Are YouTubers Ruining Retro Gaming?

[DJ Clae]

I don't think you're going to get subscribers and viewers putting up 20 minute reviews of random neo geo games. If your video is longer than 5-10 minutes, it needs to be INCREDIBLE. Nobody watches anything past 5 minutes unless it is.

Point taken. However, I must correct you there. These aren't just random Neo Geo games. This is a series! The videos are being made in order of the game catalogue numbers. It would be easier to just review whatever I feel like, but that's not the constraint I set for myself.

 

We are concerned as a young channel that our initial focus has been too hard core: PC-88 and Neo Geo. That's why I recently made the Star Fox 2 examination video. Although I do think that the Neo Geo is kind of in vogue right now. Unfortunately the third basement brother has been MIA up to this point. He plans to make more Sega and Nintendo videos, so the channel is currently missing that third pillar. I must stop complaining about Youtube's system now, knowing that I have no choice but to work within it, as others here have rightly pointed out.

 

Back on topic, I have to admit that I watch a lot of Youtube. The gaming shows (along with communities like this one) make me feel like this hobby still matters. It can be a double-edged sword. All the attention may bring the johnny-come-lately's who drive up prices and may not even stick around very long. I have no doubt though that some of these new gamers will become valuable contributors to the hobby. I also have to thank content creators like John Hancock and Metal Jesus for showing it's okay to be a collector.

[AtariLeaf]

ask yourself this.

 

Is it for money and fame? OR

Is it because you like to do it and it gives you personal satisfaction?

 

 

 

Exactly. I started making videos as a way to catalog my collection in video form and store it online. I enjoy making game reviews because I enjoy the hobby of creating and editing the video. If people watch that's just gravy. I enjoy rewatching them and that's all that really matters. I have 3000 subs and I would guess that most of them are people who watch once and never come back or are dead accounts. It's just a number, I don't monetize and it's not a job. It's a hobby and I keep it as a hobby. If it gets tiresome I take a break from it, sometimes very LONG breaks.

[Silverfleet]

 

 

Not really. Jay Leno is the most popular car collector in this country...and most people learn about all these exotics (and automotive hidden gems) from his YouTube channel. Most people feel that the reason why the F1 is over $10 million now, when it initially didn't have much mainstream interest is directly because of his online videos.

 

The F1 is trading hands for $10 MILLION now? Wow... I remember they were $1 Million when new and how much of a big deal that was. I'm not surprised, because they are awesome and still hold up to modern supercars.

 

And you're NOT wrong here.

 

My other major hobby is cars, as I said in my earlier post. The same "group think" stuff goes on in various car enthusiast groups too. Back in 2002, I bought a ratty but mostly functional 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. I wanted one since I was a kid, and one came up for sale right near my college at a price I could afford, and I took the plunge and bought it. Fast forward to 2017, and I still have it, and it's even more of a POS than ever. Part of the reason why is the cost of restoration parts. Back then, you could buy these cars cheap. My running and driving example was $2000, and I felt like I got ripped off. I could go down to most junkyards and grab parts for it on the cheap, and people were practically giving away non-running examples. I even bought another one: a rare 1-of-1817 built 1979 Trans Am 10th Anniversary Edition with the Pontiac 400/4-speed manual combo, a non-running example, with a pile of spare parts for $500. If I were to buy my ratty running one now, I'd be shelling out around $8000-10,000! That rare one (which I eventually sold, BTW)? About $5000 in complete basket case condition.

 

The culprits for the price increases? A combination of Barrett-Jackson televised muscle car auctions (in lieu of YouTube), internet lore, and nostalgia. Sound familiar? Suddenly, everyone's POS Firebird that's been sitting on cinder blocks in their trailer park wanted $$$$$ for their car and the parts they had been hording. Then, the New Old Stock stuff (NOS) started commanding insane money. I just saw a NOS air inlet tube, a part that most people toss out anyway, that originally cost like $4 sell for well over $1,000. That's half of what I paid for my car originally, and yes, it had that tube!!!

