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Why are so many video game critics so "angry"?

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Does this guy ever really get angry on camera?
 
Honestly it's just the name, I regularly watch Angy Joe and Angry Video game nerd and they are not actually over the top angry all the time. I would even say they are more happy and pleasant than angry and they have occasional rants.
 
James Rolfe is legitimately charismatic, I think, which helps. He's fairly good-looking (I mean, he's aged, but I never think he was really ugly), has a nice voice without any speech-impediment or awkward tone, and just seems like a regular guy.

He actually reminds me a bit of my cousin.
 
The last year has show that the frustrated, irrationally angry gamer is a significant audience ripe for the picking.
 
Because that's why I watch angry joe. I don't give a shit about the reviews, and I'm just bored with the 9/10 or 10/10 games, but 2/10 or 1/10 is hilarious to watch.
 
Angry Joe etc appeal to kids. Any rational adult will see through their shtick.

I will resist posting exactly what I think of AJ as last time I got a temp ban :)

Still, not as bad as the faux look at me and my fake screams when playing a horror game wankers plaguing YT.
 
It's just the way of our generation. Even here, post something that goes against the gaf majority opinion and the outrage can be so thick at times it's suffocating.

Basically we are an angry generation on the internet. In person, we are introverted avoiders of confrontations.
 
Cause getting paid a salary to experience games for absolutely free days if not weeks before everyone else, then writing a roughly two page critique for that game you rushed trough in a weekend to hit an embargo deadline, and then demolishing the work of hundred of game developpers who poured their heart and soul in a project for years is such a noble cause.

Seriously, polarising reviews get more clicks, so I guess that's partially to blame. I just find it annoying that so many reviewers are willing to absolutely bash the hell of any project that's not a 100% undisputed hit. I still think reviews are important, but that negativity often gets to me.
 
LookAtMeGo said:
I should start a nice guy gamer channel where I never get mad at anything and be a huge apologist for all the things wrong in gaming.
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Why does it have to be an either or situation (i.e. you're either a corporate apologist or an angry ranter full of hyperbolic outrage)?

You'd think one could still get by well by being calm and collected...you can still view the industry with a healthy dose of skepticism, but also take a reasonable/positive stance on the world. Not everything in the industry today is a conspiracy to destroy gaming as we know it.

Mrmartel said:
It's just the way of our generation. Even here, post something that goes against the gaf majority opinion and the outrage can be so thick at times it's suffocating.

Basically we are an angry generation on the internet. In person, we are introverted avoiders of confrontations.
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I often wonder what people on the internet are like in real life...especially the loudest and most hyperbolic ones. And sometimes I do the opposite (if I know someone in real life, I sometimes wonder what their personality is like on the internet). It's a funny world we live in today.
 
70s Style Pimp said:
Angry Joe etc appeal to kids. Any rational adult will see through their shtick.

I will resist posting exactly what I think of AJ as last time I got a temp ban :)

Still, not as bad as the faux look at me and my fake screams when playing a horror game wankers plaguing YT.
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*shiver*

I would say that the whole "angry" facade is just for the spectacle of it. People like to see angry people being angry. I would also point to the success of AVGN.
 
Not sure if this is trodden ground, but I've seen more anger from your typical game forum poster than I ever have from recognized critics in the industry.

As a general rule, both paid and non-paid game-culture online personalities seem pretty even keeled to me. I'd be hard-pressed to single out many that fly off the handle with the same intensity as your random anonymous forum poster.

In comparison, I'd suggest the large bulk of game critics serve as a voice of reason against a sea of online hateful noise.
 
Watch Da Birdie said:
James Rolfe is legitimately charismatic
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I think all the other videos that he does help his AVGN character not feel like a chore to watch. HIs "James and Mike" moday videos are okay, but I love his Monster Madness videos in October and I think him being out of character so much helps AVGN not feel so tired and gives him a chance to show how likable of a guy his is.

I'm not much a fan of Angry Joe so I don't know how much you see him out of character. He does twitch streams, doesn't he? I'll watch his reviews/rants every now and then, but I just get my "fill" pretty quickly and go back to mostly not watching his stuff until I get an itch to check him out again a month down the line.

MrCunningham said:
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Does this guy ever really get angry on camera?
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this guy convinced me to finally get a Saturn.
I love this guy
 
Barrylocke said:
Years of being engrossed in anything as a career can make make the best of us cynical about that thing.
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I think this is the answer. Most angry critics really are being themselves - jaded to the business they once revered. I personally don't connect with "angry" critics, but I understand how it happens in this day and age. I also think most professional game journalist don't have the time to be sincere fans anymore. I was listening to a popular podcast today and one journalist said mass effect was their favorite game but they couldn't even explain the basic lore.
 
MrCunningham said:
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Does this guy ever really get angry on camera?
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Yes, he does. Remember when he straight up boycotted YouTube when they started their copyright crusade?

