Game Zoom Max

Game Zoom Max (GZM; stylized as game zoom MaX...) is an American comedy web series. The series' main characters are parodies of Nintendo and Sega characters. The show heavily satirizes suburban America, the American lifestyle, Internet culture, and social media.

The show was created by Bryan Bluemore, who writes and directs most episodes. Originally, the series' location was undetermined. However, in the 2009 episode "Sonic Goes to Burger King", it was revealed that the series was set in Orlando, Florida, which is where the show is filmed. In the early 2010s, the show started to revolve more around Bowser Koopa and his son. Since late 2017, the show has revolved more around Mario and Rosalina Rosso.

Portal Video currently releases the show on its website. The series premiered on February 6, 2008. As of March 17, 2021, the series has run for 594 episodes spanning across 14 seasons. The show won the Greeny Award for Best Comedy Series a record-breaking seven times, and won Best Series in 2018. It also won the Sammy Award for Outstanding Comedy Show in 2015 and 2020, as well as Indie Award for Best Web Series in 2017.

Setting
The show's location was originally left undetermined. However in the 2009 episode "Sonic Goes to Burger King", it was revealed that the show took place in Orlando.

Characters
All of the show's characters are either rewritten versions of existing Mario or Sonic characters or based on Nintendo or Sega characters. Characters are portrayed using plush toys with strings attached so that they can be used as puppets.

Origins
Bryan Bluemore initially conceptualized Game Zoom Max in the 2000s. In early 2006, he produced a short film titled Super Mario in Real Life, which featured Mario and Luigi on the street in Orlando. Bluemore made the short film within two days, and released it on YouTube the day after production was completed. About three months later, he made another short film titled Sonic in Real Life, which had a similar premise and featured Sonic and Tails instead.

In 2008, Bluemore met with Portal Video co-founder Joel Nelson and showed him the short films. Nelson praised the short film, and Bluemore pitched a short film based on the series to Nelson, who agreed to produce the series almost instantly.

Series
The series premiered on Portal Video on February 6, 2008 with "Sonic's Room". The first season ended November 21, 2008, and was met with increasingly positive reception. Because of this, production started on a second season, which premiered on January 30, 2009.

The season two premiere, "Game Night", was the last episode of the series to be produced in 4:3 standard-definition. The following episode, "Bowser's Soda", was the first episode to be produced in 1080p 16:9 high-definition.

Following the production of the second season, Joel Nelson stepped down as executive producer and was replaced by Sheen Gordon as executive producer.

In 2018, all season one episodes, along with the season two premiere, were re-released in high-definition to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary.

Writing
Most episodes of the show are written by Bryan Bluemore himself. Scripts typically do not use the traditional Courier format do to time constraints, as they typically have to be written in two days. More recently, Bluemore has written episodes with co-stars, namely Barry Gowen and Kevin Lane.

Filming
Game Zoom Max is filmed in Orlando, Florida, mostly at Bluemore and his co-stars' houses. However, some scenes that are set in public places, such as stores and convenience stores, are filmed at the Portal Video Studios.

Cast
The show stars Bryan Bluemore, Barry Gowen, Kevin Lane, Seth Keymore, and Monica Bradley in multiple roles. Keith Chessman and Tommy Jay Logan have recurring roles on the show.