I realize that I’m very late to this party but better late than never, I guess. Lately my wife and I have been watching and loving The Guild:
The Guild is a independent sitcom web series about a group of online gamers. The show started in the late summer of 2007, and for the first season was financed solely by Paypal donations from LOYAL FANS. Since season 2, The Guild has been distributed by Xbox Live and Microsoft and sponsored by Sprint.
Episodes vary from 3-8 minutes in length, and follow the Guild members’ lives online and offline.
“The Guild†has won numerous awards, including the SXSW, YouTube and Yahoo Web Series Awards in 2008, and 3 Streamy Awards in 2009: Best Comedy Web Series, Best Ensemble, and Best Actress for Felicia Day.
A season of The Guild covers a single story arc and is roughly equivalent in total length to a Made-for-TV movie. Its fifth season just wrapped. It’s a combination of simulated webcam sessions by Codex AKA Cyd Sherman, charmingly portrayed by actress and writer Felicia Day, with regular video footage, frequently with a handheld, homemade quality. This web series really does put the “fun” in dysfunctional.
I find The Guild funny, zany, whimsical, sly, and enchanting. It skewers role playing games and gamers, modern relationships, twenty-somethings, teenagers, shut-ins, movies, television, and just about everything else within range. It’s available at the web site (linked) and on Netflix and Hulu. Recommended, if only to take a look at the future of television. You don’t need a studio, a distributor, name actors, or pots of money to create a quality show.
Weird. I’m a gamer and have yet to watch the Guild. You are not a gamer, yet love the Guild.
What makes you think that?
Now that you ask, I don’t know. I had the impression (now quite questionable I realize), that you had a poor opinion of video games generally. Now that I’m actually thinking about it, though, I remember we both mentioned Baldur’s Gate as a great game in some thread a year or more ago.
My apologies!
I started playing OD&D in the mid 70s, played off and on, occasionally was a Dungeon Master. Played computer RPGs from the early 80s on, played more when they started getting good in the late 90s. I’ve been playing Dragon Age 2 since it came out, don’t know why I haven’t put together a review.
I don’t think that my preferred style of gameplay lends itself well to MMORPGs. Never played one. Probably ought to give it a try. I like to poke into every nook and cranny.
My preferred character classes are bard (when it’s available), rogue, mage, in that order. I don’t really have the temperament to play a fighter.
I find playing any alignment other than chaotic good or neutral good distressing–not fun.
Not sure if you played the original Deus Ex – it’s one the all-time greats IMO. Sounds like it might be up your alley. I got and played the new “prequel” to it which just came out and it’s really good too (except for the mandatory boss fights). You can play a variety of ways: run-and-gun, stealth, hacking, etc. There’s an achievement if you finish the game without killing anyone, which is kinda cool.
I’ve been playing World of Warcraft off and on since it first came out. It’s a bit stale now, but playing with a core group of good people makes up for it.
Anyhow, should have recognized a fellow bard. I had a pretty highly rated bard in Everquest, along with a dizzy just for fun. Did WOW for a while, but gave them all up a few years ago.
Steve