Posted by: u/king_duende via Reddit (2015)
Well, this hurts like hell to write. I won’t lie. I’ve been a diehard fan of the Funhaus channel since its creation. I can still remember following Adam Kovic and Bruce Greene during their tenure with Machinima as just a small video game, news-centric YouTube channel back in 2008. I was just in junior high whenever the two rose to awareness in my life, but I was instantly hooked with the way they reported on video game news and the indescribable chemistry that those two had during their early beginnings. As their channel, Inside Gaming, grew I began to grow fond of the creators that they inherited during their start-up.
What I really enjoyed about Inside Gaming was their down-to-earth comedy with real insight in the video game world. There were countless times where I was dragged down by the dark realities of my own existence where I could just turn on an Inside Gaming video and see some relatable personalities talk about an industry that I love so much. As their channel grew, they took on even more creative talent with James Willems, Elyse Willems, Lawrence Sonntag, Joel Rubin, Matt Peake, Sean Poole, etc. These friendly comedic faces shaped the persona that later would become my all-time favorite gaming channel, Funhaus.
Funhaus was brought to life like a phoenix; it rose from the ashes of what once used to be Inside Gaming, Funhaus was a new entity under Rooster Teeth‘s YouTube content umbrella. There were several indicators that would hint that this team would depart from Machinima, and if you are interested in some of the details behind Inside Gaming’s departure then I will leave the link here (it’s an informative interview with Bruce as he breaks down some of the ins-and-outs of the group wanting to start its own channel).
What made Funhaus so different than most gaming channels out there was their relatability to its audience. While they were and are more successful than most of us, it was watching Funhaus grow into newer studio spaces over the years, while expanding their team, that made me feel like a proud father to see these little babies grow up. Okay, odd…but if you’ve ever been a fan of a something, or someone(s) before they became successful, then you’ll have an idea of what I am talking about.
Funhaus blossomed so much over the first four years. I would watch every Podcast, almost every GTA gameplay, definitely the Demo Disk episodes, each Open Haus video, all of the Funhaus Comments shows, and frankly just about anything else they uploaded to the channel. For years, I was hooked on Funhaus as a comedic outlet in my life. I’ve watched other gaming channels before, but none had the same chemistry and interesting (albeit usually ridiculous) conversations. It felt like I was back hanging out with my friends talking about things that most people don’t even think of. It’s hard to explain without really experiencing the channel for yourself, so I certainly recommend watching their early content.
My love for the Funhaus team is why this post pains so much to write. Now, I learned a long time ago to not idolize or look up to celebrities; however, when you enjoy content from certain individuals for so long…you can’t help but feel some heartbreak when everything falls apart. There were countless times that I had a horrible day, then a few Funhaus videos later and I’m actually laughing…all by myself. How many things actually make you smile or laugh whenever you are all alone?
Funhaus lost some of its team over the years, but none of the real “core” group. That was until the former leader of Funhaus, Bruce Greene, left to start his own gaming channel on Twitch as a livestreamer last year. Bruce’s departure shocked both the Funhaus team and community. He was a driving force of creativity, and had brought a unique sense of humor while always staying true to who he was. Even as the channel grew, Bruce never really changed. He was responsible for managing the team, keeping the content schedule on pace, maintaining budgets, and was a voice of reason within the group.
Bruce leaving created a void that could never be filled the same way. The comedic chemistry he had with Elyse, the banter he shared with James while watching Adam play (or break) a crappy game, the outrageous lengths he would go to with Lawrence for the sake of a good laugh, and just the way he carried himself throughout all of the videos…losing him was very difficult for us all (the team too, obviously). Sadly, this was just the start of the downfall though.
Just a few short months later, Funhaus would lose yet another key member of their team. “Quintessential Gamer” Lawrence Sonntag announced his departure from Rooster Teeth (click the link to read his statement on leaving the team). Much like Bruce, Lawrence was leaving for personal career aspirations, so you have to respect that at least. Both of these men had been with a creative team for several years, but now had the chance to try it out for themselves. No matter what becomes of their respected careers moving forward, I am truly thankful to have been able to enjoy their content.
Lawrence is dipping his toes into creative ventures, but he too is exploring the livestreaming route, and if you can find him on Twitch as well! I feel that this loss was less surprising because Funhaus certainly felt different after Bruce left. I can’t speak for any other fans out there, but I started wondering when the channel was going to lose more of its team. Sadly, most good things do come to an end eventually.
Now this leads me to what I believe is the final nail in the coffin for much of the Funhaus following, Adam Kovic. Before I dive into what happened with Adam let me remind you all that the channel is still alive and uploading videos frequently. My perspective of their downfall is my opinion. Things just aren’t the same after now losing three members of the original “core” group. So, what did Adam do?
In October (this year), Rooster Teeth announced that they were firing Adam along with another YouTube creator, Ryan Haywood, from a separate gaming channel under the company’s creative umbrella. Sara Belcher of Distractify wrote an interesting in-depth article on what exactly the two men are being punished for exactly, if you wish to know more than what I’ll get into (click here for the full story).
Adam, and Ryan Haywood, are being accused of sharing nude images/videos with their underage fans. Subreddits and blogs on 4Chan suggest the two men have been grooming their fans for years. In Adam’s case, he is being accused of sharing sexually explicit content of his wife (Jess Kovic) and him together, without her knowledge. Adam shared a statement on Twitter before deleting his account altogether shortly after. I cannot imagine what his wife is enduring through these troubling times, but I wish the best for her in the future…whatever that is for her.
As far as Adam is concerned, the news broke my heart. I was mad, disappointed, and it felt like someone had punched me in the gut. There is a part of me that tries not to overreact in case it isn’t as bad as the internet made it seem like it was; however, if the accusations hold any truth at all….then fuck him. I was a loyal fan of his for years, but I cannot support someone that makes those decisions (if all reported is true).
As mentioned previously, the Funhaus team is still creating content to this day (despite also losing creator Alanah Pearce just weeks ago). I fear what will happen to the channel in the future, but it’s hard to imagine that they can exist much longer. I have a lot of respect for James & Elyse to have been apart of the group since its existence and to still be working their creative asses off. The team they have together now remains a solid comedic gaming channel. However, it just feels so vastly different than the Funhaus there once was…
I want to end this by saying, thank you. Thank you to all of the Funhaus family, former and existing, for creating a positive place where we can forget about our lives for a bit to laugh over video games. It’s truly special whenever things come together in just the right ways for such a long period of time. Obviously, I wish the group could’ve went through less drama with these events, but I am thankful to have had them for so long. I will continue to listen to the current team’s podcasts, and I will even watch the gameplays occasionally; however, I’m definitely not indulging in their content like I used to.
Thank you Funhaus for the countless hours of laughter over the years. Your community wishes each of you the best.
KimmelNBits 