Gameboys
Gameboys is a Filipino web series released in 2020, directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal and centered on the screenlife portrayal of an online romance between two young men during the COVID-19 quarantine.[1] The narrative follows Cairo, a live-stream gamer played by Elijah Canlas, who challenges newcomer Gavreel, portrayed by Kokoy de Santos, to a rematch after an initial defeat in a mobile game, leading to flirtatious exchanges, emotional intimacy, and conflicts arising from personal histories and the limitations of digital interaction.[2] Consisting of 13 short episodes entirely filmed via screens and webcams to simulate pandemic isolation, the series innovated by leveraging remote production techniques amid lockdowns.[3] The production achieved unexpected commercial success as one of the first major boys' love series from the Philippines, amassing high viewer engagement and an 8.3 rating on IMDb from over 1,500 users, praised for its authentic depiction of virtual relationships and timely relevance to enforced social distancing.[4] It spawned a 2021 theatrical film adaptation, Gameboys: The Movie, extending the story into post-quarantine cohabitation and further relational strains.[5] While lauded for technical creativity and performances, the series drew attention for amplifying the BL genre's popularity in Southeast Asia, though some critiques noted formulaic tropes common to romantic dramas.[6]Synopsis
Plot Overview
Gameboys follows Cairo Lazaro, a popular teenage live game streamer, who suffers an unexpected defeat in a mobile gaming tournament to a mysterious opponent using the username SMPLAY3R.[4] Eager for a rematch, Cairo receives a video call from his rival, revealed as Gavreel Alarcon, who proposes personal conditions for the challenge, initiating flirtatious online interactions that evolve into a romantic relationship during the COVID-19 lockdown.[7][8] The narrative explores the couple's deepening bond through virtual gaming sessions, video calls, and shared vulnerabilities, complicated by Cairo's family dynamics and Gavreel's emotional baggage, including past traumas and supportive friendships like that with Pearl Gatdula.[8] Set against the backdrop of enhanced community quarantine in the Philippines starting March 2020, the series examines themes of queer identity, acceptance, and intimacy forged in digital isolation, culminating in real-world encounters that test their connection.[4][7]Screenlife Format
The screenlife format is a cinematic technique in which the narrative unfolds entirely through the simulated screens of digital devices, such as computers, smartphones, or tablets, presenting events via interfaces like video calls, messaging apps, social media feeds, and browser windows. This approach, pioneered in feature films like Unfriended (2014), immerses viewers in the protagonists' digital environments, often revealing character psychology through on-screen artifacts and interactions while mimicking real-time digital communication.[9] Gameboys adopts this format to portray the quarantine-bound romance between live-stream gamer Cairo Lazaro and his online challenger Gavreel Alarcon, confining all plot progression to virtual exchanges during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns in the Philippines. Viewers experience the story through split-screen video chats, in-game streams, instant messages, and social media notifications, which underscore the characters' physical isolation and emotional reliance on digital proximity. This choice aligns with the series' thematic focus on pandemic-era connectivity, making the format not merely stylistic but integral to depicting enforced separation.[9][10] Production constraints under enhanced community quarantine necessitated the screenlife method, enabling remote collaboration without physical production sets or crew assemblies. Actors Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos filmed scenes at home using their own camera phones, simulating authentic webcam footage and chats, with props minimally supplied by the design team. Director Ivan Payawal oversaw performances via Zoom calls, directing actors to handle basic cinematography tasks like focus checks, while separate devices captured audio; raw footage was then uploaded for editing and visual effects integration. This workflow, involving a lean team of actors, producers, an editor, VFX supervisor, and composer, overcame initial hurdles in remote directing—such as actors reacting to audio cues without visual feedback—resulting in a pilot episode reshot five times for refinement.[11] By leveraging screenlife, Gameboys achieved a raw intimacy that mirrored viewers' own lockdown experiences, though the format's constraints limited visual variety compared to traditional filming. Unlike the 2021 theatrical adaptation, which shifted to conventional on-camera shots for real-world interactions, the series' digital-only presentation heightened tension through implied off-screen realities and asynchronous messaging delays. This innovative application marked Gameboys as an early screenlife web series amid the pandemic's surge in remote content creation.[10][9]Cast and Characters
