A fan of online personalities and streams? So are we. And while we all enjoy PewDiePie, there are a few channels out there that also offer something special you may not be following. So, if you’re bored and have some time this weekend, check these youtubers out and see if they strike your fancy.
Do you like video games? Movies? Both? We’ll break it down for you:
For The Movie Lovers:
Every Frame A Painting
Tony Zhou’s channel about film form is more entertaining and more educational than most film school classes you could ever take. He breaks down the styles of different famous filmmakers (even ones you may not like), to show you why their techniques produce effective visual and emotional results. If you were ever curious about the language of all types of film and what certain movies do to influence your brain, there isn’t a better channel to recommend. By the time you’re done, you’ll know the top tricks of all the best filmmakers.
Good for: Film students, people who watch all the special features on their blu-rays
The Long Take
Rafael Gamboa focuses less on film form and more on the stylistic merits of film. After all, art films and action films both have different goals in mind with their narrative and such can be appreciated in different ways. His first video outlines the differences and similarities between the three main genres of film: entertainment, drama, and arthouse using the examples of Edge of Tomorrow, Whiplash, and Under The Skin. It’s an exceptional video that shows great promise for the future of the channel. We can’t wait to see what he posts next.
Good for: Film students, film critics
For The Game Lovers:
Errant Signal
Chris views gaming through an interesting lens. He looks at games as a series of systems rather than a multimedia experience. He looks at the intensions of the game, how it goes about achieving its goals, and judges it on its own merits. If you’re at all curious about game design or looking at how video games use their game play to manipulate the player, Errant Signal does an excellent job breaking down the industry on a game by game basis and telling you as objectively as it can which games achieve their goals and which fall short.
Good For: Programmers, game designers
Matthewmatosis
Matthewmatosis runs a pretty straightforward channel. He does themed gamed reviews and thus far has covered the Zelda, Mario, and Metal Gear franchises among others. Our personal favorite video of his is featured above: a breakdown of Bioshock Infinite and his thoughts on the narrative. He doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but his Irish accent is great to listen to and his musings are casual yet insightful.
Good for: Those who love game reviews, people who like listening to commentaries
For those who love geek culture:
Lorerunner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niwbGGQ_dpY
Have you ever wanted to dig deep into the canon of Star Wars, Star Trek, or just about any story near and dear to your heart? If so, Lorerunner is your guy. He does break downs of films, TV shows, and games in addition to doing Let’s Plays that focus on story and setting. He’s steeped in geek culture while being very down to Earth (unless he’s feeling playfully theatrical, of course) so you never feel like you’re listening to a zealot for geek culture. He’s like a good friend who will sit down with you to play a game or watch a movie… and maybe talk about the story behind them along the way.
Good for: Those looking to hang out, storytellers,
MrBtongue
Don’t let his strange name fool you, MrBtongue may be the most brilliant youtube personality on the internet. His debut video completely broke down why the Mass Effect 3 ending didn’t work in a measured, logical, and hysterical way. His subsequence videos are full of amusing and well articulated commentary that’s sure to teach you more than most college classes. He may go a while between posts, but when he does it’s always worth your time.
Good for: Geek culture enthusiasts, movie fans, those into classical literature, gamers.
For those who love humor:
Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?
A brother/sister comedy show that features surreal gaming humor that’s equal parts offensive and hilarious. No subject is taboo, no game is above spoofing, and no amount of nostalgia is sacred. You may know the show’s male lead, Anthony Burch, as the head writer of Borderlands 2. His sister Ashley Burch was Tiny Tina in Borderlands 2, Breezy Bee in Adventure Time, and Cassie Cage in Mortal Kombat X.
Good for: Fans of reference humor, fans of surreal humor, fans of offensive humor… really just people who like to laugh and stuff.
Team Four Star
These guys had the brilliant idea of taking the admittedly ridiculous show and reedited it as a comedy. In the years that followed, their show Dragon Ball Z Abridged has only gotten better. Their reach has also expanded, covering Let’s Plays as their DBZA characters. Every October they also do an episode of Hellsing Abridged, which may even be better than their DBZ spoof.
Good for: Fans of spoofs and 90s nostalgia, those who love anime but don’t take it too seriously, fans of funny “Let’s Play” videos
