Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2024-01-04, 10:52:

And lately, I've been really enjoying repair focused retro channels like Necroware, vswitchzero, Bits und Bolts etc.

Same. There is some good retro repair content out there and it doesn't really get old.

Along those lines, one largely unexplored retro niche is retro cosmetic restoration.

Other than videos involving retrobrighting, I haven't seen a lot of cosmetic case restoration involving plastics repair, metal work, or airbrushing.

Another area would be things like papercraft and restoration of old video game boxes. There are a few niche videos here and there, but not a lot of content out there.

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

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.

And that is where I'm starting to have issues. Sure, people get nostalgic, I'm already nostalgic about my Phenom X6 that was my previous daily driver for close to half a decade. But in the 2010s so much have changed software-wise that when we thing specifically about running retro software on retro OS installed on retro hardware, past 2012 games becoming an online service will lock us out of a lot of the games.

Steam stopped supporting Windows 7 and 8.x, Ubisoft have a tendency to slaughter their older games, there are a lot of launchers and online DRM, often remasters replace the original games even in distribution platforms like GOG and if you didn't archive the installer, tough luck. And as I see it, things will only get worse. Subscription models for game distribution getting more and more popular by the day and in the next 20-25 years as internet gets faster and spreads, I won't be surprised if it turns into streaming.

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

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. 😁

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.

Yep, that would be it. Apparently he is involved in the right to carry weapons movement and from my point of view that's so far in the bizarro clown world end of spectrum I have trouble putting it to words. Not as bad what Kevin Spacey has been suspected of obviously but people who believe they should have the right to carry assault rifles on the streets leave me just speechless.

I rarely watch any of the big retro gaming channels anymore, but I don't think that this necessarily due to saturation or that there aren't enough topics remaining to be covered. I have noticed the same thing with channels dedicated to other stuff,such as movies, guitar, science, etc. I think that these large channels start losing their appeal due to the nature of being self employed and successful. With a regular job, you typically have a rigid schedule and less flexibility in what work you need to do. All of our jobs involve some tasks that we would prefer not to do and would probably avoid doing them given the choice. Nonetheless, our employers hold us accountable, so we get them done.

For the big YouTubers, that isn't necessarily the case. While I don't want to call them lazy, once a channel reaches a certain size, it's easier to get by without putting in the same work that made your channel popular in the first place. I've seen this with a number of channels that moved from scripted content to live streams. Scripted content takes a lot of work and can involve a lot of research and video editing. Live streaming doesn't require all of the video editing and it is often just the host answering viewer questions. Given the choice of doing scripted content vs streaming, I think that most would choose the latter. Once your channel reaches a certain size, you can also make money reading super chats, so it further incentivizes doing less scripted content.

TheMobRules wrote on 2024-01-04, 19:00:

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.

You've made some good points and I tend to agree with you about consequences of transforming a hobby to a main job.

And I personally also prefer quality of the content over quality of a picture or acting skills of a youtuber. A good example is Youtube channel of Terry Stewart. He recently remastered his old videos but I enjoyed to watch them even with an old lower quality.

@Ensign Nemo

What turns me off is when the content creators start putting themselves ahead of the content. People starting as a faceless voice making creative videos about stuff then at some point, face reveal then from that point all their videos are just them talking into the camera instead of showing the stuff they talk about.

RandomStranger wrote on 2024-01-04, 21:01:

@Ensign Nemo

What turns me off is when the content creators start putting themselves ahead of the content. People starting as a faceless voice making creative videos about stuff then at some point, face reveal then from that point all their videos are just them talking into the camera instead of showing the stuff they talk about.

I've noticed a similar thing with podcasts, especially if it's a group of people. I often find podcasts that are described as covering an interesting topic or interview, but the hosts just chat like you would with a bunch of friends. I don't want to hear about your vacation before you get to the actual content that was advertised. It's worse if it's a podcast that I've never listened to before because I know nothing about the hosts and I don't know if it's worth sitting through all of the casual chat before getting to the actual discussion.

