Main Menu

Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 29, 2024, 10:40:57 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Angry Video Game Nerd

Started by Retinend, October 09, 2012, 09:50:29 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Replies From View

Quote from: NoSleep on October 10, 2012, 09:25:59 PM
We all have personas whilst only some of us are actors.

Yes, but "characters" are not limited to the Anthony Hopkins of the world.  "Acting" doesn't mean "with gravitas and considerable training".

Personae are everyday things.  Rolfe is acting in his videos, and the AVGN is a character.

Retinend

Quote from: The Region Legion on October 10, 2012, 08:51:03 PMBut AVGN is not a character.

As I see it: Rolfe writes his scripts before he shoots himself performing the words. He's putting a lot of thought into how it can be funny for a viewer, but accurately reflect his gaming experience at the same time. He also makes a point of including skits with some sort of structuring purpose in mind for each episode. This level of preperation would make anybody get very "third person" about the person whose name appears next to the written lines, even if it was initially just a way of "speaking to camera". And what, initially, may have been a simple self-deprecating gag might understandably become a feature of a distinctly fictional character, after years of professionally making a this narrow interest show - broadcasting to a loyal web empire with emotional expectations.  I don't think it's as pretentious an act as you're intimating.

Replies From View

He's no less a character than "Larry David" is in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

It's not that pretentious, I just think it's funny that he'll refer to "The Nerd" in 3rd person when there's nothing about The Nerd that separates it from either himself or any of his other characters. Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm is a good example, because I'd say the same thing about that.

A character surely must have something about it that is not of the actor. Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge for example - he's always said that there are elements of him in Alan, but Coogan himself would not say or do the things that Partridge does. Therefore, it is a character. If Alan Partridge was a professional comedian who inexplicably appears on Question Time, then what makes it not just Coogan?

The movie may well change my opinion - presumably it'll be all story, and he'll be doing a lot of interaction with characters rather than the camera. That will provide him situations to flesh out The Nerd as a legitimate character, but right now it just isn't the case. It's James Rolfe talking about video games in a funny way, under the persona of The Nerd, in the same way any of us would talk slightly differently than usual in order to elicit a particular response in other people. I'm not sure why this is a controversial idea.

Replies From View

#34
Quote from: The Region Legion on October 11, 2012, 02:00:28 AM
A character surely must have something about it that is not of the actor.

How would you measure this?  At what point are you able to say "Yep; there's something in that performance that is completely external to Michael Crawford.  He is therefore acting."  How are you able to perceive when that line is crossed with any performer or actor?  At what point are you able to say that we've gone from Michael Staniforth titting about to the fully fledged Timothy Claypole?


"Acting" is about intention towards an audience, as opposed to simply "being" as if alone.  In this regard it's really the actor who's in a position to say whether or not they're doing a character (and if they don't say - which Rolfe does but someone like Karl Pilkington doesn't - you can look at how the material and behaviour of the character are being honed over a long period of time, and use your intelligence).

Replies From View

Quote from: The Region Legion on October 11, 2012, 02:00:28 AM
The movie may well change my opinion - presumably it'll be all story, and he'll be doing a lot of interaction with characters rather than the camera. That will provide him situations to flesh out The Nerd as a legitimate character, but right now it just isn't the case. It's James Rolfe talking about video games in a funny way, under the persona of The Nerd, in the same way any of us would talk slightly differently than usual in order to elicit a particular response in other people. I'm not sure why this is a controversial idea.

It's not so much that it's controversial - more that you have a slightly pompous idea of what "character" means as something "legitimate", which you still haven't explained at all.  There is nothing I'm aware of that states a persona only becomes a character when it is interacting with other characters.  Monologues exist; these feature characters.  The AVGN has already interacted with other characters, anyway.

Replies From View

Quote from: The Region Legion on October 11, 2012, 02:00:28 AM
Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm is a good example, because I'd say the same thing about that.

You're saying that "Larry David" in Curb Your Enthusiasm is not a character?

Zetetic

Quote from: Replies From View on October 11, 2012, 02:06:31 AM
How would you measure this?  At what point are you able to say "Yep; there's something in that performance that is completely external to Michael Crawford.  He is therefore acting."  How are you able to perceive when that line is crossed with any performer or actor?  At what point are you able to say that we've gone from Michael Staniforth titting about to the fully fledged Timothy Claypole?
Vague predicates, mate.

Replies From View

Quote from: Zetetic on October 11, 2012, 09:38:35 AM
Vague predicates, mate.

Only as vague as what they're responding to, and that's my point.  I'm asking for more detail.

Jerzy Bondov

The theme song is rubbish though

NoSleep


KLG-7A

Quote from: Jerzy Bondov on October 11, 2012, 10:22:00 AM
The theme song is rubbish though
Aww, I like it.

"Vague Predicates, Vague Predicates
They're coming to you!
Vague Predicates, Vague Predicates
They know just what to do!
If you're in a house
or living in a shed
Vague Predicates, Vague Predicates
They've got the best street cred!
YEAH! VAGUE PREDICATES!"

