It's safe to say that I enjoy my fair share of competitive gaming. The rush you get climbing the leader boards, completely dominating the field and earning your bragging rights. What if you could get a shot at the big leagues from one lucky game?

What is Video Game High School (VGHS)?

That's the premise of Rocket Jump's first web series, Video Game High School, a joint venture between the creative minds of some of the most successful content producers on the web including Freddie Wong, Brandon Laatsch, Matthew Arnold, Brian Firenzi, and Will Campos.

It's the near future: You're dead. Your kids are probably dead. Your grand-kids (if they're alive) are playing video games. Why? Because professional gaming is the biggest sport on earth.

Around the world, millions of players duke it out in fighters, RTS’s, First Person Shooters and more. To the victors go the spoils: glory, clan contracts and million dollar endorsements. The best young gamers are recruited by elite boarding schools to sharpen their skills. The best of the best go to VGHS: VIDEO GAME HIGH SCHOOL.

VGHS is a feature-length action/comedy web series (9 episodes, ~10 mins per episode) about best friends, first loves, and landing that perfect head shot. It follows Brian, a young FPS player stuck in a town where he doesn’t belong. His fortunes change when he scores a massive kill against the world’s top amateur player: VGHS senior “The Law.”



Some days you just can't seem to catch a break...

Once Brian D get's to VGHS, his troubles only begin to start. Trying to fit in he's picked on by his upper class-men, harassed by the dean, and while he shows some remarkable skill, he suffers awkward defeat after awkward defeat. This of course is on top of falling for the FPS JV captain Jenny Matrix, who also happens to be dating "The Law". Thankfully he's not alone as he's quickly befriended by Ted Wong and Ki Swan who have his back. Of course the series isn't just about Brian D. Ted Wong struggles to get out of the shadows of his legendary rhythm gaming father Freddie Wong (played by himself), and who secretly longs to become a great drift racer. Then there's Jenny Matrix, wants to be the youngest player to join the Varsity FPS team.

So is it any good?

The short answer, HELL YEAH IT IS!

I enjoyed the hell out of this series. For me, it had a little bit of everything. The world it sets up isn't all that far-fetched, and the premise reminded me a bit like Harry Potter but with video games and gun, lots of guns. The dialog and story were incredibly cheesy at times which was supposed to be intentional, and a throw back to the John Hughes-esce teen comedies. I love the smattering of video game references in the dialog. Some of Dean Ernie Calhoun's lines were awesome, and quick witted. Speaking of the Dean, there were a few celebrity cameos in this series including the Dean, played by Harley Morenstein "The Sauce Boss" and creator of the web series EPIC MEAL TIME, and FPS 101 instructor ACE played by Zachary Levi from the TV series CHUCK.

What else stood out for me...

Brian D (Josh Blaylock) - His chemistry with Jenny on screen is quite real, literally (they're dating IRL). His character is also very relatable. Plus when he does get to "bring the thunder", he's 100% bad ass.

Jenny Matrix (Johanna Braddy) - is a great casting and a great character. Johanna embodies the girl gamer persona. She doesn't take shit from anyone on the battlefield, and yet she has a hidden softer side. The character never feels cliche and honestly, a great example of a true girl gamer.



Ki Swan (Ellary Porterfield) - There's no way you can't fall in love with Ellary's portrayal of Ki. Ki's a genuine friend and a sweet girl gamer.

Ted Wong (Jimmy Wong) - Played by Freddie's younger brother Jimmy, Ted is encompasses that best friend who is so excited that they know you that they will embarrass the hell out of you without even knowing it.



Dean Ernie Calhoun (Harley Morenstein) - Every time he was on the screen was gold. There was some great writing for that character and Harley's delivery was hilarious. My favorite being: "Pfft, who sold you that load of Molyneux? Round here I'm the Dungeon Keeper, and my rules are in Black & White. Your Fable ends here."

"The Law" (Brian Firenzi) - He embodied the douche, dude-bro gamer to a tee. He made an entertaining and believable villain to the series. Plus he co-wrote the series.

Drift King (Rocky Collins) - Rocky knocked this character out of the park. I loved how corny his delivery was.

The Action - If the team behind YouTube channel freddiew are involved you know there will be big guns and lots of explosions. They did not disappoint.

Games Dean(Benji Dolly) - Hey, "I've seen these two cat's meow, and it's about to be a Fancy Feast tonight." I love it. Benji pulls off such an awesome character.

What bothered me...

While I understand the point of the corny dialog, some scenes took it a bit far, and it lost it's appeal. I also noticed a few spots where the audio seemed off for my tastes. It was most likely due to shooting on a limited budget. One scene in particular would be in the first episode, where The Law first meets Brian D. The sound on the TV studio set sounded cheap and not like a broadcast. It's a small nitpick but it stood out for me. Brian D's character's constant failure started to wear on me as well. I'd feel a bit let down after he kicked so much ass in the first episode to see him awkwardly throw a tomahawk into his face, or to have his keyboard lockup. I understand that his character had to get knocked down so that the resolution would pay off, but I felt he could have demonstrated a little more talent. Finally episode 8 took quite a diversion from the series. It was sort of a dream sequence / metaphor episode. Most of it didn't work for me for Brian's character, but I understand it's purpose for setting up the finale.

At the end of the day, it's all about the game.

In the end this series is as good as the sum of its parts, and I'm glad that such a talented cast and crew were able to put together a series I deeply enjoyed. I'm only disappointed that season one is over. Thankfully they've stated that at least two more seasons are planned.

You can watch the entirety of season one for free on Rocket Jump. Also be sure to check out the behind the scenes videos on their as well.

Oh, and one more thing...

A very special congratulations to Johanna Braddy and Josh Blaylock on their engagement. We wish them the best of luck and long happy lives together.