What's wrong with gaming video shows on the net? Tell me your opinions.

I haven't watched any of your videos but as long as you can avoid the following then I think you have a winning formula.

1. Face time with the presenter is fine if used sparingly like for an introduction, transition or wrap-up.
2. As long as the voiceovers are or at least sound like they have been rehearsed then I do not have a problem with them. Word vomit, gratuitous use of "umm", pointless or trailed off thoughts and other inner monologue are probably the most irritating part of any video especially ones related to gaming. If your words warrant this kind of response then you are doing it wrong.
3. Set up everything (or as much as possible) ahead of time. Watching a pair of hands fumbling around with the product and the camera while violating #2 gets old fast.
4. Scathing comments/reviews need to be kept to a minimum. If something falls short of your expectations then at least be civil about it. Haters are every bit as annoying as "this company can do no wrong" fan boys. If the subject is that bad then it is not worth the time complaining about it.

 

I guess it really depends on what you (the viewer) is looking for, albeit editing/acting/informing style plays a major role.
The shows I follow tend to be more on the informative side than ludic.
I absolutely love lukemorse1, arcade repais, hackawaytv and retrogametech videos. As you probably guessed, they're hardware-oriented. And by nature, they tend to be long videos (20min+), with occasional rambling (I'd say necessary). I like Game Sack too, as said before, because of it's eclectic approach (well, sort of. I don't like the nintendocentrism american youtubers folks tend to, even though I kinda understand where that comes from).

I'm gonna mention some names and why I gave up on them (or I will soon... or just what I don«t like)
- Game Chasers. It's feeling like too much scripting. Also, burps & farts jokes constantly. I still watch it, though, to learn about rarities and the thrill of the hunt feeling (it served me right for me to start looking for flea market alternatives, though I found out i'd just need to ask people, really)
- retroliberty: editing style kinda ruins it for me. too much cuts for bad jokes and ego-stroking. also, too much yt retrogaming circle-jerking.
- Gamequest: same reasons above, plus too much haircare products and not much to learn about videogaming, really. (I miss my shoulder length hair and grunge phase, though... :S)
- Lazy Game Reviews: i just watch his thrifting videos and tbh I like it. Except for the (duke nukem) voice acting and e-begging.
- Gamester81: more and more, I get the feeling I'm watching a 15min advertise. I used to love his videos, now I try to skip to the point, condensating it all in like a 3-4 mins watching. I heavily dislike his recent internet drama, that's something i wasn't expecting from him. I guess he balances his positive and negative comments badly.
- CGR: I like it. short, simple, light humor. a perfect retro gaming daily fix. plus, sega and md controller. you can't go wrong
- Pat & Ian video podcast: like it because of how they segment it, are usually concise and tend to approach themes from a psico-social perspective (I get the feeling Pat has a degree, or at least went to Psychology, in college? I'm a psycologist myself). Anyways, I find the videos more interesting and appealing than the podcast (maybe language barriers play a role here). And even though I try to do some other stuff while having the video on the background, I end up just watching it.
- ProJared: got to know him from some hangouts video (maybe game chasers?). like is 1 minute review and the ocassional stuff he does... yeah.
- AndrewsGamesDisplay: i kinda sympathize with this kid, but I find it get boring fast, plus the accent and speech speed dont help me much (being non english native speaker). I kinda feel he's a bit underrated and would deserve more subs and views if only he find his niche on the overly saturated pick ups & lets plays videos.
- Alphaomegasin: *chirp*... *chirp*... *chirp*...

It might be a bit unfair to classify all these shows by the same rules (as they've pretty different and oriented styles). Just my (as fundamentally as possible in the context) opinion.

About your shows, I knew Retro Core from Underground-Gamer. There used to be (and still is ) this huge vids torrent which is almost a classic. Battle of the Ports is an interesting concept. What I would do differently? Maybe wrap it all in a single line of though but that'd require extensive gameplay and writing. I can only assume it takes long enough for an average video, let it be one like these for a single person. On/off camera? A balance between both, though I prefer to see more of the action.

