Super Best Friends are no more. Or "The issue with Dependency on Social Media"

[Specter Von Baren]

I'm fortunate to have a youtuber that I've been watching for a long time (Longer than Super Best Friends have been around if the dates thrown around are anything to go by) and that they are on the smaller end of youtube personalities and still follow the old school ways of LPing (No face cam) and that I actually get to converse with them alongside the rest of our small group followers.

I've also seen internet personalities come and go. One of my favorites was Spoony and I thought he was one of the funniest there were when AVGN and Cinema Snob were in their prime. But now he's lost the spark he used to have and doesn't do videos much at all aside from some LP's. It happens and it's going to happen with all good things eventually (Us Nintendo fans should consider ourselves very lucky that Nintendo as a company has literally existed for over 100 years now)

All said and done, aside from my first example, I don't get too caught up in the various people I follow, they're akin to watching T.V. and how you describe you feel right now is the same thing that is felt by people that see the end of a long running T.V. series with actors they've been watching for years. The only real difference is that you're not watching something that is clearly a show with a plot or some kind of information it is trying to convey to you like a cooking show. I would say the reason you feel this way is because LPers and the like are doing something that we associate with having fun rather than work and so it might lull you into a sense that you're just hanging out with someone.

Anyway, not sure if what I said makes sense, I just kinda went off on a train of thought, hope it helps though.

 

[mad825]

ppffft, Hipster here. I've been going through the motions with newgrounds in the ye olde days of the world wide web.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'm fortunate to have a youtuber that I've been watching for a long time (Longer than Super Best Friends have been around if the dates thrown around are anything to go by) and that they are on the smaller end of youtube personalities and still follow the old school ways of LPing (No face cam) and that I actually get to converse with them alongside the rest of our small group followers.

I've also seen internet personalities come and go. One of my favorites was Spoony and I thought he was one of the funniest there were when AVGN and Cinema Snob were in their prime. But now he's lost the spark he used to have and doesn't do videos much at all aside from some LP's. It happens and it's going to happen with all good things eventually (Us Nintendo fans should consider ourselves very lucky that Nintendo as a company has literally existed for over 100 years now)

All said and done, aside from my first example, I don't get too caught up in the various people I follow, they're akin to watching T.V. and how you describe you feel right now is the same thing that is felt by people that see the end of a long running T.V. series with actors they've been watching for years. The only real difference is that you're not watching something that is clearly a show with a plot or some kind of information it is trying to convey to you like a cooking show. I would say the reason you feel this way is because LPers and the like are doing something that we associate with having fun rather than work and so it might lull you into a sense that you're just hanging out with someone.

Anyway, not sure if what I said makes sense, I just kinda went off on a train of thought, hope it helps though.

I use to watch AVGN, but most of his stuff got repetitive (angry reviewing in general got old by 2012). Spoony, along with a lot of Channel Awesome, I stopped watching at 2012/13, either because of their attitude problems or lost of interests. The only ones I watch are Bennett the Sage, who I disliked in the beginning and Linkara. The former left in 2014 before the fallout even happened. Bennett was part of that angry review phase, and a lot of his early stuff was not good; especially his video game reviews. He even acknowledge it himself, which is why he has not done a video game review since 2013. He got better in 2014 and started taking criticisms to heart on improving himself.

ppffft, Hipster here. I've been going through the motions with newgrounds in the ye olde days of the world wide web.

I use to frequent newgrounds back in my middle school and high school days. By the time I reached college, I got bored of it. Good times on the site though.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Saw the announcement video yesterday. They looked really bummed out about it. Matt sounded like he was this close to tearing up.

A real shame, Super Best Friends has been a youtube mainstay for me since 2012 and they were one of the very few LP'ers I enjoyed. But I can understand why they're calling it quits. Their last few LPs, their hearts noticeably didn't seem into it like they once were, as if they were just going through the motions and no longer enjoying it.

I'll keep following them, but like some others here, I feel Super Best Friends was a 'more than the sum of its parts' thing. I like most of their solo stuff, but I'll miss the report they had.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Yeah, I hear ya about it being hard to maintain the same kind of IRL friendship as adults living adult lives (I get to see my closest friends maybe once every 6 months, and we don't game online together anymore), and turning to online content creators as a fallback.

I guess I've just been passive all this time. It's probably time to form real connections, but it really gets hard with age.

On one hand it does, because as we age, we get more insular and stuff...

On the other hand, in our affection starved world, most people long for more real connections.

I thought that as I entered my full adult years I would never have more than just my circle of 6 or 7 close friends, many of whom I've had since grade school, with almost all the new additions being people who joined the group.

But I hung out with some people for tabletop gaming for a bit, and they led me to a Larp group in my city, and that led to some wonderful new connections. They may not feel like extended family like my original circle is, but a lot of my fellow Larpers are very near and dear to me.

What I'm saying is, if you're looking to make real connections, find an activity to share with people, one that necessitates communication. It's a great opportunity.

Anyway, question time. How intertwined are your favorite Social Media Personalities with your life? Have you thought of it? How do you think you'd feel if one of your favorite social media outlets stopped producing content?

I used to be real intertwined.

