Chaz Kangas' Youtube Youterin Younicorn - A Nerd in a Dragon's Lair

Last week, when I celebrated my one year anniversary of doing the YYY here at SYFFAL, I did some seriously reflective thought-provoking thinking. Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept? But perhaps the biggest question was why have I gone an entire year of posting absurd clips and documenting the Youtube generation (AKA the Greatest-er Generation) without yet covering any number of Youtube critics? Perhaps my hesitance is because any modem worth its weight in Capt. Crunch has already brought one of these viral celebrities to your glowing screen and you're already sick of them. Still, given that YYY serves as a valuable edu-tainment tool as part of SYFFAL's outreach program "Shut Your Fuckin' Face in the Classroom," I should at least cover one of such entertainers. Thus, I am choosing one who is actually entertaining: The Angry Video Game Nerd.

Originally the Angry Nintendo Nerd, the character was a stroke of nostalgic genius by writer/director James Rolfe after making two short films in 2004 where he played ridiculously bad Nintendo games. Encouraged by his friends, he flushed out the character and began uploading clips to YouTube which landed him a partnership with popular media site ScrewAttack and subsequently MTV's GameTrailers. In 2006, his review of the atrocious first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nintendo game went viral, confirming an decades-old uncertainty that it indeed really sucked. What I like about Rolfe's 'Nerd'-work is best seen in today's clip, his comparatively under-appreciated review of Dragon's Lair for the NES. Unlike a lot of other internet-review personalities, Rolfe never makes himself the focal point of his videos, opting instead to keep the spotlight on the game itself. By combining that focus with an informative context and profanely-articulated gameplay demonstration, Rolfe excels as a historian, critics and genuine entertainer. I should warn you his reviews are as addictive as Youtube videos go, so 'Nerd' at your own risk.