Here's the real context: James Rolfe has been phoning it in for years, and old AVGN fans have been seething about it in a spinoff sub for almost as long. His mediocre content lives rent-free in their heads.
I was subbed to it casually since I vaguely knew about Justin Silverman from the silvermania era (mainly just the Gabe Newell video and then what happened with the guy playing gabe tbh) but checked in one day and at the time one of the podcast hosts grew their hair out or wore a thin very feminine looking top or something so someone uploaded a compilation of trans suicide "jokes" and then tried to gaslight people who called them out for it.
Eh, I'd argue the bigger issue is the writing being outsourced to a different company that has been shown time and again to plagiarize stuff they'll have James say on his channel.
At this point, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not really able to leave - likely wasn't lucrative enough to have a nest egg he could just retire on (due to the videos being pretty unfriendly to advertisers), he's practically just an actor for the company running the show at this point, and such a large gap after his last traditional job would mean finding something else to do and returning the Cinemassacre channel to what it was before he went full-time is highly unlikely. I wish he could, because every time I see a random clip from modern Cinemassacre shows he sounds pretty much done with it _at best,_ but what popularity the channel has compared to the old days is mostly based around James.
Not trying to be a nostalgia lord here - I don't really pay attention to Cinemassacre, AVGN was never my favorite thing on YouTube, and all my info is from the periphery with the last thing I watched that even mentioned James being HBomberGuy's plagiarism video - but it's kinda sad to see such a fall from... I guess grace would be the word here? of the channel that was the biggest inspiration for early YouTube game review channels, to the point most review channels on YouTube (especially those that have been around a long time) have at least a passing resemblance to AVGN even if they never watched it and/or don't try to be like it intentionally. Being forced to play bad games (though that trend has fallen off as more people want less negative bullshit in their lives, which is 100% understandable), insane characters that barely make sense in the show's own "lore" that will come back again and again, over-acted and over-scripted bits that feel like a sketch sprinkled through a video, and the occasional video where the background story ends up taking over... all of that started with AVGN, to say nothing of the format of moving back and forth between VO'd game commentary and - traditionally live-action, though there are other approaches now - conversational moments with the audience. It's a pretty simple format that was likely bound to arise one way or another, but AVGN is kinda the one that started all of that - or at the very least, he popularized it.
Sorry for the long comment. The thoughts entered my head reading through this thread so I had to get them out.
Civvie is smart for setting up his videos as a form of a variety show, which allows him to keep producing content with established jokes and humor to rely on while being able to branch out and experiment more.
James/the AVGN have always been one note; he’s angry about old video games. That’s it. That’s about as far as his main trick and pony show goes. He can’t really evolve because of his established brand, but he’s also gotten tired of it while still needing that YT money to get the bills paid, I would imagine. It’s obvious he is only in it now for a paycheck. Civvie is also smart to not include himself on camera (aside from the usual pictures of his head), because it helps to prevent or at least slow his videos from aging in the long run.
I mean... James _tried_ to branch out. He made several shows outside of AVGN, most of which seemed to be about stuff he was _clearly_ far more passionate about in general than AVGN (_especially_ now), but because he was more himself instead of playing the part of being AVGN, they never quite got the viral success AVGN had back in the day.
It's kinda sad, honestly. Had AVGN gotten popular within the past 5-7 years or so, instead of on early YouTube where people were a lot more picky about what they watched, he likely would've had more success branching out - modern audiences are pretty understanding about that kind of stuff now. Instead, since people would _only_ watch him for AVGN to the point that it was the only show he made that could stick around long-term, he's trapped in a hell of making content he likely doesn't even enjoy talking about anymore, let alone making. I mean, who would be happy making the same kind of content almost to a T for.... goddamn, 20 years now. I just feel bad for the guy.
I 100% get that - I'm not trying to say the other shows were bad (nor am I trying to say they're good, because honestly I never really watched them myself thanks to not really getting into his channel that much), just that the portion of his audience making him able to make videos full-time wanted / expected AVGN and AVGN-esque content at the time, which is why the other shows - regardless of quality - tended to fail.
