A Deep Dive Into The Cinemassacre Backlash

Visit www.curiositystream.com/ladyemily to get access to thousands of documentaries on CuriosityStream and my streaming service Nebula!
In which we examine the growing backlash against Cinemassacre and the Angry Video Game Nerd and contemplate exactly how we got to this point.
Twitter: / greatcheshire
Patreon: / ladyemilypresents
/ ladyemilypresents
Subscribe: kzbin.info...
Music Used:
Smile Down On Me - Peter Crosby
Storage Cellar - Sven Lindvall, Daniel Fridell
Backseat Driver - baegel
A Vivid Dream By An 8 Bit Machine - Rymdklang Soundtracks
Guru Meditation - Bitwraith
Change - AGST
Forever on My Way - Rolla Coasta
Left Right Left - Eight Bits
A Key Figure - David Celeste
Blood Drums - Skrya
Painters - Ciaran Delany
It’s All A Gamble - Off Cuts
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - The Start of the AVGN
11:37 - The Movie
17:53 - Mike Matei
26:09 - Screenwave
39:05 - Modern AVGN
56:26 - Other Cinemassacre Projects
1:16:41 - Monster Madness 2021
1:28:29 - Examining the Backlash/The Cinemassacre Truth
1:40:08 - In Conclusion

[@Mad_Rabbit69]

Minecraft with Gadget was the first Vtuber video

[@myettechase]

It’s true but you shouldn’t say it

[@benburke3015]

@@myettechase "Just 'cause it's true doesn't mean that it's right" - Bo Burnham.

[@GraphiteShores]

I have never heard Minecraft with Gadget until this video, and now I feel like It's a part of me.

[@samuelsolomon7330]

I don't want to believe you, but I know in my heart you're not lying.

[@RerunTheWizard]

It would be weird if James and his characters didn’t evolve over time. He is dad mode now and wants to do dad things. Like play in a cover band. Classic dad stuff

[@GamingHeroLord]

I live under a rock. Didn't know there was any backlash at all

[@Avossk]

same

[@SoulCastleFilms]

Same here, this is the first I've heard of the backlash!

[@jordyundieground3270]

Its a lot :(

[@younggamer7218]

Me neither

[@tecpaocelotl]

Most backlash he responds to are unlisted on his other KZbin channel.

[@Bobzillabob1]

Met the AVGN at PRGE a few years ago. He was exceptionally cordial to my young son, who had given him a gift. James even left his autograph desk to go show his counterparts the gift. It meant a lot to us. The counterparts I mentioned were Screenwave, and they seemed disinterested in the gift. It was almost as if it was an annoyance and this show was more about them than James. I found that part profoundly sad. The real AVGN, the real James is a good guy. I'm forever a fan after not knowing much about him before this encounter.

[@ronstewart5945]

This is how I feel about him. He’s passionate and witty. He fell into the trap of a poor production company because he wants work/life balance and that’s fair. It should be ScreenwaveTruth, but really, maybe we should just move on and check in to see if James ever regains control of his productions.

[@crazyand2099]

@@user-lx1il8rx3q wow you're weird, imagine saying it's unhealthy to say you had a positive experience with someone simply because they're a celebrity. This hate you're giving off is unhealthy.

[@TF-Times]

James is a great guy. His videos got me through some dark times and I emailed him letting him know. He actually replied and was very kind.

[@no.one.2]

Do you think he felt this burst of disappointment when he saw Screenwaves reaction?

[@Elijah-NUMetal-IsMyWife-Boyd]

@@no.one.2Who the fuck cares?! If James was being sincere that’s all that matters in that situation.

[@JOAOMENGAO100]

Honestly, redditors getting mad at someone for having wife and kids is so funny and accurate

[@ablationer]

The thing is that this is his DAY JOB. It's understandable to want to spend time with your family, but what about allotting say your weekday 9 to 5 to video production? That doesn't sound unreasonable to me. James himself said that most of his WORK HOURS were spent "troubleshooting technical stuff". What the hell does that mean? He's fighting duct-taped tripods on the ceiling all day or something? That sounds terribly inefficient.

[@Sianostrakarenrenren]

@@ablationer Found the Redditor.

[@queencancerous5332]

​@@ablationertry being a father and tell me how hard it is. You probably can't relate since yours hasn't brought home the milk yet.

[@ZeranZeran]

Didn't he have like a massive meltdown where he was screaming at his fans? am I remembering someone else?

[@dachel683]

who cares really? @@ablationer

[@kirkula]

"The Wii is as old now as the NES was when James started doing his videos"....I....think I need to start getting my affairs in order.

[@Scerttle]

LMFAO underliked comment.... but also I feel my back starting to ache

[@miktmikleson4891]

Holy Christ I’m old

[@CattyWompus.]

I once emailed James when my friend and long time AVGN fan got seriously ill. James replied and sent a handwritten letter for my friend. He’s a solid guy

[@RicardoHernandez-ze9qv]

r/thatHappened

[@JettBlast]

James and I had a great email conversation years ago he was humble and very Gracious. I hope only the best for his family, I hope they have peace, good health and happiness.

[@eliotisconfusedaboutyourpa8105]

@@RicardoHernandez-ze9qv considering James his personality, its not hard to believe this.

[@Pyram1dd]

@@RicardoHernandez-ze9qv r/ihavereddit

[@wastedtalent666]

This would never happen these days cause muh kids

[@shortandfat5916]

Imagine blaming a guy for not making enough internet videos because he's with his kids

[@KgEclispe252]

Yet those some people will still shit on him because the video wasn't good???

[@Thorn99855]

Ridiculous

[@tokumillennium5162]

imagine having a life, lol what a loser

[@andrewbledsoe131]

Fucking aye. right?

[@novadawg6913]

I’m usually a 100% “spend time with the family” guy. But James has gone on record saying that Cinemassacre/AVGN IS his job, how he supports the family & how he “pays the bills” (James’ words). This is one of the rare cases where I don’t really buy it. If you’re are putting out a substandard product & expecting money from it, than the consumers have every right to call you out. The Nerd isn’t doing this for free as some side project.

[@krathoon2338]

What amazes me is how many people really have a problem with James going bald. He is aging, people, it happens. It actually adds to the AVGN.

[@arostwocents]

Wtf that's actually a thing?

[@krathoon2338]

@@arostwocents Yeah. People kept bringing it up on NeoGaf. It got silly.

[@RisingBeast00]

I want him to be around forever 😩😢

[@BillyFusco]

The only thing I can comment on about that is it can be a little jarring watching an old/classic AVGN episode and then getting a new one that auto plays right after and he just looks very different. But there’s absolutely no problem with that.

[@user-rv9ds8iw6g]

Really? They blame him for going bald?

[@ourotayuun]

"Someone who thinks the best part of Scott Pilgrim is when they played the Zelda theme at the beginning" is a description that perfectly evokes a very specific concept I'm all too familiar with.

[@thatsallreviews]

I’ve seen this video 5 or 6 times but that is the line that makes me laugh the most.

[@silverdamascus2023]

Even if AVGN and Cinemassacre had a drop in quality, James Rolfe is still a nice guy that stayed mostly free from controversy, you don't have to like the new episodes, but there's no reason to actually hate James.

[@91Vault]

I watched more recent AVGN and It was…avgn, i think if you plonked it back in 2007 it would have been well received it’s just you can’t expect what was great during early internet media when you were 13 to hit the same when you’re an adult, it’s just got gonna happen. It reminds me of a very popular and beloved Australian comedy called Kath and Kim. When the fourth season came out suddenly everyone was like “meh” the consensus being it just wasn’t as good. I watched it again on netflix many years later and found that it was actually just as good as the earlier seasons but by then the schlick hard worn thin, and the fact at the time it had moved to a commercial channel and had as breaks had really killed the comedic flow, it was so much better watching it without ads

[@Gamesta100]

@@91Vault I didn't even start watching AVGN till I was in my 20's and I loved it then and I still love it at 38 years old. Like they say growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. You can mature and still have an immature side. Like I can be very mature just the same as I can be immature. It depends on time and place. Studies have suggested that having a youthful mind may actually make you age very well which seems very possible because I myself don't look any older than 25 and everyone is always shocked and sometimes don't believe me when I tell them my age and they ask for ID to prove I'm as old as I say I am lol

[@ericb9252]

But Tony and Justin are legitimately bad people

[@EsotericOccultist]

It was really nice of him to lie about plagiarism 🙄

[@Krushak8888]

@@EsotericOccultist but he didn't lie? He even admitted the writers fucked up.

[@Mito383]

“The Wii is as old now as the NES was when James started doing his videos.” I didn’t come here expecting to suffer, but here we are.

[@Jonathanflash1985]

As a gen xer , that grew up with the sega master system and the nes , that one quote hurt my soul.

[@iMernerner]

Oh...no ..

[@ageofdulltron2052]

Nes came out in 85, avgn was 2006, 07? That’s a 22 year gap. Wii was 2006, that’s only 16 years. So…wrong.

