James Rolfe / James D. Rolfe / Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) / Rex Viper and Cinemassacre / Screenwave - Now with not much grieving about a 41-year old man still making videos on YouTube. We're the balls on the dick.

[BrunoMattei]

I want to preface this by saying I am the asshole that always says bitching Youtubers need to shut the fuck up and get a real job if they don't like it.

But if I was to give any credence to streaming/content creation being "hard", it'd be that it's probably an extremely high stress situation simply because of how much you have to walk on eggshells in regards to demonitization, how tuned in you have to be into the "algorythm" and just how consistent you need to be with content. This doesn't mean they have any right to bitch, since they gave up the consistency/stability of real work for the freedom of what amounts to freelance work, basically.

All of that said, James has even less of a reason to bitch as a lot of these things were not issue when he was coming up in the early days, and when they become issues, he sold out to Screenwave to take care of that shit.


Wasn't he a janitor right before this gay ass video?

Doug was a janitor.

 

[Jack Awful]

Wasn't he a janitor right before this gay ass video?

Yep, the job he's quitting in the video was janitorial work.

 

[seri0us]

Doug was a janitor.

Did he do it for free?

 

[Smar Mijou]

I want to preface this by saying I am the asshole that always says bitching Youtubers need to shut the fuck up and get a real job if they don't like it.

But if I was to give any credence to streaming/content creation being "hard", it'd be that it's probably an extremely high stress situation simply because of how much you have to walk on eggshells in regards to demonitization, how tuned in you have to be into the "algorythm" and just how consistent you need to be with content. This doesn't mean they have any right to bitch, since they gave up the consistency/stability of real work for the freedom of what amounts to freelance work, basically.

I guess it would depend on what type of content and creator it is. With the type of channels that I usually follow nowadays, its more of a documentation of their day to day activities and hobbies, the type of stuff where some filming and editing isn't really much more effort on top of what they're already doing. And YouTube isn't their main source of income, so they're not pushing out the constant content and chasing the algorithm or worried about sponsorships and monetization.

The ones who are there primarily as "content creators" where YouTube is their livelihood all seem to have that aura of desperation and frenetic used car salesman mentality. I tend to avoid most of those, simply because its isually alot of the same; shilling shitty sponsorships or e-begging for their Patreon. I agree that it would be high stress and you're basically at the mercy of a huge faceless company while being essentially self-employed commercial spokesmen. And the fact that the modern entertainment industry caters to short attention spans means that you're constantly changing your niche or you risk losing your viewers and ad revenue, I can't say that I don't blame them for all the shilling that they do and complaining about the difficulties that they face, but on the other hand they're not forced to do it either, and they're not exactly ankle deep in drilling mud on a drilling rig either.

 

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

they also sold far far less copies then the millions they sale now and with literally no cost to them digital copies they make far more money now even if not adjusted for inflation.

These games would also sell a fuckton. Super Smash Bros. Melee was 60 dollars on release and checking the stats, in one week it sold 250K copies in the US alone on a console barely anyone owned at the time. The original Halo had similar sales. On the PS2 with higher adoption, Gran Turismo 3 sold 1 million copies its first day in the US. One copy of any of those games would've cost you 86 dollars in 2019 money (and 100 dollars in 2022 money).

games back then were also fun sure you had trash games but you had all stars people still love to this day compared to walking sim 137

There were still plenty of shitty movie-based games, utterly forgettable games that could be beaten in 5-6 hours, and games that padded out their length like every collect-a-thon ever or most JRPGs where the choice is to spend hours grinding or hours repeating boss fights. Screenwave era AVGN did a bunch of shitty Playstation games for instance (and better-era AVGN did the Independence Day game which seems to be exactly like some of those awful movie games I remember renting).

And two: The realization that luck *definitely* played a part in their success. Unlike celebrities with a talent for acting, music, etc, and wealthy sons and daughters, absolutely anyone else could've taken their spot had they not been there at the right spot, right time. Charisma is not hard to develop and looks can only get you so far. Work ethic is most likely out of the question because just look at how many hopefuls have been painfully trying to build up an audience for years without any returns to show for it

Work ethic is pretty essential though. Look at the diminished returns James got when his schedule slipped because of the movie. It's also apparently important to the algorithm since it favors channels putting out videos at a consistent rate (which is why so many Youtubers, including Cinemassacre, shit out a lot of garbage these days). Or for comparing creators, look at James vs Spoony. James can afford to not give a fuck because Screenwave can still badger him into putting out an AVGN episode every now and then and he still can get a few hundred thousand views. Spoony lost all but his most hardcore orbiters, his Patreon went from $5,000/month to like $250/month, and his occasional streams barely get any attention or superchats.

If work ethic doesn't matter in starting a channel, it definitely matters in keeping a channel active.

