What? Isn't 2024 going to be the time when WW3 hits so we have to start selling all our retro stuff and invest in mad max gear and ammo?? Same with poor AVGN: people either hate him for not ending it sooner or mock him for his lack of effort. Nothing in between.
In the meantime: people who have zero talent for anything but criticism still enjoy free content while talking shit 24/7.
Wait, are we talking about 2024 or 2004?

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2024-01-04, 10:33:

Today, after some time of not doing so, I decided to watch latest videos of The 8-Bit Guy and LGR. Instead of interesting content that we all used to see in the past years I wasted about 25 minutes of my life on a quite boring monologue of The 8-Bit Guy about how unfair the world is and that he finally decided to find a job. Another 10 or so minutes was wasted on LGR's review of The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack, some nonsense expansion pack of the most boring game of all times (I know, there are many fans of this game and this is my personal opinion only). It turned out that it was the second review of The Sims in less than two weeks.

I don't know how about you, but I have a feeling that this year will become a year when the era of Retro Computing Youtube channels slowly but surely will start coming to its end.

LGR making two Sims reviews in a row doesn't mean LGR is out of retro computing content... also one of those reviews was for Sims 2 content, which is decidedly retro in 2024 whether it interests you or not. Sadly a lot of his content probably dried up due to his/other retro channels popularity... there used to be a lot of thrifts videos and random oddware videos on the weird stuff he picked up, but suddenly the thrift stores are bereft of computer stuff because a) way more people got into the hobby, b) people caught on and started buying up the good stuff to sell for exorbitant prices on ebay, c) the mainstay thrift stores like goodwill caught onto the people selling grandma's desktop for $300 on ebay and decided anything that vaguely resembles a computer goes to online auction. On the other hand, some great channels have popped up recently like The Serial Port... now one of my favorites since they do actual IT/infrastructure work with their stuff and not just restorations and retro gaming. Massively under-explored side of retro computing, and with arguably more stories and depth of things to keep learning than retro gaming for those with the interest. Plus with infrastructure there's generally not nostalgia attached (unless you worked in IT during that time I suppose), so you get to avoid paying crazy collector's prices for things in most cases.

RandomStranger wrote on 2024-01-04, 11:47:

There is only so much to tell about retro stuff. Most things are already discussed by several creators from different angles. Telling something new and interesting to someone who spent years in the hobby is not easy.

Well put, my thoughts exactly 😀

dowrmem wrote on 2024-01-04, 14:04:

... Sadly a lot of his content probably dried up due to his/other retro channels popularity... there used to be a lot of thrifts videos and random oddware videos on the weird stuff he picked up, but suddenly the thrift stores are bereft of computer stuff because a) way more people got into the hobby, b) people caught on and started buying up the good stuff to sell for exorbitant prices on ebay, c) the mainstay thrift stores like goodwill caught onto the people selling grandma's desktop for $300 on ebay and decided anything that vaguely resembles a computer goes to online auction. On the other hand, some great channels have popped up recently like The Serial Port... now one of my favorites since they do actual IT/infrastructure work with their stuff and not just restorations and retro gaming. Massively under-explored side of retro computing, and with arguably more stories and depth of things to keep learning than retro gaming for those with the interest. Plus with infrastructure there's generally not nostalgia attached (unless you worked in IT during that time I suppose), so you get to avoid paying crazy collector's prices for things in most cases.

There is a little flaw in your explanation - many of the oddware and other retro stuff he reviewed in his videos weren't purchased by him but instead were actually donated to him by viewers or borrowed by collectors. And this is not only him, this is how it works for many other youtubers, they don't buy everything they review.

Regarding existence of other Retro Computing Youtube channels, I agree with you, there are many of them on Youtube and some of them are not bad at all, but The 8-Bit Guy and LGR are top Youtube channels with more than 1 million subscribers each one of them. So when one of such a youtubers says that he is planning to find a job because his revenues from his channel are decreasing significantly and other says that he wished he could skip some of his videos, this certainly provides a food for thought.

maxtherabbit wrote on 2024-01-04, 13:14:

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2024-01-04, 10:46:

vetz wrote on 2024-01-04, 10:37:

Just don't watch it if its a video with a topic that don't interest you. That's what I do. Most channels will always have some videos that won't resonate with all subscribers/viewers.