[@karenelizabeth1590]

@@ageofdulltron2052 But the GameCube is 21, and Gamecube games can be played on the Wii. So... close? (yes it's still wrong)

[@Mito383]

@@ageofdulltron2052 2004 was the first episode. The Wii came out in 2006. The NES was 19, the Wii is 16. Pretty comparable in age for a casual aside in a video essay.

[@ChrisMeadows1992]

The scariest thing I've seen on r/TheCinemassacreTruth was a long post from a guy who threatened to sexually assault and murder James' daughters if he didn't drop Screenwave. He linked to an Iowa State Criminal Directory page of his criminal history (sexual assault, public mischief) and a photo of his driver's license. It had around 130 upvotes before it was taken down. The mods allowed that post to stay up for at least two days. Vile.

[@kaibaiarrio1299]

WHAT???? HUH????

[@ChrisMeadows1992]

Yeah, that's the kind of community they're fostering over there.@@kaibaiarrio1299

[@SanaeKochiya]

james rolfe posted that himself, truly a twisted individual. screenwave did this

[@Pundit07]

@@SanaeKochiya I really hope this is satire, for your sake.

[@nielsklarenberg5871]

@@SanaeKochiya There is no way that is in any way true. Why would James even be in that thread?

[@foxxy-3748]

James Rolfe (as of this comment) has been the Nerd for almost TWENTY YEARS. That, regardless of opinion, is a clear dedication to the craft. Even the more recent AVGN videos that come out clearly have a lot of effort put into them, and its clear that James still loves the Nerd persona and is still having fun with it. Plus, I once emailed James when I first started watching AVGN videos ~10 years back, basically just telling him how much I enjoyed his work and how much I respected his dedication. James emailed me back with one of the most heartfelt sincere replies I've ever seen, which inspired me to be more creative in life. Regardless of mistakes, James is without a doubt an amazing guy.

[@OliveOilFan]

He is suffering from success. he hasn't has a job aside form AVGN for about 20 years, and is trapped with Screenwave

[@neubro1448]

When Mike is the real angry gamer.

[@browngamer4]

Agreed

[@yellowriverboy5734]

You’re a stooge to say he’s an amazing guy

[@sweatypackage]

cry about it@@yellowriverboy5734

[@HBMmaster]

board james really was the best thing to come out of cinemassacre and nobody ever talks about it. smh

[@Arkegox]

The opportunity is right there...

[@sapphyreblayze]

I remember I skipped over Board James for years because it just didn't seem like my kinda thing, but then I heard some people mention how good it was so I decided to give it a watch and it ended up binging the entire thing in one sitting and getting SUPER invested in it. It's SOOOO good and should be more well known.

[@jordanthejq12]

YOOOOO it's Misali! Love your work, didn't expect to see you here!

[@TSDT]

You should make a video about it. In Toki Pona.

[@infesticon]

Aye board James is the best thing James ever did.

[@toxicavenger64]

I met him in san diego Comic con, I did like an hour of line. He was so awesome, at the time I was going through a bad phase in my life. I told him that his videos really cheered me up. He gave me a small pep talk man I almost cried damn, I still get chills. He's actually a really nice guy.

[@CaptainCat101]

he was at San Diego? DANG IT! I MISSED HIM!

[@ismaelvelazquez7776]

Loser

[@ThePatente]

Oh course, this guy is the real deal. SHIIIIIIIT PICKLE!

[@wyatt8062]

What did he tell you?

[@AwesometownUSA]

did an hour of line?? that’s like, _so much_ coke! nicee

[@MisterXenomorph]

James is a rare breed. Hes probably the oldest continuously active game tuber around, hes gone the majority of his career with no real controversies, hes probably one of the most wholesome tubers around

[@imperialguard5599]

Cheetamen 2 scam. Not paying for the Star Trek episodes outfits, outsourcing to plagarists. He has controversy, he just sweeps them under the rug

[@MisterXenomorph]

@@imperialguard5599 cheetahmen 2 scam?

[@s4mpson]

@@imperialguard5599 lol not paying for outfits and outsourcing to 'plagiarists' (newsflash: all works are derivative), sounds like an extensive list. Cheetamen 2 was a non-issue. Any reason to hate someone doing better than you is something you'll partake in, always.

[@imperialguard5599]

James endorses a "full" release of Cheetamen 2, kickstart project proceeds to run off with all the money. No response. @@MisterXenomorph

[@imperialguard5599]

I fear the Bimmy brainrot has gotten too far, I have no time to save you. Now Mike's 10 incher may be the only hope you have remaining. The Loco Bandito always fixes it @@s4mpson

[@leopoldmolitch4040]

Just watched this again, and had a little chuckle about the "plagiarism is something the internet hates, yes this is foreshadowing" part. If you only knew back then how foreshadowy it was

[@alexanderstavroulakis335]

hbomberguy?

[@KazangKazoom]

What’s this referencing?

[@patu8010]

@@KazangKazoom hbomberguy.

[@00wolfer00]

​@@KazangKazoomAlmost every monster madness video was plagiarized. They had to take them down and remake them.

[@Scerttle]

So much foreshadowing even the foreshadower didn't know how much foreshadow there was

[@okawesome2746]

There's this idea online that every channel eventually "falls." Like that one video talking about the "decline" of Smosh because, surprise surprise, they couldn't sustain their massive popularity for over a decade and were forced to rebrand and change their formula. Forgetting that ten years of making content on the internet, originating from two guys making dumb videos on their own with a shitty camcorder, is in every possible way a massive success, and being able to pivot from that to a smaller-scale but still profitable channel is nothing to snark about. Almost nothing can stay that popular for that long, and not being able to do so isn't a failure.

[@ZachGatesHere]

I think there are two kinds of falls though. There are falls where the people involved move on, change focus, modernize or otherwise just change directions. Then some where they never change, and just keep running on fumes until it all collapses.

[@pete_lind]

A bit like all reality TV series , America Chopper , American Hot Rod (Boyd Coddington took his company to the grave) , West Coast Customs a.s.o

[@vcorkleth]

@@ZachGatesHere Then there's the hybrid where they try to pivot and move on, fail, then double down on the old status quo to stretch out the long, slow decline.

[@okawesome2746]

@@ZachGatesHere True, but no matter what nothing can maintain that level of virality on this platform. Partially because nearly nothing, other than music videos and trailers, can reach that level of virality consistently on this platform anymore.

[@pentelegomenon1175]

And by that standard everything "fails" given a long enough time span, even the most successful businesses will fail eventually which is why bankruptcy is not considered failure in the business world, instead businesses are rated by how much profit they made for their investors while they existed.

[@twistedtick]

Honestly, the last few AVGN videos have been a major step up in quality. James is even credited as sole writer on some of them. That aside, even if the quality stayed only middling, he’s 42, has a wife and kids, and anyone who shames a man for putting his family first is no man at all.

[@Pundit07]

Preach it, brother!

[@agoo7581]

Obviously what has served James well is that he is not a dick at all. Which would seem like the bare minimum, but basically coming from the same era as channel awesome, he was the perfect antidote to that shittiness. I think most of the consensus is that James'isn't as great as a lot of modern KZbin channels, but his sincerity, kindness, as well as nostalgia of course, leaves us unable to help but rooting for him and supporting him. I am in that camp as well

[@Lordidude]

I agree. He has improved a lot recently. But that is going from 1/10 to a 3/10. Still nowhere near his prime.

[@cseijifja]

@@Lordidude i think he's back on track, only real diference is that we already know what to expect, it's not 2010, it's 2022, some shit won't surprise us, a lot more of quality content is out, and he would ahve to reinovate on his craft to again stand were he stood.

[@FrancisSchonarth]

Now is The Bald Video Game Nerd.

[@bigdrippy4104]

Hazel referred to the AVGN as "the internet's collective dad" in a video and he truly is. dude rocks, and I've always liked him as a guy. he's always been pretty earnest as a creator.

[@BashBizznet]

Can someone explain why the folks at r/CinemaMassacreTruth are so miserable? Like what went wrong in their lives??

[@pepsizerosurger5365]

They did in the video it's parasocial relationship pushed from love to hate . They feel James hasn't just made bad videos but has personality walked up to them stabbed then in the chest and shit in it. So the only way to respond to such an action is a complete destroying of the enemy

[@infamousempire8302]

It’s basically the same deal with all subreddits primarily based around disliking/criticizing something. It inevitably becomes a circlejerk where user opinions progressively grow more and more negative since the only other ones they hear are also negative. Additionally, since being cultivating a sense of community is part and parcel to a lot of subreddits, especially super niche close-knit ones like CinemassacreTruth, people might often find themselves adopting the more toxic aspects of the community in order to “fit in” while moderates who don’t get caught in that spiral inevitably leave the community as it becomes more toxic, leaving the vocal crazies as the ones dominating the conversation

[@AlexanderSkerjen]

it used to have people concerned about cinemassacre and wanting the old videos to come back, eventually the negative presence attracted people who hate avgn or outright want to stir problems, and now that's what ended up festering

[@imperialguard5599]

Take a wild guess? They have time?

