Y'know what really grinds my gears?

[radiator]

I really don't understand how. Are 5-7 year olds a really valuable demographic for marketers pushing online ads? What do they even buy nowadays?

[Dandontdare]

well, the actual value to a company of online advertising or twiitter/facebook campaigns has apparently been vastly overestimated. Private Eye have reported on this a few times recently - there have been academic studies that say that the claims made of the effectiveness of 'new-media' campaigns have been hugely overinflated and they don't generate nearly as much business as the ad people claim. Naturally, the ad agencies and website companies are playing this down, but if the companies who pay for the ads ever cotton on to this, we can expect a lot of free stuff on the web to no longer be free.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

PewDiePie.

No idea what you're talking about.

Thank Grud!

He's a bloke in his early twenties who records himself playing videogames while he does a running commentary. His level of humour is putting on silly accents, whooping and screaming and using the word 'rape' as if it's a punchline (though I gather that he does this less nowadays).

Here is an example of his 'work'. This is what a lot of kids today prefer to watch instead of traditional TV, or even playing games themselves. If you can make it through more than a couple of minutes of it you're a better man than me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HwlhGOxsE0

Oh, and btw he is the most popular uploader of Youtube videos in the world, and he makes millions of pounds a year for doing this.

Seriously? Time for me to reply Oblivion and film me doing it. I need the money....

[JamesC]

PewDiePie.

No idea what you're talking about.

Thank Grud!

He's a bloke in his early twenties who records himself playing videogames while he does a running commentary. His level of humour is putting on silly accents, whooping and screaming and using the word 'rape' as if it's a punchline (though I gather that he does this less nowadays).

Here is an example of his 'work'. This is what a lot of kids today prefer to watch instead of traditional TV, or even playing games themselves. If you can make it through more than a couple of minutes of it you're a better man than me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HwlhGOxsE0

Oh, and btw he is the most popular uploader of Youtube videos in the world, and he makes millions of pounds a year for doing this.

Seriously? Time for me to reply Oblivion and film me doing it. I need the money....

Don't forget to act like a twat while you're doing it!

[Hawkmumbler]

I used to like Pewdiepie, maybe it's an age thing, but I liked him before he started to do nothing but rape jokes and scream at the camera.

[Theblazeuk]

I enjoy watching Speedruns, glitch exploits, preview gameplay and some deathmatchs... but would always rather play a game myself. My housemate used to play loads of Batman and kept getting pummelled. I just wanted to snatch the controller off him and show him how its done...

[Banners]

These spam emails from recruitment consultants I was registered with over 10 years ago, wishing me a Merry Christmas despite never having found me one interview, either back in the years when I was unemployed, nor in the intervening time.

It must be really annoying to get one of these if you're out of work, and relying on such inept leaches (my hatred for Recruitment Consultants would demand its own thread)...

Yes, it would be a Merry Christmas if you'd quit wasting time on this kind of bullshit to help find me a job, you parasitic fuckers!

[radiator]

I used to like Pewdiepie

Can you try to explain the appeal to me?

Not being sarcastic or pointed - I'm honestly interested to know what draws people to the videos and the guy himself. Help me understand!

If I was being generous I'd say that he has somewhat of a flair for editing, and he certainly has a lot of energy, but that's about all the positive things I can say. He seems like one of those 'wacky' guys at school or the office who make up for a lack of genuine wit or creativity with an abundance of confidence and just shouting the loudest. Watching one of his videos really is like nails down a blackboard for me, I find it that annoying. As I said, generally with these kind of cultural phenomena, even if it's something I don't like or obviously isn't aimed at me (the Twilight saga or Mrs Brown's Boys for example), I can see why it appeals to other people, which is why saying 'it's an age thing' doesn't really cut it. I really don't want to be a grumpy old geezer shaking my head at these youngsters and their rock and roll music.

From my perspective this just looks like one of those weird disposable faddy things like Crazy Frog that people inexplicably get caught up in, but it's been popular for years. I mean, in twenty years time are people really going to fondly reminisce about that amazing video where he played Far Cry 4 while screaming? Or am I missing the point? Is it intended to be utterly banal and disposable, like a modern version of mainstream radio DJs forced banter?

[Richmond Clements]

Can you try to explain the appeal to me?

Not being sarcastic or pointed - I'm honestly interested to know what draws people to the videos and the guy himself. Help me understand!

I fear the answer, and I know because I am on the same boat, is:

I really don't want to be a grumpy old geezer shaking my head at these youngsters and their rock and roll music.

[Dandontdare]

Just had a flashback to trying to explain to my Grandad why Monty Python is funny. It just did not make any sense to him.

[Grugz]

pringles... not the taste,theyre aces but the tube that's too small for my fat hand unless I tip crisps all over the sofa ...and when pringles come pre broken in the aforementioned tube

[Hawkmumbler]

Honestly, his first two years worth a videos are genuinly entertaining. He mainly used to play horror games such as Amneisia and Outlast and his reactions where what made the comedy, the fact he never seemed to immunise himself to the terror and many of his most unexpected reactions are still hilarious (his reaction to the horror motion comic from a frw years back, I forget it's name, still make's me howl with laughter).
Also, when he removes the character and becomes Felix tou realise that, even now, he's a really nice guy. Most if not all of his revenue from the channel goes to charity as well as all his sponser money plus his livefeed charity screenings. He really is a nice bloke, he's just taken his general content in a nasty direction by utelising crass, unfunny rape jokes at every opportunity.

Frankly, I still enjoy some other Let Playera because they are an amusing anecdote to my own short comings while gaming, the "rage harding" in games like Five Nights and Freddys and Amongst the Sleep is something I can really affiliate with. Look to people like Markiplier, Rooster Teeth or CepticEyeJack and they opperate in a similar manner to PDP but with less....unsettling humour.

[Tiplodocus]

THE UNTOLD STORY

Fuck me, if there's a more disheartening phrase to see or hear on an upcoming book, film or comic, I don't know what it is.*

Do you know what, there's a good reason Peter Pan is described as "the boy who never grew up", why The Grinch was simply described as having a heart that was two sizes too small. It's because the origin is not the point and it doesn't need a two hour movie to expand upon it.




*directed by Uwe Boll probably comes close.

[radiator]

THE UNTOLD STORY

Fuck me, if there's a more disheartening phrase to see or hear on an upcoming book, film or comic, I don't know what it is.*

Do you know what, there's a good reason Peter Pan is described as "the boy who never grew up", why The Grinch was simply described as having a heart that was two sizes too small. It's because the origin is not the point and it doesn't need a two hour movie to expand upon it.

Strongly agree - it's why most prequels are usually pretty crap - generally all they do is demystify something cool and make the universe of the particular film/TV show/comic book etc seem smaller and less interesting.

It's cool to see a character like Darth Vader and think 'What's his story?'. Less cool to actually get the answer.

[JamesC]

I think that as you get older you realise that there's a fine art to filtering your culture. I've realised that behind the scenes interviews with comic creators, rather than being an interesting insight into the creative process, are more often than not an opportunity for bitter old men to slag each other off.