Sheesh, that was long... :|

 

You're not the only one. I guess becuase i'm not some metal head screaming or doing a character with smart ass pointless comments My show should be more popular than it is but it's not Keep the comments coming guys. I'm making notes of every thing said. Also, thanks for all the input so far.

Some fantastic points there. I also agree about Gamester81. His videos over that last few months aren't that good. His editing and general production values are pretty low too IMO but at least he knows how to use a green screen unlike me Also, he never cleans his consoles

It's hard to believe but the average Battle of the Ports takes about 8 to 10 hours to produce. Crazy when they are normally under 30 minutes long. Retro Core takes about the same but that time is mostly taken up with audio mixing and editing rather than playing a million copies of the same game. I don't think I'll be changing Battle of the ports although I do see why people want a voice over version. maybe the next one I make will be available in two formats. Voice over and the standard text version. I'll see which gets the most hits and take it from there.

Oh, and just for the record, I really like Game Sack. It's the ONLY internet video games show I do like. People like that Omega guy just piss me off. The AVGN is good though because that's just a character and NOT a games review show. It's classed as an entertainment show IMO.

 

^^ yeah?! :concern:
we don't live in should-land.
it's totally unreasonable to EXPECT that the planet FOLDS and likes the vids, individual tastes and that.
the response above you said it best, all depends on what the direction is and the subject?
those 'metal heads' obviously have something going for them, or they be dead in a bed. (agreed, they are impossible to stomach, but there's a world out there)
wouldn't dare to lump you in with the bad crowd, but i DO have the option to KILL the vid, and walk away, and there's not a goddamn thing you can do about it...bar strike a balance.
as ONE user, i don't watch vids for fun, my time is precious, and extremely focused and objective vids get a share of it.
unboxing vids? (john spartan: somebody put me back in the fridge)
yelling? n/a. (not guilty)
vox? not on the decibel level of some listed, but it's a human being and it's enough to put me off.
can modify outlook if it's REDUCED to it's bare minimum.
what you do have, and can't be improved upon is dedication to that cause.
it just falls under format/presentation now. :wink-new:

 

Well one thing for sure though, Yakumo. Your video convince me a 100% to buy a framemeister.

I like watching Yongyea videos on youtube, usually give me detailed analysis that are very well informed researched material before uploading.

I am kinda mixed about Alphaomegasin's video, i find the guy pretty funny, but often if his video is a rant video, it ends up dragging to long.

Then there was Reviewtechusa, i find too many times the guy just talks out of his ass making it mostly just random speculation. And his retro videos are terrible compare to the more obscure, he makes it like his method is only correct one out there when there are way more experienced and superior method of modding or other retro related stuff out on forums and youtube.

 

Honestly my three favorite YouTube gaming shows are TNT amusements, Game Sack, and Gamer Logic. What I love about gamer logic is he's very passionate about what ever gaming subject he is talking about along with being down to earth at the same time.

 

Quite frankly, the most irritating part of certain video game shows, is that they either make it a part 1 and then a week later a part 2. Of the same bloody game, or perhaps P*Tre*N which shouts to high heavens as a form of begging. Or a poor mans version of Kick In The Nuts Starter. Other than that, then I am perfectly fine with what I am watching. When it comes to video game shows.

 

While we're on the subject of these youtube game personalities, it seems like alot of them are friends with eachother and have formed a sort of clique. For instance the Game Chasers appear in videos with AlphaOmega as well as 8 bit Eric etc. I've read from other youtube casters that if your not in that clique that they can be stand offish.

All of these youtube personalities travel to the same retro game conventions and participate in discussion panels. Except the panels are literally them just making jokes and not really giving out any useful information. The best panels from these retro conventions are the James Rolfe AVGN ones who in my opinion is a legitimate celebrity deserving of a panel at this point as opposed to these other youtubers who just happen to be known to the small game community that watches them.

