''Video Game High School'' (often abbreviated ''VGHS'') is an American

action comedy Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of acti ...

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...

from RocketJump Studios. It was written by Matthew Arnold, Will Campos and Brian Firenzi and directed by Matthew Arnold,

Brandon Laatsch Brandon Laatsch is an American game developer, filmmaker, and YouTuber known for directing ''Video Game High School'', founding the game company Stress Level Zero, and other online video content. Early life Laatsch went to high school with Corr ...

, and

Freddie Wong Freddie Wong (born September 13, 1985) is an American Internet celebrity, filmmaker, VFX artist, podcaster, and competitive gamer. Wong has participated in at least three YouTube channels; with ''RocketJump'', his production company's main chan ...

. RocketJump Studios describes the series as "a show about best friends, first loves, and landing that perfect head shot". The team at RocketJump chose to make a web series because they "strongly believe the foundations for the future of digitally distributed content will be laid by web series". Since its release in 2012, the series has been viewed more than 150 million times on various online platforms.

Premise

The series is set in the near future where

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s elevate their best players to stardom by their position as the world's most popular

competitive sport Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

. Video Game High School (VGHS) is an elite and prestigious facility that teaches a curriculum of video games of all genres. The show's protagonist, BrianD, gains entry to the school after unwittingly defeating "The Law", an international

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the p ...

star, on live television. The show follows BrianD and the friends and enemies he makes at the school, playing on standard tropes of school dramas with a video game background. The show uses

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

scenes with the characters to show action within the games. The games depicted are inventions of the show, with the most prominent being a first-person shooter named ''Field of Fire''.

Cast

Main

Josh Blaylock Josh Blaylock (born March 29, 1990) is an American actor and professional photographer. Blaylock is best known for his role as BrianD in the web series ''Video Game High School'' from 2012 to 2014. He has also appeared in ''The Bernie Mac Show'', ...

as Brian Doheny (commonly referred to as BrianD), an FPS player and the main protagonist of the series. He is also Jenny's boyfriend. *

Johanna Braddy Johanna Elizabeth Braddy (born August 30, 1987) is an American actress. She played the leading role in the 2009 horror film ''The Grudge 3'', and has appeared in '' Hurt'' (2009), '' Easy A'' (2010), ''Paranormal Activity 3'' (2011), and ''The Lev ...

as Jennifer Matthews (commonly referred to as Jenny Matrix), sophomore Junior Varsity team captain. She is The Law's girlfriend in season 1, and Brian's love interest and later girlfriend. * Brian Firenzi as Lawrence Pemberton (commonly referred to as The Law; seasons 1–2; recurring season 3), the world's #1 amateur gamer. He is Jenny Matrix's boyfriend in season 1 and the principal antagonist of the season. In seasons 2 and 3, he takes the role of an

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

. * Ellary Porterfield as Kimberly Swan (commonly referred to as Ki Swan), a video game developer and fighting game specialist who goes to the school to learn more about players. She is Ted's girlfriend and one of Brian's friends. *

Cynthia Watros Cynthia Michele Watros (born September 2, 1968) is an American actress recognized for her roles in both daytime and primetime television. In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on ''Guiding Light'', which earned her the Day ...

as Mary Matrix (seasons 2–3), coach for the FPS Varsity team and Jenny's mother. *

Jimmy Wong James Franklin Wong (born March 28, 1987) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his 2011 music video, "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" and for his role as Ted in the web series '' Video Game High School''. In 2017, h ...

as Theodore Wong (commonly referred to as Ted, and occasionally the gamertag Gr8fulTed), Brian's best friend, Ki's boyfriend, and the son of

Rhythm Game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press ...

teacher Freddie Wong. Ted wants to pursue rhythm games to impress his father, despite being more talented at racing games. *

Nathan Kress Nathan Karl Kress (born November 18, 1992) is an American actor and director. Kress began his career at the age of four, notably appearing in several television commercials and providing the voices of Easy and Tough Pup in the comedy-drama film ...

as New Law (season 3), who comes into play after The Law is kicked off of Napalm Energy's High School FPS team and is given The Law's I.P. and title. Due to this he is often now referred to as The Law.

