Things that I like about the series:
- The concept of this show is very brave and a stroke of genius. The fact that this whole series is about finding love and support during a real life pandemic that was happening all over the world, and while this series was filmed, was brilliant. Because of this, Gameboys has the strongest sense of realism found in a BL since we're all living through the same pandemic.
- Because the pandemic, the show was mostly recorded through web cams and iphone, which further adds to that realness I was talking about. The makes the show completely unique from any other BL that came before it, and gives it a fresh new look we've never seen before.
- Cairo and Gav's relationship was so strong, and so beautiful. The actors, Elijah and Kokoy, have such great chemistry even though they've never actually met face to face before this series. (At least that's what I heard. If I'm wrong, please lmk.) You can tell that Cai and Gav love each other so much despite the distance, and despite all the obstacles that have tried to tear them apart. Their relationship felt natural. The fights they had were relatable. The outcome was perfect. The need to be there for one another. And THANK YOU, they even talked about consent. Gav never did anything without Cai's say-so and I love that so much. Please, let's have more consent in the future! They are one of the best examples of true love conquering all.
- Speaking of the actors, I have to give credit to the rest of their performance. Elijah and Kokoy made this show so strong. They were able to perfectly capture every emotion so flawlessly, and given how real this show felt, you'd swear it was actually happening and not just acting. All the supporting actors, including Elijah's brother and father who both also played Cairo's father and brother, were all spectacular. Elijah's family is one with so much talent.
- Speaking of supporting actors, there's one in particular that definitely deserves her own shout out. I FUCKING LOVE PEARL!! SHE IS MY QUEEN! I STAN HER FOR LIFE!!! OMG Pearl was the perfect wingwoman and best friend to both Cai and Gav. She literally took on every problem the boys had and worked to help make everything right while also spouting some real life facts that everyone should listen to, such as never using mental health as an excuse for doing something wrong. That was my favorite quote of the entire series!
- Onto another supporting actor who not a lot of people enjoy his character, but I have some things to say about it. TERRANCE. I actually like how the show handled Terrance's redemption. We see that Terrance did act foolish and everyone deserves to be pissed, but after some more of Pearl's words of wisdom, Terrance actually moved towards moving on and trying to be a better person. We rarely see a moment like that in BL where the supposed bad guy is actually working towards doing better. Even going so far as to help Gav and Cairo during their own lover's quarrel during the final episodes. We even got to see more of Terrance in a bonus episode where we learn more about him and his feelings. I appreciate his redemption.
- This show was not afraid of tackling some hard topics that a lot of us have been going through since the pandemic began. We've dealt with the loss of loved ones, feeling alone, the need to communicate, and more importantly understanding that we're all in this together. Even still, we had some other topics outside of COVID such as coming out, and accepting yourself, forgiveness, and learning to trust. I applaud this show for all the lessons it gave us.

Things that I didn't like about the series:
- There isn't a lot of bad things I have to say about this show. I've seen other people's thoughts about Gameboys, and one thing that everyone seemed to agree upon is how cheesy the show is. Okay, is the show cheesy? It is. If you don't like cheesy dialogue, then you might not enjoy this show all that much. For me, I didn't mind it as much. Did it get ridiculous at times? Of course! But I also enjoyed it, so it wasn't much of an issue for me, but it may be for others.
- I've talked about how Gav and Cairo's relationship was realistic, and it is. Unfortunately that also means they can be quite frustrating at times. A lot of couples in BL always seem to have this problem. COMMUNICATION!!!! Seriously, there was so many times where I was literally screaming at the screen for them to JUST TALK! SAY WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND! Okay yes, if they did, then we wouldn't have a show. I get that, but it was still frustrating. I also didn't like how Cai was willing to believe a total stranger's words about Gav without actually talking to Gav about it first. Like, why would you do that? Also Gav's jealousy towards the end of the series when Wesley was introduced was so juvenile, it hurt to watch. Granted yes, I've seen guys irl get that petty. It's realistic, but it's still annoying.
- Since we're already talking about the end of the series, episodes 11-13, while they were good in their own right, I felt they didn't really mesh well with the series. From what I heard, and I could be wrong about this, the show was originally going to end at episode 10, but then 3 more were added. If that was the case, it shows that the last 3 were add ons. There was no real cohesion. The whole thing with Wesley being introduced and Gav being jealous felt like a repeat of the whole situation with Terrance, but in reverse. I guess it was so Wesley could be introduced since he and Terrance will be returning for season 2, but I felt like he could've been introduced without the unnecessary jealousy.

Overall Thoughts:
This show is definitely one for the history books. Congrats to the Philippines for creating such a bold and successful series. I adore Gav and Cai, and I'm so excited to see season 2 when it airs. The show definitely makes you forget that it's a show because of how real it feels. It's like you're intruding on someone else's private affairs. Pearl was definitely the MVP of this series, and I actually did watch her spinoff series "Pearl Next Door." I know it's a GL, but if you guys want me to review it, let me know. I love all the lessons this show has tackled, and how it makes us all feel like we're in this pandemic together. It did have some minor flaws, but if you're in the mood for a cheesy AF show to relax into, I'd definitely check this show out. Just make sure to bring tissues when the more sensitive topics come about.

Rank: 9/10