Who Rules The Retro Gaming Roost On YouTube?

Many moons ago while writing for a family focused website called, What They Play, I was tasked with coming up with a internet/web show because, well, I had a significant background as a screenwriter. YouTube and broadband internet were just starting to become real “things” at the time and WTP wanted to jump on this video content bandwagon that was very clearly coming down the pike, so I pitched a show that would be both fun and educational, much like The Electric Company, which I adored as a kid, mostly because it had live action cameos by Spider-Man.

The fun part was easy because this was going to be about video games after all, and I’d been involved with video games, one way or another, since the “dawn of Pong.” The educational part would be a bit trickier as what I wanted to do was provide a historical context to the video game industry as a whole and maybe even throw in some technical/programming know-how from time-to-time.

Yes, I wanted to discuss retro games and consoles. In 2007. Not many people were doing that then, trust me. But in the context I wanted to present them I definitely thought it would work, so I wrote and produced a pilot (and some associated segments: here, here, and here). By all accounts, the pilot was well received at the WTP offices and discussions about moving forward with the project were in full swing… UNTIL one day, seemingly out of the blue, it was announced that What They Play was being sold to IGN.

Everything that was good about What They Play died on the vine right there and it was completely shuttered about a year later because IGN had absolutely no clue what they were doing with that site and, realistically, they just wanted WTP’s rather extensive game/rating database. So it goes.

After all that went down YouTube exploded… as did the amount of gaming channels on the site, and because of how things shook out for me, I always had a keen interest in the content that was being produced in the gaming realm. Plus, I just really enjoy watching ridiculous videos about video games… especially the games I grew up with. So sue me.

Over the years, there have been many channels that have come and gone for various reasons, and some that have completely switched focus in their content. But the ones below, in my mind, have stood the test of time (for the most part) and are the creme of the retro crop. This list is completely subjective, of course, and in no way considers subscriber and/or views statistics as all important – it’s really about quality of their content and overall passion for the subject matter that is most significant to me.

PAT the NES Punk

Pat the NES Punk: There are those that will say that Pat Contri (and his long-time co-host on the Completely Unnecessary Podcast, Ian Ferguson) are an acquired taste… and that is true. Pat can be loud and obnoxious and Ian is something of cynical misanthrope at times, but when it comes to tackling the hard topics set before the gaming community they never shy away and always have interesting and well-informed takes on the subject matter. Whether it’s calling out vaporware retro consoles or the shady business practices of game grading companies, Pat and Ian are there on the front lines, taking the hits and returning fire in kind… and I dig that because you don’t see much of it with today’s “journalists” “reviewers,” and “influencers.” (Yes, it made my fingers cringe to type that “I” word I’ll have you know).

My only wish is that Pat would make a few more NES Punk videos throughout the year as the CU Podcast episodes now dominate the channel as a whole, and maybe drop a couple more Flea Market Madness episodes, as well, as the irascible Frank (another long-time collaborator) never fails to make me laugh.

Happy Console Gamer and Johny Millennium

Johnny Millennium/Happy Console Gamer: Having just passed his 14th anniversary on YouTube, the always upbeat and cheerful Johnny Millennium is just a continual source of ebullient information in any and all of his videos. Watching one of his videos is like opening a bottle of champagne that’s just itching to explode once the cork is loosened, but instead of frothy liquor spewing forth, it’s a love of Y’s, Phantasy Star, and Street Fighter II… but never, ever Dynamite Dux.

Johnny just seems like the dude you want to kick back with a beer or two and get into deep, historical conversations with on any/all retro gaming (and anime!) topics.

Game Dave

Game Dave: Game Dave would easily be number one on this list if he could manage to produce content on a more consistent basis, but being a father and having a full time teaching job on top of that takes precedence over creating “Famicorner” videos. I completely get it.

Dave’s well produced/directed/shot videos closely mirror what I wanted to accomplish with my show, Game Time!, back in 2007, so that’s why I really and truly resonate with almost all of his inspired content… and if retro games are your thing, his content should resonate with you as well. He does manage to stream on Twitch every Thursday evening, so in lieu of new videos, I’ll have to settle for that, I suppose.

SNES Drunk

SNES Drunk: The majority of SNES Drunk’s review videos are five minutes or under. I appreciate that kind of alacrity and succinctness – especially when the criticism remains sharp, witty, and insightful. Reviewers of any/all stripes should take notice and follow suit. He also isn’t afraid to talk about sports from time-to-time (and drop sly sports references into his reviews), and I for one appreciate that because most video game people treat sports in general like ass cancer.

Metal Jesus Rocks

Metal Jesus Rocks: MJR is another retro gaming staple who has weathered a good amount of controversy throughout his YouTube career but is still shredding it like the hardcore dude he is. On the whole, Jason’s videos are still fun and breezy affairs – he’s essentially the Lebowski of retro gaming (and I mean that in the best way possible) – I just wish he would spend less time on the collecting/collectable aspects of retro gaming as that focus is wearing quite thin in my book.

The Gebs24

The Gebs24: The British accent just does something for me and, not gonna lie, that’s what initially drew me to Gemma’s channel, but after a time I truly grew fond of her enthusiasm, energy, commitment, and overall gaming knowledge. Much like Metal Jesus though, I wish she would focus less on the collectability of things and just relax a bit. Maybe Gem should down a pint or two as she can be a bit intense at times…

Floppy Deep Dive

Floppy Deep Dive: Gotta love Tom from Texas… even though he’s a Dallas Cowboys fan. Floppy Deep Dive is a relatively new channel, but one I’ve grown quite fond of over the past six months or so. Tom mostly focuses on 8-bit computer games that he finds on his old floppy disks, does mini-reviews, and compares/contrasts said games on a variety of 8-bit computers and systems which is more compelling than it sounds at first blush.

At the end of the day, Floppy Deep Dive warms my Commodore fanboy soul. And there’s definitely something to be said for that, I think.

Erin Plays

Erin Plays: The thing that’s the most fun about Erin’s channel is her obvious love for these old school games that she’s terrible at – a fact that she admits quite often, but that only makes her more endearing as she struggles mightily with an 8-bit platformer or shooter while dropping repeated “F- bombs.

Mostly though, her content is a brightly-hued, rainbow sherbet palate cleanser served in-between the hardcore button mashers and speed runners that dominate the retro scene these days. If you want to smile for a good 15 minutes, watch Erin Plays.

PatmanQC

PatmanQC: If you can get past Pat’s less-than-stellar narration skills (and a good many groan-inducing jokes), you’ll find a ton of fantastic mini-documentaries and reviews on everything and anything in the retro gaming realm. If he could add a bit more polish to his presentation (and reign in the cornball humor), his channel would be a good bit higher on this list for sure as he’s got the hardest part (gathering information and/or research) down cold.

8-Bit Show and Tell

8-Bit Show and Tell: Canadian gent Robin is a downright wizard with 8-bit computers and he’s got a warm, inviting voice that rivals the vocal stylings of Bob Ross to boot. The topics he covers are probably a bit too technical for most folks, but I enjoy this specific kind of geekery (especially when it is Commodore related) on a good many laid back evenings at the ol’ homestead.

So, as you can see, there's plenty of different channels to follow – so many, in fact, that it's hard to believe retro gaming is a niche. If, by some remote chance, the list above does not contain anything of interest to you, you might also want to check out: Lazy Game Reviews, The Game Chasers, The Gaming Historian, Old Style Gaming, Slope’s Game Room, PushingUpRoses, Scott the Woz, ProJared, and Steve’s Retro Gaming.