This has me lamenting what future there can be for games writing as anything other than a hobby.
For as long as it's existed, games writing's been defined by this tension between corporate's need for a cheap, effective, relatable way of promoting their latest products, and writers' creative need to do something more meaningful than hock the latest wares. Following a brief period in the 2010s where it looked like the latter might have a chance at calling the shots for once (and all the unfulfilled promises this period entails), it looks like various structural developments years in the making are starting to resolve in favor of the former. AI is the obvious example in all this - just cut the writers out and keep all the profit for ourselves! - but consider guide writing and acquisitions like this (which definitely aren't going to end the same way every other acquisition has over the past couple of years *wink wink*). The effect is to return us to games writing's early days where writers only figured as anonymous, interchangeable bylines. Meanwhile and deprived of any institutional backing, the handful of writers who've survived the old era can only survive this one by creating subscription-based, personality-driven outlets - and even that's far from a secure option. A new writer's new options are grim, and it doesn't feel like an accident that personality begins to figure more and more as a commodity right at the moment when forces like these (AI, content slop) threaten to divorce creative work from the people who, well, create it.
I'm not sure how to end this other than to gesture at how necessary major structural change, even if I can't imagine how that might possibly form under these conditions.
It's genuinely gotten to the point that the last bastion for widespread games writing is youtube, which has a unique culture problem making that not as promising as it should be. The consumerist viewpoint is so heavily embedded in that space that while I come across plenty of people with interesting viewpoints, a lot of them still feel the need to go "but maybe it's not worth the asking price" and it makes me want to claw my face off.
And it's frustrating because the other two cultures that have popped up are really dull fandom nothing and a lot aimless pieces trying to make a larger point or examine a big thing while needing desperately to scale back so there is meaning to the thoughts laid out.
There are some exceptions but they've also started to have their own issues, like the obsession with long videos causing bizarre release schedules and creator burnout. Professional games writers also fall into the pitfalls or just sort of do what they did before without learning the unique things video editing adds.
On a more positive note, I will toss out these channels as good games writing.
Accursed Farms: Always appreciated how Ross just let his unfiltered thoughts flow, helps give unique perspectives on both obscure games and major releases. His video on The Crew is a big winner for that. He's also a very simple, blunt writer, so anyone can easily understand whatever he's saying. https://www.youtube.com/@Accursed_Farms
Amelie Doree: Primarily talks about eroge, but has a really unique taste in eroge to the point has spent a lot of time talking about guro and darker stuff and managing to find some genuine emotional connection with these works. Lots of historical value and solid personal criticism. https://www.youtube.com/@AmelieDoree
B-Mask: Not strictly a video game guy but talks about them a good bit. He's a dramatist theater kid who uses his knowledge of performance to bring an interesting and funny, well presented perspective to whatever he talks on, and is refreshingly open with his emotions, no matter how silly or confused they may be be, with a healthy amount of self-awareness. Game wise, the Monkey Island videos and Psychonauts 2 video are ace. https://www.youtube.com/@BMask
eurothug3000: Huge appreciated of weird, obscure, and jank games, always come out of her videos appreciating something new about something. The Siren videos are fantastic deep dives, but her weirder one offs are also fantastic and go over some unique places of gaming history. https://www.youtube.com/@eurothug4000
F_T_B: Simple documentary style videos, covering early Japanese computer gaming. Very informative in general, you will learn something surprising every video. https://www.youtube.com/@f_t_b2238
GC Vasquez: Has had a rocky history (I've watched him for years) but has really started coming into his own around the time of the Yakuza 6 video sort of unlocked how he structures his videos now. His Like A Dragon videos in particular have been very helpful for me in untangling some thoughts I've had on them, even if I don't always agree with him in full. https://www.youtube.com/@GCVazquez
Mandalore Gaming: Feels bringing up probably one of the most popular game reviewers on youtube but I really appreciate the craft, you know. Mandalore edits all of his videos himself, specifically so he has control of the presentation, adding a lot of unique, out of nowhere gags that break up the pacing nicely and keep things from running on. His actual criticism is also often solid, especially as he's become more comfortable talking about game narratives. I genuinely think you can learn what makes videos unique for expression just from paying attention to his edits. https://www.youtube.com/mandaloregaming
Rerez: In this house, we admire a good hater, and the Rerez guys are masterclass at hating. The Just Bad Games series is just so refreshing and has really gotten better as time as gone, to the point that they actually released a large collection of ten of their videos with new information and thoughts to update them, showing that they care a lot about hating. The MadCatz video is hating at its more pure. https://www.youtube.com/user/rereztv
Tehsnaker: Probably my favorite gaming youtuber right now. Basically does edited videos over first hand experience with a game, with constant commentary and thoughts. Allows himself to be cringe constantly while keeping a deadpan tone. The Spark and Die Hard videos are the big winners for me, but you can't really go wrong. The Yakuza series is also pretty great just for sheer volume of thoughts and how they change over the years. https://www.youtube.com/@Tehsnakerer