Principal Actors
Elijah Canlas stars as Cairo Lazaro, the central character who operates as a professional online gamer and live streamer navigating isolation during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in the Philippines.[4] Born on August 16, 2000, Canlas entered the industry at age 14 with the 2014 independent film Sundalong Kanin, later gaining prominence through roles in television series and films before Gameboys.[12] His portrayal emphasizes Cairo's initial detachment evolving into emotional vulnerability via digital connections.[7] Kokoy de Santos portrays Gavreel Alarcon, Cairo's enthusiastic online fan whose admiration develops into a deep romantic bond conducted entirely through screens.[4] Born Ronald Marquez de Santos Jr. on May 15, 1998, in Pasig City, Philippines, de Santos trained in culinary arts before pursuing acting, dancing, and singing, with prior credits including the 2019 film Fuccbois and television appearances on GMA Network shows like Bubble Gang.[13] [14] De Santos's performance highlights Gavreel's persistence and emotional investment amid quarantine restrictions.[7] These two actors form the core duo, their chemistry driving the series' exploration of virtual intimacy, as confirmed across production credits and episode synopses.[15]Recurring Roles
Adrianna So portrays Pearl Gatdula, Gavreel Alarcon's ex-girlfriend and close friend, who recurs across the series to offer advice and mediate personal conflicts amid the quarantine setting.[16][17] Pearl appears in all 13 episodes of the first season, contributing to subplots involving relationships and family dynamics.[18] Kyle Velino plays Terrence Carreon, a supporting figure in the protagonists' online gaming community, providing camaraderie and occasional tension through competitive interactions.[4][17] Terrence recurs in multiple episodes, highlighting the social layers of virtual friendships formed during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.[18] Jerom Canlas depicts London Lazaro, Cairo Lazaro's older brother, who appears recurrently to explore familial pressures and support Cairo's evolving personal life.[16][19] This role underscores themes of sibling bonds strained by isolation, with London featured in key episodes addressing Cairo's vulnerabilities.[18] Miggy Jimenez embodies Wesley Torres, a recurring acquaintance in the gaming network, involved in 13 episodes and adding layers to group chats and rivalries central to the narrative.[20][21] Wesley's presence amplifies the series' focus on digital interpersonal drama, as confirmed by production credits from the 2020 release.[4]Production
Development and Writing
The development of Gameboys stemmed from The IdeaFirst Company's response to the COVID-19 lockdown in the Philippines, where enhanced community quarantine restrictions imposed in March 2020 halted traditional film and television production. The production team, facing potential job losses, challenged itself to devise a series that could be created entirely remotely, with cast and crew operating from their homes using digital tools to simulate screen-based interactions. This necessity birthed the project's screenlife format, centering on gamers connecting via online platforms during isolation, marking it as the first such series produced in the Philippines.[22][4] The screenplay was penned by Ash Malanum, who structured the 13-episode narrative around the evolving online relationship between a competitive gamer-streamer and his admirer, incorporating elements of flirtation, vulnerability, and digital intimacy reflective of quarantine-era constraints. Malanum's script emphasized authentic portrayals of virtual bonding through gaming apps and social media, drawing from real-time pandemic experiences to infuse Filipino cultural nuances like familial pressures and casual banter. Executive oversight came from producers Jun Lana and Perci Intalan, ensuring the story aligned with The IdeaFirst Company's goal of innovative, low-resource storytelling.[23][18] Writing began a few weeks into the quarantine, allowing Malanum to iterate on drafts collaboratively via online channels, with revisions informed by the remote production's technical limits, such as self-directed actor setups and screen-recorded dialogues. This process prioritized concise, dialogue-driven scenes to maintain pacing within the screenlife constraints, avoiding expansive subplots that would require physical locations. The result was a script that not only advanced the boys' love genre in Philippine media but also adapted to the medium's inherent focus on device interfaces for suspense and emotional reveals.[24][8]Direction and Filming
