I guess my thought is that at some point this whole e-persona thing is going to peter out, as well it should. Eventually the stuff that Spoony, Doug, and many (if not most) of the people on TGWTG do, angry/cynical reviewing, is going to become old hat to their audience and they’ll be moving on. For the most part, it already has for me.

That’s not a slam on them. They found something that worked for them and they went for it with all their energy. The thing is, now I’m flat-out jaded with it due to overexposure, repetitive jokes and videos that frankly, aren’t justifiable as being ad-sense enabled in my book. (This is not one of those videos, btw…I’m referring to videos like “Spoony and Friends at White Castle” type stuff)

Doug may go to some con he’s invited to dressed as the Nostalgia critic, but when he’s there it’s because those people know who he is and want him to come “in character” and do skits that end up on his site. But to the rest of popular culture the gang from TGWTG are not viewed as respected journalists/personalities. And really, should they be when their main basis for existence is to take a dump on other people’s work all the time? Yes it can be entertaining for a while, but I think there needs to be a point where people say “enough is enough”. I know the site offers more than that, but everyone should be willing to admit that both negativity and cynicism are where a HUGE part of the bank of TGWTG comes from.

While Joe was invited based on his internet popularity, I doubt they wanted Joe Vargas to bring the Angry Joe persona.

I for one, was looking forward a lot more to a out-of-e-character sit down session with Geoff to really share what was on the minds of his viewers and gaming culture. But I think to call one’s self “Angry Joe” and open with the line “I have a bone to pick with this man” is again, to shoot yourself in the foot journalisticly. (Which is not a word, btw)

Anyway, while I criticize, I do think Joe did a decent job and I want to support and see him succeed. I like the guy. I just get tired of the Jim Carrey-esque facial expressions and general dorkery that I have to endure to get to the meat and bones of the content at times. It’s way funnier when its not forced. But I guess that is also my general stance toward TGWTG.

I hope that doesn’t paint me as a troll because it shouldn’t. It’s criticism…and that’s something NOBODY should be immune to. Everybody’s shit stinks. Myself included. And I’m not here to launch an attack on anyone involved here or on TGWTG. Just sharing a perspective.

Goose, don’t give me that sarcastic crap here.

I don’t think if Blistered Thumbs/Channel Awesome or their audience decides they want to do something that nobody should ever counter-argue their points. They don’t need blind followers who offer nothing but praise and support for everything they do. Growth doesn’t happen when that’s how you operate. It just leads down the path to inflated self-importance and ego.

There needs to at least occasionally be someone who says, “I dont know guys. We should probably really re-think this concept” . Within the TGWTG fan community, I don’t see a whole lot of that because most people express a lack of support for everything ARE also the one’s who are outspokenly and constantly negative name-callers and jerks.

I am neither of those. I’m both analytical and critical, sure, but if you take a look at my comments record on the site, I’ve offered far more than just negative criticism.

So, my point being, don’t try to derail what’s behind what I’ve spoken with a disrespectful throw-away one liner. I wouldn’t do that to you, and I think you know that given how long we’ve been friends.

If you look up, you’ll see not even Joe himself shared your analysis toward what I’ve said.

You obviously are very young or simply don’t know what the words “constructive criticism” mean if you can’t see that I wasn’t here to insult him. I can still support and respect the guy without agreeing with everything he says or does all the time. The same thing happens with my friends in real life. Friendships and life are not meant to be nothing but mutual pats on the back. We all need to challenge one another from time to time.

You, on the otherhand, simply can’t deal, nor do so in a respectful manner. Let’s analyze what you’ve said.

“Every post you’ve made has hurt my eyes so far.” Okay, that’s somehow meant to discredit me simply because I’ve had a lot to say. Doesn’t really hold water. It’s an exaggeration at best and a lie at worst. If something that takes three minutes to read hurts your eyes, you should probably go get your eyes checked.

“I’m glad you’re trying subtle insults (those aren’t constructive criticism), because it makes people realize how uncredible your comments really are.” This is sarcasm, baiting and trolling, and its downright wrong. Look how many of the comments I’ve made here have actually gotten a “thumbs up”, despite being the most likely place to find a mass of uncritical, un-analytical supporters. Sure, most of them received a thumbs down, but that’s to be expected in an environment like this.

Again, that’s also not an insult to the people here because any time you’re on someones “home turf” and offer a counter perspective, you’re going to have a lot of opposition that refuses to see things from your side based solely on the fact that you’re challenging their hero.

Also, look at what I said about not having a video awards show. So far 8 people have agreed with me and nobody has disagreed given what I brought up.

People who have agreed with my posts don’t chime in because most of them know they’d be branded as trolls, for daring to share a differing opinion…like what you’ve just done to me.