Back in February 2020, my former Exclusively Game’s stable mate Xavier Geitz presented his list of ‘The 10 Best Video Game Review Channels on YouTube’. It is an excellent read and worth checking out if you haven’t done so already.
I have always had a fascination with the design of video games, the systems going on under the hood that makes them work, and the design philosophy behind them. I’m also something of a nostalgia nut. As such, most of the gaming-related YouTube channels I watch I subscribe to are either historical or analytical. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations (in no particular order) for the Top 8 Educational Video Gaming YouTube Channels.
1: Game Makers Tool Kit
Mark Brown’s Game Makers Toolkit is a useful resource for the budding game developer and a fascinating look into the philosophy and design choices behind some of the most loved games.
Quality over quantity is the order of the day here. GMTK tends to release only one or two videos per month, but they are worth the wait, as they are extremely well produced and edited. He is also very well spoken, which helps convey some fairly complex information in a way that is both entertaining and easy to understand.
The Genius of Prey's Gloo Cannon
2: Ahoy
Stuart Brown’s Ahoy is another superb channel that emphasises quality over quantity. Ahoy’s videos are not published all that often either, but they are also well worth the wait. His videos are exceptionally well produced and edited, with excellent use of unobtrusive background music.
Stuart Brown is impeccably spoken and the wordsmithery of the scripts is second to none, frequently featuring some superb phrases. For example, when discussing the FAL; “You will aim with sights of iron, and you’ll like it”. Superb.
Ahoy takes deep dives into specific video game tropes, such as red explosive barrels, zombies, weapon archetypes such as double-barrel shotguns, graphics, and a whole host of other video game topics.
Ahoy has also covered several historically significant video games and hardware devices. I will confess that his videos have been an invaluable research tool for some of my articles. If you like your videos to be cerebral and covering topics that are sometimes out of left field, then Ahoy comes highly recommended.
FAL
3: AI and Games
AI and Game’s Tommy Thompson is the director of the software consultancy AI and Games, a bona fide Dr of A.I. and a Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. Before that he was the Programme Leader of the BSc Hons Computer Games Programming degree at the University of Derby. Suffice to say, he knows what he is talking about.
He also makes exceptionally high-quality YouTube videos. If you would like to know more about how the under-the-hood AI of video games makes said games tick, then AI and Games is the channel for you.
Thompson explains this complex topic in an easy to understand way, and uses several well-known games as examples. This makes his videos as entertaining as they are informative. What's more, his release schedule is impressive, with videos going live every week or so.
Cyber Demons: The AI of DOOM (2016)
4: Extra Credits
Extra Credits have been running more-or-less continuously since 2012. At the time of writing, they have uploaded 465 videos to their main channel. As you can imagine, they have covered most video game-related topics during that time. Their videos are generally short - usually under ten minutes, upbeat and light-hearted. The channel champions the concept of "Video games as art", and their motto is “Because Games Matter”.
The channel’s initial narrator, a speed up and higher pitched Dan Floyd left the team in 2018 to form his own channel. Extra Credits has continued with Matt Krol as narrator, with occasional help from Zoe (his cat).
The channel has spawned several spin-off channels, including Extra History, Extra Sci-Fi, and Extra Mythology which are also an interesting watch and delivered in a similar style. Videos from the main channel are uploaded roughly once a week. If you factor in the spin-off channels as well, this rises to one every few days.
Review Bombing - Making Your Voice Heard - Extra Credits
5: New Frame Plus
After leaving Extra Credits in 2018, Dan Floyd set up New Frame Plus, a channel revolving around video game animation. Floyd has years of experience as an animator, and in his YouTube channel, he shares and discusses the many tools and tricks of the trade.
This is a valuable resource for budding animators and a fascinating watch for anyone interested in video game design in general. Again, quality over quantity rules here, as videos are uploaded every month or so.
ANTICIPATION - The 12 Principles of Animation in Games
6: Nostalgia Nerd
If you want to find out about retro hardware and systems, including the weird, wonderful and obscure systems most people (myself included) haven’t heard of, then Nostalgia Nerd is the YouTube channel for you. Established in 2014 Nostalgia Nerd uploads videos on a near-weekly basis. His videos have proven to be both entertaining and an invaluable resource for researching some of my articles.
HDMI on a 10" Caravan CRT - Minecrafting like the 90s
7: The Many Guises of Linus Media Group
Linus Sebastian’s Linus Media Group (LMG) grew from humble beginnings, consisting of Sebastian, a borrowed video recorder, and a cameraman whilst Sebastian was a manager at NICX - a now-defunct Canadian online computer store.
Sebastian later went solo, and LMG was born. LMG has continued to grow with an ever-increasing line up of presenters and several channels. All of LMG’s videos are worth a watch, but arguably the most useful are those on the Tech Quickie channel, launched in 2012. These short videos explain PC hardware in an easy to understand fashion. If you need a refresher on the difference between your ROM and your RAM this is the channel to go to.
The SNEAKY Thing That Can Slow Down Your Games - Upscaling Lag Explained
8: JayzTwoCents
If you are considering building your own gaming PC ‘from scratch’ then JayzTwoCents will teach you how, whilst dispelling some misconceptions.
JayzTwoCents has been running for about seven years now, therefore he has covered almost every PC hardware topic you could think of. Recently he has been uploading videos on a near-daily basis. Jay has some very useful tips on cooling systems, air-flows, and the like, such as the video below.
Case Flow and Pressure Demonstration - How to Balance Airflow
Conclusion
So, there are my picks for the top eight educational YouTube channels about gaming. What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Are there other channels that could be added to the list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Iain is a 40+ author and gamer from England, who started his gaming journey on the Atari 2600 36 years ago. His specialities include obscure cult classics, retro games, mods and fan remakes. He hates all sports games and is allergic to online multiplayer. Since he is British, his body is about 60% tea. He can be reached via Twitter at https://twitter.com/IainBaker17, and contacted via email at the_nomad78@outlook.com
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