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This Is Phil Fish

Innuendo Studios · commentary · Watch on YouTube

Gaming culture & analysisInternet culture & memes

What it is

Innuendo Studios uses Phil Fish, creator of the game Fez, as a case study in internet celebrity. The essay argues that fame online works differently from traditional fame, and shows how audiences turn on the people they have elevated.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Commenters repeatedly name it the best explanation of how internet fame, mobs and outrage work, and cite it in threads about harassment and public figures.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 11 different months
  • 5 strong recommendations
  • first 2014, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “For a very good explanation of this type of change-in-relationship, I suggest watching "This is Phil Fish"[4].”

    Explains how internet fame happens to people and how audiences react.

    pdkl95, 2015-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Things the media does to manufacture outrage”

  2. “Phil Fish is an indie game developer, internet-famous for the game Fez.”

    Case study of Phil Fish and internet celebrity.

    ZeroGravitas, 2014-10 · Recommendation · in “"Open Source is awful in many ways, and people should be aware of this"”

  3. “Someone made this very in-depth video about the fall from grace of Phil Fish, the creator of Fez”

    In-depth video on Phil Fish's fall from grace.

    dcolgan, 2017-09 · Recommendation · in “No Man’s Sky One Year Later”

  4. “If you liked that one, it’s worth it to see everything.”

    Part of a larger series on Gamergate worth watching.

    latexr, 2025-01 · Recommendation · in “I deleted my social media accounts”

  5. “It is an interesting watch and applicable to notch.”

    Interesting watch applicable to Notch.

    beeflet, 2025-10 · Recommendation · in “Minecraft removing obfuscation in Java Edition”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: phil fish, internet fame, online harassment, gamergate, video essay

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