47 min.
Matthew Hawkins via Ingame
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Video game reviews have, for the most part, remained largely unchanged since they first came to be. First came the written review, in which someone writes something and someone else reads it, end of story.
The video review eventually came along, but other than the addition of visual aides, it's still pretty much the same. Instead of reading someone's take, you're hearing it read out loud, sometimes accompanied by game footage, or sometimes not.
But then along came Game People, whose reviewers not only tell you about a video game, but also sing about them, do sketches, and even make jokes.
The UK-based website offers video game commentary aimed at a variety of audiences, and delivers its content in a variety of ways. One of the more popular columnists is Rebecca Mayes, who presents her reviews in form of a song. Here's an example, in a music video:
Part of the fun of her "Madworld" review is the dichotomy between the ultra violence that the game is all about, along with her reaction to such content, and the (seemingly) cheerful manner in which she conveys her perspective. But not all of her game appraisals are done for laughs, as shown by her ode to "Halo: Reach" for The Escapist, which is quite soulful and introspective.
Along with Mayes and her penchant for music, there's also Adam Moran and Nick Kenchington, playwrights and actors, and Chris Jarvis, a stand up comic, who all address games in a manner they're most comfortable with.
And all of whom are being brought together for a live performance, which Kotaku reports. Here we have Andy Robertson, whose reviews are aimed at the whole family:
While you can find plenty of examples of game related short form narratives and comedic vignettes on YouTube, when was the last time you saw anything like that live? Residents of Exeter, a city in Devon, England, will do that on April 11.
According to the event's page, the games that will be touched upon include: "Mass Effect," "Uncharted 3," "Portal 2," "Epic Mickey," "Limbo," "Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One," "Laura Croft and the Guardian of Light," and "Velvet Assassin."
Matthew Hawkins is an NYC-based game journalist who has also written for EGM, GameSetWatch, Gamasutra, Giant Robot and numerous others. He also self-publishes his own game culture zine, is part of Attract Mode, and co-hosts The Fangamer Podcast. You can keep tabs on him via Twitter, or his personal home-base, FORT90.com.
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