I love TheRadBrad and I recently started watching Jacksepticeye. But I was wondering who others watch?
Is there anyone you used to watch but stopped? If so, what made you stop?
I love TheRadBrad and I recently started watching Jacksepticeye. But I was wondering who others watch?
Is there anyone you used to watch but stopped? If so, what made you stop?
Never understood why people want to watch other people play video games.
Just play the game yourself?
@retrometal: I have watched some play throughs of terrible games I would never want to play. good background material while working, and I have no desire to play Escape Dead Island or Sonic Boom myself due to their being terrible games, but at times hilarious to watch and hear people whine about.
Jim Sterling's Jimpressions are good for this. I am never going to play that crap but I find it interesting to watch. I don't watch his videos on games I actually might like.
I can see why someone might watch a story game just for the story or a game like Minecraft to see how others play. Lots of reasons.
I really love Gamesack. They do tremendous videos on older games and consoles with very high quality editing (rare on Youtube but Joe is professional video editor and very very good.) Their video on the 3DO is fantastic and I really love a lot of their stuff.
I liked chris smooth back in the day but havent watched in a few years.
Besides that its mostly giant bomb and that Maximilian(i think) guy about fighting games etc.
Ok, now that I think back on it, I used to watch some guy named Bobya or something like that who worked for IGN... he would play Call of Duty and chat about his daily life... I did get sucked into watching those.
Carry on!
I watch Northernlion (I watch a ton of his stuff) and RoosterTeeth (Let's Play mainly) and of course Giant Bomb.
Used to watch Seananners and Captain Sparklez a bunch but I wasn't a fan of how their content evolved.
I watch a lot of Pre Rec. It's Rich Evans and Jack from the Redletter Media guys. I like their commentary on a variety of games.
@retrometal: It has very little to do with the actual game in my experience, it's the personalities. Watch someone for long enough and it feels like you're just hanging out with an old friend, regardless of what's being played. Why watch Giant Bomb play random games on UPF or Mario Party or any of their video content? You could just find raw gameplay footage on youtube or read a review/preview. I continue to watch content on this site because I enjoy the crew and their interactions with each other, it's no different for let's plays or whatever you want to call them.
Game Informer has some entertaining stuff, I get my daily dose of Tim Turi from old Replays and Super Replays.
The Game Chasers are great, they don't really play games on the show but it's all about collecting old games. Lot's of flea markets and odd/goofy people. Basically American Pickers for games based out of Texas but they travel the country and have even gone to Norway.
I've also started watching Mary Kish play through Resident Evil games which is equal parts frustrating and enjoyable.
The only person I watch right now is KatiePlaysStuff. She plays a lot of horror games, story based adventures, and short indie game. She would fit in around here pretty well; she is just one of those genuinely likeable people.
I pretty much only watch Giant Bomb. I find most people on Youtube, both in gaming and in tech, insufferable. They confuse being interesting with being over-the-top and absurd. That's what seems to get the views though, so it's hard to blame them. Personally, I'd rather listen to Jeff talk about retro games than listen to people yell about how excited they are about Battlefield.
I don't really watch people playing games other than Giant Bomb.
I do occasionally check out some looks at strategy game players - quill18 and HeirofCarthage are some that I've watched. Don't really have time to watch a lot of other people playing games.
There are a few I like.
Super Bunnyhop is good and Im sure plenty of people here are familiar
Raycevick is a fairly smaller youtuber but he did some kick ass retrospectives on Halo and Mass Effect
Outside Xbox and Outside Xtra generally put out fun videos and dumb lists
Halo Cannon because Im a big Halo dork
Level Cap is one I used to watch a bunch because I loved BF3 and BF4 but haven't really kept up with him much lately because BF1 sucked so much ass.
I check Super Best Friends pretty often. Otherwise Maximilian dood (for fighting game coverage) and Metal Jesus Rocks (retro/hobbyist collector).
Never understood why people want to watch other people play video games.
Just play the game yourself?
Uh, I think you're on the wrong site dude...
