The Guild

Continuing my strategy of experiencing everything on the internet fourteen months after it’s already old news, I took the last few days to watch every episode of The Guild. There’s not a lot to really say about it other than I enjoyed it, and that if you’ve ever spent any time with an MMO (or otherwise have tangential knowledge of what online gaming drama can look like) you’ll probably enjoy it too.

I do have one complaint about the series, and it’s that the characters are too exaggerated. The main character Codex is by far the best, with her nervous demeanor and subtle neuroses. She’s representative of a growing population on the internet: people with social skills befitting online contact but ineffective out in meatspace. (Plus she’s cute and endearing — but I knew that from watching the actress in Dr. Horrible.)

The rest of the cast are just the typical stable of MMO cliches: the SRS BZNS guy, the douchebag teenager, the too-cool-for-this-game chick, the clingy hacker. They’re funny, don’t get me wrong… it’s just that they’re… I dunno. Cartoon character funny. If that makes sense. We all know Codex, in one way or another. We all (by which I mean, “we in The Guild‘s target audience”) share aspects of her. The rest of the gang? We know people who act like them… sometimes. They’re more indicative of the people 20/20 tells us are on the internet, and less so of the people who are actually on the internet.

It’s obvious the series was put together by people who know the haps of MMO and internet culture, so I’m a bit disappointed they were so quick to reach for the low-hanging fruit.

Still, the series is free and you can watch it on YouTube or whatever. It’s pretty funny, for what it is! It’s like someone made a sitcom about people like me, rather than people like my parents.

2 comments to The Guild

  • Nai255

    Eheh, glad I’m not the only one who likes to live life at my own pace.
    Only recently did I check out the first few episodes of Season 1,
    and I must admit it’s rather fun shtuff.

    I hope to check out more soon, maybe after I’ve finally tried the tablet I got last Christmas

  • While I do enjoy the occasional joke, I have a really hard time watching the show for pretty much all the reasons you’ve mentioned here. I would just get angry at everyone and turn off the TV. I’ve had to watch in 10 minute bursts, and I’m not sure why I continue to do so, seeing as I don’t seem to care for it.

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