[imagesource: Viacom CBS]

American Vandal isn’t for everyone.

It’s tough to imagine older generations sitting down to watch a mockumentary about a penis-drawing vandal on the loose at a high school and giving it the seal of approval.

The second season focused on turd-related pranks at a Catholic high school and yeah, that too won’t be for everyone.

Laughing at spoofs of other people is easy enough but can gamers and Esports enthusiasts still chuckle when the lens is turned on them? We’re about to find out with Players, a mockumentary from Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda, the co-creators of American Vandal.

IndieWire with the basics:

This time around, the focus is on the elaborate, high-stakes world of League of Legends Esports, as seen through the eyes of the members of the made-for-the-show squad Fugitive Gaming.

Alongside the handiwork of Creamcheese (Misha Brooks), the controversial elder statesman of the five-person squad, “Players” also charts the evolution of Organizm (Da’Jour Jones), an incoming teenage prodigy with the exact opposite demeanor.

From there, “Players” uses the established rhythms and expectations of recent popular sports doc series to dig deeper into a thorny web of friendships and rivalries.

The first four episodes of the 10-episode series dropped on June 16. Let’s take a quick gander at the trailer:

I’ve seen one or two gamers on social media panning the series ahead of its release. Perhaps their stance may have changed after watching the four available episodes.

Critics have been pretty kind with their reviews. Below from Variety:

…calling “Players” a “mockumentary” might be technically accurate, but feels spiritually wrong. That might make it less laugh-out-loud funny, but it also makes it more complex. While so many others might have approached the world of esports with an eye for the hyperbolic, there’s absolutely nothing mocking about the way “Players” explores it as a community, and it’s a better show for it.

Polygon says it “captures what makes League of Legends special” and The Daily Beast went all-in, calling it “a Piss Jar Full of Fun”.

However, IMDb users score it just a 5,8 out of 10 and a quick look at the reviews shows angry gamers awarding one-star reviews.

You can’t please everyone.

[sources:indiewire&variety]