 

The cool thing now is they make more restoration parts than ever before. I was able to get replacement floors for the car last year very affordably. While they have had replacement floors for a while, these ones had extra material toward the top that my car needed, and it wasn't reproduced before a couple years ago. If I had replaced them 10 years ago, I would have had to fabricate that stuff myself.

 

Just like the recent retro craze, you have to take the bad with the good. With renewed interest in old games, you get new tech like the Retron 77, Everdrive carts, and more. That stuff is cool!

[Osgeld]

The F1 is trading hands for $10 MILLION now? Wow... I remember they were $1 Million when new and how much of a big deal that was.

 

 

well if you account for inflation that 10mil about 5.7million in 1992 dollars

Edited July 19, 2017 by Osgeld

[Gamemoose]

 

Thank you for this intelligent post that describes this perfectly. I hate most "youtuber" people that have any sort of stupid useless commentary I don't care about and or stupid music inserted in to the video--that pretty much goes across all types of content such as games, automotive, and etc. I also avoid "review" or "gameplay" videos precisely because they are almost 100% all douche bags and do the aforementioned things from your post. I'll only click on a gameplay video if I see "no commentary" in the title. There is also morons that know they have an influence on the retro collecting community and the retro game prices and purposely use their youtube channel platform to fluctuate the current market.

 

What useless people they are.

I fourth that. I haven't watched a game video in a while (hooked on Critical Role and watching the Vox Machina D&D campaign come to a dramatic close) but I do see what my eldest kids watch on my PS3. Some make my teeth grind.

 

What's worse is my eldest step-daughter has professed wanting to be a "Youtuber" and is working at a not-so-regular pace to toss content on there. With topics that could be useful (advice for those who want to go into forensics in high school but are virtual/home schooled) to painful (hete's a video of a friend and I trying to see how many articles of clothing they can put on). Thanks to Youtubers, she's ending her videos asking to "like, subscribe, etc." and annoyingly uses the lingo like "I want to do a collab with [insert friend] for my music video." Collab? Really?

 

There is a sea of mediocrity on YT. And like others said, it's monkey see, monkey do. A bunch of people who never did anything with public speaking decide that they can do a video and that, from the get-go, it will be as good as the established greats. Not that there is anything wrong with that but it seems like many don't seem to learn and grow. They crank out videos that blow, get mad at true constructive criticism or that they aren't getting views then spew their anger that it's the viewers' faults, not theirs.

[+frankodragon]

It really depends on what videos you watch. You can search for what kind of video game/arcade what it looks like in actual gameplay rather than just a screenshot. I also sometimes like to find out what "Easter Eggs" there are. One I found out very interesting was the N64 GoldenEye ZX Spectrum emulator built into it.

 

Then there are those like the SammyClassicSonicFan videos and the squeaker rage/earrape Minecraft/Undertale videos that just troll or get trolled. Not to mention those troll videos in which someone never played the game but gives it a poor rating.

[Tusecsy]

 

 

Not really. Jay Leno is the most popular car collector in this country...and most people learn about all these exotics (and automotive hidden gems) from his YouTube channel. Most people feel that the reason why the F1 is over $10 million now, when it initially didn't have much mainstream interest is directly because of his online videos.

 

I don't think you understand the concept of apples and oranges. They are both fruit...and cars and video games are both collectible. But they are not the same thing in the slightest. Buying a 50-200$ video game is not the same as a 10 million dollar car. And the F1 Mclaren was never a "hidden gem".

 

Your hidden gem videos immediately impact the price of these items. When Jay Leno puts up a vid on the F1 does the value go up overnight? Not in the slightest.

 

Prices are going up because all collectibles are going up. Interest rates are shit at the moment, comics, art, magic cards, etc have been great places to park your money the last 10-20 years. Unfortunately the video game market (and a lot of markets) have peaked, so where does it go from here is the question.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Tusecsy

[Professor Gull]

So decisions made.

I am working on an ultimate process thoughts are welcome.