 

[Breadbassket]

Work ethic is pretty essential though. Look at the diminished returns James got when his schedule slipped because of the movie. It's also apparently important to the algorithm since it favors channels putting out videos at a consistent rate (which is why so many Youtubers, including Cinemassacre, shit out a lot of garbage these days). Or for comparing creators, look at James vs Spoony. James can afford to not give a fuck because Screenwave can still badger him into putting out an AVGN episode every now and then and he still can get a few hundred thousand views. Spoony lost all but his most hardcore orbiters, his Patreon went from $5,000/month to like $250/month, and his occasional streams barely get any attention or superchats.

If work ethic doesn't matter in starting a channel, it definitely matters in keeping a channel active.

PLing but Youtube will give an artificial boost to new videos for the first few days its out then its treated like a normal video. If you don't maintain consistent uploads there are always competitors that can take your place in the algorithm if the subject isn't niche. This is a big issue for gaming content nowadays, where a channel is easily replaceable because the barrier of entry is far more lower then it was back when people like Spoony and AVGN were starting out. All of this doesn't even mention that there is a portion of YT where its just [insert big name Twitch streamer or Youtuber] reacting to videos that have far more effort that isn't just turn on mic and facecam then spam out 3 things that could be technically called "videos" in less then an hour.

 

[reptile101]

These games would also sell a fuckton. Super Smash Bros. Melee was 60 dollars on release and checking the stats, in one week it sold 250K copies in the US alone on a console barely anyone owned at the time. The original Halo had similar sales. On the PS2 with higher adoption, Gran Turismo 3 sold 1 million copies its first day in the US. One copy of any of those games would've cost you 86 dollars in 2019 money (and 100 dollars in 2022 money).

There were still plenty of shitty movie-based games, utterly forgettable games that could be beaten in 5-6 hours, and games that padded out their length like every collect-a-thon ever or most JRPGs where the choice is to spend hours grinding or hours repeating boss fights. Screenwave era AVGN did a bunch of shitty Playstation games for instance (and better-era AVGN did the Independence Day game which seems to be exactly like some of those awful movie games I remember renting).

yes i said there were trash games back then but there was also better games then we get today that people still go back to.

and yes some games back then sold very well but they are eclipsed by the amount of sales current games get especially the latest ssb games cost the same *or more for the full editions* because they sell a ton more copies

also its not fair to judge anything by 2022 inflation money is just kinda monopoly bucks at this point until it hits the breaking point

 

[Little dubs]

When do you think he will come out as trans

 

[Brown People are Gross]

When do you think he will come out as trans

View attachment 4120242

He got cold feet because of the pushback in the comment section. Probably still deliberating.

 

[Sparkletor 2.0]

Admittedly, since I don't follow him, closely as some of you fuckers apparently do...

I've been watching his videos for years,
Bit of a PL here, but seeing the excerpts from his autobiography and the recent unscripted videos,

Quality of the AVGN stuff has obviously suffered, especially in the last few years,
While obviously not the best episodes, the Vegas Stakes and Immortal episodes were pretty bold, as far as AVGN videos are concerned.

Glad you don't follow AVGN that closely. Only watching him for years, reading his book, watching current videos, and ranking the quality of his episodes.

Good thing you aren't like us obsessed fuckers. Someone might think you were the autistic one.

 

[Seventh Star]

It's like when I read whiney gamers talk about how games haven't been good since 198X/199X/200X when in reality most video games suck ass and you only remember the handful of titles you liked.

The idea that history will progress in only one direction and that everything will stay the same (good media will always be created with some shit stuff because up until now that has been the norm) is retarded boomer cope since ancient history. I haven't been hyped for absolutely anything that's come out from any media this year.

snip

snip

lurk more retards

Big Ryan from Screenwave trooned out causing controversy on thecinemassacretruth subreddit. Most people wanted to make fun of it but of course since it's reddit troon simps reported everyone so now it's unspoken of
The comment's here are great though.

On one hand its odd to see YouTube comments being based. On the other hand the few Kiwis commenting are obvious lol.

 

[TATE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE!!]

The idea that history will progress in only one direction and that everything will stay the same (good media will always be created with some shit stuff because up until now that has been the norm) is retarded boomer cope since ancient history. I haven't been hyped for absolutely anything that's come out from any media this year.

Sorry for your narrow tastes.

 

[exampleusernamee]

His book -- which he's been writing for 20 years -- is such a let down for those wanting to know about his actual legacy (AVGN). Also, it's like he doesn't have time to proofread. I hope he's aware.

 

[Jason Wynn]

Also, it's like he doesn't have time to proofread.

He has no time! He has KIDS! And a WIFE! He has to spend long hours into the night taping tripods to the ceiling! Do you WANT him to suffer!

 

[Pissmaster]

His book -- which he's been writing for 20 years -- is such a let down for those wanting to know about his actual legacy (AVGN). Also, it's like he doesn't have time to proofread. I hope he's aware.