I dont think is the end of the era of Retro Compting Youtube channels, in general. Maybe just for the big ones. It is a good thing there now are hundreds of retro computer channels. Competition is good.
The small ones are getting bigger.
Me, personally, I like just retro pc games and ibm pc compatibles, from ibm xt, at, 286, 386, 486.... I just dont like machintos, amiga, commodore etc.
I was following LGR and AdriansDigitalBasement and RetroSpector78 (what happened to him?). I really liked LGRs videos about retro games, about retro pcs and oddware. And Adrians Black PC Archeology series was very interesting with some 286, 386, 486...
But latley LGR is posting some crapy games (the sims and flash games) and Adrian Black is just plain boring with those landfield amigas and commodores. Just my opinion.
I follow now PhilsComputerLab, TheRetroRecall (this one got over 7k subscribers in 1 year), MikeTech and other small channels. Choice is very good!

b0by007 wrote on 2024-01-04, 22:01:

I dont think is the end of the era of Retro Compting Youtube channels, in general. Maybe just for the big ones. It is a good thi […]
Show full quote

I dont think is the end of the era of Retro Compting Youtube channels, in general. Maybe just for the big ones. It is a good thing there now are hundreds of retro computer channels. Competition is good.
The small ones are getting bigger.
Me, personally, I like just retro pc games and ibm pc compatibles, from ibm xt, at, 286, 386, 486.... I just dont like machintos, amiga, commodore etc.
I was following LGR and AdriansDigitalBasement and RetroSpector78 (what happened to him?). I really liked LGRs videos about retro games, about retro pcs and oddware. And Adrians Black PC Archeology series was very interesting with some 286, 386, 486...
But latley LGR is posting some crapy games (the sims and flash games) and Adrian Black is just plain boring with those landfield amigas and commodores. Just my opinion.
I follow now PhilsComputerLab, TheRetroRecall (this one got over 7k subscribers in 1 year), MikeTech and other small channels. Choice is very good!

Yes, it seems that future belongs to smaller Youtube channels of real hobbyists who really enjoy what they are doing and not just shooting videos on any topic in pursuit of higher revenues.

RandomStranger wrote on 2024-01-04, 20:21:

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

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.

And that is where I'm starting to have issues. Sure, people get nostalgic, I'm already nostalgic about my Phenom X6 that was my previous daily driver for close to half a decade. But in the 2010s so much have changed software-wise that when we thing specifically about running retro software on retro OS installed on retro hardware, past 2012 games becoming an online service will lock us out of a lot of the games.

Steam stopped supporting Windows 7 and 8.x, Ubisoft have a tendency to slaughter their older games, there are a lot of launchers and online DRM, often remasters replace the original games even in distribution platforms like GOG and if you didn't archive the installer, tough luck. And as I see it, things will only get worse. Subscription models for game distribution getting more and more popular by the day and in the next 20-25 years as internet gets faster and spreads, I won't be surprised if it turns into streaming.

I refuse to tolerate these companies doing these things to us. I have been busy collecting as many original game floppies and CDs/DVDs as I can, in addition to the ISOs or bin/cues. The same with certain types of books, too - especially tabletop RPGs. I have an 18TB hard drive for archiving, in addition to other drives and discs. I feel like there is an encroaching enemy with the "Kylo Ren" philosophy of "let the past die; kill it if you have to." I am seeing evidence of this, everywhere. I do not like the direction this world is going in (and for the most part, live as a hermit as a result.)

Sombrero wrote on 2024-01-04, 20:23:

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

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. 😁

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.

Yep, that would be it. Apparently he is involved in the right to carry weapons movement and from my point of view that's so far in the bizarro clown world end of spectrum I have trouble putting it to words. Not as bad what Kevin Spacey has been suspected of obviously but people who believe they should have the right to carry assault rifles on the streets leave me just speechless.

There are people who I disagree with on certain levels, but I like what they produce. I try to separate the art from the artist in these instances.

I don't see anything going downhill with LGR. The only "retro" channel I subscribed to.

But you can only cover so much of something that have stopped production. But soon, Windows XP and 7 will be regarded as "retro" by the millennials, and there will be millennials doing the "retro" videos soon.

Once you have covered them all, there's nothing new to talk about. Unless doing videos of trying out different combinations hardware or doing retro benchmarks and so on.