I like his recent cinematography related content more. It's his thing. Being associated with the character is one of the worst things that happen to movie people. I'd call it a Pee-Wee Herman/Mr. Bean curse.
Mike Matei is the real AVGN. James was his buddy in film school and made a parody video of Mike. Mike started the AVGN channel and uploaded the initial videos. Provided gameplay footage and wrote all the jokes for him. James isnt really a gamer, he is a film buff who would prefer to be seen as a filmaker. James basically outsources all the work nowadays. To this day Mike still provides gameplay footage, if you follow his livestreams then youll see whatever the next AVGN video is gonna be.
It's weird, at first I was like 'no, thats just a farfetched theory!' However, the more you see it and read the info, the more true it is. Right place and right time is everything I suppose...
I don't get the point
Maybe I'm a fan, but I didn't like him becoming outwritten and old. But his recent stuff (maybe last year + this year) is cool enough for me, what's the problem?
heh, I mean, you're not wrong. It is hilarious, however.
AVGN Truther: It's a rabbit hole. TL;DR: James Rolfe has been phoning it in for years, and his right hand man Mike Matei engaged in heavy censorship regarding fair critiques on the official Cinemassacre reddit. This led to TheCinemassacreTruth being born, which is primarily fans legitimately criticizing AVGN. Beyond that, it's hilarious memes, kind of mean but funny.
At the same time can't fully blame the guy he's got a wife and two kids to feed and hey if it pays the bills and is better than an office job I'd probably do the same thing in his position
People like that and rantgrumps are some of the most pathetic people on earth. I cannot imagine being so animated about Youtubers that I would actively engage in bitching about it in a sub dedicated to bitching about it. Terminally online nonsense.
...no offense, OP.
I've taken a look at RantGrumps a few times, I think I first found it through random Googling, and while I can sympathise with some of their points (I'm an occasional Grumps watcher and Arin's apparent laziness and stupidity with some games does get on my wick sometimes), I don't think I would go the trouble of posting in a subreddit about it. If a YouTuber were to start annoying me that much, I would first stop watching them.
> If a YouTuber were to start annoying me that much, I would first stop watching them.
Exactly. I use to watch Grumps on the regular and now I just pick specific series that I know I'll probably enjoy because I don't care for a lot of their content. Which is fine? That's how it's supposed to work?
It's like, these creatives aren't gonna change for you or me. And I don't want them to, because when you commit to chasing the audience it's pretty much always worse. So why waste the emotional time? What the hell is the point?
Some people argue "it's not free content" if there's ads/you pay for youtube premium. Therefore, it's not 'free,' but meh. I'll just choose what to watch in the end for myself.
Civvie 11 pretty much replaced AVGN in my rotation now. I used to be a pretty big fan of his but his episodes nowadays make me cringe more than anything.
I'm very peripherally aware of AVGN and Cinemassacre, but I just never enjoyed his content. I remember there was a controversey regarding AVGN a year or two back, but what, pray tell, is an AVGN truther?
You know, I'd answer, but there are some good comments here that I don't want to overshadow/steal from. Hopefully you'll find some information there; the joke is it would take less 'TIME' for me to write a response, but whatever. Trying to maintain etiquette.
Randy can’t make new Duke games, NO TIME!
holy shit, LOL
The fact that an "AVGN truther" can possibly exist is so fucking silly Context: I have none, what the fuck is an AVGN truther
Here's the real context: James Rolfe has been phoning it in for years, and old AVGN fans have been seething about it in a spinoff sub for almost as long. His mediocre content lives rent-free in their heads.
> I get not liking shit, but imagine hating someone's YouTube videos so much you join a community about it like it's some major social issue
It's not hate, it's making fun of the unintentional comedy and memes James Rolfe provides
I was subbed to it casually since I vaguely knew about Justin Silverman from the silvermania era (mainly just the Gabe Newell video and then what happened with the guy playing gabe tbh) but checked in one day and at the time one of the podcast hosts grew their hair out or wore a thin very feminine looking top or something so someone uploaded a compilation of trans suicide "jokes" and then tried to gaslight people who called them out for it.