The Best Friends Zaibatsu and Liam's Twitch archive, Ray/BrownMan, Lawrence Sonntag from Funhaus has some interesting streams, and hearing A German Spy bitch about Chie/Erin Fitzgerald is pretty amusing.
The Super Best Friends are the only ones I watch everyday. There are another half dozen channels I'll watch occasionally, but only if they're playing something I'm particularly interested in.
I liked chris smooth back in the day but havent watched in a few years.
Besides that its mostly giant bomb and that Maximilian(i think) guy about fighting games etc.
Splaaaaaaaash
Honestly I never got into the YouTube scene. It's really interesting, because, I have friends who are only 5-6 years younger than me who can easily name any number of YouTubers that do various things. One of the things that rubs me the wrong way about YouTube in general is the inexplicably frequent use of jump cuts. There are few ways to get me to stop watching someone, even when I like what they're saying, faster than jump cuts.
Most of what I've seen from YouTube gaming personalities strikes me as more obnoxious than fun. This is entirely personality-based, of course. I used to not understand the appeal of watching people play games at all.
I will occasionally watch Co-Optitude, which can be pretty funny. Honestly most of the stuff I've seen with people playing games just has them yelling and being generally loud and obnoxious, and it's super annoying. I've been a Giant Bombcast fan since 2011 or so and even then I only supposed subscribed last year.
As a side note, the occasional conversations that they have on the Bombcast and Beastcast about YouTubers and streamers ALWAYS annoy me because it's like the crew never acknowledges the similarities they have.
I just find the whole YouTube gaming personality scene intolerable. I don't know if it's an age thing or what, because 5+ years ago I was hooked on people like AVGN and Spoony. Now I just can't remember what I ever liked about them.
I started a gaming website about five years ago, and had a very small but dedicated readership. That's dropped to about one reader (I appreciate that my wife will still read what I write). I was told many times by many people that if I really wanted to make anything out of it I'd have to start a YouTube channel and focus on videos. That's not what I wanted to do though, so I didn't.
My kids like DanTDM and Markiplier. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me but they're obviously doing good work for a great deal of people.
For me its mainly Two Best Friends (or TheSw1cther), Maximilian Dood (Not a big fighting game guy, but I enjoy his videos), YoVideoGames (Maximilian and Friends playing games), Rising Superstream, Jim Sterling and Videogamedunkey. Though I need to watch Patrick Klepek more often. I remember watching his Super Mario Maker mornings and I wonder what he's been producing now ever since he's joined Waypoint.
As a side note, the occasional conversations that they have on the Bombcast and Beastcast about YouTubers and streamers ALWAYS annoy me because it's like the crew never acknowledges the similarities they have.
I understand this, but it's important to remember where Jeff and Brad and the like came from. They started in what is now essentially New-Old Media at this point. They're critics and journalists. They also entertain, but Jeff will never not look at games critically and he takes his position seriously. They Bombcrew is silly but also still maintains the journalistic integrity that the people on YouTube and Twitch just don't need to have as a part of their entertainment. That's not to say everyone on YouTube is a shill or anything, but it is a bit different.
I'm biased because my brother @upperdecker(Rogue Ocean Gaming - get on the ball and start making videos again, man) is a YouTuber, but he's genuinely the funniest guy I know so I'm fond of his videos.
He also sat me down and had me watch some of the Neebs (I think I'm getting that right) videos this week, which were kind of hit and miss, but I really did like their Subnautica video stuff. I don't tend to gravitate much towards YouTube stuff in general, but I can see the appeal.
I think it all depends on what you want out of a youtube channel. I personnaly only watch 2 different youtubers. I watch FrankieonPCin1080P because he does a phenominal Role Play experience with DayZ and strives to make content that is entertaining and good. I also watch Neebs gaming because that is 5 friends who do the role play experience with ARK, Subnautica, Grand Theft Auto 5, etc. They give each other shit and their videos are very entertaining to me.
I don't go to Youtubers to watch gameplay necessarily. I play ARK more than any game right now, and I love every week watching new Neebs Ark Survival videos. Just like I do not pay for a premium membership on this site to watch Quick Looks. I subscribe to be entertained. I think you have to find a youtuber with a sense of humor/perspective/seriousness/whatever it is you are looking for and enjoy them.