But unlike other channels that express their anger with videos that feature infantile tantrums, he kept his cool while getting his point across that he was not happy with the changes. I'm glad to see him back though, he's a wonderful personality that others can learn from.
 
SolidSnakex said:
mark0mjvq.jpg
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I've only watched maybe 5 videos of his over the years( never had anything against him, just have limited time) but after reading that he sounds like he has a lot of the same attitudes that I have. I try to have as much fun and look at the positives a much as I can while playing, and I don't dwell on the negatives ( though that doesn't mean I always have a good time. there are times I just can't get into a game because I just find myself bored)
 
Everyone has their schtick in the industry but I don't think most people that showcase negative emotions are doing so for the sake of making more money. If you are passionate about games and understand some of the underlying things that are done by publishers and the direction games are being taken to, it's a bit hard to maintain a positive attitude.

Personally I feel quite jaded and feel increasingly harder to impress or feel excited for a game product given how many times I've felt that we have been screwed over by being explicitly lied to.

For example, when I saw the Battlefront trailer, even though it was a very good looking trailer, well put together with great ambience and action, but instead of feeling excited, I felt concerned that what I was seeing wasn't how the game will really look, and how lacking the game will be in terms of content and modes which will be sold separately or left for a possible sequel... and I was right in most of those concerns.
 
HK-47 said:
AVGN was successful doing it and the rest follows from that.
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This. AVGN invented the Angry Gamer and everyone followed him. Now, think that the first AVGN episode came out in 2004 and he became famous in Youtube around 2007-08, is obvious that in that timeframe a ton of guys have tried to do the same act, making it feel old and repetitive.

I'd like to see a review show where the critic isn't angry at the game, but sort of dissapointed or sad, kind of what Final Bosman does in some episodes.
 
Compare this to the rise of talk radio in the 1990's. People with stronger personalities rose to the top and calm voices were banished to PBS. This is not a new phenomenon.
 
Unlike, say, movies, video games have at times made all of us extremely angry.

How many times have you thrown your controller in frustration? How many times have you broken your controller? How many times have you thrown your controller at your TV? I've had times where I have gotten up, walked to my still-powered-on Nintendo, taken the cartridge out while it was still playing, and thrown it across the room. Then when I relax, I power off the Nintendo.

They're helping you relive your past life by seeing them over exaggerate about the same things you used to be pissed off about. And, well, it clicks and its funny.
 
Nekofrog said:
Isn't he an extreme racist?
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DarksydePhil has zero sense of humor and zero humility. He lies and insults his fanbase and thinks he's entitled to their attention. He constantly makes jokes that he thinks are funny, being of a racist nature. These days, he's better known for spawning the videos other people make of him. These are montage failure videos entitled "This is how you DON'T play _______". They're basically montages of his failures, and though that wouldn't be a funny thing to laugh at normally, what makes these videos humorous is the fact that he blames the games he plays for his bad playing. It's always the game's fault, the developer's fault, and if he plays a game badly, he instantly pans it.
 
Sinfamy said:
Why are so many in this field so full of angst?
Obviously its just a character they somewhat portray, and often times they may be entertaining, but it's a very different approach in comparison to film critics who take a more calm, collected and relaxed approach when discussing the things they love or hate about their medium.

We have/ have had:
Angry Joe, Angry Video Game Nerd, Irate Gamer, Annoyed Gamer, among many others.
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If you follow film critics, you'll know they'll be much older (30-60 although Mark Kermode is the exception and I love how animated he gets!) so they're not as angry, but any youtube film critics will be more emotional cause they're younger and can vent off.

Irate Gamer hasn't existed or been relevant for a very long time. Annoyed Gamer was short-lived and it was just Marcus Beer jumping on the pundit bandwagon. Go on, name the "many others" that are affecting your perspective on the amount of videogame critics as being angry. The only ones still existing are the ones that are good, entertaining, or relevant. The ones that threads are made about.

Why aren't you following more non-angry youtube gaming critics that are more analytical, educational, and discussing-forming?

Extra Credits (pretty educational and essential)
PBS Game/Show
Errant Signal
Classic Game Room (for light-hearted reviews)
Matthewmatosis
Super Bunnyhop
TheGamingBritShow

It's really on you to curate what kind of videogame critics you watch.

Also, tone shouldn't matter so much if the content can be backed up. Hence, why I like Angry Joe and AVGN's reviews.
 
I haven't watched a lot of AVGN because that style isn't really my cup of tea but for the few that I've watched (some early eps and some of the 12 fays of shitsmas), even though he has to play a character, you definitely notice that when he takes a break from rant mode switches into critic mode that there actually is a lot of sincerity behind what he's saying and it feels genuine.
I think that's a big difference between these "personalities".
A lot of the "Angry ____" personas feel like they like games but not truly critical as to why its a bad game.
Counter point, Yahtzee.
I'm not always on board for his opinions, but whether or not you agree, he brings up valid points.

Edit : just woke up. I can't words.
 
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