Supporting

* Chase Williamson as Shane Barnstormer (Seasons 2 & 3) (also goes under the alias Shane Pizza), the head R.A. and eventual class president. He is the main antagonist of seasons two and three, along with his brother Ashley. * Bryan Forrest as Ashley Barnstormer (Seasons 2 & 3), Shane's

fraternal twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...

brother and the co-antagonist of season three. * Joey Scoma as Randall Merryweather (goes under the alias Jumpin' Jax), a dim-witted FPS team member. * Benji Dolly as Games Dean, an FPS team member with a suave personality. * Nicole Wyland as Moriarty, an FPS team member *

Meghan Camarena Meghan Camarena (born July 17, 1987), known by her online pseudonym Strawburry17, is an American YouTube personality, television host, actress and comic book writer. She has worked on a number of videos, web series, and films, gaining popularity ...

as Rapwnzel, an FPS team member * Rocky Collins as the Drift King (commonly referred to as D.K.), a senior student and the captain/monarch of the Drift Racing team. In Season 3, Episode 5 he was challenged by Ted for the Drift King title. After Ted is near the finish line, he stops and gives D.K. the voucher that was confiscated by Calhoun. Seeing this happen, he proposes that Ted be the next Drift King after he graduates. Ted rejects this by saying he "has a career" in selling Napalm Green Corn Dogs at the Napalm Mega Mall as a summer job. * Joel Dauten as Scott Slanders, co-host of ''PwnZwn''. * Clinton Jones as ShotBot, robot co-host of ''PwnZwn''. :* Will Campos as the voice of ShotBot :* Nat'han as the Tutor of NukeInc *

Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He received critical acclaim for starring as Chuck Bartowski in the series '' Chuck'', and as the title character in '' Shazam!'' and its 2023 sequel, as a part of the DC Ex ...

as Ace (Season 1), teacher of FPS 101. * Harley Morenstein as Dean Ernie Calhoun, a former VGHS student who values the heart of the game itself. * Brennan Murray as Wendell (Seasons 2 & 3) (gamertag TacoBoy14), a dorky student and also close friend of Ki. He often helps out with Ki, especially during her election for class president; this also led to the two falling out. However they eventually become friends again. *

as a fictionalized version of himself. He is a world-famous rhythm gaming expert who teaches rhythm gaming at VGHS, and is the father of Ted Wong. In Season 3, Episode 4 he dies after an accident while he was riding his motorbike without a helmet. According to Ted, Freddie had no idea how to ride a motorbike.

Guests and cameos

* Matthew Arnold as Zoostcaster *

Cliff Bleszinski Cliff Bleszinski (; born February 12, 1975), popularly known as CliffyB, is an American video game designer, known for his work in the development of the '' Unreal'' and ''Gears of War'' series. After working at Epic Games from 1992 to 2012, he ...

as TheJackrabbit * Will Campos as Buddy Phelps * Joanna Sotomura as The Duchess Of Kart *

Wesley Chan Wesley Chan (Wesley Tien-Houi, born 1978) is an American venture capitalist and the co-founder and managing partner of venture capital firm FPV. A graduate in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chan first became know ...

as K-Pop *

Arden Cho Arden Lim Cho (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress, singer and model known for portraying Kira Yukimura in the 2011 MTV television series '' Teen Wolf'' and Ingrid Yun in the 2022 Netflix television series '' Partner Track''. Early lif ...

as Korean TV Host * Maddy Rae Cooper as O'Doyle * Desmond Dolly as Acid Reflux, Quad Student #2, and Goon 2 *

Justine Ezarik Justine Ezarik ( ; born March 20, 1984) is an American YouTuber. She is best known as iJustine, with over one billion views on her YouTube channel. She gained attention as a lifecaster who communicated directly with her millions of viewers on ...