[@therussianfazbear1021]

The thing about the truth reddit that I have gathered is the worst people in it are those who post most frequently. The majority of people in there are simply older AVGN fans who have nothing against James, but do not like his newer videos. However those people rarely post as at this point those types of discussions are old hat.

[@rruhland]

I just rewatched the Earthbound video and it really still holds up as a really good character study of the Nerd and also of a bit of James himself. It’s about a game he ends up really liking, so it’s a different edge from his normal videos. It’s an interesting deep dive into the game and also his own psyche. To compare him to Doug Walker, when Doug did the Wall thing, he didn’t realize how deep into himself the light would be shined and likely doesn’t realize how much of himself is on that screen. In comparison to James Rolfe, he clearly knows how deep the game of Earthbound can be and how much of himself is required to properly review some of it. He allowed himself to be truthfully open about it all. Just seems like a fundamental difference between the two in my opinion.

[@gayrozayppeli8431]

It's partly why I was so surprised when I first heard of all this around 2019 ish. The video was stellar on every level honestly and it really felt like a proper nerd episode.

[@BMoser-bv6kn]

Earthbound was definitely a good episode: it sounds like he wrote the thing, he actually played the game, and it just radiates this feel of being a love letter to the game. James was invested in the game, and he had feelings to share with us. The Immortal episode is the mirror world version of that: complete apathy. No interest in the game. Just disposable, meaningless media to him to use for that episodes gimmick. Which was a pity. The Immortal has some stuff going on. This compilation video of all the ways to die in it is a classic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmXEY3-ml7WVq5Y To me, that's what I miss. Taking the time to let ideas simmer; if God doesn't care about what he's made, why would we? But as we all know, the man has no time. Wish he'd try making more horror/kaiju content instead. As we all agree, Board James turned into something great.

[@yourlocalnerd7788]

It's one of my favorite episodes. It made want to play Earthbound, but sadly I haven't found a way for me to play the game that I can afford. Edit: Wasn't asking for advise on how to get the game. Yes I know emulation exists that's probably what I'll do when I have the time.

[@ratcity129]

@@yourlocalnerd7788 I’m not sure if this helps but I was in the same boat! If you have a switch and a online membership you can play earthbound on the SNES emulator for free! I was finally able to play earthbound for the first time and I went in completely blind but came out so happy

[@yourlocalnerd7788]

@@ratcity129 I don't have the money for the online membership sadly. I'd also prefer to have a permanent copy rather than access.

[@NTA_Luciana]

It turns out the REAL angry video game nerds were the fans he made along the way

[@aboredwriter3108]

that is freaking genius what the hell

[@candy-ninja]

Yeah, he was just satirizing them

[@mikey2toes966]

Facts

[@LuizFRdeO]

KZbin comment of the year

[@ArjunTheRageGuy]

Yeah, the fans where ANGRY at the ANGRY Video game nerd.

[@lancebaylis3169]

Coming back here after the recent hbomberguy plagarism video. To be fair, I don't think AVGN is totally culpable, but I do think the team he built to essentially 'run the business' so he can devote the time elsewhere have really let him down. And at the end of the day, that does reflect on Rolfe. He has to fix that situation, or else risk reputational damage by association.

[@dangbruhskyy]

Everyone hangs at bomber guy's house these days , I wondered what yall were up to. Keep up the good fight soldier

[@jonathanvogel7797]

“Dragon Ball Zed” hit me like a truck

[@OneEyeShadow]

Normal KZbinr backlash: He slept with an underage fan of his and embezzled $20k. Also he keeps saying the N-word on stream. AVGN backlash: His videos aren't as good as they used to be.

[@DaniloSantosVieira]

Thx for summing up this 2 hour long video

[@sativaburns6705]

Seriously, you should start an essay channel.

[@NovaWolf01]

Thank you for saving part of my lunch break.

[@TheHeadlessCreator]

And even though his AVGN videos aren’t as good as they use to be they’re still entertaining and a decent watch.

[@Dargonhuman]

@@TheHeadlessCreator Right? He's been doing AVGN for almost 20 years - that's just about half of James's life - so the fact that he's still making content for the character at even the "lowered" quality after so long is amazing by itself.

[@thereturnwoo]

The worst crime James committed was changing the white shirt to the one with big black buttons.

[@Deathshuck]

Amen brother... the new pens suck too 😂

[@kalbson]

amen

[@iwanttoseemrshow]

God dammit, now I'm pissed at him all over again

[@billieeisenhower406]

He's a zoo keeper now. Cope.

[@cinegoth4144]

He came off as hunky with the shirt change.

[@kadoharp]

I fucking love AVGN I started watching him in 2009 when I was 7 years old and I’m still watching today as a 21 year old. The comically bad editing and acting always warms my heart and just has a very special charm that KZbin had in the 2000s and early 2010s. Almost 20 years of entertainment James has given us, I’m grateful he’s even still making AVGN episodes

[@renato87101]

We are the same age huh I also started at 7, he's like a very important… I don't really know how to describe it, but part of my childhood too?

[@BREAKCORE-DISSOCIATE]

Same

[@iamLI3]

@@renato87101 awesome to hear my young dudes

[@bippityboppityblumpkin]

Talking about the 00s when you weren't alive for all of them. 😂

[@neoku84r.p.g93]

I go back to his videos all the time. They never get old.

[@OctEddie]

Him and Ashens. Two unrelated content creators, but I find myself returning months later to binge some of their videos.

[@Mikozee]

I'd go so far as to say James Rolfe is a victim of a lot of vultures that came into his life to piggyback off his success. His character flaw is that he's non-confrontational and can't say no, or put his foot down, either that or he has too much trust in people. Maybe a little bit of both. Either way, the people that have associated themselves with Cinemassacre were all focused on the money, or just wanted to use the platform as a springboard for their own platforms, but one thing is clear, and it's that no one ever gave a shit about what James wanted.

[@gameb9oy]

Yeah, I’ve always felt like James is a nice guy, but a horrible judge of other people’s character

[@martineastman9855]

I got that impression, too. I think he's mistaking hanger-ons with friends.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

It’s a blessing and a curse really. It’s good because he keeps his mouth shut and knows that many popular turning points would just drum up unnecessary controversy but it also leads to terrible decision making. Part of the reason the podcast is so bland is probably because they don’t want to turn the comments section into a cancerous bitchfest. Podcasts love politics; be it political or gender politics but doing so requires walking a fine line when they don’t know how to. Podcasts thrive on unpopular opinions and politics, Cinemassacure avoid it. The most political James has ever gotten is the Ghostbusters 2016 “controversy” but that only became political because of SJW cancer culture whereas it started as just “this shits in the face of everything a classic film stood for so I’m not seeing it out of protest.” He’s kinda the perfect example of how being too nice of a guy can be a bad thing. There’s a difference between being an irredeemable asshole and not being such a nice guy that you let people walk all over you. At the same time though, I feel at least part of the reason for the decline is because he’s simply grown older and going on tirades like he did when he was in his mid-20’s just isn’t viable. It’s fun for a long time but eventually, you will be unable to bring yourself to get so vitriolic about pointless shit that doesn’t matter.

[@XxxXxx-br7eq]

​@@martineastman9855I've watched a decent amount of his content over the years and just started watching the first couple of seasons but can you please give me example of a couple of the people who have taken advantage of him so I can pay attention

[@joshuacserna3099]

As cringy as Mike was/is, he was extremely integral in the inception of The Nerd. I'd argue that he was one of the only people other than James, who actually cared.

[@TheWisestWizards]

I love James' approach to KZbin and any drama. He just ignores it and goes on with his life.

[@Yokai_Yuri]

Because he is from the era where men did not give a fuck about anyone's opinion. Nowadays everyone on the internet is hyper sensitive they always try to act tough and use the little "report" button if someone do not agrew with them.

[@Invinciproductions]

Agreed! I also do the same. James doesn’t owe us anything. He has a legacy and keeps it clean (unlike his language). I still think the new episodes are good. But yeah his guests are not to my liking. Glad Mike left.

[@Bollibompa]

@@Yokai_Yuri Everyone? Not even close.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

@@Yokai_Yuri James is unique. I have met many people from his era and older who are just as hyper-sensitive and easily outraged as the younger generations. Age has little to do with it.

[@timbawden2577]

@@Yokai_Yuri I mean his show is literally about giving opinions about things, so I feel like that's a pretty funny take. I just think he has been around so long on the internet and dealt with all sorts of little bits of drama that he's realized he can just let that shit blow over and it really won't have any effect or consequence as it's all pretty much meaningless whining anyway. The most serious anything has been was the plagiarism last October and James et all did what they could to make that right.

[@nimaiiikun]

I met James at a McDonalds once. chill guy, bought me a quarter pounder. But then I caught Mike trying to steal my car

[@kagato0987]

I'm in the "I didn't know there was backlash" camp. I haven't really watched James' videos for years, not because of any ill will but my interests shifted.

