->''WebVideo/TheUncannyValley'': '''Dragonbored''' | ''Webvideo/DraggedIn'' | ''Webvideo/TheReviewers'' | ''Webvideo/InternetDatingAndMe'' | ''Webvideo/DarksideOfTheInternet''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nostalgiacritic_dragonbored956.jpg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

''Dragonbored'' is the Creator/DougWalker and his brother Rob's contribution to ''The Uncanny Valley''.

Carl Custer is very fond of playing ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim The Aura Scrolls: Skyguard]]''. Well, perhaps he's a bit more than just fond. OK, he's addicted. This addiction is ruining his life, as his job is in grave danger, and his co-workers and girlfriend beg him to put the game down and do something more important.

Then, one day, his avatar, Jimbroth, somehow gets zapped into the real world. {{Hilarity ensues}} as Carl tries to keep the barbarian warrior under control and from stealing what is left of his life.

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wfMA6Irxw8 Watch it here]].
----
!! It provides examples of:
* AscendedFridgeHorror: Jimbroth mentions a couple times how quite a lot of his friends die in-game. [[spoiler:Oh, and he's programmed to feel pain.]]
* AmbiguouslyGay: Taylin. Which, if he is, makes him a PetHomosexual and TwoferTokenMinority (as he's black).
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler: Carl ends up trapped in a world where unless he is freed, is doomed to painfully die over and over again forever. Not to mention Jimbroth stated that Taylin was playing his character which also means that Carl has no control over his actions.]]
* BarbarianHero: Jimbroth being a chivalrous example.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Carl wished for life to be more like ''Skyguard''. Cue Jimbroth.
** [[spoiler:In the end Carl takes this to its next step and wishes to live in the game world. Therein he repeatedly and painfully dies.]]
* BlandNameProduct: ''Skyguard'' is clearly meant to be ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' (they are even using modded footage from ''Skyrim''), ''The Aura Scrolls'' is meant to be ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', and Mephesto is meant to represent Creator/{{Bethesda}}, the creators of the game and the franchise. Heck, the title of the short, ''Dragonbored'' is based off of the name of the PlayerCharacter of the real game, the Dragonborn. Additionally, ''Skyguard'' was released on the [[Platform/PlayStation3 PSZ]].
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: Jimbroth believes women are bold, beautiful, angelic, and occasionally property to be sold as men see fit.
** The goose that Jimbroth prepares for dinner is free-range, local, and [[spoiler:was cleaned in the toilet]].
* BrickJoke: When Carl discovers a head in the oven, he throws it out the window before his girlfriend sees. Later a fisherman finds it.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: By the end, Jimboth settles into his job, but he retains some of his fantasy game mannerisms.
* TheCameo: WebVideo/TheLastAngryGeek appears as an Mephesto Games employee in TheStinger.
* CassandraTruth: When Carl tries to tell Jessica about bringing Jimbroth into the world, she is dismissive, as she thinks he is bragging about his in-game accomplishments.
* CloudCuckoolander: What Jimbroth comes off as in the real world. All things considered, in his world he would have been completely normal.
* CreatorsApathy: InUniverse this is how the game company treats supernatural problems the games generate. They'll just patch it later.
* {{Cuckold}}: The protagonist creates a barbarian character in a thinly-veiled ''Skyrim'' spoof that gets brought into the real world and begins to live his life better than the videogame-obsessed protagonist. This includes being a better companion to his girlfriend, Jessica. Highlights include [[spoiler:flat out telling her to her face that he considers women to be property (to which she responds "ICanChangeHim"), sweet talking her into fetching beers for a party (while she's naked from the waist down), and changing her from a staunch feminist into someone who likes being won over by a more dominant man.]] There's even the standard cuckold trope of the replaced boyfriend being effectively feminized to cement his utter defeat.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: The boss takes an instant liking to Jimbroth after the latter tackles him to defend Carl, and shows complete disdain for the rest of the office when they freak out about it. [[MenAreTough "We're men, this is ''what we do'']]. He gave me a challenge, and we fought."
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Jimbroth has an understandably medieval view on moral issues. When he appears again, he's still not great on the sexuality, as he's grossed out by Doug and Yo reading and getting into the WebVideo/DemoReel slash they asked for in the "Uncanny Valley" DVD promo.
* DodgyToupee: In his review of the movie, Critic points out that “couldn't the magical realms of Skyguard fix Jimbroth's wig better?”
* FishOutOfWater: Jimbroth.
* HateSink: Carl is everything wrong with certain gamers, and the story makes it quite clear that it's ''those'' qualities, not his addiction or Jimbroth, that are ruining his life.
* HaveAGayOldTime
-->'''Jimbroth:''' If men taking off our shirts and singing songs from the Land of Fae is gay, then gay men are we!
