Cinemassacre.Com: Home of the Angry Video Game Nerd

Those of us who are gamers have usually, at some point, gotten pissed off at the games and/or game systems, and maybe even turned violent. James Rolfe, a.k.a. The Angry Video Game Nerd, has made this into an art.

A part of Cinemassacre.com, which consists of movie reviews, board game reviews, and most notoriously, hilarious retro-video game reviews, The Angry Video Game Nerd has become the character that Internet gamers can most readily relate to.

Over time, he's inspired a cult following almost as dedicated as that of Saturday Night Live eccentrics like Dana Carvey's "Church Lady."

Already, one Associated Content author, specifically Shawn Struck, has in fact interviewed him. While that interview stands on its own, you may be curious to find out some more of the "man behind the glasses," if you will.

He's the Angriest Gamer You've Ever Heard

As the series' comical theme song so proudly states, Rolfe, while in character, is indeed "the angriest gamer you've ever heard." While there are clearly masses of pissed-off gamers out there, the AVGN takes it to an entirely different level, sometimes setting the games on fire; bombing them with grenades; smashing his TV screen; or taking an actual character from the game and beating him senseless (all in good fun, of course). To boot, all of this action comes complete with cheesy sound effects and B-movie stunts.

According to Wikipedia: Angry Video Game Nerd, Rolfe officially began doing video game reviews as a child in the late '80s and early '90s, but the true "start" of the AVGN series was his short review, in 2004, of the classic NES game Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Due to a positive response on this first video, Rolfe made a second, reviewing the NES game Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was, ironically, supposed to be his last video, due to that game being at the top of his "hate" list.

Thankfully, for all the fans who watch his videos faithfully today, the Dr. Jekyll review was far from his last.

So, you may ask, what's the appeal of watching a maniacal nerd rant about awful games and act out the destruction of his basement? That, my friends, can only be answered by watching the videos themselves.

Perhaps a comparison is in order: gamers everywhere have formed what is essentially a cult following around Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, the creator of "Zero Punctuation," a Web series now published by The Escapist magazine.

In each episode of "Punctuation," Croshaw does extremely critical (but, for lack of better words, fucking hysterical) reviews of trendy games, such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Halo 3, and Grand Theft Auto IV. With his 200-word-per-minute vocal style and distinctive British accent, Croshaw tends toward verbally laying these games to waste, regardless of their popularity or success. Accompanying his rants, naturally, are surreal animated sequences mocking the games and the people who play them.

Contrast this with Rolfe who, in his Angry Video Game Nerd persona, usually plays "primitive" games from systems such as the original NES, the Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Neo-Geo, the Atari 2600, and the Atari Jaguar. Part of the appeal of "AVGN" is its nostalgia value, with 8-bit NES music playing in the background, and famous screenshots featuring hilarious mistranslated lines such as "I am error," spoken by a villager in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

Add to that the character traits he has created, such as downing bottles of Rolling Rock as though Prohibition was back in style; making up vulgarities that would make Kevin Smith vomit; and getting into mock-fistfights with "real-life" versions of NES characters, and you have some idea of why the series has taken off so quickly.

Is It All About The Games?

No, in fact. "The Angry Video Game Nerd" is only one segment of Cinemassacre.com; since Rolfe is also a filmmaker at heart, the section entitled "Films" features a number of his independent shorts.

A typical James Rolfe film, at least among the "portfolio" listed on his site, is Death Puppy (2000), which, as Rolfe himself describes it, is a horror film spoof specifically parodying Halloween (its opening even includes the infamous theme song) and other slasher films.

As Rolfe warns the audience in the opening, Death Puppy is truly awful; its acting, lighting, sets, and makeup are all B-movie grade. However, in this case, all that was intentional. That being said, the laughs can start right in the opening credits.

In a sense, the film recalls horrible '80s slasher movies, along the lines of Troll 2 ("They're eating her...and then they're going to eat me!") and Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 ("Garbage day!"). What's a bit more pathetic, in the case of those films, is that they look and sound as though they were meant to be taken seriously at one point.

Yet another film on Rolfe's extensive resume is Stoney (2001), a mockumentary about a supposed "boxer" who describes his career thusly: "I go out in the street...and I punch people." This film includes such scenes as a "bum fight" and the boxer attempting to play guitar with boxing gloves on. According to the website's blurb, the dialogue is all improvised.

Not to sound pretentious, but oddly enough, the grainy look of Stoney does give it kind of a "street" feel, even if it was unintentional. That's "movie magic" for you, right?

The main point is: what Rolfe does best is comedy. And actually, it's rather intelligent comedy, even with all its jokes about bodily functions and crude slapstick.

My God...More Vulgarity?

If you've watched any of the above videos and haven't been scarred for life, you may want to view some of "You Know What's Bullshit," a series of shorts that would have made George Carlin proud.

In Episode #4, for example, Rolfe goes on an obscenity-laden rant against penguin movies, including March of the Penguins and Surf's Up. And his suggestion for a much cooler species to replace the penguin trend? Pygmy marmosets, of course! (Yeah, that's what I thought of, too.)

Somehow, and I don't know if this is intentional or not, the "Bullshit" series seems to take inspiration from Monty Python, particularly in its opening, featuring a comical animation of a bull "producing fertilizer," if you will.

In Episode #6, another classic, Rolfe focuses his vitriol on "pay toilets," something I was not aware existed, until I watched this short. Now I'm just hoping I never have the bad luck to encounter one.

Anger, the Best Medicine

Alright, I know it's "laughter." But in the case of The Angry Video Game Nerd, anger translates to laughter. Those of you out there who love old-school video games, or love to hate the crappy ones, will surely enjoy Rolfe's classic character.

When you've had your fill of that section, satisfy your inner film geek by watching some of Rolfe's filmography. In fact, if you're really in the mood for wacked-out entertainment, pass around a joint with some friends and watch these films. You'll be ROFL (no pun intended) in no time.

Then, if you become a true fan, make a work of art in the AVGN's honor, and send it to Rolfe. You just might find your creation for sale!

And the next time you get aggravated with a video game, just remember: sometimes smashing it can be very therapeutic.