 

 

1. Use a fun mask.

2. Film in a vehicle like a Gremlin or Lotus Esprit or some other weird rare car.

3. Everyone likes food so include some shameless plug for a food industry tycoon item and then monopolize on the clickbait it generates.( please note to fuzz out the actual name of said item so as not to get a copyright strike)

4. Make sure the food includes a hidden gem to cause you physical harn( maybe a random Atari game case or something with sufficient edges) since people also like tragedy with their information.

5. Review said swallowed or injuring game with pizazz.

6. Make sure all of the above is under 5 minutes but may or may not include additional time for cats.

7. Monetize like crazy.

8. Lose all your friends for being a sellout.

9. Post on Atari Age about how Retro Gaming is ruining youtube.

10. Continue with life and remember that one time you did that crazy video and then find it again on other peoples channels being monetized and then get depressed.

11. post again on Atari age on how Youtube is Ruining Retro Gaming.

 

Rinse,repeat.

 

I feel like something is missing here.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Professor Gull

[+frankodragon]

So decisions made.

I am working on an ultimate process thoughts are welcome.

 

1. Youtube Paper Intro

2. Use a fun mask.

3. Film in a vehicle like a Gremlin or Lotus Esprit or some other weird rare car.

4. Everyone likes food so include some shameless plug for a food industry tycoon item and then monopolize on the clickbait it generates.( please note to fuzz out the actual name of said item so as not to get a copyright strike)

5. Make sure the food includes a hidden gem to cause you physical harn( maybe a random Atari game case or something with sufficient edges) since people also like tragedy with their information.

6. Review said swallowed or injuring game with pizazz.

7. Make sure all of the above is under 5 minutes but may or may not include additional time for cats.

8. Monetize like crazy.

9. Lose all your friends for being a sellout.

10. Post on Atari Age about how Retro Gaming is ruining youtube.

11. Continue with life and remember that one time you did that crazy video and then find it again on other peoples channels being monetized and then get depressed.

12. post again on Atari age on how Youtube is Ruining Retro Gaming.

 

Rinse,repeat.

 

 

[+thanatos]

 

 

Not really. Jay Leno is the most popular car collector in this country...and most people learn about all these exotics (and automotive hidden gems) from his YouTube channel. Most people feel that the reason why the F1 is over $10 million now, when it initially didn't have much mainstream interest is directly because of his online videos.

 

And the F1 is driving up the price of what would otherwise be just an ancient 90's laptop.

 

http://jalopnik.com/this-ancient-laptop-is-the-only-key-to-the-most-valuabl-1773662267

[Flojomojo]

So decisions made.

I am working on an ultimate process thoughts are welcome.

 

 

1. Use a fun mask.

2. Film in a vehicle like a Gremlin or Lotus Esprit or some other weird rare car.

3. Everyone likes food so include some shameless plug for a food industry tycoon item and then monopolize on the clickbait it generates.( please note to fuzz out the actual name of said item so as not to get a copyright strike)

4. Make sure the food includes a hidden gem to cause you physical harn( maybe a random Atari game case or something with sufficient edges) since people also like tragedy with their information.

5. Review said swallowed or injuring game with pizazz.

6. Make sure all of the above is under 5 minutes but may or may not include additional time for cats.

7. Monetize like crazy.

8. Lose all your friends for being a sellout.

9. Post on Atari Age about how Retro Gaming is ruining youtube.

10. Continue with life and remember that one time you did that crazy video and then find it again on other peoples channels being monetized and then get depressed.

11. post again on Atari age on how Youtube is Ruining Retro Gaming.

 

Rinse,repeat.

 

I feel like something is missing here.

 

This reads like a list of daily quests for an MMO. Speaking of which, Crusaders of Light is out now, and if you let it, the computer will auto-play the game for you. I like that feature more than I should.

[BawesomeBurf]

 

Absolutely false.

 

I just crossed twenty eight thousand subs, I don't monetize and I don't have plans to either. Like many things in life, it is a choice. I choose to make videos as a hobby because I've always wanted to share something with the world and have an audience that enjoys it. The operating expenses are incredibly small and I've even thought of making a video that shows off just how shoestring cheap my setup is. It just takes a lot of time, which has its own value, but I'm happy to spend it.

