Over the last year and a bit, I've come to appreciate "YouTubers" more than I have done in the past.
Hell, I'm at a point where I'd almost count myself in that category — at least I would if I did videos with more than double-digit view figures. But I'm cool with that; I have a nice group of people in the comments and I feel that aspect is more likely to go away the "bigger" you get.
Despite "getting" the medium a bit more than I have done in the past, I don't follow a lot of what I would describe as "big" YouTubers. Yes, I follow some of the more popular and successful — or at least well-regarded — gaming YouTubers, including LGR, The Game Chasers, Game Sack, Game Dave and ProJared, but I tend not to foray into super-popular territory like PewDiePie and the like. I have nothing in particular against PewDiePie, having never watched one of his videos, but what I know of his work also doesn't really appeal, either; I like the channels I've listed above for their "mature" take on gaming and their focus on more retro titles.
However, one exception to my "popular YouTubers" trend was a channel I came across entirely by chance, and indeed had no idea was even popular the first time I encountered it. That channel is Rhett and Link's Good Mythical Morning, a show that has kind of evolved through a variety of different formats over the years, but which has always provided an extremely "welcoming" and inclusive feel, regardless of whether you're watching a video for the first time or if you're a longtime devoted fan.
For the unfamiliar, Good Mythical Morning is — in its current form, at least — a daily show of about 15-20 minutes in length in which Rhett and Link, the two hosts, discuss something enjoyable mundane and meaningless, usually with some form of entertaining (and completely unscientific) "experiment" or game to complement what they are talking about. This might be seeing what happens if you leave various items in bleach for a month, or attempting to determine what a chocolate-covered household object is while blindfolded and using only your mouth.
The thing I like about Good Mythical Morning is that it provides a much-needed escape from the world — and one you can just sit back and enjoy rather than having to engage directly with it. They're never topical, they're never offensive, they're never political — but far from feeling like this is an oversanitised corporate affair, Rhett and Link always put across a very genuine feeling of friendship with one another, with their crew and with the viewer. You're being invited in to enjoy something dumb and silly with them, with no commitments or obligations; the only thing they want from you is for you to enjoy yourself.
The main Good Mythical Morning show is complemented by Good Mythical More, which is a more freeform, unstructured show that typically builds on what is in the main episode of the day, Saturday show Let's Talk About That, in which Rhett and Link are effectively "interviewed" by their producer Stevie about the things they have got up to that week, and Ear Biscuits, the duo's long-form podcast in which they talk about more weighty, adult issues — but still without setting foot into controversial, politically charged or even topical territory.
Andie and I both enjoy all these shows, which is great; it's always nice to find something that we both like. Good Mythical Morning typically accompanies our dinner in the evening, and we often fall asleep to an Ear Biscuits episode. Since we both started watching Rhett and Link's work, it's hard not to think of them as people we "know" at this point; it's a much more close, intimate relationship than you typically have with an entertainer, and it's a very pleasant feeling.
I'm sure not everyone will get along with their particular style of humour — especially when they get into more "gross-out" territory, but even there it's pretty tame and not offensively gross; it's just "oh, wow, I can't believe they did that" territory.
If all that sounds like fun, be sure to check out their channels I linked above; you might just find yourself falling in love like we did!
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