The comedy series Dead Pixels from the UK pokes fun at MMORPG fans. It is a good alternative to Mythic Quest, also a series about MMORPGs. Our author Alexander Leitsch likes it.
What is Dead Pixels? According to the producers, Dead Pixels aims to better represent the lives of gamers than mainstream television does. Both the series’ author, Jon Brown, and the producer, Al Campbell, are MMORPG players.
Dead Pixels naturally relies on many clichés, and, as is common with British series, there’s a touch of dark humor. As a gamer, you immediately recognize yourself in many aspects, as the main characters use a language familiar to MMO players, including swearing.
It is clear that the writers have knowledge of the subject, which makes the series all the more interesting. It is strongly reminiscent of “The Guild”, an older YouTube series that might still be familiar to some older MMORPG fans.
How can I watch the series? Unfortunately, the British series from Channel 4 can currently only be watched in the UK on this website. To see it, you must either wait until it is released worldwide or use a VPN or alternative methods.
However, the first season seems to have run satisfactorily. A second season has already been commissioned, set to begin in summer 2020.
Lovely gaming nerds
What is it exactly about? In the series, the protagonists Meg and Nicky play the fictional game Kingdom Scrolls, which is comparable to World of Warcraft. Both live together in a shared apartment, and Nicky is in love with Meg, which she apparently does not notice.
Instead, she invites her office colleague Russell, whom she desperately wants to sleep with, to a gaming session. Her fellow players Nicky and Usman, an American family man who likes to leave his children unattended while gaming, are not thrilled about the “noob”.
While the three actively grind and have goals in Kingdom Scrolls, Russell prefers to tell jokes and stack cows. Nicky and Usman then call him a “moron”, while Meg justifies herself by saying that she is also allowed to sleep with morons.
Nicky, on the other hand, is more of the classic nerd and somewhat more reserved than Meg. It is interesting how little fun he obviously has with the game and how much work it is for him. In the series, he says:
- “I will level up and a small red banner will appear on the screen and a short ting sound will occur. That will trigger a tiny rush of dopamine [..] and for that second I will forget death for a moment.”
But it is clear to everyone that they find their jobs boring and seek and find joy instead in the video game.
How is the series rated? On the film platform IMDb, Dead Pixels received a rating of 7.3 out of 10 based on 720 ratings. In the written reviews, users say:
- Cush1465 (9 stars): “Rude and crude, but also partly funny. Perhaps you have to be a gamer or at least know those who have this addiction to fantasy worlds to fully enjoy the series. Personally, I liked it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a second season.”
- Pumilliawolmary (7 stars): “This series is funny and rude and ultimately very entertaining. It’s about people coping with their boring jobs by living their ‘real lives’ in their favorite game. I love it to bits.”
- Dan_emma (4 stars): “I hate comparing series with others. But it is so rare to find completely original ideas. [..] This is so similar to ‘The Guild’ that it seriously made me wonder if it was an official reboot. Maybe it was too American, so E4 decided something more British was needed.”
- ianjones-70655 (3 stars): “This is a poor imitation of ‘The Guild’. Save your time and watch that instead. As a 36-year-old hardcore gamer with over 10 years of WoW, this series often gave me chills. It was not funny and not representative of gaming culture.”
It’s worth it if you don’t take yourself and MMORPGs too seriously
This is what our author Alexander Leitsch says: The producers have especially given Meg and Nicky some depth and development throughout the series. Meg also breaks out of the typical image with her way and her urge for sex.
Dead Pixels also shows how gaming and the normal world interact or often do not.
The six episodes, each just under 30 minutes long, are worth watching if you are an MMORPG fan and do not take yourself and gaming culture too seriously. Personally, I liked it better than the first episode of Mythic Quest:
Do you know any cool gaming series or movies? What can you recommend to us and our community?