Zetetic

Quote from: Replies From View on October 11, 2012, 10:17:43 AM
Only as vague as what they're responding to, and that's my point.  I'm asking for more detail.
My point was that a definite known line between "is a character" and "isn't a character" doesn't seem that important for the Region Legion to use the predicate meaningfully. I wasn't accusing you of being inappropriately vague, but that might not have been clear.

(I'm not entirely sure that I'm not misinterpretating your response.)

I've watched plenty of his videos in my undiscerning boredom and while I do rate him as a game critic with an eye for the small details, I could do without most of his humour and I never mention or recommend him to friends because he's too embarrassing. He uses the word "doo-doo". It's amazing that his face is so Cameron-smooth after all that gurning and supposedly guzzling so much beer.

First time I saw him, I thought "This is for idiots." But he grew on me because I'd played and hated some of the same games, and his collection of games and consoles is a weird fairground attraction. I'd say he's great where you agree with him and watchable when you don't care what he's on about. But never very funny, imo.

"This game. What can you even fuckin' say? This game is an abomination farted from the jizzfucked bowels of a dead donkey, sprayed with gorrila puke and cast out of hell." His humour is that of a smartish guy who's never really had to try too hard because he hangs around with dumber, easily-impressed people who will always be inordinately amused by the teensiest bit of verbal invention. Which makes him ideal for You Tube, I suppose. That's probably too harsh though, because I've watched about 30 of his videos and I do like a lot of what he does.

NoSleep

The AVGN "character" is James Rolfe with a Rolling Rock beer and some buffalo diarrhea recalling the rage that some games evoke.

Replies From View

Quote from: Zetetic on October 11, 2012, 11:20:25 AM
My point was that a definite known line between "is a character" and "isn't a character" doesn't seem that important for the Region Legion to use the predicate meaningfully.

It's the vagueness of his predicate that make it meaningless.

Custard

He can be hit and miss, and even pretty cringeworthy at times, but I do enjoy his AVGN stuff. Especially the episode when he had a punch-up with Bugs Bunny

And I tend to sing the theme tune to myself at least once per week

He doesn't make me laugh a great deal, but I do find his comments and info on games when he's playing it relatively straight interesting

A film though? What? How's that gonna work, then?

Replies From View

Apparently it's about the Atari ET game and locating where all the unsold copies were buried.

Sexton Brackets Drugbust

He's pretty one note and the fixation with shit is hugely wearing, but there's definitely something there worth preserving. He's at his best when simply reviewing games legitimately, making general observations rather than stringing together faeces similies. I think it's the fact that he's actually doing something he loves that's quite inspiring in a way. He's actually doing it.

KLG-7A

Quote from: Replies From View on October 11, 2012, 02:19:06 PM
Apparently it's about the Atari ET game and locating where all the unsold copies were buried.
Challenging himself with a topic where he can say "THIS IS WORSE THAN BUM CANCER!!!!! DOUCHES!" about everything then?

Replies From View

In my mind the premise, with a sofa-based character suddenly going on an adventure of some kind, is quite close to the Beavis and Butthead movie.

Other than that you're probably right.

madhair60

My favourite episode is NES Accessories.  It's worth it just for the Rolling Rock/Roll N' Rocker bit.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

As humourous, beer swilling review shows go, it's not a patch on Half in the Bag, but I guess it's watchable enough.

On the subject of beer - Isn't that a bit of a non-nerdy thing to drink? I'm kind of a nerd and I do drink beer, which gives the lie to that, but it doesn't really fit the stereotype.

Replies From View

He has pens in his shirt pocket, making him instantly a nerd.

KLG-7A

Quote from: NoSleep on October 10, 2012, 01:24:31 PM
As I said in the earlier thread, the above is his finest moment.
Damn, really? I gave it a chance and was very unimpressed. What do you see in this? (I'm genuinely asking, that's not me attacking your tastes). It's just a man saying "This jump is hard! Fuck asses!".

"You can just walk over it" is sort-of funny I guess, but not really any funnier than something I'd expect to hear in an everyday conversation. The Internet is full of things funnier than something I'd expect to hear in an everyday conversation, so I wouldn't ever choose to watch this.

NoSleep

I explained in the earlier thread. Go take a look.

It's actually a man recreating an earlier moment in his gaming career and the frustration experienced, only to find out all the time wasted was for nothing. The resentment seems genuine.

KLG-7A

Quote from: NoSleep on October 11, 2012, 07:46:14 PM
I explained in the earlier thread. Go take a look.
You really didn't!

Quote from: NoSleep on October 11, 2012, 07:46:14 PMIt's actually a man recreating an earlier moment in his gaming career and the frustration experienced, only to find out all the time wasted was for nothing. The resentment seems genuine.
I think that's setting the bar quite low, especially for a finest moment.

Big Jack McBastard

He should be Video Game Nerd (who occasionally, naturally, becomes incensed) the 'forced angry' right from the off makes him sound like a twat a lot of the time and stops being funny and becomes tiresome by the third vid.

NoSleep

Quote from: KLG-7A on October 11, 2012, 07:56:51 PM
You really didn't!
I think that's setting the bar quite low, especially for a finest moment.

We're not talking about some high art or anything here. It's a high enough bar for James Rolfe.

KLG-7A

I suppose I expected a fine moment, not the finest moment of somebody who is rubbish.