Gaming Youtube channels can be a bit of a mine field. For someone like me, who doesn’t enjoy most juvenile gaming humor or Let’s Play Video’s, the take can be pretty sparse. In general, I like game based channels with a hint of intelligence and that occasionally delve into deeper issues beyond “is it fun?”
Now to get into the nitty gritty, these are my top picks for video game YouTube channels (in no particular order):
State of Play with Brandon Bales
I don’t know quite how I stumbled onto “State of Play,” and most of the videos don’t have more than 1500 views. Considering the names he’s interviewed, that’s pretty small. “State of Play” is a video game interview channel, primarily focused on indie developers and the games they work on. Some of his earlier interviews suffer from poor audio, etc, but since then he’s really polished up both his interviewing and his technical capacity.
Brandon is one of the better interviewers I’ve seen on YouTube, both in the sense of his earnestness and his knowledge of the medium. He’s interviewed both members of Team Meat, David Jaffe, Jonathan Blow, and Kellee Santiago among others. The interviews can be really long and in-depth, but are great fun if you’re interested in game development or the indie scene.
Rev3 Games
Rev3 is probably where I get most of my AAA title information. The channel features some of the best personalities in video game journalism, like Adam Sessler, Tara Long, Max Scoville, and Anthony Carboni.
The channel delves into things like E3 and news, but it also has some great discussions in shows like “Max Scoville’s Study Hall,” where Max discusses other media that might interest you if you like certain games, and “Spoiled Games” where some bigger titles are dissected for viewers who have already finished the game and want to discuss it more in-depth.
Extra Credits
If you’re looking for in-depth analysis into game culture with probably the most hopeful attitude in the business, then Extra Credits is for you. “Extra Credits” is about getting that deeper look into how games are made and how they can be better. With videos on the global game market, game narrative, and micro-transactions, “Extra Credits” is quick to explain–in detail–concepts and academia related to the culture and industry.
“Extra Credits” is a great way to learn more about gaming from a place of love. Often times, when you run into academic resources about game culture and writing, etc, it can come off as really negative. But “Extra Credits” just loves games so much that it can’t wait for them to be all they can be.
The Gaming Historian
As hard as it is to take someone with the username MC Frosticles seriously, Gaming Historian is a great series about classic games and their history. If you’ve ever wondered about where Sonic the Hedgehog came from, “Gaming Historian” has you covered.
Separated into 10 minute bite sized chunks, Norman Caruso goes into great detail on things like failed consoles (The Nintendo 64DD for example) that I’ve never even heard of. It’s a great way to learn more about video game history without feeling like you’re stuck in a history classroom. Some of the earlier videos are bogged down by a lengthy and unnecessary intro, and it took him a while to get proper lighting and sound equipment, but the videos are definitely worth a watch.
Zero Punctuation – the Escapist
While I typically avoid juvenile humor, there is something deep inside of me that greatly enjoys “Zero Punctuation”. I can’t quite explain it. I have watched every single ZP video on YouTube probably seven times. If I tried hard enough, there are certain episodes I can recite.
ZP is known for a yellow and black incredibly basic art style and his extreme dislike of most video games. There are games he enjoys (Half Life 2, Bastion, Portal all come to mind), but most of his reviews tend to feature him eviscerating the work of game developers. In the world of reviewers who are paid by publishers, and game reviews that are always 8 or 9 out of 10 stars, it’s nice to have someone wondering why every game is populated by chest high walls.
Also, he’s funny. He talks about throwing bad developers in a Hessian sack and having day laborers beat them. It’s funny in context.
These are my top channels for YouTube gaming videos. What channels do you enjoy?
