Video Game High School
| Television broadcast | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Video Game High School |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 2012-2014 |
| Production company |
RocketJump, CDS |
| length |
Season 1: 9–22 minutes. Season 2: 31–44 minutes. Season 3: 39–67 minutes |
| Episodes | 21 in 3 seasons |
| genre | Action , comedy , science fiction |
| Theme music | VGHS Theme Song by Raul Panther |
| Director | Matthew Arnold, Freddie Wong, Brandon Laatsch (Season 1) |
| idea | Will Campos & Chris Pappavaselio |
| script | Matthew Arnold, Will Campos, Brian Firenzi |
| production | Matthew Arnold, Freddie Wong , Brian Firenzi |
| music | Igor Nemirovsky |
| camera | Jon Salmon |
| First broadcast | May 11, 2012 on RocketJump.com |
| occupation | |
|
Main actor:
Supporting cast:
| |
Video Game High School (or VGHS for short ) is an American action comedy web series by RocketJump that follows gamer BrianD , who is entering Video Game High School, where aspiring gamers learn how to use video games. Directed by Freddie Wong and showrunner Matt Arnold. VGHS was published on various platforms from 2012 to 2014 and garnered over 100 million views on YouTube alone . The series was also published on DVD, Blu-ray and video-on-demand portals.
The web series gained media attention through its funding, nearly two million dollars of the budget was covered by crowdfunding , as well as through its high production quality, especially the visual effects . The series has been nominated for various awards and won several awards.
action
In a world where pro gaming has become the most important sport, young talents attend the Video Game High School (VGHS), a gaming boarding school. When BrianD defeated the best player in the VGHS, The Law , by chance in the first-person shooter Field of Fire , he too was allowed to go to the VGHS. There he is seen by the majority of the students as a noob , but he also makes some new friends: Ki Swan , the game developer daughter who came to school with him and his new roommate Ted Wong , the son who is under pressure to succeed of the guitar hero world champion Freddie Wong . While Ki and Ted get closer, BrianD falls in love with the captain of the Junior Varsity FPS team, Jenny Matrix , who is with BrianD's archenemy The Law of all people. Thereupon he struggles for recognition at the school, tries to conquer the love of Jenny Matrix and has to defend himself against The Law. Eventually BrianD joins the school's junior team.
In the second season, The Law is accused of hacking and loses both his account and, together with his team, the right to continue playing in the championship. This position is filled by the junior team: BrianD, Jenny Matrix, Games Dean, Jumpin 'Jax, Moriarty and Rawpunzel. Under their new coach Mary Matrix, Jenny's mother, they make it into the playoffs. Ted, who is now a drift gamer, has firmly integrated into his new team, while Ki has become Resident Advisor under Shane Pizza. Law moved in with Brian and spied at school to find whoever reported him. He focuses on Shane. In episode five, Shot Bot helps him to expose Shane, but it fails. When trying to save Law and the stick that contains the most important information, it is deactivated, but The Law is now allowed to play on the FPS team again. In the next game he succeeds again in a narrow victory, in which he finds his way back into his composure. At the end of the game, however, Ashley Barnstormer III, captain of the Napalm Energy Drink High School team, shows up with his team and offers The Law a player contract. This accepts. Meanwhile, Ted distances himself from Brian. Shane announces that he wants to be the student representative, whereupon Ki realizes that she wants to, too. A student named Wendell becomes her deputy.
