If your a 21st century boy like me, you’ve turned your back on television and now watch content delivered almost entirely via internet streaming. As in Youtube and/or Twitch. I’m taking a moment here to plug some of my favourite creators, because you may enjoy them too.
A brief description though for the luddites out there who don’t know what I’m talking about (ie. born before 1970). It’s fairly common now for people to have ‘cut the cable’ which means no longer pay for television. In the USA almost no-one uses (or even knows about) TV delivered over the airwaves, so if you don’t pay for cable TV, you basically don’t have TV. This isn’t a problem though since many shows are available via the internet and you can watch them on your TV by connecting an internet-connected computer (or similar) to your set.
But in recent years people have been moving toward watching material created by ‘normal’ people and distributed via Youtube or a popular gaming site called Twitch. Viewership of these non-traditional entertainment channels has been skyrocketing and now rivals or (for certain demographics) exceeds viewership of traditional TV. And I suppose I am now one of these viewers. So here’s what I watch on Youtube…
Mamemeister is a gaming geek in his mid 40s that lives in Scotland. He has created hundreds of Youtube videos about all sorts of games and game systems dating from the very early days to the relatively recent, with an emphasis on 8-bit UK computers. He’s relatively prolific, releases videos in numerous different series, is quite a character and reminds me a lot of myself. He’s also not very good at games, which can be a bit alarming to watch sometimes but quickly became part of his appeal for me.
Some representative examples:
– One of his worst game ever videos (for Green Beret on C+4)
– A chronicle of C64 game loaders (so much nostalgia!)
– One of his ‘They did what’ series videos (Llamasoft in this case)
In addition to the above he’s done massive series on arcade games by year, on shooters by letter, and many different ’10 minute mashups’ where he just plays a random game for 10 minutes. I’ve watched almost everything he’s done and he’s probably my favourite streamer.
Kim is another game streamer, again with an emphasis on 8-bit classic computing but very much inclusive of the 16-bit and later years. She produces immaculately researched, edited and scripted videos which range from relatively simple game reviews all the way up to lengthy multi-part documentaries on game companies, series or individuals. Incredibly watchable; try some of her videos if you have even a passing interest in video games.
Examples:
– A documentary on ZX Spectrum cover tapes
– 75 minute documentary about Psygnosis
– List of best/worst wrestling games
Much like Mamemeister, almost everything Kim does is worth watching. His multi-part documentaries in particular are fascinating, with subjects such as Peter Molyneux, Gremlin Graphics or Jack Tramiel. He’s also done a lengthy ‘A-Z of video games series’ which is equally great. If you like the above three I’m pretty sure you’ll like it all.
This is a 60-episode series all about the ZX Spectrum. The creator – Paul Jenkinson – has done a fantastic job and although the content may be a bit dry for most, I binged it all (probably 40ish hours) in only 4 days! He goes into exhaustive – obsessive maybe! – detail about all things Spectrum, and it’s a wonderful celebration of nostalgia and love for the computer I most wanted to own but never did.
Example episodes:
– An entire episode dedicated to Spectrum magazines (Episode 40)
– A review of weird hardware (Episode 51)
Despite the above examples, if you are interested in this show I suggest watching in order. I myself can’t wait for the next series!
All about computing nostalgia, this youtuber (as with the others) creates documentaries and showcases of old hardware and software, again with a UK slant. He strays away from gaming more than the others, but at the same time tends to feature more obscure or interesting one-off videos. He may not produce as much as say Kim or Mamemeister, but I still watch almost everything he does.
Examples of his more unusual videos:
– Creating and testing a thermometer attachment for a C64
– Connecting an ancient phone to the internet
– Running a Y2K test in 2017
Although I didn’t include any examples, his game content is top-tier too. Check out his recent doco on the ‘Rise Of The Triad’ game for example.
This guy had loads of subscribers and you may already know about him. He makes video documentaries about ‘the best and worst of technology’ which are exquisitely made and extremely watchable. I particularly enjoy his videos on old or obsolete technology. If you have even a passing interest, check him out and get hooked.
Example of obscure tech documentaries (he covers brand new stuff too!):
– Minidiscs (I was a big fan!)
– A calculator watch from 1977
– Atari music visualizer (this one is just for you Sue!)
Don’t you love the crisp, white backdrops he uses? Techmoan is a strange name though, he obviously loves it all; the weirder and older the better 🙂
There are a few others I watch, mostly system specific stuff (such as Xyphoe for Amstrad) but these are the ones for which I pretty much watch everything they put out. Between all of them there’s a few hours every week, so it’s an easy replacement for TV.
We’re also getting a bit into Twitch streaming as well… but that’s another post 😉