all the hairs out of my scrotum. I’d rather drink diarrhea vomited out of a buffalo’s anus. It suckin f*cks, it f*ckin sucks, AND I DON’T LIKE IT.
…okay, so that looks worse in print than it actually is in the video. After seeing all the game’s faults deconstructed for about six minutes, it makes for a satisfying, laugh-inducing conclusion. At least for the gamer generation. Rolfe has an odd, nerd-ish charm that sells the anger, and it’s especially funny when the subject of his attacks are a game that frustrated you in your youth.
Our Thoughts:
The Nerd has gotten a little more tame in recent months, since his series was picked up by the MTV-owned GameTrailers.com. It’s also gotten a little more complex, including the addition of a surprisingly catchy theme song. But even 15 months later, each bi-weekly episode remains a must-watch for thousands of video games. Especially those that remember being abused by old 80s games.
We take web video seriously here at VidHammer, but not so seriously that we’re going to debate the merits of a nerdy guy going on crazy, angry tangents about awful oldschool videogames. The appeal for a specific audience is pretty obvious. The fact is this stuff is funny, plain and simple. The new episodes aren’t as good as some of the earlier ones, and sometimes it seems as if Rolfe is running out of fresh ways to express his extreme anger, but the show’s a must-watch for current or lapsed gamers, assuming the profanity isn’t too over-the-top for them.
Resources:
James Rolfe’s Homepage
YouTube Profile - 12th most-subscribed of all time.
Angry Video Game Nerd FAQ
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment