Why would anyone want to review new video games and talk about recent trends in the industry when we could spend all of our free time looking into the past? Why talk about Mass Effect: Andromeda when we could talk about Quarantine, right? Why play these older games when we can let someone else do the hard work and discover these hidden gems for us.
My favourite kinds of webseries on YouTube are documentary-style looks at video games; Their mechanics, their weaponry, the history of the developer behind them. Here are a few stellar examples of these type of shows.
Ross’s Game Dungeon – AccursedFarms
Now before I talk about the show itself, let me explain my connection to discovering this. If you followed late ’00s Machinima, you may know of Freeman’s Mind. Freeman’s Mind was a series delving into the innermost thoughts of Half Life’s theoretical physicist legend Gordon Freeman. His pedantic whining, constant complaining and vitriolic anger at anything that got in his way gave a great answer to why the man behind the crowbar never spoke. The series had disappeared for some time until creator Ross Scott returned, finished the series and began working on newer projects like Ross’s Game Dungeon. He covers games that peak his interest or are recommended to him like the aforementioned Quarantine. He cracks jokes, talks about what he really appreciates in the games he covers and what works and doesn’t work from a mechanical aspect. His insight is well-versed, so give him a shot if you like listening to good critique.
M1911 – Ahoy
Ahoy is a British YouTuber that makes a wide range of videos ranging from how the Cold War affected video games, looks back on older games and with the video featured; a series covering the history of commonly used firearms in video games. What is common among Ahoy’s videos are his sharp editing and use of game footage, typography and iconography to visualize the subjects he covers in voice-over. His ‘M1911’ video is just an example of the stellar work he does, I can’t recommend him enough.
id Software – All Your History Are Belong To Us
Machinima.com have been kicking around for quite some time, but their All Your History Are Belong To Us series is timeless. With the clever writing of Nicholas Werner and the voice-over of Rob Talbert, AYHABTU weaves the stories of famed game developers, and in this case; id Software. They’ve covered a lot of developer legends such as Bungie and Rockstar Games as well as major events like the North American video game crash of 1983. You can check out the whole series here, but the id Software series is a fantastic jumping off point.