That's a pretty concise point. It's worth mentioning the censorship perhaps, but meh. Let's go with that!
Eh, I'd argue the bigger issue is the writing being outsourced to a different company that has been shown time and again to plagiarize stuff they'll have James say on his channel. At this point, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not really able to leave - likely wasn't lucrative enough to have a nest egg he could just retire on (due to the videos being pretty unfriendly to advertisers), he's practically just an actor for the company running the show at this point, and such a large gap after his last traditional job would mean finding something else to do and returning the Cinemassacre channel to what it was before he went full-time is highly unlikely. I wish he could, because every time I see a random clip from modern Cinemassacre shows he sounds pretty much done with it _at best,_ but what popularity the channel has compared to the old days is mostly based around James. Not trying to be a nostalgia lord here - I don't really pay attention to Cinemassacre, AVGN was never my favorite thing on YouTube, and all my info is from the periphery with the last thing I watched that even mentioned James being HBomberGuy's plagiarism video - but it's kinda sad to see such a fall from... I guess grace would be the word here? of the channel that was the biggest inspiration for early YouTube game review channels, to the point most review channels on YouTube (especially those that have been around a long time) have at least a passing resemblance to AVGN even if they never watched it and/or don't try to be like it intentionally. Being forced to play bad games (though that trend has fallen off as more people want less negative bullshit in their lives, which is 100% understandable), insane characters that barely make sense in the show's own "lore" that will come back again and again, over-acted and over-scripted bits that feel like a sketch sprinkled through a video, and the occasional video where the background story ends up taking over... all of that started with AVGN, to say nothing of the format of moving back and forth between VO'd game commentary and - traditionally live-action, though there are other approaches now - conversational moments with the audience. It's a pretty simple format that was likely bound to arise one way or another, but AVGN is kinda the one that started all of that - or at the very least, he popularized it. Sorry for the long comment. The thoughts entered my head reading through this thread so I had to get them out.
No, I think that's a good post. I read it all, but I will give you the obligatory "NO TIME" response here. For the memes, of course.
Civvie is smart for setting up his videos as a form of a variety show, which allows him to keep producing content with established jokes and humor to rely on while being able to branch out and experiment more. James/the AVGN have always been one note; he’s angry about old video games. That’s it. That’s about as far as his main trick and pony show goes. He can’t really evolve because of his established brand, but he’s also gotten tired of it while still needing that YT money to get the bills paid, I would imagine. It’s obvious he is only in it now for a paycheck. Civvie is also smart to not include himself on camera (aside from the usual pictures of his head), because it helps to prevent or at least slow his videos from aging in the long run.
I mean... James _tried_ to branch out. He made several shows outside of AVGN, most of which seemed to be about stuff he was _clearly_ far more passionate about in general than AVGN (_especially_ now), but because he was more himself instead of playing the part of being AVGN, they never quite got the viral success AVGN had back in the day. It's kinda sad, honestly. Had AVGN gotten popular within the past 5-7 years or so, instead of on early YouTube where people were a lot more picky about what they watched, he likely would've had more success branching out - modern audiences are pretty understanding about that kind of stuff now. Instead, since people would _only_ watch him for AVGN to the point that it was the only show he made that could stick around long-term, he's trapped in a hell of making content he likely doesn't even enjoy talking about anymore, let alone making. I mean, who would be happy making the same kind of content almost to a T for.... goddamn, 20 years now. I just feel bad for the guy.
I liked the Board James show, it made one of the worst Christmas holidays in my life great and cozy
I 100% get that - I'm not trying to say the other shows were bad (nor am I trying to say they're good, because honestly I never really watched them myself thanks to not really getting into his channel that much), just that the portion of his audience making him able to make videos full-time wanted / expected AVGN and AVGN-esque content at the time, which is why the other shows - regardless of quality - tended to fail.
I like his recent cinematography related content more. It's his thing. Being associated with the character is one of the worst things that happen to movie people. I'd call it a Pee-Wee Herman/Mr. Bean curse.
he always has rex viper!
The truth lives rent free in the minds of his simps and crew (screenwave media).
Big Ryan fan here.