[@DavidMajors]

"It might be time to log off" is a message a lot of people who hyperfixate on all of these content creators over the years really need to do.

[@lugenlord6721]

Wow I just read this comment the very moment she said that

[@diogoubermensch9255]

I totally agree.

[@nignamedmutt7270]

Imagine how much better the world would be if we could just delete the entire concept of social media altogether...... Obviously there would be some MASSIVE issues that come up, but I honestly think 8t would be a net positive in the end. Or maybe just a hard restart, and just delete EVERYTHING, and we let it get rebuilt with our newfound knowledge of what NOT to do.

[@richardmoores]

@@lugenlord6721 that happens to me a lot

[@josephstewart2821]

I think it is great advice to people getting wound up over the drop in quality, but at the same time I feel like James is almost being held hostage by all the other people depending on him financially and is too nice of a guy to deprive them of a paycheck even if it means producing material that he clearly does not have the same emotional investment in the games that he had in his early days. I would much rather he closed the channel for a few months, took time off to refresh his creativity and then did a big Kickstarter for the horror movie he has always talked about making - I know he would kick ass as a low budget horror director and would definitely be willing to give him a second chance to make a great movie.

[@ignaciotrevino796]

I remember meeting AVGN as a teen at SGC 2009. He was a very quiet, kind of timid, but kind man. He was so mellow to the point he almost seemed tired. At the time I felt really disappointed because he was totally out of character. Looking back, I appreciate how different he was. If he was like his character, he would’ve been a major dick. Unlike Brentalfloss, AVGN was a great guy. His videos gave my younger cousins and I something to bond over. Although I’ve outgrown this kind of content, it gives me a sense of nostalgia. Can definitely see myself rewatching his videos in a few years.

[@NintendoSunnyDee]

You met Brent? How was THAT? I always wondered who he was irl.

[@the1AndOnlyIRONFIST]

What's wrong with Brentalfloss?

[@applchu]

I gotta know how Brentalfloss was, the suspense is killing me 😭

[@AlexG-xl1cc]

If I was a celeb the last thing I would want people to walk away thinking is "he seemed tired and depressed"

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

@@NintendoSunnyDee Brentlefloss was cool. Had a beer with him in Toronto 5 or 6 years ago. I complained that his set list was too short and he explained it was the venues decision, not his. He signed a couple of his albums for me and was generally a nice guy. Cheers.

[@IHaveNoName2009]

This video is a great example of how video game culture is potentially toxic. If the creative, financial, logistical, etc. choices of someone are not to your liking the most adult thing to do is accept that as a mostly passive consumer you have Zero control over those choices.

[@fzxfzxfzx]

videogames are one of the worst things in the world and it is so much easier to abuse them than to healthily consume them

[@RMATFL]

No longer an active viewer for Cinemassacre. I felt so bad for James about the monster madness controversies. I have never been a horror movie fan, I do enjoy all the trivia knowledges James casually spills out in those videos. He does look passionate and enjoys doing those reviews. To learn that even this series has became a chore he only felt obliged to dish out is genuinely sad. Apparently youtubing is his bread and butter now, so James can't stop. Just wish him best luck finding new passion in the future.

[@PixelHead777]

KZbin feed: "Here's a 2-hour video about an AVGN controversy" Me: "There was an AVGN controversy???"

[@spunky6059]

The controversy is such a non issue that only terminally online redditors are concerned about

[@ls-420stoner6]

Same, just started watching this video. The first video I watched of his were his Godzilla reviews. I kinda watched him off and on over the years.

[@charlesdarwin7253]

@@ls-420stoner6 Wait how tf do you watch AVGN off? If your monitor is turned off you can't see it

[@Verlier_]

I was really confused about the normal shenanigans that were being presented as controversies and then the dude from the video starts talking about himself and then I get super confused because it was not a dude it was a dudette. Also why is it relevant who is making the video? it doesn't matter, that's why credits come at the end or in the beginning. I rather watch the shitty AVGN movie than keep on with this nothing burger, this is dumb.

[@AlexRN]

This video didn’t need to be feature length. And add me to the chorus of ppl asking “what controversy?”

[@Spindash54]

One thing I always like about James is that he’s done very well to separate his personal and professional life. His kids don’t appear in any videos and only are just mentioned as his daughters. There’s no photos of them or their names. They’re free to grow up being their own people as opposed to being put into videos and content before they can even form memories. The Mario Maker videos have been a great way to be reminded that James is a dad sharing video games with his kids without making the videos about his kids. Same goes for his wife who I can only recall a single post she made on the website ages ago. They get to be their own people and not just “Mrs. Nerd and the Nerd Jrs.”.

[@NostalgiaUnicorn]

Personally, I think this is a wonderful decision that more people should follow. Weird Al did much the same.

[@maristiller4033]

Yeah I legit didn’t know he was married and had kids until Emily mentioned it

[@CH-ow8hy]

Sometimes there's more important things than just work.

[@grimTales1]

I enjoyed the Mario Maker videos. Thinking about what you said though, in the latest one there's a voice at the beginning, is that his daughter? Its a wholesome and cute video though especially when he talks about how she'll design the levels :D

[@rotisseriepossum]

I really wish more Internet personalities were like this. It just seems like the most obvious/decent thing to do, it astounds me how rare it is

[@qwertyiuwg4uwtwthn]

as someone who was a former truther i gotta say the hate james get is completely unjustified its okay too not like him/screenwave/the current videos but too the point were you have too get strangely personal and hurtful for no real reason just got really pathetic really fast

[@imperialguard5599]

TFW people keep going on about the black actor and LARPing in the comments as him for being in a bad movie? Yeah some Truthers are a bit weird.

[@Rgoid]

Unjustified?

[@Pundit07]

@@Rgoid Yes. Yes, the *hate* towards him as a person is unjustified. Criticism towards the quality of his content is definitely welcome, but actual hate towards him as a person is just reaching at this point.

[@kirakat1535]

It’s sad to hear he made a generic KH video, when they could’ve done something like, “Kingdom Hearts Timeline Explained by Someone Who Knows Nothing About Kingdom Hearts”

[@arthurdurham]

Honestly really shocked and impressed that the controversies have nothing to do with anything James said or did in the original AVGN run. Shows he was always a mature and good dude who just put on an absurb persona. Interesting how he invented the angry internet reviewer yet he always knew where the line was in what he said or did. While so many people he inspired (or even worked with) have to apologize for past jokes or act like they never happened.

[@BirdmanDeuce26]

What helps a lot is that unlike a lot of the reviewers that followed him afterwards, James always made sure that the AVGN and he as a person were two completely different individuals. Like Lady Emily points out, he really wasn't a video essayist/reviewer from the jump to begin with, he was a filmmaker, and the AVGN was just one of the many characters he had to concoct for his videos. For me, this was what hampered a lot of the Channel Awesome/TGWTG crew as they grew older and matured; too much of themselves had become entwined with the characters they played, if they were still playing "characters" at all.

[@crispy2699]

Best part about AVGN was that James knew when to shut off the persona a bit, stop yelling, cussing, and making jokes, and just talk for real about a game or console's development, history, mechanics, etc. He's a smart guy who clearly knows his stuff.

[@valletas]

Its true so many angry reviewers are so forced to the point of it not feeling like they are angry but that they are stupid and dont get how the games/movies are really about

[@hardcoresmoke2122]

^

[@chinafuture6484]

James is not your friend. Stop acting like he is. It's childish.

[@nightshadehelis9821]

I became a recluse when I came home from Afghanistan in 2008, which is when I discovered avgn. His content helped me remember my childhood memories playing shitty games. James made me smile when I was going through the roughest slump in my life. For that, I will always be grateful.

[@THERES_BEES_EVERYWHERE]

godspeed good man

[@Eighty8percent]

happy you're doing better bro

[@Frogwai]

Trauma from killing innocent people?

[@birchmahogany2718]

Right on. I discovered AVGN in like 2007. I was in the military too, Navy to be specific. I was stuck on base one Christmas and I leached off someone's wifi and watched AVGN episodes all day. It actually turned out to be an awesome Christmas that year. Like you said, I just relived my childhood and laughed hysterically at the episodes. Thanks for serving dude, glad you made it home safe. Hope you're doing well.

[@gbeach85]

Happy things turned around for you, my guy

[@trooper9249]

A few weeks after the 2021 Monster Madness scandal went down, I saw some people on a subreddit (it might've been CInemassacre Truth itself, but I can't remember now) complaining that James and Cinemassacre were "getting away with it" because... people weren't talking about the scandal anymore. And it was just like, yeah, most people aren't going to obsess over some internet drama 24/7. They're going to eventually move on with their lives. Plus, this was after Cinemassacre fired the guy responsible and redid the videos, so I got the impression that these people weren't going to be satisfied unless Cinemassacre was totally destroyed by the controversy and James was turned into some kind of social pariah.