* HereWeGoAgain: The main story begins with Carl getting a call from Taylin while playing (to remind him of an important assignment and asking how he feels because he allegedly was ill). Ends with Jimbroth getting a "call" from Carl because [[spoiler:he keeps dying in-game and [[WhoWritesThisCrap demands to know, who the hell the player is]]. Turns out that Jimbroth lent the game to Taylin, who didn't came to work because he is ''allegedly'' sick. "[[LampshadeHanging I suspect, that might not be true.]]"]]
* HeroAntagonist: Jimbroth
* IAmXSonOfY: “I am Jimbroth. Dragon-Lord. Son of Skyguard.”
* IAteWhat: Carl and Jessica enjoy the goose that Jimbroth has prepared for them...[[spoiler: until he reveals that the goose was cleaned in their toilet, giving Jessica food poisoning as a result.]]
* IronicHell: [[spoiler:Carl wishes he could be a character in ''Skyguard'''s world. It's granted... as the caricature of his girl... without any of Jimbroth's skills... and as Taylin's character.]]
* ICanChangeMyBeloved: Jessica's response to the {{Squick}} part of the aforementioned BreadEggsMilkSquick, although she was possibly teasing Carl at the time. [[spoiler: The ending heavily implies this was a rousing success.]]
* ImplausibleDeniability: Carl claims the huge breasts on his female avatar are the only option immediately after adjusting them from the default to as large as possible, which Jessica calls him on.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Carl becomes convinced that finishing the game with a different character will send Jimbroth home.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Carl's general stance on everything. Lampshaded by Jessica, when he complained about the ''strip'' game, which she freely admitted wasn't her brightest idea.
-->'''Carl''': When did you ever strip for me?
-->'''Jessica''': Two weeks ago.
* JerkAss: Video game addiction is the ''least'' of Carl's bad qualities.
* JustOneMoreLevel: Just one of Carl's problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Carl points out the list of offenses that should have gotten Jimbroth arrested, though clearly that never happens, either through plot convenience or convincing people through his charisma to be on his side.
* KleptomaniacHero: Jimbroth remembers a time when he put a bucket over someone's head and stole everything in sight. This actually is a mechanic that can be done in ''Skyrim'' which was overlooked by the developers, but not a glitch. Though since, Bethesda released a patch in which if you attempt it, the NPC will take it off.
* LikeADuckTakesToWater: Jimbroth's medieval thinking surprisingly makes him a good businessman.
* ListOfTransgressions: Carl rattles off all the crimes Jimbroth committed by stabbing a schoolbus' tires, threatening the driver with a sword, bringing a kid home, and giving her alcohol.
* LiteralSplitPersonality: Jimbroth is this for Carl. As a result of channelling all of his positive and redeeming traits into the character, Carl has ironically become the "evil" personality in their dichotomy.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: ''Skyguard'' is mentioned to have this problem just like the real ''Skyrim''.
* MeanBoss: [=LeBron=]... although mainly to Carl.
* MeaningfulName: Mephesto Games made a product that threw all of Carl's negative qualities into sharp relief, and sent him through a test of moral fiber and character [[spoiler:which he ultimately fails]]. In most versions of Myth/{{Faust}}, Mephistopheles made a deal with the eponymous protagonist that does much the same.
* MeaningfulRename: Jimbroth changes his name to "Jimbo" after [=LeBron=] tells him to disregard Carl as his master and be his own person, citing Jimbroth as his "slave name."
* MrFanservice: Jimbroth, if in a more emotionally manipulative way than actually sexy. Let Critic explain.
-->'''Critic''': Now he's moved onto creepy stalking to gift-giving. Oh come on, it's one thing to pose like you're in a porn for women's calender, but this time you know what you're doing.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Jimbroth manages to make "Get me a Big Mac from [=McDonalds=]" sound like an epic adventure.
** He also considers Lebron calling him Jimbo to be a title of great honor.
* NewMediaAreEvil: Subverted. The guys who made ''Skyguard'' seem pretty amoral and sleazy, and are named [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mephesto]]... and then we meet Carl, and it is made very, very clear that he was already a self-centered and vain individual before his video game addiction really hit him hard.
* NiceGuy: Apart from his ValuesDissonance, Jimbroth is a pretty sweet guy. Certainly more so than [[JerkAss Carl]].
* NotDistractedByTheSexy: Carl was so into playing ''Skyguard'' that he failed to realize when his girlfriend came into the living room wearing only a thong.
* OnlySaneMan: Carl is the only person who thinks it's weird that a video game character has come to life.
** However, his concern over the situation is at first limited to the fact that with Jimbroth in the real world, he can't play his game properly.
