AFK: The Webseries

Kind of terrible, but pretty much awesome.

If you have been an MMORPG player, AFK has the pop-culture moments and jokes to enjoy while you fall I'm love with the characters. If you haven't, AFK has characters you will fall in love with, while you experience a pop-culture that millions of gamers love.

In the first series, the actors and crew are still finding their feet, but the small production is beautiful, when compared with similar-scale shows like Pure Pwnage and The Guild. And is filmed in the same setting as middle earth, and the four lands. Season 2 takes it to a whole new level.

The relatively unknown cast have a depth of character, and many talents that are put on full display. They become fierce, nuanced and beautiful leading women; complex, loveable villains; sympathetic, growing protagonists, and a diverse and self-aware set of players - all achieved within the confines of a mini series.

Each creative contributor to the show deserves acclaim.

This movie appears as low-budget but comes off as a joy to watch. I saw a lot of actors loving what they're doing. Hilariously good fun. What film making should be about, not just making $ millions.

AFK takes some time to breathe as the first couple of episodes were difficult to understand given there is very little background given, but if you have played any fantasy MMOs you'll find yourself quickly sucked in.

The acting and special effects aren't going to win any awards, but the costumes and production seem more professional than many of the B movies you see on the syfy channel.

I find myself enjoying most of the female characters and their arcs, particularly Q who leads the non-joining heroes and Amy the only character who seems to understand and able to use her characters traits/abilities from the get go.

I came across this show while scrolling through Amazon Prime. I have to say it's a fun show in concept and execution. It's not any great piece of filmography by any means. However, I appreciated how the writing encapsulated the various types of gamer personalities while simultaneously highlighting some of the social anxieties some face in real life and poking fun at them at the same time. I found the acting sufficient to keep me engaged in the story and sometimes relating with the characters. I hope this series gets more seasons!

AFK is great for those who like "The Guild," ".// hack," or even the lamestream anime, "Sword Art Online."

The acting is kind of hokey and the cinematography looks more like the series was shot on a handheld DVR than an actual quality camera. However, the set pieces are actually quite good and evoke a sort of low-budget Game of Thrones charm, and the editing itself isn't horrible. Most of the characters are likable with some notable exceptions, like Brendon the Wizard who always sounds like a quivering, shivering nagging banshee. The plots are also interesting, with each episode revolving itself around the various slanguage MMO gamers use (ie. mob, phat lewtz, inc, ganker, etc.); I was pleasantly surprised at how decent the actual writing was, despite the spattering of cliche dialogue throughout. The show itself has heart and I think could have honestly been a series contender if only it had a bigger production/distribution company behind it. AFK on a Netflix-type budget would kick some serious booty (think Legend of the Seeker).

The show itself is pretty short, spanning 16 episodes in totality with each episode running at a mere 20ish minutes. Short and sweet would probably be the best way to describe AFK.

Anyway, like I said, if you enjoyed the webseries "The Guild," it's almost a given certainty that you'll enjoy "AFK" too.