[@___Nobody__]

What was the scandal? I didn’t even know there was one

[@TheOneWithTheAccent]

AVGN is always going to be one of my favorite KZbinrs since 06. He has a family, a life outside being the character he is on KZbin. Redditors being mad at someone enjoying life seems accurate.

[@junipermarsh6590]

A small part to comment on but I like when James talks about his family and kids. He gets that sparkle that's missing from a lot of the current videos. Obviously he likes being a dad and likes playing games with his kids.

[@insensitive919]

No wonder he has Crash Test Dummy parts all over his house. Imagine being that dad. What a legend.

[@B.-T.]

@@insensitive919 The Canadian folk band? Why would he have parts of them all over his house? That's barbaric!

[@archive8080]

His movie reviews and other non-avgn videos feel very authentic. The most recent episode, last ninja, was closer to the old content and I enjoyed it a lot for the most part.

[@B.-T.]

@@archive8080 It's 2 years old now but I thought the Raid 2020 video was pretty good.

[@archive8080]

@@B.-T. I thought it was okay. It grew on me more as time went on.

[@YggdrasilAudio]

James actually wrote an actual script for an original movie fairly recently that he tried to get made, but eventually gave up on and decided it wasn't something he felt like doing. He has made videos on this project in the year that's passed. His standalone video on VHS memories feels like a callback to the content he made in 2020, whcih in my opinion is some of the best and most rewatchable Cinemassacre has made recently and I would really welcome a return to that style.

[@whodatninja439]

he has no time for movies

[@YggdrasilAudio]

@@whodatninja439 That is a valid f*cking reason. That's why Chris Columbus stepped down from directing the entire Harry Potter Saga, he didn't want to miss the entire early lives of his children. You literally get salty that other people have a free will.

[@user-ny5vp9be8v]

@@whodatninja439 no time

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

I still have some hope for that movie to be made someday. Recently he said he's thought about turning it into a book, so he's clearly held onto the idea. Maybe when his kids are a little older he'll come back to it.

[@pleasedontwatchthese9593]

I stop watching avgn content about 10 years ago because the format got boring for me. But I will say early avgn content was good. I learned about avgn though a segment where he was mentioned on G4. Avgn had a big impact in my life then and was the first person to teach me about retro video games and old movies. And the production quality and work of the early episodes is still great today. You can tell he came from the Golden age of tv and put more work into that content then what was probably needed. You could tell he was trying to aspire to people with much bigger budgets. Internet content is really different today and he's kinda a relic to the past. And I feel happy for what he gave me. And to this day I sill yell "fire fire fire" and "bbbb111777teeen bommeeerr"

[@ericstatler8172]

I remembers discovering AVGN and being immediately captivated by it/him. I was immediately transported to my bedroom from 4th grade, playing Soul Caliber before school. Then I was in my basement playing Final Fantasy 7 during the summer of my sophomore year of high school. Then I was unwrapping a NES for my 4th birthday and hearing the Mario jump sound for the first time. The nostalgia AVGN made me feel seemed just pure and lovely and warm. To have that feeling uniquely brought on by something/somebody, then see the source slowly dim in it's potency and change in it's genuineness is hurtful. That hurt was intensified by the fact that, like you said, there wasn't a bright line from when the change started, it was subtle, subliminal and quiet. Now you feel betrayed, because this thing you once adored has made you question if you ever adored it at all. Great video, you have a way with words.

[@bountyhunterFett76]

I worked at his table at a convention hes a really good guy very humble I don't see where any backlash could ever come to this guy

[@Furnerfamilyadventures]

Personally would like to take a break from AVGN and make a horror film, its his passion and he has earned it. His AVGN videos got me through some dark days.

[@tanuki01]

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see what James can make unrelated to avgn and nostalgia in general?

[@gladspooky9455]

He basically took a break to make the AVGN movie. He's just not good at making movies.

[@KetsubanSolo]

@@gladspooky9455 I remember WAY back in the early days of Cinemassacre, he did a pretty decent, low-budget zombie short film that he shot in his garage. IIRC it's called The Deader The Better and it's kinda neat to see what he came up with on a shoestring budget.

[@Pundit07]

@@KetsubanSolo Well said. To say that he’s “not good at making movies” just doesn’t sit right with me, especially when James has shown how good of a horror director he can be. I honestly believe that his horror movie would likely turn out better than the AVGN movie if he were to work on it again in the future.

[@CheeseInTheOven]

@@gladspooky9455 Making movies is a complicated group affair. I'd say he's best with cinematography, writing concepts for films and making pratical fx, not so much a director or video editor

[@JonathanFrana]

Monster Madness was crucial in my formative years. To see this happen is genuinely soul crushing.

[@Kilaueaorph4n]

Simply put: AVGN partnering with screenwavemedia is like when Wayne’s World went from the basement of Wayne’s mom to the big studios on national TV.

[@Mr.Faust3]

its weird how AVGN's controversies have almost nothing to do with James himself

[@suezuccati304]

Well, he received mild backlash because he didn't wanted to review the Ghostbusters reboot, but today nobody even remembers that movie existed (I guess the SkEpTiC aNtI-sJw community does?).

[@zachary_attackery]

That's how uninvested he is in his own channel.

[@Mr.Faust3]

@@zachary_attackery it’s not that, it’s more he knows how to stay out of Trouble

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@Mr.Faust3 Uh, who you associate with says a lot about you. Who you do business with days a lot about you. The fact he turned a blind eye to everything Mike did is controversy alone lol.

[@xsoultillerx]

@@suezuccati304 my favorite part about that movie recently is the critics who gave afterlife negative reviews because it was "too much like the old movies". like you can tell those critics were still salty about answer the call flopping.

[@josephsouza9599]

So, the "backlash" seems to be that the guy who's been making content since 2004 is starting to seem a little burnt out and lacks some of the passion and energy he had during the first 8 or so years of his career doing this.

[@tacticaljunk1608]

Well also that be seems to be in denial about the burnout and he blames the audience for not accepting the lower quality of his content.

[@pedroholsbach8592]

@@tacticaljunk1608 I don't think that's fair. It's not so much "denial of the burnout", it's him simply having to push on through in order to continue to make money. It's his source of income

[@willissudweeks1050]

@@tacticaljunk1608 He’s not in denial of the burnout of AVGN he’s talked about it himself. I feel bad for the dude cause he’s stuck doing that shit for the money and any time he tries to do a project he actually likes he just gets crucified. He doesn’t owe anyone anything if people don’t like it they can just stop watching. People are getting a thrill out of talking shit and then acting like they are a victim cause of the “quality of the content”. Lame asses. Just move on.

[@Pundit07]

@@willissudweeks1050 Thank you! Also, at what point did he “blame his audience” for his shortcomings? Once again, people are just projecting and reaching at this point

[@snoopdoggthecertifiedg6777]

Right. And this somehow warranted a two hour video

[@highwind1369]

A huge difference between AVGN raging at games and the trope of the angry reviewer is that you know James loves games. There's something heartfelt and wholesome in his content.

[@SamuelLing]

You know, James is a special one, I used to watch the his video, thinking “huh? I haven’t seen this before, is this new video”, before getting shocked to find out his video is 10 years old, but still it’s hard to tell it’s a old video since it always looked fresh, like just uploaded

[@TheGallantGentry]

As someone who watched AVGN from the very beginning, a detail that people often miss is that the novelty of AVGN was that he was reviewing games that, at the time, were 20 years old and essentially worthless. In the early 00s, retro gaming was still a fringe hobby. A person could purchase vintage games for next to nothing. So it's less about AVGN being a "rage reviewer" and more about the irony of investing that much energy into reviewing something outdated and of no value. In the pre-internet days, honest reviews were difficult to find, and kids relied on word of mouth to know what games were good. Video gaming in the 80s and 90s was still seen as a childish hobby and nothing to be viewed with any sincerity. AVGN reviews tap into the genuine feeling and experience of being duped into playing an awful game and the novelty of using a large amount of energy to review something that was an outdated afterthought. I believe that is why many people appreciate the early seasons of AVGN and less so today. I think it has less to do with the production value and more about how the reviews became more one-dimensional. Early AVGN episodes tend to convey more sincerity of someone attempting to have a good experience and encountering unreconcilable flaws in a game rather than later episodes that focus on simply being angry.

[@RockHarding]

Excellent analysis. Agree 100%. This should be the pinned comment. Lol

[@planescaped]

Very true, his shtick was unique when it started, now it is quite droll. People are complaining from a place of nostalgia and lack of understanding of the creative process. AVGN will never be what it once was, James has changed, you have changed, the world the internet and youtube have changed. Instead of complaining about it, just move on yourself. I found new channels about games to watch, Tehsnakerer, Mandalore, Grimbeard, Warlockcracy and Sseth, they're out there.

[@angrypunk666]

Solid point! 💪💪💯

[@CalrissianSteele]

I also agree.