But the last year or two has been pretty hard on me.

Between Projared not putting out quite so much video content (Let's plays don't do it for me), Razorfist going off the deep end and making me unsub from him (He was my first sub on youtube, and my favourite youtuber for I think over 5 years, so it REALLY hurt), and Extra Credits having that really skeevy scandal where James is probably a complete asshole who bullied someone out of the company (Making me feel guilty if I tune in at all)...

Well, it's hard to feel real attached to my favourite online content creators. I know that at any point, they might stop making stuff, or might break apart, or might suffer some calamity, or might turn out to be a jerk.

The one I follow closest now is Kyle Kulinsky of Secular Talk, but considering he does political talk, I feel less like it's a happy-friend-friend type thing and more of a "Alright, I need to stay informed about what's going on south of my border, and this guy is both on my wavelength AND pretty hilarious sometimes" situation.

I don't even connect over forums as well as I used to.

Back when I first got into them, Armageddongames was my home, and I made some great friendships there. For a while.

Now? AGN is dead and gone, most of the people I knew and enjoyed the company of on other forums have vanished, and the few I still frequent are either so specific that it's hard to make friends (GameFAQs, RPGmaker dot net). Hell, I only remember a handful of people from here, and I don't know anyone enough to call them a net-friend.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

I knew them for a long time too, but i only started watching them regularly like a year ago or so? With the LA Noire LP. So on the other hand, i didn't grow as attached to them, like people who've been following them for years, but on the other, it sucks because i really liked their content, and now feel like someone pulled the armchair from under me, just as i got comfortable sitting in it.

Who are Super Best friends? Who are Matt and Pat?

Random guys who did a couple of decent funny videos.

The random guys who did a lot funny videos. I knew this was coming at some point. Some of their latest videos just seemed like they were not all in sync with each other. I saw the announcement before going to see the new Spider-Man. I'll subscribe to Woolie and Pat's individual channels to keep up with them. It sucks to see friendships grow apart, and it sucks we won't see them do the RE2 Remake and DMC5 playthrough. I've been waiting for those.

I've known about them since 2011 when they were on Machinima and subscribed to them in mid 2012. I thank all of them: Matt, Pat, Woolie, and Liam (I admit that I barely cared for him at the time) for the 7 years of fun and entertainment. I will miss them. Best Friends and Max_Dood are my favorite channels. There are some other LPers too, so I still have some entertainment, but there will be a spot missing in my heart. Good luck to all 4 of them.

They also gave some exposure to devs like Swery, and brought back Metal Wolf Chaos from the dead.

PS - I will never watch or subscribe to Game Grumps.

Hah, same. Out of all the LP channels out there, GG is probably closest in form, but the humor and fanbase just don't quite hit the spot.

So i'm kinda left wondering who should i watch now for this kind of content, since SBFP was the only gaming channel i followed.

 

[Casual Shinji]

PS - I will never watch or subscribe to Game Grumps.

Hah, same. Out of all the LP channels out there, GG is probably closest in form, but the humor and fanbase just don't quite hit the spot.

Game Grumps is what SBFP would probably become if they had kept going; just playing games for the business without giving a shit. The great thing about SBFP was that through all the shit-talking and making fun of games you could tell they had a genuine love and passion for videogames. Even when it was something like a David Cage game they didn't get overly cynical or snarky and just had fun with the stupidity.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I never liked these guys because they make a habit of making fun of David Cage games.

And I like David Cage games.

And I always felt Maximillian Dood and his friends are far more enjoyable to watch and listen to then these guys.

 

[CaitSeith]

I'm not a fan of live streams (too messy and the audience is too noisy), but the LP's casual tone is pretty good background noise for when I can't play the games myself.

It makes sense to feel that way when things go bad for them. The LP's and stream's sell point is the people on camera (or even off-camera) talking while they playing the games, and not so much the games themselves (people come for the games, but stay for the personas).

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

And I like David Cage games.

... you've suddenly became so fascinating to me.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

And I like David Cage games.

... you've suddenly became so fascinating to me.

You mean my like of Zack Snyder films and the Hobbit movies wasn't it that made me fascinating?

Anyways Specifically I like the games Heavy Rain and onward.

Never tried Omnikron myself and I know people on GOG.com that likes it. I am under the impression that as of now Faranheit/Indigo Prophecy is the weakest.

I am sucker for hyper realistic graphics that David Cage provides, and I just think his games are unique in the ocean of Triple A games at the moment where most others are multiplayer/online focused with Loot Boxes/Microtransactions/etc.

 

[BrawlMan]

I never liked these guys because they make a habit of making fun of David Cage games.

And I like David Cage games.

And I always felt Maximillian Dood and his friends are far more enjoyable to watch and listen to then these guys.

Really, because they rip on David Cage? I admit to not like the guy either (Cage is a pompous git who has contempt for actual game design)It's pretty obvious he could not make it in to Hollywood or the film industry and overcompensates. , and the fact there are others games or series that does the job better than his game does not help matter. Asura's Wrath, various Telltale Games, and Until Dawn or are just some of the examples. There is nothing wrong with liking the guy's work, but honestly, they're not ripping on Cage 24/7. They've even complemented him on some things he did right on is most recent game. The SBF can be fair. Besides, Jim Sterling outright despised the guy, and has almost nothing positive to say about him. Yahtzee has said worse about Cage.