 

I've seen too many channels go to shit because they decided to monetize. It leads to creators making lame content just to chase views. It leads to paid content that clutters up the channel. It leads to creators signing up with low level multi channel networks which are consistently proven to be nothing more than scams. And it leads to the worst phenomenon of all... creators making videos complaining that they're not getting enough views. It makes my blood boil. I cannot think of a more selfish way to tell your audience that you have no idea how content creation works than to whine about how you feel entitled to a certain number of views per video. It shows that they no respect for their audience's time and no interest in making better content that would get more views.

 

Sorry I went off on kind of a rant right there but my overall point is that monetization is a choice, something I wish more creators would choose not to do.

Agree with everything you posted here. I've seen lots of channels go downhill over the past copy of years chasing the money train. I do feel that Youtube is partially to blame for that though, as they did change the algorithm a few years ago, which severely altered how creators make money. Unfortunately, most creators get around this by just spamming constant videos on anything, just to stay up in that YT algorithm.

 

That being said, I have been making money on my channels for over 5 years now, but that has never been or never will be why I make content. I make it because I enjoy doing it, and if Google decides to take monetization away tomorrow, I'll still be there making videos.

[NinjaWarrior]

I want to be active on my channel, I have both of my HD Cameras in the Garage

[BawesomeBurf]

I didn't watch the OP's video, but I did have the misfortune of watching RGT's video on the subject. One thing that I did find funny is how he contradicted himself by saying that YouTubers aren't causing prices to go up, but they are causing viewers to have a renewed interest in certain games, which is causing prices to go up. Uhhh...isn't that the same thing?

 

As for my thoughts on the question, I think YouTubers (myself included) do have an influence on what people buy, which will make prices go up. It is not the only reason prices are rising, but it is definitely a part of it.

[NinjaWarrior]

When I watch Game Sack, If I see a Game that I want to play I search it out & buy it

 

Like on there PS2 Episode, They talked about Games they like -- One game stood out to me is Odin Sphere

 

Looks Cool, So I was waiting for my Local Store to carry it used & Months later I bought it

[Osgeld]

Gamesack and chasers are the only ones I watch

[NinjaWarrior]

That's the attitude by people on the net

 

I amit I don't have good content as other Channels or the voice for it, But I do want I enjoy to do

[Austin]

As for my thoughts on the question, I think YouTubers (myself included) do have an influence on what people buy, which will make prices go up. It is not the only reason prices are rising, but it is definitely a part of it.

 

This is pretty much where I stand on the matter. I know from personal experience I have sold countless games from my YouTube videos and live Twitch streams. Hell, in another example, I went out and bought Baten Kaitos on the Game Cube because of your review. It doesn't really matter if a channel is large or small, all of us are having an effect on the market over time.

[Tanooki]

It's the herd effect. Everyone is part of that big herd and they all start clustering together and doing something that gets attention. You talk this game up, that dude does that one on there...someone buys it, then they talk it up, or more just see that video and get it and the price increases. If enough see it, flippers notice, they then test the waters striking a price a dollar or five dollars higher and see where tolerances will max out. It's been going on for years now and the NES/SNES stuff seems to have some breaking point of a plateau as I've seen some games crap out and not get over a level, and others I've seen still suck hardcore in price but slide some, just not a lot. The only way it will ever get a real kick in the teeth is when enough people stop trying to buy real games and just quit, get Android setups of some flavor, etc where it's as free as just getting the supplies out of the way. Demand needs are what do it, and less demand lowered/capped the prices you see now, but until a real demand drop kicks it in the teeth no matter how many or how few youtube videos get made it's not going to fix things or make it any worse by now.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Just today a new video from a YouTube channel I follow convinced me to trot off to eBay and buy a game immediately after watching their review of it.

 

https://youtu.be/29ujgutP_UM

 

 

In this case though I did the smart thing and didn't allow a YouTube video to influence how much I paid for a game. Before going shopping on eBay I went to www.pricecharting.com and looked up the value of the game that I was interested in, saw that it was priced at $8 loose, then headed off to eBay with a commitment to not pay more than $8 for a loose copy of the game I wanted. I did a little hunting around, found a loose cart with a near mint label for $7.95, and bought it.