A lot is different in the third season. Ki is now campaigning and trying to win supporters, whom she finds in the disadvantaged social gamer. It also becomes clear that Shane's real name is Shane Barnstormer and is Ashley's twin brother. A little later it becomes clear that Wendell tried to cheat so that Ki could win the election. Ted drove too fast and has been under arrest for three weeks. The student representative election is in full swing and Ki seems to be winning, but Shane uses her ideas. However, when Ki sees a ballot box, she casts fake votes and wins. Meanwhile, Brian fights with his team in the playoffs for a place in the final and has to compete against the Napalm Energy Drink High. At the beginning of the episode, Ashley The Law announced that his account would be taken over by another player, New Law. VGHS is on the verge of rescuing and winning Jumpen 'Jax hostage, but is held up by New Law. Ashley, Napalm's hostage, is rescued and is the only member of his team to survive, while Jenny is the last on the other side. She's under tremendous pressure as she has the opportunity to join her favorite team, the Paris Panthers. But for that she would have to part with Brian. She misses Ashley and the team loses. Brian is angry and breaks up with Jenny, while Ki, ashamed of her betrayal, leaves school and Shane becomes the student representative. Brian, Ted and Jenny follow her, but learn that Ted's father, Freddie, has died. Ted becomes unstable and falls into a deep depression, but recovers when he admits his grief. The next episode begins with a flashback: About five years before the event, Shane and Ashley try to get on the VGHS. However, due to their age, they are refused, and headmaster Calhoun refuses to accept a check either. Their mother promises to buy them the VGHS if they bring Napalm's stock to $ 400. They seem to succeed in doing so, but another drink steals the market from them. Shane then faked his death to the public, dyed his hair, renamed himself Shane Pizza and registered with the VGHS. Eventually the Napalm stock reaches $ 400 and Mrs. Barnstormer buys the VGHS. Jenny and Brian try to save the VGHS, but Ki has the right idea: She suggests Shane and Ashley to organize the Napalm Bowl : the NEDHS against the VGHS with 32 against 32 players and to produce the "master can" for the win. The two accept and put together a team of pro gamers for $ 30 million. The VGHS created a team composed of the six FPS players, Calhoun, Ki and The Law. Each guild is trained on their respective strengths, while The Law just wants to kill New Law. The two organize a competition who can kill Ki first and both die in the process. Brian manages to detonate the bomb and win the game. The Barnstormer brothers remain self-confident until their mother asks why they are producing the master can even though they have lost and how many are being produced. When Shane confesses that 40 million deliveries are produced for every retailer in the world, she ends the two mega-mall project, saving the VGHS. Jenny joins the second team of the Paris Panthers and moves to Paris, while Brian, who had to leave school, remains friends with Ted and Ki.
actor
main actor
- Josh Blaylock as BrianD, first person shooter player and protagonist of the series who is new to VGHS.
- Johanna Braddy as Jenny Matrix, team captain of the “Field of Fire” team at VGHS. In the first season of "The Law" s girlfriend and Brian's lover, later his girlfriend.
- Jimmy Wong as Ted Wong, Brian's best friend. Ted tries to emulate his father Freddie Wong, a guitar hero world champion, in rhythm gaming, although his talent lies in car racing games.
- Ellary Porterfield as Ki Swan, attends VGHS to become a game developer. She is one of Brian's best friends. She later becomes Ted's friend. She is an ambitious student, works as a student supervisor and tries to become a head girl.
- Brian Firenzi as "The Law", the best amateur player in the world. Friend of Jenny Matrix in the first season and antagonist of BrianD. At the end of the second season, he accepts a player contract from Napalm Energy Drink High School (NEDHS). There he is fired in the third season.
- Cynthia Watros as Mary Matrix, Field of Fire team coach and Jenny's mother. (from season two)
supporting cast
- Chase Williamson as Shane Pizza or Barnstormer. He accuses The Law of aiming and fights against Ki Swan in the election for the VGHS student representative. It is later revealed that he is the twin brother of Ashley Barnstormer. (From season two.)
- Bryan Forrest as Ashley Barnstormer, CEO of Napalm Energy, Team Captain of the NEDHS Field of Fire team. He tries to buy up the VGHS and add it to his school. (From season two.)
- Benji Dolly as Games Dean, a "field-of-fire" player from the VGHS, who initially disapproves of BrianD.
