This show was supposed to change the internet - it didn't

It's 2012 and it seems like the future of storytelling is here: Video Game High School and the web series. Only its time in the sun may not be as long as we'd hoped. How does the internet tell a story? Then and now?

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#videogamehighschool #webseries #freddiewong #mediaanalysis #videoessay #petscop #lonelygirl15 #onlineentertainment #genzart #digitalstorytelling #streamingtrends #television

0:00 - Intro
4:04 - Quibi
5:25 - Petscop
7:46 - Lonelygirl15
10:33 - The Monument Mythos
12:33 - Conclusion
13:33 - Stuff I'm excited about

[spadinnerxylaphone]

I love VGHS. They took essentially a spoof show; and ended up giving us three-demensional characters and drama.

[Smaestr]

The LAW is one of the funniest characters put to screen. Dude is a manic episode personified

[levanPrankster]

Homestuck is a good example of of media that can only work on the web. They tried to print it on books, it did not work.

[Ian]

VGHS is one of my favorite pieces of media out there. Watched it for the first time on Netflix ironically but I ended up watching it on YouTube. I now rewatch it yearly just for comfort

[kylespevak]

Never forget FreddieW. Man is the goat

[dirteater]

A good example I can think of (and highly recommend) is 17776 aka “what football will look like in the future” . It’s a wild ride.

[everettgaspar]

Freddie Wong just made a whole ass movie! He got it in some theatres and stuff!

[TheStanishStudios]

VGHS really was the end of the FreddieW era… man, what a trip

[TheEruditeCritic]

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “imitation is suicide.” As we already have TV, the internet needed to find its own footing to thrive. Very good points. I really like your video essays!

[Ramonatho]

A lot of this discussion reminds me of Ghostwatch, a BBC program that acted as a real report to disprove the existence of ghosts, only for the reputable hosts to get haunted by said ghosts. It was a drama framed as the truth, and that influence seems to run through a lot of these stories.

[justintexeira]

I remember being a kid when VGHS came out. What I loved the most is it understood its audience. It was a show aimed specifically at people who loved video games. Whether they were e-sports fans, aspiring developers, or writers. It didn’t matter what part of the game you loved, or even what game you loved. There was something in VGHS people could connect to. Its entire premise revolved around the love of the game. Even in its final season, where the heroes must fight against the corporatization of their favorite pastime seemed to mirror the debate over indie developers vs triple a developers. It was a series that could not exist outside of any other time, because it blended so well with the landscape it was created in. The YouTube that VGHS released on is not the same YouTube that exists today. And it’s a shame.

[MrRTR]

Hoping for YouTube’s algorithm to recommend this to everyone. If not now, maybe in a few years

[glyph]

Today the YouTube algorithm threw your video up. And I realised, even being on YouTube since the beginning, you can never see some content. I’d never heard of these people and projects before. Thanks for making this. 👍

[Hanstra]

Kinda shocked Marble Hornets didn't get a mention.

[bugbingo]

really love how this is a reflection on how art changes in different mediums rather than a plain retrospective on vghs!! also it took me waaay too long to realize this freddie wong was the same freddie from dndads. if you ever do a vid on that podcast, i WILL 1000% be there (but that also goes for any future vids in general)

[preciat]

One of my favorite internet pieces of media is 17776. Truly an art piece that couldn't work in any other form, and one that manages to leverage the internet's strengths to create a beautiful and haunting story

[MystFGO]

Pure Pwnage anyone?

I still revisit that series to this day to remember the simpler times.

[doodlebeee]

it’s so nice to see optimistic videos on art and media in general. Nowadays it feels like everything is doomed and going to shit so this was a pleasant surprise :)

[maz]

I think the show SKAM (from 2015) did a great job of interweaving the internet and television, through the way it used social media. Each episode was meant to represent a few days to a week, including specific days and timestamps, so characters had instagram and facebook accounts where they would post in real time leading up to the week's episode. By the end of the week, when the new episode would release and all of these little moments would come together, it felt quite magical. I think multi-media or alternative formats should be utilized more (or at least appreciated more) as they always seem to have so much charm and heart :)

[TheNeraum]

Was keen for a VGHS throwback - did not expect Petscop and Lonelygirl15 to make appearances, let alone an incredible breakdown of internet media. God i love this culture