My Favourite YouTube Channels

Hey!

One question that I get asked a lot is "are there any other channels like Game Maker's Toolkit?" and I always answer "no. I invented the idea of making video essays about games, and no one else is doing it. Please don't search YouTube, just watch me forever".

But because you're my Patrons, I'll let you in on a secret: there are loads of people talking about games on YouTube! And I subscribe to a whole bunch of them. 

These are my favourites, in some loose categories. Check them out, subscribe to them, etc. Or if you can't be bothered, just wait for me to pick out the best videos each month in my reading list!

Short-form essays 

Extra Credits - Covers all aspects of Game production (though mostly design) with a chipmunk voice, cartoon art, and a more abstract, academic approach than me. 

Errant Signal - Chris goes deep in his critical analysis of new games, with a narrative-heavy slant. He's mostly into indie games these days, which is fine by me. 

TheGamingBritShow - Charlie is a good lad, with funny and insightful videos on lots of topics. Mostly Japanese (character action) games, but a real mix. 

Turbo Button - Very good videos on all sorts of topics. Jon deserves way more subs.

Writing on Games - Well-made video essays on the latest games. And some other bits, too. Prolific! 

Cool Ghosts - Matt Lees and Quintin Smith talk about good games, and also play each other's nostalgic childhood monstrosities. 

[game array] - All sorts of game design stuff. With a bit of TV stuff now I guess. 

Super Bunnyhop - Interesting videos on all-things games, every single week. Not sure how he manages it, to be honest. 

hbomberguy - Zig zags between long-form Dark Souls analysis and cultural stuff. Always interesting and wacky. 

MrBtongue - This guy makes great videos, but doesn't upload often. Watch all his old stuff and then subscribe in case he makes something new.

PushingUpRoses - All sorts of games stuff, but I especially like her videos on point and click adventures. 

snomanGaming - Snoman's Good Game Design series is always worth watching. 

Honourable Mentions: Cagey Videos, Draz, HeavyEyed, Mr Wendal, razbuten, Sunder, Dan Root, RagnarRox, What's With Games.

Long-form essays

Joseph Anderson - Lots of big games, like Uncharted and Fallout 4. 

KingK - He's started doing shorter videos, but I discovered him during his Zelda analysis series.

Matthewmatosis - The original long-form analysis guy. It's Matthewmatosis! I don't know what to add. 

Noah Caldwell-Gervais - He lives in a bus. But he somehow also makes a nearly two-hour analysis of the Mafia games. Go figure. Largely narrative based. 

Specialty subject essays

Core-A Gaming - All about fighting game design. I like very focused channels, and this is one of them.

TheHappieCat - This channel talks a lot about programming and most of it goes over my head but I like the pretty pictures. 

Games as Literature - Does what is says on the tin. Literary analysis of games and discussing storytelling methods. Sometimes intersects with Game design. 

Game Score Fanfare - My new favourite channel. Talks about music in games, but in a very approachable way. You don't need to know music theory to enjoy this channel. 

FeministFrequency - Covers games with a feminist lens - though, their game-specific series has now ended. Still, devour the archive. 

Game industry, culture, and history

Innuendo Studios - Ian does lovely, sporadic videos about games, art, storytelling, media personalities, and more. Can't-not-click a new video when they appear. 

CrowbCat - This guy makes collages about games, using bits of footage to tell a narrative. Sometimes. Hit or miss I find. 

Ahoy - Game history, with snazzy vector graphics. Sultry British tones that puts my squeaky voice to shame. 

Noclip - Interviews with Game designers. Highly polished, always interesting. 

Gaming Historian - History! Of Game stuff! Who invented the d-pad, why did the ESRB form, what was the Famicom disk system. Beautifully made, too. 

Summoning Salt - These speed-running world record progression videos are a blast. I love them. 

Reviews and comedy

Adam McDermott - Adam's Platinum Journey series is engrossing stuff. Watch a man go insane playing games on absurd difficulty settings. 

Lazy Game Reviews - Talks about old-ass PC games, weird hardware, and stuff you vaguely remember from your childhood (Lego Island!). His LGR Thrifts thing is a blast, too. 

NakeyJakey - Funny guy. Games, rapping, silly goofs. Dog bless. 

Shammy - Another funny dude. Owl fetish?

SuperButterBuns - A very funny lady. I don't even like JRPGs that much but I always watch her stuff. 

videogamedunkey - The funniest dude on YouTube. Every video is a gas.

Movie stuff

Every Frame a Painting - You've heard of this. It influenced a billion video essayists, myself included. Hurry up Tony, make something new!

Chainsawsuit Original - Just here for Movies with Mikey, a bunch of funny and heartfelt love letters to his favourite films. 

Channel Criswell - Movie analysis stuff. I like his music choices.

Chez Lindsay - Proper essay-style movie analysis. But funny and interesting. Loose Canon series follows a character through different adaptations / depictions. 

kaptainkristian - Movie stuff, and other stuff, in visual love letters. Very fancy editing, must take forever. 

Georg Rockall-Schmidt - Just discovered this chap. Talks about movies with dry British humour. Also, what a barmy name. Double barrelled, and weirdly spelt! 

Now You See It - Just some good-ol fashioned movie analysis stuff. 

Folding Ideas - A bit all over the place, but his stuff on editing is really interesting. Set up and payoff, cuts, the incomprehensible Suicide Squad, etc. 

History Buffs - Looks at period piece movies, and decides whether they're historically accurate. 

Lessons from the Screenplay - Looks at screenwriting, by breaking down popular movies and TV shows (and their scripts). 

Honourable Mentions: BobbyBurns, Must See Films, StrucciMovies, The Royal Ocean Film Society 

Other stuff

Nerdwriter1 - Lots of movie stuff, but also other stuff. Just stuff stuff. All delivered with style and sharp scripting. 

DSLRguide - That sounds like a boring channel. But it's actually an interesting series of vids about making movies and being creative. So, not boring!

Cheers! Feel free to share your favourites in the comments below.