And how about "Just don't tell me what to do"?

Seriously, let's respect each other. We are all adults and each one of us is able to decide without others help what to do and what not to do.

If you don't want people telling you what to do then don't complain in a public forum.

No one is entitled to a submissive audience for their venting

Happy New Year to you too buddy!

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2024-01-04, 14:58:

dowrmem wrote on 2024-01-04, 14:04:

... Sadly a lot of his content probably dried up due to his/other retro channels popularity... there used to be a lot of thrifts videos and random oddware videos on the weird stuff he picked up, but suddenly the thrift stores are bereft of computer stuff because a) way more people got into the hobby, b) people caught on and started buying up the good stuff to sell for exorbitant prices on ebay, c) the mainstay thrift stores like goodwill caught onto the people selling grandma's desktop for $300 on ebay and decided anything that vaguely resembles a computer goes to online auction. On the other hand, some great channels have popped up recently like The Serial Port... now one of my favorites since they do actual IT/infrastructure work with their stuff and not just restorations and retro gaming. Massively under-explored side of retro computing, and with arguably more stories and depth of things to keep learning than retro gaming for those with the interest. Plus with infrastructure there's generally not nostalgia attached (unless you worked in IT during that time I suppose), so you get to avoid paying crazy collector's prices for things in most cases.

There is a little flaw in your explanation - many of the oddware and other retro stuff he reviewed in his videos weren't purchased by him but instead were actually donated to him by viewers or borrowed by collectors. And this is not only him, this is how it works for many other youtubers, they don't buy everything they review.

Regarding existence of other Retro Computing Youtube channels, I agree with you, there are many of them on Youtube and some of them are not bad at all, but The 8-Bit Guy and LGR are top Youtube channels with more than 1 million subscribers each one of them. So when one of such a youtubers says that he is planning to find a job because his revenues from his channel are decreasing significantly and other says that he wished he could skip some of his videos, this certainly provides food for thought.

Yeah he has some stuff sent by viewers, but LGR Thrifts in itself was a huge series and one of the main draws of the channel back in the day, now there's maybe 1 episode a year with a small haul - it certainly hasn't helped his content creation.

i thought 8-bit guy's analysis was fairly good, quite a few factors covered

most telling were saturation and that he doesn't make as many videos - that definitely leads to a loss of viewers

another factor is that one person only has so much to say about their specific interests and they themselves may lose interest over time. to carry on for years and years risks them becoming repetitive and less interesting

YouTube has changed over the years as Jo22 described - it is dominated by large commercial channels, commercial includes individuals with high production values. the same is true across all kinds of interests. There are actually more amateur channels than ever before but they can get lost in a flood of professional / semi-professional channels

on a non retro computer topic here is a channel coming to an end/pause having done it pretty much the right way and staying very positive over ten years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DKv5H5Frt0

a lot of what he says describes the path successful channels take and what choices there are when its time to end or slow down

It might seem callous, but I don't really care. At some point you have to look at what value is really being created here. I would be sad if TexElec or Monotech went away. If the 8-Bit-Guy or LGR is forced to get a normal job because they finally ran out of retro content, that's kind of just the way things go in my opinion.

Every TV show has its lifespan. 8 seasons and everyone's yelling "hang it up! You've done enough!"

Of course, someone like the 8-Bit-Guy is a little different, since he does make money from actual games and now computers that he produces, but evidently not enough.

gerry wrote on 2024-01-04, 15:15:

i thought 8-bit guy's analysis was fairly good, quite a few factors covered

most telling were saturation and that he doesn't make as many videos - that definitely leads to a loss of viewers

another factor is that one person only has so much to say about their specific interests and they themselves may lose interest over time. to carry on for years and years risks them becoming repetitive and less interesting

Yes a very long list of factors. Just one factor he missed - that may be he himself also failed somewhere.

gerry wrote on 2024-01-04, 15:15:

YouTube has changed over the years as Jo22 described - it is dominated by large commercial channels, commercial includes individ […]
Show full quote

YouTube has changed over the years as Jo22 described - it is dominated by large commercial channels, commercial includes individuals with high production values. the same is true across all kinds of interests. There are actually more amateur channels than ever before but they can get lost in a flood of professional / semi-professional channels

on a non retro computer topic here is a channel coming to an end/pause having done it pretty much the right way and staying very positive over ten years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DKv5H5Frt0

a lot of what he says describes the path successful channels take and what choices there are when its time to end or slow down

