18 votes

What YouTube channels have you been watching more recently and would recommend?

Just name a channel, describe what they do and why you watch them and would recommend. You can also point out problems in the channel (s) you described.

13 comments

  1. [4]
    TheJorro
    Link
    Apparently a lot of the people I watch are a part of something called "Breadtube", which is leftist YouTubers. I barely understand what that's supposed to be, so I'll leave that for others to...
    • Exemplary

    Apparently a lot of the people I watch are a part of something called "Breadtube", which is leftist YouTubers. I barely understand what that's supposed to be, so I'll leave that for others to either explain or dive into. But if you enjoy these channels, it's perhaps something to look up that will lead you to more of this sort. I've been following these people for years and they all seem to have become actively networked in the last year, so I guess I have a type. I was never actively following these "for leftist views" but more because of the high quality and educational basis for their media criticisms, and those just happen to skew left due to, you know, all the empathy and consideration of other perspectives required to be a good critic.

    Lindsay Ellis — The best movie/film criticism. Her series on viewing the Transformers movies through different critical lenses is both hilarious and highly informative about the concept of film crit in general. Other than that, a ton of Disney critiques, a hilarious takedown of Rent, and probably the last word on Game of Thrones S8. She was nominated for a Hugo Award last year for her Hobbit series.

    Folding Ideas — Dan Olsen is a writing partner and frequent collaborator with Lindsay Ellis (he was in her Hobbit series) but his channel tackles a lot more conceptual concepts regarding visual construction, themes and their implications, or generally why's a movie's editing sucks. Occasional video game content too, including one of the most original videos on Bloodborne out there (important, because YouTube is filled with so many terrible analyses of Soulsbourne games, ugh). Highly recommend starting with his Suicide Squad editing takedown, or the Book of Henry, to see how well he can take apart a movie.

    hbomberguy — General leftist critiques, well-sourced and very zany. Great for if you want to laugh about SOY BOYS and the latest shit Ben Shapiro said. Also a surprisingly good amount on video game critiques with some unique takes that you may or may not agree with but have compelling argumentation. hbomberguy also came into prominence earlier this year for that DK64 "speedrun" marathon which went viral and a bunch of other prominent YouTubers (almost everyone else on this list) and celebrities hopped onto.

    ContraPoints — Always worth a mention but not my most watched channel. Great leftist explanations of concepts for people that may be more inclined towards rightist talking points or information. She has a reputation for explaining leftist concepts and arguments in a way that rightists can understand and appreciate, and with a lot of drama and flair to make it especially entertaining.

    Jenny Nicholson — "Weird girl" giving her media critiques in strange ways. Not as involved or educational as anyone else on this list but she has a very unique style and is a lot of fun. Apparently she specializes in theme parks, but I enjoy her Star Wars and Marvel content quite a bit.

    Comic Tropes — Probably the least production value in this entire list but I enjoy this simple, small channel for a medium where it's super easy to get into really crappy criticism. I really like the simplicity of this channel: the host grabs a random issue of a comic he'll be exploring, lists off common tropes from the series/writer, and then makes a fun little drinking game (or similar) everytime he experiences one in the issue. He then gives his opinion of the comic as a whole and a general recommendation. I appreciate the breadth of comics he covers in his channel (it's not just big companies!), the depth of knowledge he has, and his super friendly teddy bear style personality. He doesn't get into politics at all because he's only focused on the comics but he's very aware of how things have aged.

    The Needle Drop and Fantano — Anthony Fantano's music reviews and criticisms. Probably the most traditional kind of critic on this list and I like his approach well enough. I don't always agree (the new Tool album was good, Anthony) but I always understand his perspective, and that's what I'm looking for out of my critics. Fun sense of humour, and I appreciate the style of his videos quite a bit.

    Noah Caldwell-Gervais — For my money, the best video game critic out there. He specializes only in deep dives into games and series, exploring if they accomplish the themes and sentiments they're setting out to explore. Extremely long videos, but extremely well written and thorough. He has a fantastic style, both in writing and in voice. You can put him on in the background and it works just fine as a podcast, his video is rarely important for his points and simply act more as background dressing for his arguments. He often covers games that are old and out of the news cycle but it allows him to take on a detatched view free from hype or media trends. Video game criticism on YouTube is, in general, very bad on average because of how much they cater to views (see my earlier comment about Soulsbourne videos), so it's great to have a perspective like Noah's. I've listened to many channels that aim to be in this realm (Nerdcubed, Matthewmatosis, Raycevik, Errant Signal, etc.) but none of them meet this guy's calibre.

    Super Bunny Hop — Probably the best overall gaming channel on YouTube, deals in criticism and journalism. Some great content throughout, especially the critical close-ups. Sometimes I find he falls into the "I don't like it therefore it sucks" fallacious way of criticism but that seems to have dried up in recent years (look up the Dishonored "critique" if you want to see what I mean).

    MrBTongue — Probably the most "underground" person on this list. This is a rarely updated channel with excellent media criticism. It's actually an inspiration for many of the other channels on this list. Mostly video game content, but a lot about critical theory in general. Highly worth a gander.