* PacmanFever: A pointed aversion, many of the terms are CaptainErsatz versions of ''Skyrim'' names, such as The Aura Scrolls, Skyguard, and Jimbroth making reference to Sovnheim as the afterlife. However, the jokes about frostbite spiders, dwarven traps, and soul gems show the creators clearly know about ''Skyrim''. Played straight with other characters aside from Jimbroth and Carl, justified since presumably none of them have played the in-universe game the concepts are taken from.
* PortingDisaster: InUniverse. All this apparently happened as a result of an unexplained glitch in the [=PSZ=] version of ''Skyguard''.
* QueerPeopleAreFunny: The HaveAGayOldTime scene, and Taylin having a mancrush on Jimbroth.
* RealMenCanCook: Jimbroth can cook because Carl spent hours leveling his cooking instead of actually learning how to do it himself.
* RefreshinglyNormalLifeChoice: Being from a high-stakes fantasy world, Jimbroth takes to Carl's more mundane living situation (suburban house, girlfriend, office job, etc) LikeADuckTakesToWater, the film ending with him taking over completely while Carl finds himself in the game.
* RefugeeFromTVLand: Jimbroth was a game character that magically manifested in the real world. While stumbling and confused at first, he adapts very quickly.
* RightBehindMe: Carl's boss speaks badly about him to another employee, who tries to point out that Carl's right behind him. Subverted in that he was aware of it.
--> '''[=LeBron=]:''' Lisa, where is Carl?\\
'''Lisa:''' He’s in, sir.\\
'''[=LeBron=]:''' Perfect. I want that no good, shiftless, witless, mindless, lazy, incompetent, incoherent sack of worthlessness to know just what a cancer he has become and the anus is otherwise fine company. [''Lisa notices Carl behind him.''] I know he is behind me. So Cancer, how is your report coming?
* ShoutOut: When Brad Jones posted it on his site, the description he gave for it was: [[Film/RaisingArizona "When an ex-con and an ex-cop can't have a child together, they help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, causing their lives to become more complicated than they anticipated!"]]
** In the film itself, Jimbroth says, "By the stars of [[Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks Asteroth]]". And when Carl forces everyone to leave, Jessica almost leaves, until Carl catches her, and she responds with [[Film/MaryPoppins "Good luck, guv'na!"]]
** There are a lot of shout outs to game mechanics present in ''Skyrim.'' For example if you put a bucket on someone's head in ''Skyrim'' you are out of their line of sight and therefore you can [[{{Pun}} rob them blind.]] (Though fixed due to a patch) Jimbroth mentions that he did this once.
** [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."]]
** The scene where Jimbroth gives Jessica the amulet is a gender-reversed version of Arwen giving the Evenstar to Aragorn in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing''
** In TheStinger the Mephesto Games employee mentions a bug that [[Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII sent one of the playtesters back in time to year 1885.]]
* ShownTheirWork: Rob Walker is an avid player of ''Skyrim'', as seen by the many in-jokes made throughout.
* SlaveLiberation: A metaphorical one. Jimbroth (having taken the nickname “Jimbo”) considered Carl his master for essentially creating him, but after speaking with [=LeBron=], he begins to realize that the master/slave mindset means nothing.
* StayInTheKitchen: At the drunken strip ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' game, Jessica gets creeped on by the guys and is told to get them a beer. The other female guest does not get this treatment.
* StrawFeminist: Jessica calls one of the male friends a chauvinist for expecting her to go get him a drink, but gigglingly tries to comply with Jimbroth's request of the same.
* StrengthEqualsWorthiness: Carl's boss takes it ''very'' well when Jimbroth flips him, coming to prefer him over the lazy and shifty Carl.
* SureLetsGoWithThat: Whenever Jimbroth is stuck on a question during his Motivational Speech on business that involve actual technical jargon rather than his own Medieval Jargon he turns to [=LeBron=] who nods in a way that says this trope.
* TakeThat: Several to Bethesda and their method of testing games, as well as [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft "World of WarCrack"]].
* TheManyDeathsOfYou
* TrappedInTVLand: [[spoiler:Carl becomes trapped in the game [[GenderBender as the lady character he was creating.]]]]
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Mephesto Games' reactions to the reality warping bugs in their products.
** Also, everyone's reaction to Jimbroth
* VillainProtagonist: Carl
* WarriorPoet: Jimboth is quite sensitive for a proficient killer.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: We never find out what happened to the little girl who Jimbroth "rescued" from a school bus and got drunk on hard cider. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Carl when he belatedly remembers her.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Jimbroth talks like this.
* YouDidntAsk: Jimbroth's reaction to Carl accusing him of not telling him about [[spoiler:in-game pain]].
* YouNeverDidThatForMe: Subverted. When Carl says Jessica never stripped for ''him'', she reminds him that she did it two weeks ago. He's ''that'' out of touch with reality.
----