Personal Video Habits

Most people enjoy television, which can easily be proven with statistics across both home television and streaming services. There are an estimated 120.6 million TV households in the United States. World wide, there are almost 170 million subscribers to Netflix with 61 million of these subscribers coming from the United States. Yet, I don't fit into either of these categories.

I do not watch any TV or streaming services

I don't enjoy television because I feel as though I don't have the time to be attached to a show. I don't enjoy movies - the rare trip to Cinemark is the only time I watch a movie. Even then, I put research into the film I want to see before I travel to watch it.


Image result for youtubeWhere do I spend my screen time? Almost 100% of my screen time is with the red play button on the top left corner of my browser. YouTube is the forefront of all my video entertainment needs. I wholeheartedly enjoy watching videos on the site and have become a fan of many content creators as well. While some content creators seem like a complete gimmick or an act to collect more subscribers, I spend my time watching content creators' videos who seem personable and true to themselves. It makes the viewing experience all that much different than regular TV because these YouTubers aren't professional actors with prestige and idolization following their name: they can be a retired grandfather just down the street, a kid on the high school swim team, or just a bunch of dudes who love playing hockey on the weekends.

It's time we take a look at the channels I enjoy every week:

SORTEDfood



I shouldn't shame myself on the internet but I'll tell the truth: I know almost NOTHING about cooking food. I can certainly get by with online recipes but I do not have any knowledge about creating good dishes. With my lack of cooking ability, it a wonder why I love this channel so much.

The channel's content creators are chefs Ben Ebbrell and James Currie as well as the "normals" Jamie Spafford, Barry Taylor, and Mike Huttlestone. They have multiple series in their channel with content featuring all the creators rather than just the chefs. What makes this channel unique is that the crew is a set of friends who have known each other before the channel became popular and that their friendship appears natural in their videos. Having good-spirited content creators and the way they celebrate food is what makes this channel a favorite of mine.

SovietWomble



SovietWomble is a gaming Youtuber with what I would consider being the most creative channel of all of YouTube gaming. Soviet and his buddies are part of a gaming group called the ZF Clan, (an abbreviation that you can figure out on your own), so his content is usually online games rather than solo offline content.

What makes Soviet different than most gaming channels is his editing ability. He is primarily a Twitch streamer - it takes a while before content reaches YouTube. However, his videos are some of the most polished content I have seen online. His subtitle editing is so unique that many other content creators have tried copying this style, mostly with mixed results. In that instance, Soviet has made a lasting impact on all of YouTube gaming. (Warning: SovietWomble's content is a bit vulgar. Not a children's channel.)

The Rooster Teeth Community


There is SO much to say about Rooster Teeth. Think of its channels as a wheel with multiple points. At the center of this wheel is Rooster Teeth and at different points of the wheel you have Funhaus, Achievement Hunter, LetsPlay, and many more - these channels are all part of the same company or are tied deeply into the company's culture. Its a unique platform because when you watch Gavin in The Slow Mo Guys, you can find him again through links to Lets Play, Achievement Hunter, and Rooster Teeth. This set up has viewers bouncing from one channel to the next, with each and every one of them being affiliated to the other.


The video listed with Rooster Teeth is of their first series: Red vs Blue. This web series came before YouTube - posted on redvsblue.com. I was able to watch the Rooster Teeth channel since I've known about YouTube back when I was 13 years old and had limited internet access. I grew up with this channel and understand the culture that surrounds it. It is the one group of channels that I can always go to when I can't find content to watch.

Game Theory and Film Theory



Game Theory is the channel that cemented its place in my YouTube viewing sessions. This channel CREATED a genre on YouTube, the "analyzing video games" genre to be exact. I've watched Game Theory so much that I have a link spotlighting the channel on my Copyright and Fair Use assignment from a previous blog.

Game Theory and Film Theory answers questions I have never thought to ask, like how much force does it take to break a tree with your fists? Even sillier questions such as how much force does Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog need to exert on his tails in order to fly? Above all else, I find the science behind the theories entertaining, especially because math and science were subjects I didn't excel in. Game Theory and Film Theory offer me a chance to learn more about media and about the world around me.

Summing it Up

If you've looked through the channels I watch, most of the content is video game-related. I played video games a lot growing up and I was incredibly thankful that my parents were able to put aside the money for my family to own everything needed to play. We didn't have a library of titles that you see some people have on their Steam accounts, but most games were fun to replay and enjoy again. While my family was not poor, we certainly didn't have the money to purchase video games on monthly basis, so YouTube was an awesome site for me to watch the video games I couldn't play. As a college student who is saving money for all that comes next, it is nice to still indulge in video game channels to fill that urge to want to purchase new titles. 

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