AtheneWins
A faux-reality series from a Belgian pro gamer, AtheneWins is a rambling, in-joke-rife vlog about a World of Warcraft player's oversexed lifestyle. Starring Athene, "number one best Paladin in the world", his bird-chested and shirtless friend Furious, and a gorgeous, apparently mute girlfriend known only as The Bitch, the vlog -- which is the #63 most subscribed YouTube channel -- purports to edify viewers on the getting of game both in-world and out. Hence the thumbnails of a scantily-clad The Bitch, and associated video titles, e.g., "How to Get a Horny Bitch" and "Taming a Horny Bitch". But click through and, instead of finding pimp pedagogy, you get Athene waxing poetic on nature-vs-nurture psychology, the fighting style of hobos, Internet memes, and his mother's advice.
While the series has moments of hilarity, it's not exactly accessible unless you're a gamer familiar with MMORPG ling or willing to delve into the earliest vids to understand the show's backstory. And yet as far as views go, the series is wildly successful. This is probably because it takes advantage of three key strategies: Use a hot girl (in this case, hilariously mute), make riotous claims about a passionate niche community (in this case, gamers), and spam your videos (in this case, on every site possible). The result's a views-getting combination of titillation, aggravation, and entertainment.
AtheneWins on YouTube | AtheneWins on MySpace | AtheneWins' DVD, Wrath of the L33t King