Very positive guy this Tom Scott is. Never watched his videos before but I guess other 6.33 millions did enjoy them a lot. You know, it's a funny thing he told about the rule he set himself - new video each week. I think it's a problem of many youtubers thinking that a key to their success is to bombard the audience with a lot of videos. I guess it happens because they think to themselves that they are the only ones in Youtube or that each of their viewers has 365 hours in each day. Maybe I'm mistaking, but I personally would prefer quality to quantity. Besides, you always can split your video into episodes, the main thing is that they will be interesting.

One era is the million retro videos for you to catch up on. The other era is getting a new retro video from your favorite youtuber, likely gets replaced with some other source of entertainment pretty automatically.

My favorite retro channels personally are Janus Cycle and Druaga1. Druaga makes videos once every year or two and they're always really fun but you have to like his personality. Janus Cycle is excellent at going into the communities of various unique devices and into what makes them special, along with some repairs as most his devices he makes videos on were bought broken and fixed. I also like vwestlife, despite me not liking things like vinyl very much he still is quite entertaining and I learn a lot. I subscribe to a few channels on NewPipe and they're all that I watch, and I usually watch YT while making food at home. I wish there were more channels and content about more professional vintage computing like Sun or SGI workstations. When it comes to LGR, they just need to slow down and not become like Micheal MJD who could churn out a video about a door handle if it was manufactured before 2000. I've actually enjoyed LGR's recent videos, but I do wish they were longer like his older ones.

I want to make YT videos soon about a wide variety of topics including retro computing and obscure technology, and I have plenty of time to do it as I only turn 16 this year and some good experience in kdenlive. I hate how my generation loves the slot machine style short and forgettable entertainment format, and want to make something long-form, unique and memorable. What do you guys want to see more of in YT channels?

bobsmith wrote on 2024-01-04, 16:09:

I want to make YT videos soon about a wide variety of topics including retro computing and obscure technology, and I have plenty of time to do it as I only turn 16 this year and some good experience in kdenlive. I hate how my generation loves the slot machine style short and forgettable entertainment format, and want to make something long-form, unique and memorable. What do you guys want to see more of in YT channels?

16 - is a great age and a right time for choosing a way in your life and preparing yourself for university admission. Good luck to you in all your endeavors!

Like really want to know what world views are you talking about. And usually i do agree, if someone is really horrible, they have to be accountable. But i still like Kevin Spacie as an actor. 😁

Sombrero wrote on 2024-01-04, 11:42:

I never watched 8 bit guys videos often as 80's computers aren't really my thing, but I stopped watching his videos altogether after finding out a bit of what kind of person he actually is. Let's just say I don't agree with some of his world views.

Cyberdyne wrote on 2024-01-04, 17:55:

Like really want to know what world views are you talking about. And usually i do agree, if someone is really horrible, they have to be accountable. But i still like Kevin Spacie as an actor. 😁

Sombrero wrote on 2024-01-04, 11:42:

I never watched 8 bit guys videos often as 80's computers aren't really my thing, but I stopped watching his videos altogether after finding out a bit of what kind of person he actually is. Let's just say I don't agree with some of his world views.

For me the point i was asking if i should watch 8-bit guy was when he promoted "the right to wear his guns in a supermarket" at a retro convention.
I know this is totally normal in america... but in my world that is a huge nono to promote guns where kids could hear it. I really hate weapons and will never watch and or promote channels pomoting them.

And another point is i always thought he switched from the i book guy to 8-bit guy because retro was his passion... BUT it was just a shift from one business to another business as he said also at a convention...
This explains why he have to mention his products in every video.
People complain about him making too much videos about his products. And he defends himself by saying there are not a lot of videos on his channel dedicated to his products. Wich is right, but a miscommunication... People dont complain about too many videos about his products ... they complain about the constant "shove in your face promotion" in each and every video.

If you want your channel to be successful in the long term, then maintain a continuum in your video releases.

Don't jump from topic to topic... If you start a repair or a topic, expound and elaborate on it in a continuous series of videos... 8-bit guy is an example of what not to do (I am picking on 8-bit guy but I actually have no real issues with him)... From repairing hardware, to videos on packaging his software, to a new computer release (Commander X16), solar panels, opening a new arcade... What is this, a retro channel, or a mid-life crisis spending spree supported by the donations on Patreon from the unwashed masses?

