Ashens

Been following this Briton since I saw his first POP Station review way back in ‘06. Honestly one of the first online personalities who got me thinking about possibly establishing my own sort of presence on the Internet, as he made it look so much fun. I reckon he covers more cheapo Poundland products than video games at this current point in time, but he’s still a great source of entertainment regardless. Give his books on bad games a read as well, if’n you’re interested in the subject matter.

Audi Sorlie

My first exposure to Audi was seeing him appear on Digital Foundry’s YouTube Channel, contributing his encyclopedic knowledge on the subject of bad games. Needing to know more about this man who so dedicatedly champions Bubsy the Bobcat, I quickly discovered that he had hands in more than a few different projects I was already a fan of; namely, his work with Sekai Project, and his book Wrestling with Pixels. Needless to say, I now consider myself a fan of the man himself, and his infectious love / optimism for oft-maligned releases.

Civvie 11

Civvie has quickly risen the ranks in hosting one of my all-time favorite YouTube gaming channels; with his primary focus on 90s – 2000s first-person shooters, and a sardonic sense of humor that mercifully doesn’t cross the oft-treaded line into “edginess.” Pairing insightful criticism of game mechanics with comedic observations is a winning combination, and matches what I’ve always aspired to do with my own content… aside from the part about producing it as a term of his imprisonment at a secret government facility. #FreeCivvie.

Dan Ryckert

Loveable, huggable, scarily relatable idiot. He’s also just a really nice dude who seems super fun to be around and who genuinely does his best to improve himself as a person, so he’s kind of impossible not to like as far as I’m concerned. Give his self-help book a shot if you ever have a chance: His message of plunging yourself headfirst into new things, pursuing your dumbest ideas, and saving the worrying for later is solid life advice.

Frank Cifaldi

Quite possibly the hardest-working man in games preservation today. His work with the Video Game History Foundation (@GameHistoryOrg) is absolutely vital, and he’s a better champion than the games industry probably even deserves. Regardless, his tireless efforts are greatly appreciated, and his organization deserves as much support as it can get.

On the off-chance he ever reads this: I’m sorry for completely embarrassing myself in front of you at Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2018, and for getting the name of the VGHF wrong despite the fact you were literally wearing a shirt with the brand written on it. Thanks for letting me take this goofy photo of you anyway!

Gaming Hell

On a personal level, Ant Cooke has been cool as hell to me, and I consider them a good friend. On a professional level, they run one of the most interesting games websites on the net. The sheer variety of stuff they cover (and the different ways they choose to cover it) is incredible, and I have hella respect for their mentality to cover whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want. Also, man oh man do I love the whole design of their website.

Gaming.moe

The work Heidi is putting in on covering the history of the Japanese games industry [for the benefit of English-speaking audiences] is essential stuff. She’s also an expert on the subject of kusogē games, which makes her a greatly appreciated asset on this side of the web. Also, you didn’t hear this from me, but I reckon she might be a fan of Vanessa Lewis from Virtua Fighter.

Grim Beard

Possibly the greatest goth gamer in the YouTube game today. Their deep dives into the worlds of horror, adventure, and downright shlock are all meticulously written and produced. It’s rare to find a creator who makes the balance between entertainment and exploration of game mechanics look so effortless, and I’m deeply appreciative of what is undoubtedly the great deal of effort that actually does go into striking that balance.

Hazel

Hazel’s deep dives on infamous and obscure anime represent exactly the type of content I’ve always hoped to produce within the “bad games” space: Thoughtful and thorough, with a drive to understand and convey why they are the way they are. And if she just so happens to be highly entertaining in the process, that’s a plus too! Her self-professed love of “trash” aligns with my own predilections, and her roots in the early Internet match up closely enough with my own that her deep-cut references manage constant pops from me.

Cannot recommend her videos highly enough, and I can only kick myself for not having kept up with her over the course of a year where she completely reworked her YouTube channel and her content to produce the masterworks she’s routinely putting out now.

Jeff Gerstmann

I reckon he’s probably known by most as “the man with the most integrity in games journalism.” While that is probably absolutely true, he’s also just an entertaining dude to watch and listen to, with fascinating insights into the industry. In addition to sharing a lot of similar thoughts on games, I also agree with his stances on shitty pizza and dirty Miami bass sound. His advice with regards to getting a foot in the business of games writing / journalism was instrumental in the foundation of this very website.

Jeremy Parish

Jeremy’s work in covering the history of Nintendo – through projects such as “Game Boy Works” and “NES Works” (formerly known as ‘Good Nintentions’) – is as important as it is fascinating; which is to say, very much so. The attention to detail that goes into his work and his hard work in putting in the research is super inspiring stuff. Dude also keeps himself super busy between a number of different sites and projects, so much so that I honestly can’t keep up with all of it. But when I do check in on what he’s been up to, I’m never disappointed.

Kim Justice

British lady who does longform – and I do mean long – videos on all manner of games, game companies, and game developers. She’s super informative, covers a wide variety of topics, and consistently provides compelling content. A particular wealth of knowledge on matters of the British computer games scene of the late 80s / early 90s — which was never a strong suite of mine, but which I feel like I might at least score a passing grade on the subject now thanks to her videos.

Lazy Game Reviews

Clint is one of the most infectiously optimistic video makers I’ve ever come across, and it’s a fortune coincidence that so many of our interests are common between us. Whether he’s restoring old DOS-compatibles, demonstrating the best of VooDoo 3DFX graphics, or even just crafting some crispy sandwiches, he somehow manages to make it all compelling. I’ve never so much as detected a single negative vibe from this guy in my 13+ years spent following him, and I have the comforting feeling that won’t change any time soon.

The Obscuritory

Phil Salvador covers games and software I’ve never heard of and would probably never stumble upon on my own. As a bonus, they make it super fascinating to read about and leave me wanting to check out everything he covers for myself. Also, he’s got another one of those website designs that I would totally steal if I could get away with it.

Rerez

I savor every second I get to spend talking business with Shane Luis. Having watched and enjoyed his content for years – his only being one of the most prominent figures in the “Bad Games” space and all – getting to know the guy behind the channel and pick his brain about the industry still feels like a wild turn of events. But hey, in case any of y’all were wondering: Shane truly is deeply passionate about goofy-ass video games, and doing his part to further efforts in appreciation and preservation.

Retro Pals

Two good pals of mine putting out some good video game content. With streams [and archive uploads] covering the game libraries of infamous developers, consoles, and characters, I’ve come to expect that any of their given episodes will introduce me to at least one or two games that I’ve never seen or heard of before. They’re also just super entertaining to watch and listen to, which is generally the “highest honor” I can give to content.

Rokkan

Rad Brazilian gal with particular passions for old-school Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog. She’s a pleasure to talk about games with, she draws some awesome art (as seen in our Virtual Boy article), and she’s super cute to boot. She’s also helped to provide me with precious context on the state of the games industry in Brazil, which has been a boon to my writing on the subject. You can catch some of her games-related writing on her Medium page, or watch her stream gameplay live on her Twitch channel.

Stop Skeletons From Fighting

Formerly known as “The Happy Video Game Nerd,” Derek Alexander now collaborates with partner Grace Kramer to make super insightful content centered around the histories of game franchises, developers, and oddball console peripherals. Their “Punching Weight” series is a personal favorite of mine, covering games that aim to overachieve.

Oh, and as of December 2020? I help contribute to their scripts and research.