Glad to see another MaxDood fan.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

And I like David Cage games.

... you've suddenly became so fascinating to me.

You mean my like of Zack Snyder films and the Hobbit movies wasn't it that made me fascinating?

And Jaws is better without a shark.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I admit to not like the guy either (Cage is a pompous git who has contempt for actual game design).

That wouldn't even be that bad if he could actually.. tell a good story.

It's funny how he spends so much attention on story and acting performances that he would neglect gameplay, but then other games come out along the same time that have way more involving gameplay and completely destroy his games on both the story and the acting front. Like The Last of Us vs. Beyond: Two Souls, and God of War '18 vs. Detroit: Become Human.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

And I like David Cage games.

... you've suddenly became so fascinating to me.

You mean my like of Zack Snyder films and the Hobbit movies wasn't it that made me fascinating?

And Jaws is better without a shark.

And I still think that's true. Case in point this would make a scarier movie then Jaws:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrLR8HU8PiQ

Spoiler

Heck the Aquaman movie literally had Deep Ones

 

[Drathnoxis]

And I like David Cage games.

... you've suddenly became so fascinating to me.

You mean my like of Zack Snyder films and the Hobbit movies wasn't it that made me fascinating?

Anyways Specifically I like the games Heavy Rain and onward.

Never tried Omnikron myself and I know people on GOG.com that likes it. I am under the impression that as of now Faranheit/Indigo Prophecy is the weakest.

I am sucker for hyper realistic graphics that David Cage provides, and I just think his games are unique in the ocean of Triple A games at the moment where most others are multiplayer/online focused with Loot Boxes/Microtransactions/etc.

David Cage tried to steal an entire generation of gamer's souls and give them to the demon lord Astaroth. He is not a nice man.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

And I like David Cage games.

... you've suddenly became so fascinating to me.

You mean my like of Zack Snyder films and the Hobbit movies wasn't it that made me fascinating?

And Jaws is better without a shark.

And I still think that's true.

Heck the Aquaman movie literally had Deep Ones

Well, what works for one movie, right?

 

[EvilRoy]

or if SGF stopped playing games

I never knew you were a man of such excellent taste! That would be a pretty dark day for me too.

Its nice to be able to listen to a chill dude play games. And hear him be strained to breaking because those games are garbage, but still keep it together.

 

[CaitSeith]

On the other side, if things were starting to fall apart behind scenes, it's good that Matt and Pat separated before shit went overboard. Not all break ups are that clean.

 

[CriticalGaming]

It always sucks when your favorite TV show goes off the air. That's how I look at it. Things and people change, so when you are consuming a format where it's a lot of raw personality that strives to entertain you it is only natural that these personalities change over time. Sometimes Youtubers get too big and they forget themselves and their audience falls because of it, other times its just they get older and there personality itself changes into something you don't like as much.

Me personally have had to cut out three of my favorite Youtubers because they aren't around anymore or simply don't do things I used to like anymore.

Totalbiscuit - R.I.P.

Jesse Cox - Who in the last three years has just fallen into a guy who doesn't want to try anymore I think. He's almost stopped youtubing completely and moved onto other projects and twitch.

Boogie2988 - A once entertaining guy with a mix of legit sit down opinion pieces and parody Francis stuff, has basically been (understandably) ruined by both his divorce and his fall into a very weird SJW-kinda-but-not-really weird channel. He has been changed by circumstances around him and sadly I can't watch him anymore. I respect the guy and I wish him well but I'm not interested in what he's pushing.

The Co_optional Podcast - I know this is mostly just TB and Cox again, but even 18 months or so before TB passed away, the show just devolved into a group of people who where clearly no longer into it. The funny stopped, it was like none of them cared anymore. I dunno if they all saw the writing on the wall with TB's cancer, or what. But I couldn't watch the show at all because it was just utterly boring. Even now they still try and I don't understand why. Genna, my heart goes out to her and what she's had to go through and I even admire her for trying to take on TB's Mantle, but she is just unbelievably bad at being a host. Her opinions on games seem lacklutter and it's like she is trying to form her opinions based on what TB would have thought rather than her own. The last Podcast I watched was when they had Jim Sterling on because I love him and his viewpoints, but they ended up spending most of the time talking about wrestling and not about the gaming things happening around them like GOTY awards and Fallout 76's bullshit. I thought the perfect storm of Sterling and all the gaming disasters happening at that time would have made a rare return to form for the podcast but they didn't bother with it.


There are other personalities and Youtube shows that have taken over those spots for me. I have become very into D&D so Critical Role has been wonderful. I like the hate train of Heelvsbabyface and his rants on Blizzard and Bethesda.

I think part of what makes it harder to lose a Youtuber than a television show boils down to the fact that Youtubers feel more real. If you are watching someone's podcast or their let's plays, it can feel like you are just hanging out with them while they play a game or chat about things. You feel more connected because they feel more real to you than characters in a Show.