- Rocky Collins as Drift King or DK, a long-established student and captain of the VGHS “Drift Racing” team.
- Harley Morenstein as Ernie Calhoun, the headmaster of the VGHS.
- Brennan Murray as Wendell, a nerd and friend of Ki. He supports Ki as a school supervisor and in the election campaign for the student representative. (From season two.)
- Freddie Wong as a fictionalized version of him. He is a guitar hero world champion and teaches rhythm gaming at the VGHS. He is Ted's father.
- Nathan Kress as the new “Law” who receives all of Law's saved records when the NEDHS is expelled. (From season three.)
Guest actor
- Zachary Levi as FPS teacher Ace (episode 1x03 and 1x09)
- John Ennis as Kenneth Swan, Ki Swan's father (episodes 2x03, 3x04 and 3x05)
In addition, some well-known personalities in VGHS have cameos:
- Arden Cho as a newscaster (episode 1x01)
- Stan Lee as judge (episode 2x01)
- Chris Hardwick as a newscaster (episode 2x01)
- Cliff Bleszinski as a newscaster (episode 2x01)
- Tony Hawk as a presidential candidate (episode 3x01)
- Joel McHale as President (episode 3x01)
- Conan O'Brien as a newscaster (episode 3x01)
reception
Video Game High School and those involved in the production have received multiple awards. Freddie Wong was named "Webby Film & Video Person of the Year" at the 2014 Webby Awards, among other things because of his work on VGHS . In 2015 Forbes featured in the “30 under 30” column in the “Hollywood & Entertainment” section. Due to the successful crowdfunding campaigns, he is one of the leading players in the digital media sector in Los Angeles . In a web series top ten list published by the industry journal Variety , VGHS 2013 is mentioned first.
- Awards
- 2014: Golden Reel Award nomination in the category Best Sound Editing - Computer Episodic Entertainment
- 2014: Nomination in the Outstanding Digital Series category
- 2015: Nomination in the Outstanding Digital Series category
- 2013: Nomination in the Best Ensemble Cast category
- 2013: Nomination in the Best Production Design category
- 2014: Nomination in the Show of The Year category
- 2014: Nomination in the Visual and Special Effects category
- 2014: Nomination in the Costume Design category
- 2014: Nomination in the category Actor in a Comedy (for Jimmy Wong)
- 2014: Nomination in the category Actress in a Comedy (for Johanna Braddy )
- 2014: Award in the Directing category
- 2014: Award in the Action and Sci-Fi Show category
- 2014: Award in the Best Ensemble Cast category
Web links
- Video Game High School in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- VGHS on RocketJump.com
- VGHS on YouTube
- Kai Biermann: Fighting at the "Video Game High School". In: Zeit Online . Die Zeit , June 13, 2012, accessed on November 21, 2014 .
- Crowdfunding
- Season 1 campaign on Kickstarter.com
- Season 2 campaign on Kickstarter.com
- Season 3 campaign on Indiegogo
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lucas Shaw: Freddie Wong Shatters Kickstarter Film Record, Plans to Make 'Harry Potter' of Web Video. In: TheWrap.com. TheWrap, February 13, 2013, accessed November 21, 2014 .
- ↑ Freddie Wong. The Webby Awards. In: webbyawards.com. Webby Awards , 2014, accessed December 9, 2014 .
- ↑ Dorothy Pomerantz, Kate Pierce: Forbes' 30 Under 30 2015: Hollywood & Entertainment. In: Forbes.com. Forbes Magazine , accessed January 10, 2015 .
- ↑ Freddie Wong. Silicon Beach Power 25: A Ranking of LA's Top Digital Media Players. (No longer available online.) In: hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter , May 28, 2014, archived from the original on January 2, 2015 ; accessed on December 9, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Fruzsina Eordogh: # 1 “Video Game High School”. Top 10 Web Series of 2013. In: variety.com. Variety , December 24, 2013, accessed December 9, 2014 .