Youtubers are hard to follow if a game is good because they are only going to show you the entertaining stuff to make sure their content is good, which makes you want to buy the game, only to find out they LEFT OUT a lot of boring shit. That's why sometimes I enjoy Giant Bomb. There are people excited about an aspect of a game, and there are others that will tell you the shitty stuff. Anywhoo, i'm babbling. good talk.
Never understood why people want to watch other people play video games.
Just play the game yourself?
did you really post this on giant bomb dot com
I used to feel that way but now I simply adore watching people play games online. As I've grown older and seeing as how the world economy has effected my game collection greatly, I find enjoyment seeing YouTubers play games that I don't have the time to play. My favourite is usually when the play real crappy games. It helps me expose to new games that I've never heard before or were originally skeptical at first. Game Grumps in particular is the best because the things they say during gameplay about their personal lives and opinions about the world is super duper entertaining. Here's one my fav episodes of theirs:
There are a few exceptions to watching YouTubers play games however:
Never understood why people want to watch other people play video games.
Just play the game yourself?
I started watching Aculite for his PUBG videos. He's speaks softly, doesn't scream or shout, doesn't overreact to stuff, doesn't have a stupid video of his face or obnoxiously distracting overlay graphics, and he seems like a friendly, normal, modest Canadian dude.
His reflexes are also scary fast.
If PewDiePie still counts, I think that's the closest I get. Though to be honest I mostly watch his non-gaming stuff. Other than that I sometimes watch Gameranx "Before you buy" reviews, they come off as very down to earth and genuine and open about their own preferences and how that may influence their take. When I was heavily into Starcraft I would watch Day[9] a ton though.
I find myself not reallt drawn to most gaming youtube because I just don't have the time for it. If I really want to watch some dudes play games there's enough content on GB for that to keep me occupied.
I'd actually like some recommendations for YouTubers. I occasionally watch playthroughs of games when I need to have something play in the background while I do some mindless work, or when I'm semi-interested in a game but don't have the time/energy/interest to play it myself. I enjoy laidback people (hence me being here on Giant Bomb), and outside of the Giant Bomb staff (especially Jeff's old game streams) I usually find myself gravitating towards Patrick or Danny. Unfortunately but understandingly they haven't been uploading much in the form of playthroughs lately, so I'd like to hear about alternatives in the same wheelhouse. I can't stand players who try to be over the top. I sometimes have theRadBrad playing the background, who's a decent guy but can sometimes already try a bit too hard for my taste.
I started watching Aculite for his PUBG videos. He's speaks softly, doesn't scream or shout, doesn't overreact to stuff, doesn't have a stupid video of his face or obnoxiously distracting overlay graphics, and he seems like a friendly, normal, modest Canadian dude.
His reflexes are also scary fast.
Someone like him sounds perfect for what I'm looking for.
ACG/Karak. Not really a fan of his overuse of weird ass metaphors but he seems a more honest reviewer and doing them on the merits of the game no matter the genre.
Matthewmatosis: Gets very analytical about what works in a game and what doesn't. The Metal Gear/Zelda looks in particular are fantastic.
Joseph Andersen: same idea as Matthew if he'd actually be more frequent with videos.
I used to watch Jesse Cox, some itmeJP, and the occasional Jim Sterling or TotalBiscuit video, but I find I don't have time to keep up with everything anymore. These days, if I watch anyone playing games on YouTube, it's TeamFourStar -- specifically Lani, Kirran, and Grant (by the way), as they have the most entertaining chemistry out of all the guys there (and Grant name drops Giant Bomb a fair amount, which is a nice surprise). My girlfriend's been watching a lot of Press Buttons 'n Talk (with Manky and ProZD), and they're pretty hilarious.
Oh, and let's not forget the powerhouse that is Jeff Green. His Dark Souls speedruns are the standard by which all others are judged.
A lot of the more popular, shrill youtubers rub me the wrong way, which is why I'm hanging out on a site with a bunch of old farts as the Personalities. I do watch some youtube people though, and they are mostly more laid back. This list is gonna be a lot like that Let's Play recommendation thread.