as Bella *

Chris Hardwick Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...

as Newsanchor *

Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documen ...

as Tony Hawk * John Hennigan as Crazy Napalm Suit * Clinton Jones as Clint Lockwood *

as Brandon * Shira Lazar as Rosalie * Stan Lee as Stan L33t * Tara Macken as Ronin * Joel McHale as The President of the United States *

Burnie Burns Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns (born January 18, 1973) is an American writer, actor, producer, comedian, host, and director previously based in Austin, Texas. He is a co-founder, former chief executive officer, and former chief creative offic ...

and

Joel Heyman Joel Pearce Heyman (born September 16, 1971) is an American actor, best known for voicing Michael J. Caboose in the Rooster Teeth web series '' Red vs. Blue'' from 2003 until 2020. He co-founded Rooster Teeth with Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geof ...

as board members * Ruben Raul as Criptix (Season 2 & 3) * Ashton Paudi as AshiX (Season 1 & 2) * Ethan Newberry as Clutch * Conan O'Brien as Newsanchor * Kara Petersen as Freezerburn * Noah as Cheeto the Cat * Michael Rousselet as Alliterator * Jon Salmon as Chip Trigger * Ashton Pooley as Relief Coach (Season 2) * Nathan Frost as Enemy Team Sniper (Season 1) * Phillip Wang as Oldboy * LeeAnna Vamp as Esme *

Maureen McCormick Maureen Denise McCormick (born August 5, 1956) is an American actress. She portrayed Marcia Brady on the ABC television sitcom ''The Brady Bunch'', which ran from 1969 to 1974, and reprised the role in several of the numerous ''Brady Bunch'' ...

as Mrs. Barnstormer

Production and release

''Video Game High School'' is co-created by

, Will Campos, Brian Firenzi and Matt Arnold. In addition to acting as showrunner, Arnold is also a writer, as are Campos and Firenzi (founder of 5secondfilms.com). The series is based on a concept by Campos and Chris Pappavaselio. The team was able to fund the series through Kickstarter, where they set a funding goal for $75,000 to be raised in a 30-day period. That amount was quickly pledged in less than 24 hours and continued to climb from there. On October 22, 2011, pledging came to a close, with $273,725 raised for the project from 5,661 backers.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began on October 25, and ended in late November. The final four days of shooting took place at the Eagle Mountain iron mine and

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

. Post-production started shortly after and ended in early 2012. The trailer for the series premiered on YouTube on May 11, 2012, on the "Freddiew" channel. Later, the first season of the show was edited into a two-hour movie and released on DVD,

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

, and online.

Episodes

Season 1 episodes were released in May, June, and July 2012, first on the RocketJump website, and a week later on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel "freddiew". People who pledged to the project's fundraiser received HD digital downloads and DVDs. The Kickstarter fundraiser for season 2 ended in February 2013 with the project more than sufficiently funded. The second season was released in July and August 2013. In July 2013, Freddie Wong said that a third season was being worked on, and filming began in March 2014. Season 3 episodes were being released once per week starting on October 13, or could be purchased for immediate viewing through

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software a ...

On Demand, which includes

4K HD 4K, 4-K or 4k may refer to: * 4000 (number) * Four kibibytes (4 × 1024 bytes, better written 4 KiB) ** 4K disk sector size (Advanced Format) ** 4K demoscene compo, a computer art competition using programs limited to 4 kibibytes ** The Java 4K G ...

, HD, and SD downloads of the episode(s) purchased. RocketJump announced on October 30 that season 3 would be the last of the series.

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

previously streamed all three seasons of the show, but only season 3 was available in 4K UHD, with most episodes doubled up to make individual 30-minute episodes.

References

External links

www.rocketjump.com/vghsvimeo.com/ondemand/vghs3
* {{Streamy Awards Winners CSS Discontinued 2010s YouTube series 2012 web series debuts 2014 web series endings American comedy web series Esports television series Fictional schools Kickstarter-funded web series Streamy Award-winning channels, series or shows Works set in the future