Going off on a tangent is welcome once in a while, but when your entire channel becomes a series of tangents, you have lost focus. I'm not saying it's easy, you have to stay fresh, but for example, couldn't 8-bit guy show us a bit more how he does all his programming? He spoke of pathfinding in his new game -- how about going into it with a bit more detail? the modern Warcraft 2 hacked russian release has "improved" pathfinding... Maybe juxtapose that with your implementation?

Or... do whatever you want -- after all, we do watch your videos for free, you're free to do as you please.

mockingbird wrote on 2024-01-04, 18:20:

If you want your channel to be successful in the long term, then maintain a continuum in your video releases.

I do want to make a variety of content and I agree on your point; continuity is king on keeping people attached. Even just mentioning "So about the Pentium II build we made last episode, I got the so-so for it and it improved..." is better than nothing. But at a different angle, I want to make videos about guns, how they work, how accurately they're portrayed and why they are what they are and what makes them special, but I won't go from "Revisiting the Sun Ultra series" to "AR-15 FULL AUTO BUMP FIRE MAG DUMP!!!". I feel as if even if you have a lot to say, you have to give someone a reason why they're listening, and being brash, fast and straight to the point is a bit misleading when your video is supposed to be on a topic that has a lot behind it and usually ends up making you a petal in the wind and a video some guy watches once and forgets about.

I'm not saying every video is supposed to be an hour-long formal documentary, but a good example of what I mean is Forgotten Weapons, where he gives you an in-depth look on unknown guns in history and has them there to show you the inner workings, and the flow in his videos is pretty good and keeps you attached if you like the topic itself. I do want to add a bit of personality and humor to my content though, you have to have reason you would watch me out of anyone, and adding your personal spice to your work I feel would tip the scale even more if they appreciate it. I see YouTube as good experience for doing bigger things in life, and I really need something to give my life a purpose as I haven't been very busy or focused recently.

When it comes to YouTube I've found that as soon as it becomes the creator's main job the content is usually not that interesting anymore, partially because they become slaves to the YT algorithm, forced to keep pumping videos that are either undercooked or about things they're not really interested in. But also in many cases turning your hobby into your main job is known to kill any interest in it, happened to me with software development for example.

In general when it comes to retro I tend to prefer those channels where the creator uploads stuff as a kind of personal log for the stuff they've been tinkering with, even if production values aren't great or weeks/months go by without any new videos.

The problem with trying to do retro content from a specific time period is there is only so much retro "stuff" from that period to talk about.

As 8-Bit Guy focuses on early 80s 8-bit computing, while LGR tends to focus more on 90s era stuff, eventually they'll run out of things to talk about.

As time moves forward, they'll still be retro content. We'll just start seeing it based on different time periods. It won't be long before the 2010s will be considered retro and we'll be seeing people waxing nostalgic about Core i7 processors and such.

DerBaum wrote on 2024-01-04, 18:17:

For me the point i was asking if i should watch 8-bit guy was when he promoted "the right to wear his guns in a supermarket" at a retro convention.
I know this is totally normal in america... but in my world that is a huge nono to promote guns where kids could hear it. I really hate weapons and will never watch and or promote channels pomoting them.

A lot of the backlash for the 8-bit Guy was the infamous Home Depot video where he was doing open carry for the express purpose of pissing off gun control advocates. This was right after the Sandy Hook shootings.

To be such an IRL troll and that insensitive about the situation... that was a huge yikes about his character for sure.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-01-04, 19:23:

The problem with trying to do retro content from a specific time period is there is only so much retro "stuff" from that period to talk about.

As 8-Bit Guy focuses on early 80s 8-bit computing, while LGR tends to focus more on 90s era stuff, eventually they'll run out of things to talk about.

As time moves forward, they'll still be retro content. We'll just start seeing it based on different time periods. It won't be long before the 2010s will be considered retro and we'll be seeing people waxing nostalgic about Core i7 processors and such.

Yup, I'm trying to stock up on some of the cooler/higher-end LGA775 stuff while it's still bargain bin e-waste before it becomes mainstream "retro" like S478 is beginning to be