UPDATE: Godlike Gaming has been renewed for SEASON TWO and will have Anna Pujolràs Perpiñà as its lead screenwriter. Perpina is an agent and head of development for The Jackson Agency in California and will helm the scripting duties for this fun show.
Review by Lew Antonie
Media about media can easily become a no-win obstacle course.
Films about the movie industry, TV shows about TV, or anything about games and gaming run all sorts of risks. They can be inauthentic in order to be entertaining or if they’re realistic then they’re boring or overly technical; they usually have a cast that is too good looking for be right or too real to be watchable; and in all cases they are taken from an insider point of view so they are never more than a diversion.
But not Godlike Gaming.
Creator Eli Sundler has handed us an uproarious superly shot and edited TV series about the life of your customary gamers in the 21st Century. He has given us a technically authentic but accessible plot; realistic but attractive characters; and rolled it all up in a breakneck fast-paced comedy 20-minute per episode format peppered with great writing (written by Sundler and Joshua Wallace); perfectly added animation plus camera & sound tricks; and a nickelodeon style young adult veneer that eases the viewer into loosing track of time and just taking the ride – y’know, exactly like a gamer might do on the game of their choice.
Godlike Gaming, a comedy web-TV-series is more than just about five gamers, it – without being obvious – shows the dichotomy of friendship and aspirations as well as subtle hints as to human condition. As the series unfolds (two episodes currently available) Sky, a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) player, is on the verge of attaining an overarching dream – competing and winning the world championship game, Battle of Legends. The obstacle for her now is to fill the spot of one of the team who decided to move-on. The audition scenes exploring possible applicants is masterful in its execution and observations of the obsessive millennial.
Nicole Murray as the aforementioned Sky takes what might be the “traditional male role” of unbathed team leader and turns it on its ear. Inhabiting all the non-hygienic traits of the character, Murray offers a new dimension with intellect and femininity. Will Maizel gives us the identifiable “regular guy” who just enjoys the game. He plays the perennial straight man of the bunch thanks to carefully planned reactions and mutters. He offers exactly what we were already thinking. Omari Williams as Pinkbr3ak is what happens when comic books start to look too real to someone. Obsessive and childlike, Williams is totally uproarious with sage-like Batman-to-Life comparisons and vast knowledge of totally unnecessary trivia. Interestingly, Maizel and Williams play brothers in this series. One line said off-camera tells us they’re both adopted (or at least one of them, if the full line turns out to be an ironic pun/observation). This creates an acceptance of both of these character’s foibles as well as powerfully placing this series in the here and now. Jamie Bautch as Bash (aptly named) is the tough-guy. There is always a Bash on every game-team, the one who adores gaming but assures you he is not a geek by having a girlfriend. Bautch has true acting chops with immense subtlety in even the silliest of retorts.
And don’t be fooled by Maddy Murphy as newcomer Boxxxy. Immediately you assume she’s playing dumb but look closer. Murphy deftly commands attention with throwaways like the line explaining she is a lesbian and an observation about being a solo-cue player.
Produced by Sundler and Roy Shellef, Godlike Gaming is an enjoyable, highly-humorous, observation of gamers and their burgeoning industry made accessible to all who watch it. Whether you remember pinball, Pong, Time Pilot, Zelda or Elden Ring, you will never shout “game over” for Godlike Gaming.
Check out GODLIKE GAMING on YouTube.
inDfilm 