2003 / Video / Machinima comedy web series
Red vs. Blue
Two soldiers standing in a box canyon asked the question that launched machinima comedy: “Why are we here?”
The original is off-site. HAHrchives preserves the story and a route back to it.
What was this?
Two Red-team soldiers debate the purpose of their apparently useless base while their Blue-team counterparts stand across the canyon. The elaborate existential opening immediately collapses into a deadpan argument about standing around and talking.
Why it spread
The series circulated through the original Red vs. Blue site, downloads, fan forums, and shared links. Its short episodes made game footage into an ongoing comedy series rather than a gameplay clip.
What happened
Two Red-team soldiers debate the purpose of their apparently useless base while their Blue-team counterparts stand across the canyon. The elaborate existential opening immediately collapses into a deadpan argument about standing around and talking.
Where it came from
Burnie Burns and the Rooster Teeth team created Red vs. Blue by staging Halo gameplay and recording comic dialogue over it. The first episode, “Why Are We Here?”, premiered online on April 1, 2003.
Why it mattered
Red vs. Blue established machinima as a durable comedy format: familiar game worlds could become low-cost sets for scripted characters, serial jokes, and a genuinely web-native audience.
How it spread
The series circulated through the original Red vs. Blue site, downloads, fan forums, and shared links. Its short episodes made game footage into an ongoing comedy series rather than a gameplay clip.
Keep going
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