    12 votes
    1. Grawlix
      Link Parent
      I can at least explain the term BreadTube. :p It's a reference to Peter Krapotkin's The Conquest of Bread, an influential work about anarcho-communism. Cut to a little over 120 years later, and it...

      I can at least explain the term BreadTube. :p

      It's a reference to Peter Krapotkin's The Conquest of Bread, an influential work about anarcho-communism. Cut to a little over 120 years later, and it became a bit of a meme to "read the bread book."

      So, BreadTube is leftist YouTube, typically anti-authoritarian leftist.

      ...and while I'm here I'll recommend Shaun and Three Arrows. They both focus on long-form analyses of a given topic, often debunking right-wing propaganda. For instance, Shaun has a great video debunking the racist "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, and Three Arrows has some great debunks of Stephen Crowder and Jordan Peterson.

      Also, PhilosophyTube. It began with the creator wanting to create videos just sharing what he learned as a philosophy student to make that kind of material easier to access for others, and it's steadily grown into a really outstanding channel. High production values and theatrics, too. :p

      10 votes
    2. [2]
      Seven
      Link Parent
      If you like leftist YouTube, you would definitely enjoy Shaun. A lot of detailed critiques of alt-right youtubers and the alt-right in general. His dry sense of humor coupled with his factual...

      If you like leftist YouTube, you would definitely enjoy Shaun. A lot of detailed critiques of alt-right youtubers and the alt-right in general. His dry sense of humor coupled with his factual analysis is definitely one of my favorite types of channels.

      4 votes
      1. TheJorro
        Link Parent
        Oh right, Shaun was one of my usual follows but I dropped off when he had a bit of a hiatus. I should go back and catch up with his stuff. Thanks!

        Oh right, Shaun was one of my usual follows but I dropped off when he had a bit of a hiatus. I should go back and catch up with his stuff. Thanks!

        2 votes
  2. [3]
    MimicSquid
    Link
    Extra Credits - A set of animated series talking about video game design (Extra Credits), history (Extra History), mythology (Extra Mythology) and Sci-Fi (Extra Sci-Fi). Look, they may not be good...

    Extra Credits - A set of animated series talking about video game design (Extra Credits), history (Extra History), mythology (Extra Mythology) and Sci-Fi (Extra Sci-Fi). Look, they may not be good at naming, but they're great at making complex topics accessible and they end each topic series with an episode where they talk about the ways they messed up or otherwise simplified the topic.

    11 votes
    1. Kuromantis
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Absolutely. His old videos on the gaming industry seem like they were made just a few years ago and dealed with topics no one else approached. I mean, have you ever seen anyone else make a video...

      Absolutely. His old videos on the gaming industry seem like they were made just a few years ago and dealed with topics no one else approached. I mean, have you ever seen anyone else make a video on microtransactions in 2012? A video about propaganda games and Chinese social credit in 2014? A video about games portraying a very real future in 2012 using deus ex machina as an example? This is why they're one of the best if not the best gaming commentary channel imo.

      4 votes
    2. moocow1452
      Link Parent
      The original presenter (and the OG Dan), Daniel Floyd, has his personal channel that archives his old work, and started a new channel on animation, New Frame Plus

      The original presenter (and the OG Dan), Daniel Floyd, has his personal channel that archives his old work, and started a new channel on animation, New Frame Plus

      1 vote
  3. ruspaceni
    (edited )
    Link
    I could suggest channels endlessly. I'm subscribed to so many that I actually have no clue. You tube just caps the listing at 1000, so I'm not sure if adding new ones is bumping old ones off or if...

    I could suggest channels endlessly. I'm subscribed to so many that I actually have no clue. You tube just caps the listing at 1000, so I'm not sure if adding new ones is bumping old ones off or if the number just stops there. Either way I'm going to limit myself to channels in my youtube history of the last few days.

    Andreas Kling - Dudes building an operating system from scratch and it's already taking shape. I was surprised at how much of his stuff I was actually watching, but I guess it's just entertaining to see someone good at what they do and their thought process along the way.

    post 10 - You might have seen one or two of these on r/videos a bit ago, that's where I stumbled across him. This dude unclogs flooded storm drains, spelunks massive culverts, and it's oh so satisfying. A bit of a guilty pleasure kind of thing, but the more you watch the less guilty it becomes. He's a good dude and really quite smart.

    bad obsession motorsport These guys are doing Project Binky. Shoving the entire running gear of a 4wd toyota celica into a comparatively microscopic mini, all with the self imposed restraint of not just making it a bunch longer or something. They absolutely over-engineer everything so the gaps between videos are more than worth it.

    chubby emu This is a bonafide hypochondriac machine. Some of these videos deeply deeply unsettle me but are so well put together that I almost have to sit through them.

    rctestflight if you're into rc stuff, or just want to see some high production quality goofing around by someone incredibly smart and able - this is your guy. He's got a few projects that i've been following. A solar powered plane with the goal of it being able to sustain flight while recharging the battery, he's made a diy paramotor thing out of rc supplies, and just general finnicky rc projects like experimenting with 3d printing a lifting body and then dropping it from one of his other multirotors.