Gameboys was directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal, who oversaw the production remotely from his home during the COVID-19 quarantine in the Philippines.[23][25] The series employed a screenlife format, presenting the narrative entirely through computer and phone screens, which aligned with the remote filming constraints imposed by lockdown measures starting in March 2020.[11] Filming for the first nine episodes occurred entirely online, with principal actors such as Elijah Canlas, Kokoy de Santos, Adrianne So, and Kyle Bryan Miranda capturing their scenes using personal devices like smartphones and laptops in their respective homes.[25] Payawal and key crew members monitored performances via separate Zoom calls or devices, providing real-time directions without physical presence on set, eliminating the need for traditional camera crews, set designers, or makeup artists.[11][23] Actors positioned devices to simulate screen-based interactions, such as video calls within the story, while props were shipped to locations as needed to maintain quarantine protocols.[25][26] Pre-production involved remote Zoom meetings for script refinement and planning, ensuring the screenlife aesthetic—featuring elements like chat windows, game interfaces, and social media feeds—could be achieved through self-filmed footage edited into a cohesive digital narrative.[1] Payawal reshot the pilot episode five times to refine the visual framing, pacing, and overall tone, adapting to the limitations of remote collaboration before principal photography commenced in early 2020.[1] This iterative process allowed the director to experiment with the format's intimacy, capturing authentic quarantine-era isolation while directing actors to improvise within scripted digital scenarios.[11]Challenges During Quarantine
The production of Gameboys was conceived as a fully remote endeavor in response to the strict community quarantines imposed in the Philippines starting March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the IdeaFirst Company to generate employment for its team while adhering to movement restrictions.[11] Actors, including leads Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos, recorded scenes from their homes using smartphone cameras, with director Ivan Payawal providing guidance via Zoom calls; props were couriered to participants, and family members occasionally assisted in setup to simulate webcam interactions central to the screenlife format.[11] [4] Remote directing posed significant hurdles, as Payawal noted the absence of on-location collaboration with actors accustomed to physical presence, complicating nuanced performances reliant on reacting solely to device screens and audio cues rather than co-actors.[11] Technical difficulties, including inconsistent focus, audio quality, and framing, necessitated multiple reshoots; the pilot episode alone required five attempts to achieve the desired visual and narrative coherence.[1] [11] Stricter quarantine measures further disrupted the schedule when Metro Manila reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on August 4, 2020, following a surge in cases exceeding 119,000 nationwide—the highest in Southeast Asia at the time—prompting a two-week pause in filming for the final three episodes (11 through 13), which had been extended from an initial 10-episode run due to viewer demand.[27] [28] Producer Perci Intalan emphasized prioritizing cast safety and production quality over rushed releases, delaying episodes originally slated for mid-August to avoid compromising the series' integrity amid health risks.[28] [27]Episodes and Seasons
Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 comprises 13 episodes, released from May 22 to September 13, 2020, primarily on Fridays through The IdeaFirst Company's YouTube channel, with episodes averaging 20-25 minutes in length.[7] [29] The narrative advances the virtual interactions between protagonists Cairo and Gavreel, incorporating elements of gaming rivalry, emotional vulnerability, and quarantine isolation via screenlife presentation.[4]| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pass or Play? | May 22, 2020 |
| 2 | Game of Love | June 3, 2020 |
| 3 | Strangers Online | June 12, 2020 |
| 4 | One Who Is Victorious | June 19, 2020 |
| 5 | Thrill of the Chase | June 26, 2020 |
| 6 | Secret Party | July 3, 2020 |
| 7 | Elephant in the Room | July 10, 2020 |
| 8 | No Matter What | July 17, 2020 |
| 9 | Say It with Love | July 24, 2020 |
| 10 | Pass or Play 2 | July 31, 2020 |
| 11 | Stay Strong Forever | August 23, 2020 |
| 12 | Jealousy in the Air | August 30, 2020 |
| 13 | Crossing the Line | September 13, 2020 |