Video Game High School: An Essay on the Best Original Web Series Ever Made

I wanted to post about this show here because it is honestly the best project ever to come out from a youtube channel. When you finish reading this, I implore you to watch the series on Youtube.

For background, back around 2010, a youtube channel, RocketJump, known for making effects-heavy videos ran a gofundme to create a web series funded entirely by the fans. The first season managed to raise a quarter of a million dollars to fund nine episodes. The premise is this everyday gamer is playing with friends and one of the best FPS players in the world joins the game during an interview. The main character, Brian, manages to kill the professional player. Because of the publicity, he manages to get a scholarship to Video Game High School. As the name implies, rather than learn normal subjects, they learn video games. The series follows Brian as he makes his way through high school and navigates the relationships with his friends.

The style of the show gives hardcore young youtube vibes but with a slightly bigger budget. The show was a success and the third season managed to get 2 million dollars raised which allowed them to finish big. Despite having a relatively small budget, they made every word and shot have a purpose. The storytelling is wacky but very real. The acting is very over-the-top but it is done on purpose. The show managed to get pretty awesome cameos like Stan Lee, Zachary Levi, Joel Mchale, Tony Hawk, and Nathan Kress (who had a fairly big role in season 3). It has so many YouTubers and friends of the creators. This allowed the fun and creativity to truly shine through.

While I don't want to spoil too much plot-wise, I want to talk about an episode that made me decide to write this essay. There is an episode in season 3 where the father of one of the main characters passes away. The entire episode did a really great job of showing all the sides of grief. The death affected each of the characters in a specific way. It is actually heartbreaking and unforgettable. The only other pieces of media that focus this heavily on the grieving process that seemed this level of realistic are Buffy and A Good Person. I highly recommend the latter if you can find it.

The finale cannot be overstated. It did a great job of showing the two sides of gaming that is relatable to not just gaming but sports as a whole, the love of the game and the love of the fame. The main characters are facing the end and they want to play together one last time. It all comes full circle and everyone gets the perfect ending.

The whole series is a fantastic watch. Relationships feel real and each season gets more and more serious without losing its charm. It is impressive what a few dudes on the internet were able to create. I rewatch it every few years because it genuinely is an enjoyable watch, even if you know what is coming. This series is free on youtube and you can binge this in a day. It is quirky in all the right ways and shows what was possible a decade ago with the right team and a fun idea.