    dyson5000 If you love corny, bad, dadjokes then look no further. I absolutely love this channel and its ability to just melt a shitty week away. Some of the jokes are a bit out there, and others are typical uncle humour. But more than occasionally there'll be this joke in there that absolutely floors you out of nowhere and you'll spend the rest of the episode in the afterglow.

    kris harbour This guy is making an environmentally friendly homestead and workshop. He's got a little hydroelectric generator set up and videos chronicling that, he's got the main structure of his new workshop up after finishing the roof, and is doing the interior walls and whatnot iirc. He makes quite fast progress on it and although the videos are quite long, it's usually quite full of different things instead of just 1 task + ranting ( although there is a bit of that )

    wintergatan This dudes marble machine is coming along absolutely great. It's amazing watching it come together and eventually evolve as it's being put together. Seeing all the iterations and frustrations get ironed out is so cathartic and the dude is charming as heck too

    7 votes
  4. on_a_trollercoaster
    Link
    I am not a youtube junkie but I love these two channels in particular: Kurzesagt - Awesome science quality content FunWithGuru - As an easter eggs lover in gaming i think funwithguru is the best...

    I am not a youtube junkie but I love these two channels in particular:

    Kurzesagt - Awesome science quality content

    FunWithGuru - As an easter eggs lover in gaming i think funwithguru is the best channel around.

    Angryjoeshow is top notch too.

    5 votes
  5. bbvnvlt
    Link
    I'm a longtime Vlogbrothers watcher. Usually I enjoy John's videos more. But I watch pretty much all of them. A recent project from Hank Green (and collaborators) is Journey to the Microcosmos...

    I'm a longtime Vlogbrothers watcher. Usually I enjoy John's videos more. But I watch pretty much all of them.

    A recent project from Hank Green (and collaborators) is Journey to the Microcosmos about microscopic life. Interesting, beautiful, and relaxing to watch. Much slower paced than much else on YT. It's nice.

    Tom Scott is a favorite. Science and nerdery. Often visits interesting places, buildings, and facilities.

    Objectivity dives into the archives of the Royal Society. Lighthearted but does give a nice peek into science history.

    Plus I keep an eye on The RSA and The Royal Institution for interesting lectures/talks.

    Alternatively, I sometimes get into a MOOC of the 'watch videos/take short multiple choice tests' type. I highly recommend Chinese Thought: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science and Arab-Islamic History: From Tribes to Empires is also good.

    5 votes
  6. Akir
    Link
    How about some less serious channels, everybody? Micarah Tewers is the latest one I have subscribed to. I came for the sewing, but I'm staying for the personality, and that's saying something...

    How about some less serious channels, everybody?

    Micarah Tewers is the latest one I have subscribed to. I came for the sewing, but I'm staying for the personality, and that's saying something because she is basically my polar opposite. She's got crazy style and lots of energy, and I like the fact that her videos are edited like youtube poop. And at the end there are these crazy awesome fashion shoots!

    Brutalmoose has been on Youtube for a very long time. I started watching his videos when he was mainly covering old PC games that nobody talked much about. Since then, he has started branching out to a number of other topics, and that's one of the things that I have really enjoyed about his channel as of late. He switches between doing extensive research for obscure things and going into completely unknown territory regularly. Perhaps my favorite videos of his are his early Brutalfoods series, because it was completely clear that he had no idea how to cook. And it's kind of moe in a way, because he has since demonstrated that he actually does know how to cook. It's like watching him grow up!

    Anyways, the real reason to watch Brutalmoose is that he takes a lot of effort into his editing and does strange experimental things. He's also got a pretty decent sense of humor and he's got some running gags that have been going on for perhaps years now.

    4 votes
  7. Adam_Black_Arts
    Link
    I'm getting ready to run a D&D game for my kids, but haven't played since awhile ago, so I've been watching the Dungeon Dudes and Forgotten Realms History (or at least listening to them in the...

    I'm getting ready to run a D&D game for my kids, but haven't played since awhile ago, so I've been watching the Dungeon Dudes and Forgotten Realms History (or at least listening to them in the background while I'm working) to get up to speed with the 5e rules.

    2 votes
  8. moocow1452
    Link
    FilmJoy, in particular Movies with Mikey is my favorite channel for movie discussion, because it's all about why Mikey Neumann enjoyed (or was disappointed by) a movie, and what it means to him....

    FilmJoy, in particular Movies with Mikey is my favorite channel for movie discussion, because it's all about why Mikey Neumann enjoyed (or was disappointed by) a movie, and what it means to him. His channel is radically about appreciation and a love of movies, rather than him defeating the movie in critique no jitsu, or taking 20 minutes to say "I love this movie because it says what I want it to" or taking 40 minutes to say "This Movie Ruined the version of the movie that I had in my head." He goes through what he got out of it and brings it around to what he took away and how it fits into the context of the here and now. Good stuff.

    1 vote