WATCH: Long-distance BFs finally meet in this sweet standout in the “boy love” genre
Gameboys is widely considered the country’s first mainstream BL story. Conceived of during the early days of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it followed a budding romance between young “gaymers” Cairo (Elijah Canlas) and Gavreel (Kokoy de Santos) who meet via a livestream gaming session and gradually fall in love—all cleverly told through “screenlife,” a.k.a what the guys are seeing and experiencing on their computer screens.Connected through technology, Cairo and Gavreel fell for each other hard—and audiences everywhere found themselves falling for the irresistible Gameboys, too.
In fact, it became such a hit that a feature-length film was green-lit in between the first and second seasons.Released in July 2021, Gameboys: The Movie is the big pay-off for anyone who’d been invested in the gaymers’ long-distance relationship They finally get to meet in person!Thankfully, Cairo and Gavreel’s online chemistry translates to the real world with ease, and we get to follow them on a blissful trip to the beach where they frolic in the sun—it’s all pretty dreamy stuff.But you can’t make a movie out of a perfect beach trip where nothing goes wrong (or can you?
Honestly, we’d like to see it!), and eventually the bubble has to burst. In person, the guys can’t hide behind the relative anonymity of their digital avatars, and soon they realize a relationship isn’t all kisses and giggles.Things are complicated further when they have to share their pandemic getaway with complicated (to say the least) lovers Terrence (Kyle Velino) and Wesley (Miggy Jimenez), as well as Gavreel’s Aunt Susan (Angie Castrenc), who is….