 

James Rolfe is a personality in a way since he actually plans out his videos, has a character and passionate about his work. He's also quite humble, gives good feedback at Q&A sessions and in all honesty a nice guy to watch. Others are just dicks who shout alot, talk complete bollocks and know jack shit most of the time. One guy I really don't like is that fat bastard who in my opinion is basically a big baby.

 

James gets on my nerves. He plays a game wrong/poorly and makes a bunch of jokes centered around feces and genitals. And he generally knows nothing about the non-Nintendo realm of gaming. He just comes across as infantile to me.

 

That's the point. That's his character. Not him as a person. He's the Nerd. It's just like when you watch a TV show or movie. The people playing the roles are not the same in real life.

Just watch some of his none AVGN videos and you'll see how different he is. He'll be doing the Cinemasicare Moster Madness again this Halloween. Maybe check that out.

 

I don't know bout that, still a bit ticked off from his Sega Genesis vs SNES video! All cuz of that upload he did about giving the crown to the Super Nintendo since then you got these bigots & Youtube e-celebs that are Huge Nintendo fanboys come outta nowhere shitting on it! He himself ruined the chance of the Genesis being more on par or successful on the web!

 

I really enjoy your work Yakumo. I think what you are currently doing is fine, both in content and production quality.

I think the reason Retrocore is not as popular is because it's content is very focused. It concerns mostly japanese retro games, while otheres may cover either more modern western games or more general retro games. Focusing on japanese retro games is not bad at all! It's a good way to do a show, and what makes it stand out. What I think is that maybe you could try to promote more among game communities online that focus on the type of games that you cover, which I'm sure takes some time and work. I think that is your key audience.

Also, do you still have a game hardware collection? I remember when in the past you made videos showing the hardware itself, like the Wondermega. I would like to see a hardware section on Retrocore every once in a while, showing some of the game consoles or accesories that are not common outside Japan. Or videos of game related things you find interesting or fun.

Also, agree completly about James Rolfe. I kind of wish he did more game videos as himself instead of AVGN, but is always fun and entertaining to watch. Gamesack is fun too and has a style of it's own that is very well developed with nice production.

 

True, his Super Nintendo VS Genesis video was a load of bull shit. But I'm above all of that fan boy crap (most of the time) and just moved on.

I've just Giant Bomb just see if I can get some support from there. Well, that and to join the forum. It's quite a nice place so far. I used to be on NeoGAF but got banned! Yeah, I was banned! No reason why either from what I could tell.

Yeah, I still have some hardware but I think the best stuff has been shown. I don't have anything really special at the moment. The last bit of hardware I did was the JB King SFC Joystick. Back in it'S day that was the cream of the crop. It's still pretty good even now.

 

happens a lot when you don't agree with the hivemind over there & for other unwarranted reason. yes, the hivemind is real.

never met people so scared being on a forum. it's just one big circlejerk.

 

Those videos are really good because they're short and make good points - very much in contrast to, say, the Nostalgia Critic, who has tons of screaming and forced catchphrases in his 20+ minute videos, plus he often misses the point of a movie (not getting that Last Action Hero is parody? Seriously). He's also toned down the cursing in his AVGN videos, and there are a few like Swordquest that are mostly informative.

NeoGAF is a bad forum. It's funny how nowadays they have "rigid standards" for people who want to register but the whole place is just really immature.

Edit: Speaking of gaming video shows I like, LGR just did a video that's interesting for Saturn fans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jChtlWNIAL4

 

+1

I immediately stop watching silent/metal music only videos like that. I want an opinion on why its top 10 etc not your wishlist for santa

 

I like Classic Game Room, and will watch for a good time.

But if I want a serious review, I would need to look elsewhere. What really irks me is the audio quality with these low budget shows. And the fact that the speaker has to keep using contractions when he/she should've clearly written a script to work on.

 

Honestly I always thought it was funny when lukemorse got all the credit for showing the internet hard off, you were the first to do videos on it, sadly youtube wasn't really used at that time. I say your like the top gear of the video game shows. You got a little personality in there but it's straight to business.