Last week Maker Studios and The Game Station (or TGS if you want to be in the know) premiered their new original dramatic web series The Street Fighter. It features – you guessed it! – Capcom’s Street Fighter video game. But this series is more about the people who love gaming than the actual game itself.
The Street Fighter follows Phil (played by Clarke Koehler) as he deals with the pressure of his ex-wife, his recent unemployment, and maintaining a relationship with his son. With the support of his friend Camille, Phil enters The Alex Valle’s Ultimate Street Fighter Tournament (FYI, Alex Valle is a real-life, professional Street Fighterer) to win back his self respect and discover his inner street fighter.
The series follows a Rocky structure with Phil training for the tournament, but the real story comes in the relationships between Phil, Ryan, and Camille. Phil, with his corny Call of Duty jokes and desire to drive his son crazy and to school, is not your typical gaming or major motion picture hero. But he does feel like a real life gamer that audiences can relate to and cheer for as he fights to become the Street Fighter Champion we all hope he can be.
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Directed by gaming enthusiast and TGS’s gaming news host Layne Pavoggi, The Street Fighter feels more like a communal passion project than most gaming-to-web-series crossovers. Before beginning production, Pavoggi tested the waters and asked his TGS followers if they would watch a real-life dramatic series with a gaming spin. The overwhelming “Yes!!1!” was enough to get the series started, but a lot of work and favors went into making The Street Fighter.
The series features several Youtube celebrities who take on roles not usually featured on their personal channels. For example, Liam Kyle Sullivan plays Phil’s former employer, Ceciley Jenkins is Phil’s ex-wife, and Kassem G is Phil’s competition, Evil Dan. Other cameos include iJustine as a snobby Comic store customer and Dodger Leigh as a tournament gamer. Okay, maybe the gamer role isn’t really a stretch for the Dodge This! host, but you get the picture.
Beyond the realistic look at gamers as people, The Street Fighter is a chance for Pavoggi, the TGS crew, and other Youtubers to display more of their creative talents without abandoning the gaming content that originally made them popular.
The first episode of The Street Fighter begins with an introduction and heartfelt thank you from Pavoggi. Check it and the dramatic series out at YouTube.com/TheGameStation.