[@Kinrobsar]

I feel like I just gained forbidden dimensional knowledge

[@jayray1714]

Can’t believe I watched the whole thing. I have one takeaway from this: people need to go outside.

[@butHomeisNowhere___]

A lot of Internet drama can be boiled down to this 😂

[@Otto-Webb]

i was on a left wing group and a zoomer girl had a tantrum because i used the term "asperger" instead of "autism spectrum" by describing somebody in my close family. The term was used first by the doctor who told us about it, a medical professional. She was unphased, told me i am mansplaining and she asked her friend, the group moderator to kick me out of that (and another) group for mansplaining. Yes, mansplaining. Then a couple months ago she recognized me in another group and started calling me names. I told her "take a deep breathe and close your laptop"

[@thrillhelm419]

I'm getting a ticket. I didn't even do anything! Is that a tazer?! Outside sucks! Don't go outside!

[@butHomeisNowhere___]

@@Otto-Webb "Mansplaining"?! What is this,.. 2015?? Haha Some people are SO online, I swear

[@Nnubbs]

An underlying level of jealousy of nerds who really need to practice what they preach. You’re really gonna get on James when literally the conclusion is that people really like James and he did nothing wrong lol

[@fugs2106]

People grow older, and their priorities change, he's a father, he said himself he needed help because of time restrictions. Give him his due, and let him retire.

[@danielyourboi8872]

I honestly feel like there was a very subtle change to the feel of the AVGN series once they began being filmed in HD. Right after episode 100. There have been amazing episodes since then, but before episode 100 felt like the “golden age” of AVGN content.

[@TalkSickMass]

The character has gotten a lot tamer since James has kids and less of Mike's contributions.

[@fnhatic6694]

After his movie flopped it seemed like the passion was gone.

[@robotrain1607]

During the Sarah Z _Dear Evan Hansen_ video, I was really confused by the joke about how asking for a low-key musical was like asking for a good video game cover band. At the time, when I heard "video game cover band," my mind immediately went to stuff like The 8-Bit Big Band (who had just recently been nominated for a Grammy), and not stuff like... Rex Viper. Suddenly, that joke makes a lot more sense.

[@BloodyAltima]

The Megas are also pretty good, if you're in for something more involved. Although they do really hit their stride after their first album, in a reverse sophomore slump.

[@geo-fry6372]

I really only know of one video game cover band, which is Power Glove. They’re pretty freaking great.

[@QueenMariposa5]

He's more of a one man band, but GaMetal is great too

[@pentelegomenon1175]

I think video game cover bands are generally pretty good and Rex Viper is not very representative of them, Rex Viper reminds me of something like the Leetstreet Boys.

[@fbmb1337]

The Black Mages were also fairly alright but that was also a bunch of actual Final Fantasy composers doing only Final Fantasy covers so it probably doesn't count.

[@DagothUrWelcomesYou]

Yeah the vast majority of hate James get has always rubbed me the wrong way. I remember watching one critique video where they dwelled way too long on the fact that James is balding. Like it's some big deal. At that point I started to be like "Uhhh. Okay."

[@hunter371]

HAHAHA HE'S BALDING! Omg doesn't he realize that?? How can he make videos like that???? Any criticisms of the production of AVGN I'll listen to. Any criticism of the appearance of anyone on the series is infantile.

[@chasedaus681]

I'm sure many of those people are the absolute peek of human beauty as well. Seriously though, James is a great person and anyone who makes fun of his looks is really reaching for something to say.

[@conelybiscuit4985]

he's a dad now, he's allowed to have fucked up hair

[@mindhackz]

@@conelybiscuit4985or you know, being 40 years old. People age. God I can’t wait to see the midlife crises some of yall go through when you age. It’s like some you don’t think it’s going to happen

[@Dante2056]

Honestly, when I first saw his receeding hairline, it was a bit distracting. I don't blame him or anything, but it was just super jarring. It wasn't the reason I disliked said video though, I just found the video itself kinda boring and don't even remember which one it was.

[@Rebellionartwork]

The man’s whole dream was to make a film, and that’s what made his “fans” hate him. Bizarre.

[@erdngtn9942]

“Grab my bottle of Rolling Rock” I don’t think I’m in the right place.

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

It's not just nostalgia, James's sense of delivery and comedic timing in the old days was on point. Like when he said "I'd rather have a diarrhea dog take a LAVA DUMP all over the screen!" it's pure nonsense but the way he says it is just so funny. I remember on Game Grumps they were talking about how James and Mike could say the exact same corny shit and from James it would be funny but from Mike it would be annoying. In the AVGN series, James himself compared his style to Beavis and Butthead riffing on music videos in the 90s.

[@randomjunkohyeah1]

And now Arin and Jon GG is itself a distant relic of a bygone age

[@henriquesoares7893]

Lmao, the Game Grumps talking about Mike Matei always cracks me up. "I'm sure somewhere down there, SOMEWHERE IF YOU DIG DEEP INTO MIKE MATEI YOU WILL FIND A SMIDGEON OF HUMANITY! BUT FOR NOW WE CAN ONLY SEE THE BEAST!"

[@shawnstruck]

When I got to interview him for a gaming section of a website I wrote for nearly 15 years ago, he commented on the very deliberate construction of the AGVN as a character and the set as meta-commentary. It also reminded me of his spot on comedic timing in the early days in one video where he finished up the usual string of obscenities with a pause and then "...and I don't like it!" as a stinger right before the end, and that one delivery STILL slays me to this day.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Yup. His comedy aged like fine wine.

[@congrilla-]

@@henriquesoares7893 the mere thought of "CASTLE MY ASSHOLE" never fails to at least make me laugh.

[@user-ic3kt1eq1p]

This is what happens when people get older and life starts to get in the way. He has kids and a wife and all sorts of other responsibilities now. Guy's trying his best to adapt to his life changes and keep with the content. He's in the process of optimising the full thing. I for one will be giving him a break. Guys been going for near 2 decades man.

[@bagingospringo4396]

And he's got bills to pay too so...

[@howaboutsomesoyfood]

The guy is in his forties and has a family. That takes up a lot of your time. People aren’t entitled to videos from him. I agree ☝️

[@darkmistico]

I wonder if those new guys are sucking more money out of james that he can produce....

[@ChairmanMeow1]

totally agree

[@whoknowswhocares885]

As someone with no life, I find it pretty pathetic they are going after this guy, all because he has to adapt to family responsibilities and working to appease a major audience. A majority of who is totally ungrateful to the fact that he has been dedicated to creating endless content even when in time he admitted that he felt drained of material.

[@BoxiesAU]

I saw the drunk Mario stream by Mike, it wasn’t even that bad, it was funny because he was so drunk and for some reason we were all posting ‘ham salad’ and he was so confused and frustrated 😅

[@DeadliestFX420]

My brother once told me he doesnt watch Rick and Morty because of the fan base, I didn't quite understand what he was talking about, but after seeing the hostile subreddit about Cinemassacre I avoid fan groups of anything I enjoy.

[@mattbutler4953]

One small criticism of video, there was one really messed up thing that really set the stage for an adversarial relationship that happen during the time of filming The AVGN movie: The Mrs. Nerd blog. James' wife was asked to by James to post a weekly blog on the cinemassacre website mostly to discuss herself, what James was like, what being around productions was like, and stuff like that. Basically it was an inside perspective and behind the scene look at James' life at the time. The blog lasted only 3 posts. People hated it and by extension HATED her. The comments were fucking disgustingly mean towards her. Saying stuff like she was trying to glom off the success at James, calling her sexist slurs, calling dumb and uninformed, etc., all despite her stating she didn't want to be famous and was only doing it because she was asked to by James. I feel like this particular bit of drama, though never truly addressed, really put bad taste in James' mouth.

[@jamesbellamy9328]

I wonder if that's where some of modern Cinemassacre Truth's strange loathing of James' family stems from. Very odd - and also gross - either way

[@Pundit07]

@@jamesbellamy9328 Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the first instance of people who would then turn into the “Cinemassacre Truthers” becoming obsessive and downright vitriolic towards anybody in James’ personal life

[@RocKnight11]

I think her blog was something about cooking, or something 🤔. I've never really was interested in it and paid it no mind. If what you say about the comments are true, then that is highly unfortunate.

[@Dark_Ronius]

I was not aware of any of this. That's incredibly sad.

[@mattbutler4953]

@@RocKnight11 there's a mirror of the old cinemassacre website called cinemassacreold mrs nerd speaks, and Mrs nerd answers, were the first two blogs. There was a third post but it seems lost. All the comments are lost too.

[@PMSeymour]

The backlash has the same energy as when people get mad at a fast food joint that’s been doing very questionable stuff, but what people are actually mad about is the food being not good anymore.

[@SuperHothead14]

Oh shoot hi seymour!!

[@BareBandSubscription]

Yeah, minus the “questionable stuff” part.