The actual legacy story's been told by way of Mike Matei interviews over the years. There are a few floating around where Pat the NES Punk interviewed him you can look up. Basically the rundown IIRC goes like:

• they met in college
• they became friends when James was drunk off his ass and Mike took care of him
• they bonded because Mike was always into retro games, and James, while not passionate, still enjoys them enough
• James made the first AVGN on his own as just one of his countless random films, Mike loved it, and kept pushing him to make more, despite James being reluctant
• Mike had the idea to put them online for the world to see, and IIRC also came up with the "jamesnintendonerd" channel name
• Mike mentioned buying garbage bags full of NES games when they had them on clearance at Funcoland in the early 2000s, which is where most of the early episodes' collection came from

So the whole backstory of the AVGN is more or less, Mike just told him what to do and he ended up a millionaire. Of course, James would rather live in his fantasy that he's a self-made world famous filmmaker among the likes of Spielberg, so he'll never admit that he'd be nothing without Mike, but that doesn't seem to bother Mike, so whatever

 

[BrunoMattei]

The actual legacy story's been told by way of Mike Matei interviews over the years. There are a few floating around where Pat the NES Punk interviewed him you can look up. Basically the rundown IIRC goes like:

• they met in college
• they became friends when James was drunk off his ass and Mike took care of him
• they bonded because Mike was always into retro games, and James, while not passionate, still enjoys them enough
• James made the first AVGN on his own as just one of his countless random films, Mike loved it, and kept pushing him to make more, despite James being reluctant
• Mike had the idea to put them online for the world to see, and IIRC also came up with the "jamesnintendonerd" channel name
• Mike mentioned buying garbage bags full of NES games when they had them on clearance at Funcoland in the early 2000s, which is where most of the early episodes' collection came from

So the whole backstory of the AVGN is more or less, Mike just told him what to do and he ended up a millionaire. Of course, James would rather live in his fantasy that he's a self-made world famous filmmaker among the likes of Spielberg, so he'll never admit that he'd be nothing without Mike, but that doesn't seem to bother Mike, so whatever

Big questions left are:

How much of a cut did Mike get from the videos and merch? I get the impression he's from a rich family which would explain the extensive retro collection he had when he met James but they must have a 50/50 or 60/40 split to explain how Mike has essentially "retired" and just does cringe streams for petty cash.

How much of the material was Mike's? I.E. game footage and the scripts.

 

[grapeshark77]

His book -- which he's been writing for 20 years -- is such a let down for those wanting to know about his actual legacy (AVGN). Also, it's like he doesn't have time to proofread. I hope he's aware.

I checked the subreddit and someone found that at least one small part of the audiobook was differently written than the print version, just some minor stuff but I wonder if the audio was finished first. Also apparently he sounds like a robot reading it.

 

[Pissmaster]

Big questions left are:

How much of a cut did Mike get from the videos and merch? I get the impression he's from a rich family which would explain the extensive retro collection he had when he met James but they must have a 50/50 or 60/40 split to explain how Mike has essentially "retired" and just does cringe streams for petty cash.

How much of the material was Mike's? I.E. game footage and the scripts.

Mike's outright said he came from a well-off family, though also that video games were the only thing he'd ever ask for; and I think he's an only child. That resulted in him having something like 80 NES games within his childhood. I think he said that on the Talk About Games podcast

I've never heard him divulge about his cut.

 

[BicuriousMidget]

So the backstory of the AVGN is more or less, Mike just told him what to do and he ended up a millionaire. Of course, James would rather live in his fantasy that he's a self-made world famous filmmaker among the likes of Spielberg, so he'll never admit that he'd be nothing without Mike, but that doesn't seem to bother Mike, so whatever

In his book, James goes off on a tangent about how people assume he's rich just because he is now famous, but that he isn't rich. Mike has mentioned they didn't start getting decent money from YouTube until 2013. And Justin has confirmed the old videos are largely demonetized, because of the amount of swearing at the start of videos (mostly from the theme song) and use of copyrighted music. James and Mike were probably too autistic to run a proper business and actually get rich off of their franchise. Mike just lucked out with his well-off family.

Mike's outright said he came from a well-off family, though also that video games were the only thing he'd ever ask for; and I think he's an only child. That resulted in him having something like 80 NES games within his childhood. I think he said that on the Talk About Games podcast

Mike has a sister. Wonder how much she looks like him

 

[BrunoMattei]

In his book, James goes off on a tangent about how people assume he's rich just because he is now famous, but that he isn't rich. Mike has mentioned they didn't start getting decent money from YouTube until 2013. And Justin has confirmed the old videos are largely demonetized, because of the amount of swearing at the start of videos (mostly from the theme song) and use of copyrighted music. James and Mike were probably too autistic to run a proper business and actually get rich off of their franchise. Mike just lucked out with his well-off family.


Mike has a sister. Wonder how much she looks like him

No offense but people focus WAY too much on the early Youtube money. This guy had a contract and was making content for GameTrailers which was owned by Viacom. He also made content for Spike TV's site. He was making serious money. You can see that reflected in the growing collection in the nerd room over the years and yeah you could say a good chunk of that were fan donations but he has some very rare shit that I don't see fans just giving away. Sure, there's going to be a guy or two like that "Here James, here's my $500 boxed never been opened copy of that Flinstones NES game. Give me a shout out some time! (autistic laughing follows)" But this dude is sitting on around 50K worth of shit.