Episode 658: YouTube & Retrogaming (Feat. AVGN)
Added 2024-12-13 12:00:12 +0000 UTCStuart: If you’d like to hear me starstruck and nervous, here’s your chance. Talking to the terrifying Jeremy Parish is scary enough, but I have been a fan of James Rolfe since the beginning and was knocked for six that he even replied in the affirmative to my email, let alone did the show. It’s a short interview by necessity and was easily the most challenging one I’ve held to date—but not because of our James, the nicest chap in the world.
In addition to this natter I got hold of our resident host of Video Works, one Jeremy Parish, for a chat about YouTube’s influence, malign or otherwise, on retrogaming discussion and canon. My intention is to follow this up if I can with more of a roundtable chat with some other YouTubers if I can wrangle them, but I’m also cognisant that such content is of a more niche appeal and I’d hate to end up covering the same ground. So we’ll see.
Hopefully these two segments will have cohered into a perfectly cromulent episode for you. It was a pleasure to speak with both Parish and Rolfe, especially in the latter’s 20th anniversary year—a fact that makes me feel like I’m about to turn into a skellington and keel over. Like it or not, YouTube has has a profound effect on the gaming scene, retro or otherwise, with anyone now able to broadcast their views, perspective, take on any game at any time. It’s a totally different scene than the one I grew up in and I thought it was time to address that, however loosely.
Edits by Greg Leahy. Art by Leeann Hamilton.
13:21 - Alleyway: Nice Play!
23:23 - Nuts & Milk: Stage Theme #2
31:58 - Alfred Chicken (SNES): Bonus
39:44 - My Frogger Toy Trials: Battle 4
48:39 - Theme from The 1UP Show | Kyle Justin: "Angry Nintendo Nerd"
1:01:54 - Huey Lewis & The News: "Back in Time"
1:12:41 - Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe: Future Fuckballs 2010
Closing - Rocky (SMS): Speed Training
Comments
I enjoyed both discussions. Back in grad school during the mid 2000s I used to play AVGN videos while working on my dissertation. About once a year I still go back to the 32X and CDI episodes.
Jason J
2024-12-23 16:29:39 +0000 UTCGreat interview, but for very different reasons than I was expecting. For me, James Rolfe is pretty much the height of 'just a dude' as far as online celebrity goes. The production values of AVGN have never outgrown the ad-hoc, homemade pragmatism. The interview makes it pretty clear to me that for him, this is work, one project of many that sustains where he wants to be. He didn't set out to change an entire mode of media and even though he did, he still isn't! What a unique position to occupy in modern media.
Shrunken Shrine
2024-12-20 00:56:32 +0000 UTCDoubling back to how appreciative I am to hear James on this show. Great job Stu!
Craig
2024-12-19 00:48:44 +0000 UTCI know time is too tight now but a video version of the podcast posted on youtube as well would be so cool. 😄
PosiVibez4evr
2024-12-17 07:02:18 +0000 UTCLove Jeremy's work but honestly think it's a weak take of his to freely block people for disagreeing with his opinions in videos. Unless I misunderstand and they're spewing totally valueless hate, I think it's always a better approach to allow discourse or disagree than to just silence. Perhaps he'd find more success on youtube if he did? Just a thought as his work does deserve a wider audience over there.
PosiVibez4evr
2024-12-17 06:36:43 +0000 UTCMaybe not replace the Rocky statue but James would be an improvement over the Frank Rizzo statue
Patrick McClafferty
2024-12-16 22:01:38 +0000 UTCThe question I've had for James for the past few years is if he's ever going to work on another feature length movie again. A sequel to the AVGN movie would be fine and all, but I'd love fore him to make a sequel to The Deader the Better.
Curtis Bostick
2024-12-16 02:18:46 +0000 UTCI met Jeremy and got a photo with him as well, but that happens every year.
littleterr0r
2024-12-16 01:21:04 +0000 UTCGreat interviews, both of them. I actually met James at that Portland Retro Gaming Expo that he mentioned and he was nice enough to snap a photo with me: https://www.instagram.com/p/CycmKdfrK20/?igsh=MXhoYjB4NWg5cmV0dA==
littleterr0r
2024-12-16 01:20:27 +0000 UTCI've always been annoyed at how dismissive people are of James and his work. Sure, the AVGN shtick has gotten a bit old after some time, but it doesn't negate that he's a talented, creative, hard-working person. Thank you for having him on, it feels long overdue. If anyone hasn't ventured past AVGN, I highly recommend Board James. As bizarre as it is funny.
Andrew O.
2024-12-15 13:49:18 +0000 UTCI tried to make a funny comment but there is no clever way to express how great Diamond is as a casual host and foil to Stu's excesses.
Wood Duck
2024-12-15 03:02:11 +0000 UTCI know this is sarcasm but DFiet is 👑
shea dewar
2024-12-15 02:33:49 +0000 UTCI really enjoyed Stu being the (mostly) straight man for a change. He does "professional video games srs-bsns art/industry discussion" well when he tries. Personally I blame that nasty young person Diamond for influencing him into whacky immaturity.
Wood Duck
2024-12-14 22:03:08 +0000 UTCI would honestly be so starstruck if I ever met James, so I understand your dilemma Stuart
Mark
2024-12-14 01:06:11 +0000 UTCPerhaps a weekly Retronauts video show is not feasible, but...and hear me out..."A Very Retronauts Holiday Special?"
Jason Lew
2024-12-13 23:31:21 +0000 UTCOne of the positive side effects of youtube favoring longer videos is a decline in the short, punchy, insincere "this game is a shitload of fuck" videos to video essays. I cut my teeth on Spoony's Ultima series back when the video limit was 10 minutes; 15 years later and majuular is doing hours long deep dives into the Ultima games. I want to bring attention to some other channels that are far more niche than what was common a decade ago including Basement Brothers which is an English language exploration of PC88/98 games, F_T_B whose focus is also on obscure Japanese side, and Izzzyzzz who explores the weird side of the aughts wrt early browser games and stuff that older gamers tend to dismiss but captivated millions at their height.
Justen Brown
2024-12-13 23:13:38 +0000 UTCI've changed my plans today...what? Road trip Audiobooks be damned it's a new podcast now
Andy V
2024-12-13 14:53:33 +0000 UTCWell, hot damn. I'm pretty speechless.
Normallyretro
2024-12-13 12:14:50 +0000 UTCWow what? This is the episode I have waited years for!
Sebastiano Gerace
2024-12-13 12:11:36 +0000 UTCMy worlds are colliding. I cannot start this podcast soon enough.
Craig
2024-12-13 12:04:20 +0000 UTC