[@volunarc5248]

Don't tell that to the rick and morty fans

[@legoyoda9782]

James' videos are still pretty good, though. The last few AVGN videos have seen a huge increase in quality, and even the more average videos are pretty entertaining. You also have to take into consideration that he's doing the right thing by spending time with his family and doesn't want to be a slave to content creation. Nothing wrong with that.

[@JayDecayAE]

…And the food is free.

[@ChrisHoopes1]

Every interaction I’ve had with James has been nothing but pleasant. Dude is about as normal and nice a guy as possible for someone who has been internet famous as long as he has.

[@HalfEatenMedia]

Spider-Man saying “Try the local brew” is a underrated moment I always think of when Yuengling is around 😂

[@cjallday1130plays]

honestly every time i see someone buying Yuengling in a Florida Convenience store, I'd go: "Ah, having a Philly staple, eh?" to which either they don't get it and are confused, they go "yep", or they actually make the AVGN reference (only 2 customers in the store i work at have made such a reference)

[@HalfEatenMedia]

@@cjallday1130plays “it’s the local brew” *nods head in pleasant acceptance

[@jacobsendejo8788]

Honestly though, at this point just be happy that James still has the passion to produce AVGN content after a nearly 20 year lifespan of the character. The man has a family and is making money off sponsorships now, he's paid his dues and has earned the spoils of creating good content for such a long time. It's kinda silly to expect a man who is over 40 years old now to still be making DIY videos in his room with the same bare bones, low budget approach of the early days.

[@supercurrymax]

That's the thing he never had a passion for that part of his online presence

[@RedFlameGamer]

The problem is he's clearly producing content he *doesn't* have the passion for. And if AVGN isn't what he's passionate about anymore, fine, but he ought to just end things on a high note. The best time for that was a few years ago, but that doesn't mean he ought to continue this decline. I understand that he's still got bills to pay and such, but unless there's a spark of passion and enthusiasm to captivate the audience then ultimately its unsustainable and eventually his audience will dwindle as it already is. I, personally, think he should've tried to make a leap into the professional moviemaking scene. I think he still could.

[@CreativeWM_Personal]

@@RedFlameGamer Episode 200 would be that high point IMO, the way he ended that episode is just the perfect way for the series to end and if he wants to do more then he can do more.

[@aarondavis8943]

It's fair to compare art made by someone who was passionate against later art they made that had no passion. Not only is it fair, it's revelatory. James is *allowed* to make content purely for the money, and we're *allowed* to hate it and say so.

[@rimfire2642]

I still think AVGN is worth watching. I agree episode to episode, later episodes are not superior to earlier content. But I think many of the modern episodes are GREAT, I LOVED the Fear and Loathing inspired episode (being a fan of HST, the story, and the movie). I thought it was fantastic and fun, even if a bit sketchy vs AVGN. I really liked the 200th episode LJN videos. Again I see the "divided for advertising" take and that sort of thing, but it was still a fun series, and having some of the old content added in along with not seen before games. And the game creation skit was pretty good, IMO. Again, if I said maybe the peak AVGN? No, but still pretty good

[@TheGrayMysterious]

honestly, given his extreme passion for movies and his years of experience talking about niche subjects to a camera, I think James could make the transition to being a modern video essayist really well. He's really fascinating to listen to when he's writing about something he's interested in, and his immaculately chill vibes are his best quality as a person.

[@Glace-gone]

thats actually a REALLY good suggestion and not something id considered, and i think youre on the money, his style as himself would translate really well, (and as a bonus longform content seems to be good in the algorithm at the minute, so i dont see why any higher powers would complain)

[@BubbyBoy]

He has a huge passion for old-school Horror films, and he gets to express that with some great retrospectives over the years

[@BubbyBoy]

​@@Glace-gonehe already has some great essays sprinkled throughout, especially during the months of October

[@gannonmb]

His video on the Psycho house is by far my favorite video he’s ever made. I would absolutely love for him to make more stuff like that.

[@mccapo9505]

His ninja turtles retrospective was heat🔥

[@VampVampChamp]

This was such a good video, I can only imagine the time/work that went into producing this. Honestly I did not know about any of this stuff, so thank you for putting this together in a cohesive manner for us that know of AVGN but not all of background details

[@Faben32]

The problem I had with Mike that would irritate me so much is when he would not just speak over James but straight up interrupt him. Anyway, this was an awesome video. Thank you.

[@tesstoby]

It's called ADHD. Educate yourself.

[@stantorren4400]

@@tesstobyFirst time hearing that people with ADHD interrupt people

[@sportosp-0158]

@@tesstoby It's called being rude.

[@tesstoby]

@@sportosp-0158 It's called open your mind and get a life.

[@sportosp-0158]

@@tesstoby I have one. a nice one. Do you know why? Because I'm not rude and don't interrupt people like Mike does. Stop whiteknighting for someone who wouldn't care what you think.

[@Anonsage3]

"im drinkin' ROLLING ROCK on the ROLLING ROCKER?!?!?!" has lived rent free in my head for over a decade too

[@fredstolperman2785]

Bimmy and Jimmy made me laugh back then

[@godihateyoupeople7173]

cos I like ya a lot

[@church7389]

@@fredstolperman2785 fuckin bimmy and Jimmy who could forget 🤣

[@jonbrewer297]

@@church7389 Dig up Robert Louis Stevenson and show how his book about the origin of evil has become the origin of an evil game! Also, who the hell is Deborah Cliff and why should I headbutt her?

[@scarletcrusader5431]

ROLLING ROCK *points to Rolling Rock* ON THE ROLLING ROCKER *points to the Rolling Rocker*

[@Dzumeister]

I like how James is playing a character but Mike really is an angry videogame nerd

[@henrynelson9301]

No, the real IRL angry video game nerd was game dude

[@richardmoores]

@@henrynelson9301 or irate gamer

[@archive8080]

Mike used to be so fake but now he's calmed down a bit. Respect

[@joehosier6187]

I miss James and Mike Mondays

[@turtleanton6539]

Yuup

[@joshclover603]

To be clear, I can agree with backlash against Cinnemassacre, but nothing against James. I love his content, but undoubtedly agree the quality of AVGN episodes has decreased, however that's due to the fault of the surrounding companies, and not his personal actions, and also that everything will inevitably get aged or lose validity, even names like Markiplier, Vanoss, Wildcat, Jontron, etc. I will always love his additions to the internet, and see him as a priceless piece of history.

[@DarLynn909]

This is all so well said and aged quite well in my opinion, i love james and cinnemasacre for bassically having made my teens/early adulthood depression bearable and i still view avgn (old and new) as a major comfort series for me and listen to the videos everynight to fall asleep

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

_The Immortal_ review was done in one continuous take because that's how you have to play the game: you can't just react to the obstacles in your path as you progress -- you have to memorize absolutely every single move you make with no margin for error.

[@johnnygregg1550]

That's a good catch, I didn't think of that!

[@cornerstorevanni]

This dude helped me get through 12 hour mind numbing overnight slogs at Amazon for months. I'd turn whole full seasons on (they would be about 5-6 hours) and before I knew it both the videos would be over and it'd be time for me to go. I've listened to every season of AVGN over and over to get through that horrible experience of a job and it never got old. I don't really give a shit what anybody says about James, he's a very entertaining and funny guy and he helped me through a depressing ass time in my life.

[@Brantendo64]

Yeah, I wish those who feel they are “victims of low tier content” would just stop watching and move on. I personally enjoy a ton of AVGN content, new and old, and recognize that the state of retro gaming (and gaming KZbin for that matter) wouldn’t be where it is if it weren’t for him. I also met him, and can easily say that out of all of the video game KZbinrs I’ve met (despite him probably being more popular than the rest), he was extremely kind and patient. Keep enjoying, dude!

[@guusama3404]

I still play full seasons while doing chores xD

[@zzxp1]

Lol I do the same at my work. Helps me go through all that slog.

[@Helmutlozzi]

I know Amazon is a diabolical corporation with shit standards, but what did you do overnight where you could just chill with AVGN?

[@cornerstorevanni]

@@Helmutlozzi lol it wasn't too terrible. I've had worst jobs. It was mainly depressing bcuz I had a lot more going on outside of work at that time but my fulfillment center was pretty chill. The floor I was assigned to had a cool ass manager that let us wear ear buds. I either worked as a picker (sending items down to packaging in totes after an order was confirmed) or as a water spider (placing totes on the conveyor and replacing totes for manual pickers) it was just a really boring stationary job for the most part. I wasn't watching the episodes, just listening with my phone set down in my station somewhere or if I was spidering I'd have my phone in my pocket. When I think back I was just stuck in general during that time so the experience felt worse. I'm not gonna recommend it but it coulda been aloooot worst.

[@MrSkerpentine]

I feel like most of this backlash is because it feels like James is ironically stuck as the only 80’s kid on the internet that genuinely chose to actually grow up instead of demanding stuff they like they the same as they were 20 years ago

[@PraisetheSunn.-.]