 

I think if everyone did just that we wouldn't even need to have a thread complaining about YouTubers driving up game prices. A YouTube personality can introduce their viewers to good games that they may have not known about before, but it's up to the viewers who go out and buy copies of those games to make a conscious decision not to raise the market value of a game by paying more than the average sale price for it. Ultimately the only people responsible for determining a game's value are the people who buy it.

Edited July 24, 2017 by Jin

[Tanooki]

Ugh that does look good, and licensed games usually mostly blow. You do the same as I do, make a list, then make a mental list of prices and ride it out until you get it where you want it.

 

I've been compiling a list of old GB games both US but also JP/EU stuff and checking their values to see what I'll ultimately decide to pay or not over the last few days. I've taken a few off the list because I don't see value in paying like $50 or $100+ on a GB game.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Sorry I went off on kind of a rant right there but my overall point is that monetization is a choice, something I wish more creators would choose not to do.

I've never monetized anything I do either.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Ugh that does look good, and licensed games usually mostly blow. You do the same as I do, make a list, then make a mental list of prices and ride it out until you get it where you want it.

 

I've been compiling a list of old GB games both US but also JP/EU stuff and checking their values to see what I'll ultimately decide to pay or not over the last few days. I've taken a few off the list because I don't see value in paying like $50 or $100+ on a GB game.

Yep, that's exactly it! When there's a game I know that I want I look up it's value on PriceCharting then add it to my Wants List with the commitment to not buy it until I can find a copy with a near mint label for the average price listed on PriceCharting. The only exception is European and Japanese import games not tracked on PriceCharting. For those I have to look up recent eBay sold listings and figure out the average sales price manually.

 

I hear you on Game Boy game prices too. There aren't many that I'd pay more than $30 for, and all of them that I would are games that I previously owned as a kid and would like to get back for nostalgia reasons. Kid Dracula for $75, Castlevania Legends for $57, and Mega Man IV for $46 are really the only ones for me. I will pay their average market values to own them again at some point, but I am going to be patient and wait to buy them until I can get them with near mint labels for those prices plus shipping.

[Tanooki]

Well I don't trust pricecharting other than if I went to look up individual prices as their system behind it is kind of (admitted by jjgames at NintendoAge years ago) broken. It doesn't account for condition, nor does it for game+manual, game+anything short of complete. I just go to ebay and run a complete+PAID search. I get my own average off that, then look at the low end and try for that or better yet 20+% off that. Sometimes I wait a day, a month, even a year or more but I can be patient not to be a contributor so much to the increases.

 

Kid Dracula and Konami GB Collection 4 UK I'd pay up for, but that more or less is about it. Japanese and EU stuff I'd give a little more leeway on just because they can be a little harder to get. Highest I've paid so far at all on a GB game I think had to be the $60-70 I lucked into putting into Trip World (J) and at a time when it already still was a game going for twice that much loose at least so I couldn't say no to that. Kid Dracula will be the tough one to swallow as watching ebay I keep missing the stupid ones that get missed by luck where it dies off around $60 as I'm sure as hell not paying $80+ on that, especially when I have the retrozone english I Am Kid Dracula NES(FC) release. Also need Mega Man III too, funny I lack that but have the later two, and due to a bundle (local) I actually sold off the pokemon games with that and basically made a slick DMG Gameboy and Mega Man V free. I wanted MMV going on 10 years casually so never dug into it, but never found the $50-100 price tag ever acceptable so that paid off in the end.

 

Oh and I found since we were talking about it Pop'n Twinbee for $25 shipped out of Europe, hopefully see that one in around two weeks.

[Keatah]

When it comes to videogames + youtube, almost any vid will do as long as the game in question is in the title. I wanna see something in Gyruss. Just type Gyruss. And I'll find my answer in the first page or two.

 

No need to sub or like or anything. Just view the fucker and call it a day.