In 2006, the film-maker James Rolfe uploaded a YouTube video of The Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN): a foul-mouthed, beer-drinking and furious retro gamer hell-bent on underlining just how bad some video game releases were in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

A nostalgic match was lit in the hearts of millions of viewers, igniting a love within them for remembering terrible games and wasted childhood weekends.

Eight years after AVGN’s original upload, the series and Rolfe’s film production company Cinemassacre have amassed tens of millions of views, a video game and an upcoming full-length feature film.

“It’s like stand-up comedy. People laugh because it’s true… everyone tells me I say the same exact things they’ve been thinking in the back of their heads about all these old games,” says Rolfe.

It’s not just older gamers reminiscing, however. “Many young people love my videos who may not have even been born when these games came out,” he says, noting that they are more used to games with bigger budgets than Hollywood blockbusters, and high-definition graphics to match. “Somehow they still relate to it and they like learning of the past.”

Mike Matei, a close friend of Rolfe’s who appears in many of his videos, was the first to see AVGN’s potential. “When James showed me [AVGN] I realised the potential it had as a series… I uploaded them on to YouTube and it seems many people felt the same way I did.”

AVGN went viral after Craig Skistimas began posting the videos on his videogame website ScrewAttack: “In 2006 after I saw some of his videos on this new site called YouTube. The two videos he had on there had about 2,000 views a piece and I couldn’t understand why, because I thought they were hilarious.”

Almost all of the work that goes into each AVGN episode is done exclusively by Rolfe. AVGN episode #100, Rob the Robot, is one that Rolfe is proud of. Taking over 122 hours to complete, the video is testament to Rolfe’s unwavering dedication.

This year’s impending Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie was almost entirely fan-funded, generating $325,000 in donations, and has been a huge project for Rolfe.

“It’s been almost two years since the cameras first rolled on it and we finally got our last shot in December. I’ve been spending all day, every day, communicating with more than 30 artists who are working on the visual effects shots. Working with so many people at the same time can make your head spin… it’s a long process. Longer than I could have ever imagined.”

Ranting about terrible games is only a tiny portion of Rolfe’s film-making repertoire, which contains hundreds of films and documentaries. One of Rolfe’s most touching films, The Dragon In My Dreams, is a self-analysis of why he began making movies and what drives him to create new pieces.

Interested in film-making at a young age, Rolfe learned the craft a world away from digital media. “As a kid I was the only person I knew who made movies. I’m glad YouTube didn’t exist then because I would have posted up everything that I made, even if it was terrible. I would have probably wasted a lot of time reading negative comments and getting discouraged. I’m glad that I was able to make films all alone… it was practice for a future career. When YouTube came, I was ready for it.”

Rolfe’s magic as a film-maker stems from his use of low-fi special effects to create end products that feel organic and genuine. One of his own favourite original films, The Deader the Better, is a horror-noir homage reminiscent of one of Rolfe’s biggest influences, George Romero.

Rolfe is proof of the power that digital media can have in attracting niche communities and transforming them into huge global audiences. His original brand of imaginative film-making excites viewers and film-makers alike. Rolfe’s ambitions for the future? “Just to make movies. That’s pretty much it. I’m just a guy who likes movies and wants to make them.”

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