Love James and AVGN. We all are humans and make mistakes, qnd to those who think they can do no wrong are the WORST type of human beings. His Contra (NES) review is my favorite video on KZbin. Not only is it hilarious, but also made me cry with his heartfelt, relatable ending dialogue.

[@harrylane4]

It’s so wild that what is considered a big controversy for James is like, nothing compared to other KZbinrs. Dudes biggest controversies are “his videos aren’t very good anymore” and “his coworkers are kind of annoying twats” That’s such a small issue that it emphasizes that nobody seems to have any issues with the guy.

[@culturearsongames]

Someone needs to pin this comment for people like me who don't have the time (sorry) to watch a 2 hour video about youtuber "drama". This sums it up. Thank you.

[@grayfox1471]

People trying to get views by naming popular youtubers in their own vids

[@mobilemarshall]

What? Does this video just not even mention the whole drama with him cutting off ties with his old collaborators and just not paying them? Or are you being deliberately dense.

[@PIKL_Creep]

He had another controversy because he didn't want to watch a Ghostbusters movie from 2016 or something and it all blew over because 1. it didn't matter and 2. he just ignored it.

[@nielsklarenberg5871]

@@mobilemarshall You haven't watched it but scrolled trough to comment on what you think is or is not in the video. You already made more contoversy then james ever did. Besides, all of his colabs are still collaborating with him. And yet you can't be bothered to fact check your own derision...That's just weak dude.

[@codyjemes73]

The “coworkers talking about movies in the break room” line about rental review captures the essence of that show in a way I never could.

[@jonathanlgill]

Yeah, that stuck out to me too. Extremely on-target way to nail the vibe of a piece.

[@randomjunkohyeah1]

Whereas in something like Best of the Worst you can just tell that they’re practically brothers in terms of how well they know each other

[@BMoser-bv6kn]

@@randomjunkohyeah1 Tell me again about that time that guy showed you his "warhammer figurines."

[@lemfandango]

The fattest, sweatiest coworkers

[@EZ-vm1up]

@@lemfandango Slobs if you will

[@CarsonRH]

Holy shit the “if there’s one thing the Internet hates it’s plagiarism and why yes this is foreshadowing” has an extra level of meaning now

[@Cragma]

Why?

[@SoulCrusher00]

​@@Cragmahbombs vid on plagiarism

[@clemclemclemclemcl]

the facts that james has been on the internet for so long and HASN’T been exposed for being a creep is a miracle. i feel like every other person ever now is just god awful.

[@megapants444]

"all the cool kids nowadays are watching 2 hour videos of dumb bullshit" *looks at the video length* Thanks for making one for the cool kids, Emily

[@pentelegomenon1175]

I knew something was up right there because these kinds of videos are either a good amount shorter or a good amount longer than 2 hours, for them to actually be close to two hours is uncommon.

[@lasarousi]

Lampshading is common in KZbin

[@connor4wilson]

commenting about an hour-long youtube video not being that long in the grand scope of things at 55 minutes into the video was so big brain I don't even care if it was unintentional

[@REfan001]

2 hours? pffft. try 5 hours

[@fotnite_]

@@REfan001 will anyone who watched Pyro's 8 hour video on utopia please rise though technically Action Button's cyberpunk review is longer but only if you didn't watch it as intended so that doesn't count

[@Ravagethem]

Board James is the best thing he’s ever made, I’m glad someone else shares that take. He really didn’t have to go so hard on that series but I’m glad he did. Other than that you raised great critiques, and I say that as someone who genuinely still likes the “new” Nerd stuff. Idk, I’ve followed him since 06 and yet never knew any of this controversy was even happening. Ignorance is bliss as they say lol

[@RisingRevengeance]

Remember when it was revealed that Board James was AVGN? So damn good, stupid but good!

[@HardbrasH1]

He used all of his strong sides making Board James - it's extremely rewatchable to this day. Great cinematography, great songs (thanks to Bootsie also), great lore, suspense, humor and fun at perfect length.

[@jessica23claire]

Agreed, that Dream Phone video is a masterpiece of KZbin horror comedy.

[@twilightsparkle75]

board james as a concept sounded crap. 2 dudes playing board games, wheres the entertainment there? but in practice, holy shit it was pure gold

[@uberyoutuber3892]

I agree dude. I've been watching Cinemassacre since the beginning, but had no idea about the Mike stuff and the Screenwave team up. I started binging a lot of James & Mike Monday's because AVGN material wasn't coming out, then the hiatus video for Monday's left us thinking it would be back. Then the Fur pals AVGN episode came out and I was so lost, that's when I had my own suspicions that something wasn't right. Then this backlash video popped up and wow, I knew something was wrong, but not all that...

[@kebabimpaler]

Tremendous research and articulately put. As a first time viewer of your channel I'm thoroughly impressed.

[@LamestLameOK]

Honestly it's kind of based that James is living in redditors head rent free, while getting paid for it at the same, and pays no mind to it. These guys think they're actually accomplishing something, and taking down some "evil" juggernaut company when at the end of the day no one really gives a shit😂😂😂.

[@Pundit07]

Right? Also you wanna know something even better? It’s not just James who lives rent free in their heads, but also his wife and kids. Let that sink in, two underage girls who aren’t even teenagers yet and have never shown their faces on the internet (which is for the best, tbh) live rent free in the heads of these grown-ass adults. They don’t even know these people exist on an individual level. That’s just hilariously pathetic.

[@HoradoTerror]

Years ago I was rewatching many of his videos, and then I sent an email asking for a written interview for my Brazilian movie blog. It took some time, but he replied to many specific questions with thought and passion, which I wasn't expecting at all. I agree with the comments about burnout and being tired, as it happened to me as well, but James is one of the few creators out there that I respect and admire so much on the internet, through all these years.

[@JohnDRuddyMannyMan]

I remember discovering James Rolfe on the weekend of my 18th birthday back in 2007! Karate Kid, Bible Games and Atari Porn still crack me up.

[@daoyang223]

My first time watching AVGN was actually his "You know whats Bullshit" video where he trashed packaging. I loved that old format.

[@bgoodnow]

The Castlevania videos brought me in, but the Bible Games video was awesome! I’m gonna go back and watch that one today!

[@bloodsoulsgaming502]

He's great, one of my favorite content creators

[@YggdrasilAudio]

My introduction was actually Monster Madness, that I began watching at 12. I was just getting into horror movies and heard that you could find clips on KZbin and his channel got recommended to me. I didn't really like AVGN, I guess I found his aggressive energy a bit scary (yeah, the irony is not lost on me), but I grew to love that as well.

[@shyguywhite]

I discovered him on a hot summer day in 2011, and back then I didn't understand english so me and my brother had to watch it with spanish subtitles. I'm still subscribe to his channel and I respect him a lot for all the content he did when YT wasn't that big

[@austind9675]

I sent James an email right in the middle of 2020 about how much his videos were adding comfort in a perilous time, he writes back the nicest most sincere response it made my week….almost 4 years later I resurface it and add a few new local video store updates and he remembers the email, shares his earnest feeling about how much it meant to me and wow, the dude is rad. Seriously solid. Happy for him and his family and that’s what’s important!

[@J3nnySmith]

53:25 well this part kinda shows why things might go wrong. Actually it includes most of the problems that lead to a bad product, like tight deadline, lack of staff members, licensing issues, scaling down the scope and cutting out features, miscommunication between higher ups and the staff.

[@PlayMadness]

The most betrayed I've ever felt was when I went to a video game convention for a, and I quote, "Live AVGN Episode." I sat in the front row for an hour before the start time to get a good seat and see James doing his thing live. James wasn't there. It was all Mike.

[@Somtaaw7]

"It was all Mike" Im so sorry.

[@Halesburg]

Did he at least give you the Matei Mallet?

[@jamescheddar4896]

yeah its always disappointing when its mike

[@mrscruffles801]

Was Inspector Gadget there at least?

[@DuckDeadly]

AHHHHHH

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

James Rolfe truly lives by the motto "don't feed the trolls".

[@docwho2828]

That's not the worst motto!

[@Panzer_Runner]

Best advice on the internet

[@barryosbourne2581]

Dont feed the gremlins after dark

[@favoritemustard3542]

I have hope for this ol' World... ...your comment hasn't attracted said trolls! 👍GG👍

[@TuraisWorldwide]

He got attacked viciously for saying he won't be seeing the new Ghostbusters movie back in 2016, his reasoning had nothing to do with the fact it had a female cast btw. But that didn't stop hordes of losers calling him "sexist", "woman-hater" etc. - even Patton Oswalt insulted him on Twitter - but he held his ground and never responded to those low-lifes - always admired how he handled that

[@jaredquaglieri3731]

4:57 Recently rewatched this Addams Family video and now that I'm older I can appreciate James' filmmaking so much more. That sequence with the train is shot so much better than it has any right to be, and James's film knowledge is on full display. I think very few people on KZbin could shoot what he could at that time

[@tomvance3646]

God I was totally blindsided by the comment that the Wii is as old as the NES was when James did his first AVGN video