James Rolfe, einigen auch als der Angry Video Game Nerd bekannt, spielt bereits seit Mitte der 80er Konsolenspiele. Auf YouTube, MySpace und anderen Portalen veröffentlicht er außerdem Videos, die ihm beim Spielen und Kommentieren von Spieleklassikern zeigen. Dank seiner unvergleichlichen Art wird so jeder Clip zu einem gern gesehenen Tageshighlight. Im Gespräch mit uns verrät er nun einige Details zu sich selbst und dem verärgerten Spiele-Nerd, den er verkörpert. 

Das Interview sollte ursprünglich nicht veröffentlicht werden, doch bereits kurze Zeit nach dem Erscheinen des Artikels über den Nerd erreichten uns E-Mails mit der Bitte um eine Veröffentlichung. 

James, how did you come up with the idea of filming yourself while playing good or bad video games? And how was the character "Angry Nintendo Nerd" born? Did you ever have problems with the company Nintendo because of using their name?
It all started as just a little joke for my friends. I had no idea it would eventually become so popular on the internet. The name change [to Angry Video Game Nerd, Anmerkung der Redaktion] happened because of how famous it has become. If you're tyring to sell merchandise, it's wise not to have a brand name like "Nintendo". So i changed it to "Video Game" nerd to be safe and also spanning a wider library of games.

Since when exactly have you been playing video games? And what was your first console and game?
In the  early 80's, I had an Odyssey and Atari 2600. In 1988, I got an NES. It changed my life.

What do your parents and your girlfriend say to your work?
My parents must find it strange but are happy for the success it's gotten. My girlfriend hates video games, yet has to deal with that all the time.

How much time do you spend on making these videos?
From writing to editing, the average video takes about 30 hours.

Are you planning to make this hobby your job?
My dream is to make all my film projects a reality. I've been making movies since I was a young child and hope to make a career out of it. I have comedies, horror films, short films, features, all kinds planned and the nerd has helped me to get closer to that dream of continuing to do my art on a bigger scale.

Do you already earn money with the nerd videos?
Yes, GameTrailers.com is paying me.   

How important is feedback to you? Would you change something in your videos if a fan requests it?
It's all about nostalgia of the past, so as long as it's still striking that nerve, which it has, that's the most important thing. All the videos seem to be recieved positively. It's just that once something becomes popular, more people start to nitpick and make personal complaints. I don't pay much attention to negative criticism.

Make a guess: how many e-mails//messages do you get at one single day?
Thousands. I only respond if it seems important. I would need a whole stuff to work 24/7 to answear every e-mail for me. There's THAT many.

How long do you want to keep on doing the Angry Video Game Nerd videos?
As long as possible.

What did you study and where was it?
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. 

What current job do you have and do you like it?
I've been editing corporate and event videos for years. It's been good.

What do the people at work say about the AVGN videos?
They just laugh histerically.

James, please tell us: Where did you learn to swear that way?
Haha. I have no idea! When you play games, stuff just comes out of your mouth.

What message do you have for the people at YouTube, trying to make exactely the same videos like you do?
Just make sure you have your own style. Be original. Do something that nobody's ever done.

How do you feel about this little hype? I mean thousands of people watch you at YouTube, GameTrailers, MySpace etc.. did you ever think that it will go this far?
Had no idea. I've been putting so much effort into making films over the span of my life. With the combination of this internet technology and striking a nerve with the video game community, I found fame in a way I never imagined.

Who had the idea for the song text (theme song by Kyle Justin)? And who had the idea to do a song for the AVGN videos?
Kyle and I talked about and decided to do it. I wrote the lyrics and we triedsome different musial styles. Kyle started doing sort of a punk/modern rock think and I was like "Yeah, that'll work". Today, Kyle and I will sometimes look on YouTube and see how many people have covered the song and we laugh really hard. It's nice to know that so many people like it.

Do you read all the forum topics or articles about you?
Don't have time. Sometimes, I scan through the Screwattack forum and see if there's anything interesting. I'll make a few comments, answearsome questions here and there.

What message do you have for all angry video game players out there?
It'll be ok.

Has it happened that some parents contacted you because their children watched your videos?
Hasn't happened yet, but yeah, I never expected so many young people to watch them. The videos are targeted at mature gamers, not just because of the content, but because they're about games from the 80's and early 90's.

How many people do you have in the team (filming you, editing the movies etc)?
Usually, just me. Mike Matei and Kyle Justing have helped a lot. If I need another character in the video, they might come in costume, Spiderman or Freddy Kreuger for example.

Thanks for the little interview! 

Das Interview wurde per E-Mail von Valentin Höbel für www.pamaxx.de durchgeführt und diente ursprünglich nur als Informationsquelle für den Artikel über den Angry Video Game Nerd. Die Fragen und Antworten wurden nicht übersetzt, da sonst der Stil der Antworten verloren gehen würde. Eventuelle Rechtschreibfehlern wurden auch deshalb in den Antworten nicht korrigiert.

Das Bild stammt aus einem Nerd-Video, welches auf GameTrailers.com verfügbar ist.