Superbunnyhop, Joseph Anderson and Errant Signal are my main analytical guys. Joseph Anderson is by far my favorite of them, because he's less about themes and more about the gameplay, and he goes super deep into whatever he plays, usually beating it several times before posting a video. He's also the one that sounds the least monotone as he reads his script. His videos are terribly long, though.
I like Yahtzee's stuff. Zero Punctuation doesn't need any introduction, but he also did a ton of let's plays with his mate Gabe on his own channel, mostly under the "Let's Drown Out" moniker. I basically like those because it's two foul-mouthed friends arguing constantly and one of them is Yahtzee. Zero Punctuation has a special place in my heart because outside of like Shammy, there are precious few video game video creators that do this sort of script-based comedy, and I still tend to watch it every week despite being what, a decade old next year? Yahtzee has started doing streams for the Escapist with whatever other employees they have(as well as his girlfriend) after moving away from Gabe, but wishing no offense to those people, it's just not the same.
My actual favorite youtuber is probably Epicnamebro, a man that doesn't get anywhere near youtube these days except to upload twitch archives. He was one of the earliest people to do anything with the Souls games on youtube, and uploaded lore videos before Vaatividya made it big, following it up with a lot of Dark/Demon's Souls let's play videos. He's also done stuff with Binding of Isaac, Persona 5, Dragon's Crown, Nioh, Final Fantasy Tactics(and 8, and X) and Strider, but you'll need to go to Twitch for much of it. His career seems to be a journey to escape the roles he's typecast in, because he would have to dissuade people from asking him to do more lore videos for years("I only did them because nobody else did") and after being the big Souls guy(and contributing to the official guides for Dark Souls 2 and Bloodborne) he got pretty fed up with being asked every day when he was gonna do more Souls stuff. He is, at his core, more of a Challenge Run dude than anything, the kinda guy who loves playing Ninja Gaiden with zero continues for hours on end, making slightly more progress each time. He's also such a pleasant guy, it's not like he never gets agitated or has a mood, but mostly his streams are the most comfortable thing.
Besides those, I also watch ChipCheezum, another laidback youtuber that goes very deep into the things he loves. Compare his let's plays against Dan and Drew's playthrough of Metal Gear Rising Revengeance for the full effect. Additionally I watch Spoiler Warning, MrBTongue, TheGamingBritShow and Maximillian Dood. Spoiler Warning is basically a complain-a-ton, while MrBTongue is their evolved and refined form that only descends from the heavens once every decade to deliver us a really good complaint. The Gaming Brit Show is the only analysis/criticism show I watch that has some swagger, it's like if Dante took some college classes and decided to discuss video games, and I love his videos a lot currently. Maximillian Dood is basically just my fighting game content provider. I haven't searched, he was just there, the most popular one. As a result he's a bit more shrill and loud than the rest of this crowd, but not that much more, or I couldn't stand watching. Finally, I'll watch an Oxbox video now and then. It's vapid top 10 content, but they're likeable people with nice accents that deliver video game trivia.
I used to watch AVGN back in college. Old NES games were something I never played, but just sort of revered from a distance, and it was hilarious when this dude made a ton of videos where he shat on them all in the most foul-mouthed way. I remember watching it during recess with my friend and just keeling over in laughter. As the years have gone by though, the novelty wore off. I've dropped Jim Sterling. It's preaching to the choir the channel at this point, he harps on the same points of development/publishing forever to no effect. I also used to watch Loading Ready Run, the Canadian sketch people that do that Desert Bus fundraiser every year. Eventually their humor just didn't tickle me anymore.
The Super Best Friends are pretty OK, although I think they are too reactionary at times, too biased. For example, I couldn't get past the third episode of their Beyond Two Souls LP because they seemed really desperate to say shit about the game. I don't say it's a good game (fuck no.) But when they are complaining about the game having lens flare, that's a bit much.
And then them, there's the Monster Factory Bros. Even a bad MF episode is hilarious. Can't really say a bad thing about them. They're doing god's work.
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