Summary
G4 produced a now-forgotten video gamecomedyseries that was a love letter to 8-bit gaming, and it’s available to stream. Before video games were a massive part of mainstream media, channels like G4 attempted to bring gaming culture to audiences with unique shows that appealed directly to the underserved audience. Viewers could get their video game reviews and previews fromX-Play, with a unique spin on tech news and geek culture withAttack of the Show!. Now, online gaming, Twitch streaming, and even Esports have transformed the way gaming culture has become more mainstream.
The TV channel ended in 2014, and while aG4 revival was attemptedwith a web-based version in 2021, it was shuttered after barely a year, proving that gamers have found other means of getting their content. However, during G4’s peak, it produced an animated comedy series meant to look like an 8-bit video game, featuring unique cameos from the gaming world and a crude sense of humor, calledCode Monkeys, which has since fallen into obscurity.
Code MonkeysIs A TV Comedy Meant To Look Like An 8-Bit Video Game
Code Monkeysis an animated series geared toward adult audiences that lasted two seasons on G4 from 2007 to 2008. It features an art style that looks like an 8-bit video game.It was created by Adam de la Pena, who wrote for shows like Comedy Central’sCrank YankersandJimmy Kimmel Live!. Voices included de la Pena as Dave, the slacker, and Matt Mariska as Jerry, the hard worker. Other cast members included Dana Snyder,known forAqua Teen Hunger Force, and Ted Raimi, who impersonated several famous people on the show, including Harrison Ford and Dennis Hopper.
Code Monkeysfollows the eccentric employees of GameAVision, a video game company, as they develop new ideas, deal with oddball coworkers, and manage clueless bosses at the height of the 8-bit gaming era of the 1980s. The series starts with a pilot episode featuring Steve Wozniak (who voiced himself) deciding to quit as the head of GameAVision and sell the company to an oil tycoon, which sets the show in motion and presents its unique art style. WhileCode Monkeyslampooned tropes of the gaming industry and the corporate world, it also presented itself with an evident love of gaming.
Many of GameAVision’s problems stemmed from Dave’s ill-advised antics, with Jerry being the more level-headed character forced to deal with the fallout, making for a troubled dynamic, which was often further complicated by characters like Todd, the resident fantasy game designer who always wears a horned Viking helmet. Each episode would see Dave and Jerry struggle to remain friends despite their conflicting personalities, navigatestories like Steven Spielbergwanting them to make anE.T.game, the company’s president needing a butt transplant, and helping Michael Jackson create a video game based on theThrilleralbum.
Code MonkeysPresented A Unique Meta Gimmick, Appealing To A Niche Audience
Beyond an 8-bit animation style,Code Monkeysutilizes gaming in unique ways. Each episode would start with “PLAYER 1 START” on the screen, showing a “PAUSE” screen when it went to commercial, and ending with a “GAME OVER.” If you watched until after the credits, it evenfeatured a kill screen, which was a distinct feature in older games.Code Monkeysalso displayed a health bar across the top of the screen, shown as red hearts, which took occasional hits when Jerry suffered defeat or an emotional blow. Points were displayed and earned throughout each episode, and it even featured the occasional death, which would prompt a “CONTINUE” screen.
Each episode told a standard comedy story arc, presented as if the viewer were watching a video game, providing a meta gimmick to the show’s concept.The show’s crude humor and distinct appearance madeCode Monkeysa hit in its first season, with G4 reporting stellar viewership numbers. However, the show ended after its second season, as beyond the gaming audiences,Code Monkeys’setup made it difficult for more mainstream viewers. Gamers found plenty to love, though, as the show wasbrimming with Easter eggsand nods to the gaming world, like a character named Gil Bates, a play on Bill Gates, and a rival company called Protendo, their version of Nintendo.
The series even got its name,Code Monkeys, from the Jonathan Coulton song of the same name, as it was initially calledDave and Jerry VS The World. Coulton’s song is a fun parody of game developer culture, making it a perfect fit for the show as a theme song. It helpedCode Monkeysbecome what it was while further endearing it to geek culture, where the singer tends to thrive.
IsCode MonkeysCurrently Available To Stream Online?
WhileCode Monkeysonly lasted two seasons, it developed a cult following of fans who fondly remember the show’s celebration of gaming culture. The series disappeared for some time, making it difficult to watch and keeping it from finding a new audience of gamers who may have missed it during its initial airing. However, it is available to stream.
Both seasons ofCode Monkeysare available on Peacockfor those with a subscription to the streaming service. Some aspects of the series may not have aged well, such as the character Clarence, GameAVision’s flamboyantly gay audio designer. However, much of the show’s ribald sense of humor andlove for 8-bit gamesstill shines through, and it provides a unique experience for gamers looking to find a show that was meant for them. WhileCode Monkeyswas short-lived, it is a video game comedy that stands out as something original that is worth checking out.