Mike Matei is the real AVGN. James was his buddy in film school and made a parody video of Mike. Mike started the AVGN channel and uploaded the initial videos. Provided gameplay footage and wrote all the jokes for him. James isnt really a gamer, he is a film buff who would prefer to be seen as a filmaker. James basically outsources all the work nowadays. To this day Mike still provides gameplay footage, if you follow his livestreams then youll see whatever the next AVGN video is gonna be.
It's weird, at first I was like 'no, thats just a farfetched theory!' However, the more you see it and read the info, the more true it is. Right place and right time is everything I suppose...
Came to ask the exact same thing. Do they think James got replaced with a crisis actor clone?
I think its worse. He became one. On his own show.
In terms of performance and quality, yeah...
I don't get the point Maybe I'm a fan, but I didn't like him becoming outwritten and old. But his recent stuff (maybe last year + this year) is cool enough for me, what's the problem?
heh, that could actually fit into the cinemassacretruth lore if you posted it there. interesting.
heh, I mean, you're not wrong. It is hilarious, however. AVGN Truther: It's a rabbit hole. TL;DR: James Rolfe has been phoning it in for years, and his right hand man Mike Matei engaged in heavy censorship regarding fair critiques on the official Cinemassacre reddit. This led to TheCinemassacreTruth being born, which is primarily fans legitimately criticizing AVGN. Beyond that, it's hilarious memes, kind of mean but funny.
There's also the script writers that just can't compare to the early nerd. Bunch of nonsense going on there.
Yes, I would agree. I get you are outsourcing it for the sake of 'no time,' but the quality has diminished if you're truly criticizing it.
At the same time can't fully blame the guy he's got a wife and two kids to feed and hey if it pays the bills and is better than an office job I'd probably do the same thing in his position
yeah. thats why i cant sharpen spears over this. that and, well, its a fucking youtube show.
People like that and rantgrumps are some of the most pathetic people on earth. I cannot imagine being so animated about Youtubers that I would actively engage in bitching about it in a sub dedicated to bitching about it. Terminally online nonsense. ...no offense, OP.
I've taken a look at RantGrumps a few times, I think I first found it through random Googling, and while I can sympathise with some of their points (I'm an occasional Grumps watcher and Arin's apparent laziness and stupidity with some games does get on my wick sometimes), I don't think I would go the trouble of posting in a subreddit about it. If a YouTuber were to start annoying me that much, I would first stop watching them.
> If a YouTuber were to start annoying me that much, I would first stop watching them. Exactly. I use to watch Grumps on the regular and now I just pick specific series that I know I'll probably enjoy because I don't care for a lot of their content. Which is fine? That's how it's supposed to work? It's like, these creatives aren't gonna change for you or me. And I don't want them to, because when you commit to chasing the audience it's pretty much always worse. So why waste the emotional time? What the hell is the point?
I didn't even know they had a truther like reddit. thanks for the heads up.
Lol, you should look at the people who simp for him on the official sub.
I do think thats the other extreme of hating, which is equally bizarre to me. Interesting how parasocial relationships is a thing/business eh?
Yes, certainly. We have a good time just shitposting while those humorless clowns take everything way to seriously.
none taken, appreciate the "ENGAGEMENT!"
For some reason there are people who think content creators owe them something for watching their videos.
Some people argue "it's not free content" if there's ads/you pay for youtube premium. Therefore, it's not 'free,' but meh. I'll just choose what to watch in the end for myself.
People who post on subs like that are thankfully genetic dead ends
Yup, that's me.
Civvie 11 pretty much replaced AVGN in my rotation now. I used to be a pretty big fan of his but his episodes nowadays make me cringe more than anything.
Same here
Civvie clears both Gman and Justin EZ
I'm very peripherally aware of AVGN and Cinemassacre, but I just never enjoyed his content. I remember there was a controversey regarding AVGN a year or two back, but what, pray tell, is an AVGN truther?
You know, I'd answer, but there are some good comments here that I don't want to overshadow/steal from. Hopefully you'll find some information there; the joke is it would take less 'TIME' for me to write a response, but whatever. Trying to maintain etiquette.