Something about this kind of criticism of YouTubers or creators just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

If you don’t like content then don’t watch it. The YouTuber doesn’t owe you anything, it feels really entitled and self centered to act all high and mighty like some offense has been committed against you because you didn’t like a video someone made.

No one has to make videos that you like. There’s something really childish about complaining that someone else isn’t making a thing specifically to entertain you. I’ve encountered this kind of entitled feeling a lot and I hate it a little more every time it happens. This is why we can’t have nice things.

And if you want to criticize videos in this way then realize that people like me are also going to feel free to criticize you for doing so.

midicollector wrote on 2024-01-05, 00:09:

Something about this kind of criticism of YouTubers or creators just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. […]
Show full quote

Something about this kind of criticism of YouTubers or creators just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

If you don’t like content then don’t watch it. The YouTuber doesn’t owe you anything, it feels really entitled and self centered to act all high and mighty like some offense has been committed against you because you didn’t like a video someone made.

No one has to make videos that you like. There’s something really childish about complaining that someone else isn’t making a thing specifically to entertain you. I’ve encountered this kind of entitled feeling a lot and I hate it a little more every time it happens. This is why we can’t have nice things.

And if you want to criticize videos in this way then realize that people like me are also going to feel free to criticize you for doing so.

^ Agreed.

Malik wrote on 2024-01-05, 00:02:

I don't see anything going downhill with LGR. The only "retro" channel I subscribed to.

But you can only cover so much of something that have stopped production. But soon, Windows XP and 7 will be regarded as "retro" by the millennials, and there will be millennials doing the "retro" videos soon.

Once you have covered them all, there's nothing new to talk about. Unless doing videos of trying out different combinations hardware or doing retro benchmarks and so on.

I don't want to trash LGR because I enjoyed his videos for over a decade. It does seem like he does far fewer videos that cover the history behind classic games. That was what got me hooked on his channel in the first place. On the software side, I don't think that any of the big channels has run out of content to cover. The guy who does Ancient DOS Games has covered hundreds of DOS games and he goes over a lot of details like the history and DOSBOX settings.

Yeh the LGR videos recently haven't been great, but thats because he always does Christmas themed videos this time of year so very limited on topics hence the flash games.
and in the Sims Christmas one he even said something along the lines of I'm reviewing Sims 4 because it's expected not because I like Sims 4.

I watched the Linus Tech Tips apology video while back, someone I haven't followed for a long time so wasn't aware of the drama but alot of these older channels seem to be suffering burn out which is hardly surprising.

YT isnt much different to a real TV channel these days. Wanting regular scheduled videos uploaded and not many TV shows last more then a few seasons let alone a decade and the few that do enviably become stale and loose popularity eg Simpsons.

but yes sometime you just have to move on and unsubscribe from a channel, just part of life

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

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

I saw this as well, though for a long time now I only watch the few videos with topics that interests me and thought "good for him, smart choice"

The tv comparison is a bit different because a lot of shows have pumped out similar content with the same schedule for years. After awhile their audience gets bored. I'm sure that occurs to some degree with YouTubers, but I think that the content and scheduling changes occur independently of audience fatigue. That's especially true for retro computing because an audience for a niche hobby will stick around a lot longer without getting bored compared fans of a TV show.

I dunno, I actually loved the flash games LGR episode. I'm in my early 20s and for someone my age, flash games are a pretty integral part of childhood computer nostalgia. My own collection is mostly early-mid 2000s software and s478/775 hardware both out of affordability and interest/nostalgia. Like people earlier in the thread discussed, the definition of retro is definitely expanding, and I'm gonna chalk up mixed reactions to the most recent LGR video as part of that.

Youtube became infested with Faux retro guys, while the old guard like LGR, 8-bit guy and so on time is starting to wane out on them.
Plus the fact that the scene as of now became a bubble that it is about to burst.

There is no passion anymore, and like hardware youtubers, it became a Land of Confusion.

Maybe a lull until there's new material on Vogons/vcf/msfn/etc to paraphrase from.

I don't watch these channels anyway. If i'm watching something on the internet related to retrocomputing it's 99% a livestreamer. they're far more genuine and less forced for a partner content quota or so.