By: Antawn Salinas
Twitter: @Antawn_Salinas
Instagram: kickpuncherone
It was one day into 2018. I repeat, IT WAS ONE DAY INTO 2018!!! I agree with the whole “time is an illusion” idea, but usually when a new year starts, people want to start off on the right foot. But nope, we all had to see Logan Paul (a popular YouTuber) do something really, really disrespectful and stupid that would have ruined YouTube for everyone. Not only did he laugh at a suicide victim and acted like a total dumpster fire in Japan, he got it all on video and made money off of those videos.
YouTube eventually took it down, but by the time that happened, the damage had already been done. Logan Paul gave an apology, which really means nothing since he promoted his merch and his fanbase at the end. Now, Logan Paul kind of gets away scot-free, and history will possibly repeat itself. It happened with PewDiePie.
Rather than beat a dead horse and explain why what he did was horrible for a whole article or even explain what YouTube is doing very poorly, I’m going to talk about the YouTube channels that I think deserve way more attention than Logan Paul. These are my personal favorites, with a few honorable mentions, because 2017 was a pretty bad year, why not show some positively.
(*Note: Some of these channels aren’t for younger viewers, or those who are more sensitive to darker humor)
*10: Achievement Hunter/Rooster Teeth (Video Games/Comedy) – While they have formed together with other internet groups like Screwattack, Funhaus, and Kinda Funny Games, these guys are the funniest out of them. They’ve been around the longest, and they are the biggest of the groups. Rooster Teeth does so many things.
They have their own animated series’ (Red vs. Blue, Rwby, and Camp Camp), they have many different podcasts (RT Podcast, The Patch, Always Open), their live action content (Lazer Team, A Million Dollars But…) and their video game division, which is known as Achievement Hunter. They are a crew who can turn a crappy video game into a memorable experience. Here’s for 14 years, and here’s for many more.
9: Extra Credits (Video Games/Education) – Throughout my list, there are a few people who do video essays on movies, video games, and music. There are tons of people doing the whole video essay thing, but there are a handful that are actually worth watching. The reason I say that is because some of them can be pretty pretentious. But with Extra Credits, you have people who were actually in the video game industry, and they explain why certain things in video games are.
Though the videos look like cartoons, Daniel Floyd (the host of the show) ups the pitch in his voice. These videos are pretty much for everyone who wants to learn more about how video games are made, how the industry works, and even gives recommendations for smaller games.
There’s even a series that EC where they go through history. For example, they have videos that go through World War 2, ancient Rome, and as well as many other events throughout time. They’re worth the time, especially since their videos are pretty short
8: Ten Second Songs (Music) – While there are tons of people that do cover songs on YouTube, and even do certain songs in different styles, but in my opinion, Anthony Vincent does it the best. He takes whatever song is popular, and performs it in 20-30 different styles. His most impressive being his cover of Eminem’s “Rap God” in 40 different styles. He even has his own band, “Set the Charge”. While he’s still going to be doing the songs in many different styles, he still putting out his own original content out there.
7: Binging With Babish (Food) – I don’t even cook but I still watch this guy. While Andrew Rea (aka Oliver Babish) does tutorials on the best ways to make traditional meals, he mostly makes famous foods and drinks from movies and TV shows. His videos are quick and to the point. They will really make you hungry, especially his one on Cubano sandwiches from the movie Chef. The Cubano, A.K.A, the best sandwich of all time, to me at least.
6: Bill Wurtz (Education/Comedy) – Where do I start and end with Bill Wurtz? He has done some amazing videos with his fast paced and bizaare (in a good way) humor. If you don’t recognize the name, he did the “History of Japan” and “History of the World, I Guess” videos. He (as well as another guy later on in the list) does random humor well. You see so many channels that do the whole “look at random thing, look how crazy, ain’t I weird?!?!?” thing, but with Bill Wurtz, he goes so fast that if a joke doesn’t land, there are tons of even better jokes (Seth Macfarlane should really take notes on this guy).
Along with his infamous “History of…” videos, he also has created tons of songs and jingles. My favorite being this one. While his History of the World video was twenty minutes, it takes grip of your attention until it hits the YT recommended screen. I Can’t wait to see what else he has to offer.
*5: Nakeyjakey (Comedy) – YouTubers have some weird names, but some of them can back up their weirdness. This is one of those cases. Jake in his videos mostly talks about video games, but does it in a very entertaining way, like talking about games that should mix.
My favorite video is his advice on how to deal with getting your heart broken. He delivers his advice with the right amount of honesty with comedy. Some people usually lean toward one or the other. Along with Bill Wurtz, this guy might be the most refreshing and most original on YT I’ve seen in awhile.
4: Jeremy Jahns (Film Criticism) – Don’t have a lot of time, but want to hear someone else’s thoughts on a movie? Well, there’s Jeremy Jahns. He takes 3-5 minutes to discuss his thoughts on a film (sometimes video game) while still being funny. He’s one of the more entertaining personalities on YT.
3: MovieBob (Film Criticism) – I watch a lot of movie critics, and one of the most intelligent critics is Bob Chipman. He’s kind of like Jeremy Jahns, but he goes more into detail with his reviews. He has his series “In Bob We Trust” where he talks and explains about different topics varying from movies to video games to anime. He also has his “Really That Good” series where he goes through iconic movies and go through more why they are iconic.
2: Kaptainkristian (Video Essays) – I mentioned the whole “video essay” genre of videos earlier, and this guy is the best at doing it. He does it with so much style and class. Not much to really say about him; you just kind of need to check out his videos (my favorite two videos being his one about Donald Glover and his one on the history of Adult Swim). Something I do love about him is how he encourages creativity. His channel is a good place for inspiration.
*1: Double Toasted (Film Criticism/Comedy/Politics) – While they have their own website with full hour and a half podcasts, I still watch their videos on YouTube. Previously going by the name Spill.com, Double Toasted is a channel that is known for movie reviews, but also does games reviews and talk about many social topics, and is hosted by Korey Coleman with his co-hosts Martin Thomas, Korey Goodwin, Patrick Girts, and a few of his other friends. I have been watching these guys since 2015. Since then, I always look forward to when they do a review a big movie or talk about certain topics.
Honorable Mentions: *The Rock Critic, ARTV, Black Nerd Comedy, Chadtronic, *Funhaus, *Game Grumps, Lessons From The Screenplay, *Mars Reviews, Mues Reviews, Nerdwriter1, Pat the NES Punk, *Rebeltaxi, Schmoyoho, *Shawn Cee, *The Needle Drop, *The Rap Critic, Todd in the Shadows.
All of these channels deserve way more attention than Logan Paul. If he wants us to actually see that he is truly sorry about his recent behavior, he should actually start making good content. Don’t watch his apology video, and definitely don’t watch the original video. People will learn quickly if money and popularity are factors in a situation.
Since we are in a new year, and since last year was kind of a bummer, I think we should promote positivity more. Rather than ripping on someone you hate for the millionth time (I know how hypocritical that might sound), spread the word on the people you find most talented. Don’t support a-holes, and have a great week.