I know that I usually spend this time talking about things that are basically speculative fiction, but if you think about it, isn’t everything speculative in some way? After all, most stories that you read never happened, or are embellished enough so they are not accurate?

The Guild is one those shows that I thought was gong to go one way, but completely went in a more realistic direction. The Guild is a commentary on a culture that didn’t even exist until recently, the MMORPG. The Guild is about a group of individuals who play an MMO game that is simply known as “The Game”.

If you have never heard of this show, then I don’t blame you. The Guild is a Web Series, and it isn’t by Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or any other Internet content source. Near as I can tell, it was produced independently, but you can catch all six seasons on Netflix. The seasons are about an hour and a half long, and there about 13 or so episodes that are quite short. I have always held to the belief that the best shows are those that you haven’t heard of, but once you find them, you can spread the word.

These characters have very little of what could be called a life. In fact, I’m going to identify them by their avatar/character names instead of their actual first and last names. Codex is the protagonist of the group, and she is addicted to online gaming and just being on the Internet in general. Codex hasn’t been outside in a while, doesn’t have a stable job, and reminds me a bit of myself and friends.

As for Codex’s friends, they include Zaboo, a man-child with an over-protective mother. Then there is the Guild leader Vork, a middle-aged man who lives off the land. Tinkerballa is a sassy college student who really doesn’t fit in to the group, but like the others, she has a role to play. Bladezz is a teenager who soon becomes an Internet viral video sensation. Then there is Clara, who is a mother who is clearly ignoring her husband and kids to play the game.

What I thought this show as going to be about was these six characters playing this game, and then splicing in their real lives as secondary plot. I was hoping that I would see them in their gaming world, and see them involved in some sort of adventure. In reality, you don’t see the characters in the game until season 4. This was a smart move on the show’s part, because I enjoyed seeing the main plot of these characters’ lives, or lack thereof.

Yeah, these characters might seem pathetic, and they clearly need to make better choices and get their lives together. Fortunately, the show has a story-arc where each of them grows and changes, and I honestly don’t want to spoil it for you.

On the whole, The Guild is an excellent commentary on geek culture, and it is really worth watching. The budget might not be the highest, but they produced a very awesome story and even had special guests like Nathan Fillon, Wil Wheaton, and Stan Lee. Check it out on Netflix now.