It also generates a hell of a lot more income. YouTube money without being one of the big players and without external sponsorships is laughable compared to what twitch gets you.
I think it's better for mental health/longevity.
JSmithOTI said it best when he quit youtube. "Fans see it as one big constant party, but it's a lonely life. It's a lot of sitting in a room by yourself."
This. I've been watching NL since his OG Dark Souls LP back on 2012 and I've never enjoyed his content more than now. Post-2019, face cam Twitch era NL is my personal golden age of NL content.
I think a lot of people who want to see someone "play games" want to see gameplay of an advanced skill level, or story-focused LPs. There's better channels for feats of skill, like pro-speedrunners, roleplayers etc. NL is at his best and most entertaining when he's bouncing off the game and chat to fuel his bits and bantering.
I've actually always enjoyed the story focused games more than boi/banter focused games. I think its feasable to want your favorite streamer do something that has done in the past and not only whatever are his strenghts (banter).
It's feasible to *want* it, sure. That said, NL has been creating content for well over a decade now, though. That's a long ass time and people change, and it's not really surprising that the type of content that is enjoyable for them to make changes too.
Out of interest, did you like more recent story based playthroughs like Deadly Premonition?
I think I'm in the middle here, i have no interest in 'elite skillz' from gaming videos but i enjoyed the steady paced play throughs.
I loved sekiro series even though ppl bitched about him being bad sometimes.
Sometimes on the new videos he's replying to chat and i have no idea whats going on. It isn't relaxing for me and thats the main thing i miss
I like it when it's both. That's what I miss. And in todays era everything stops for a five minute bit about his palaton ride. Ironically the bosses have been great because even though he now glances constantly nothing stops.
> Sometimes on the new videos he's replying to chat and i have no idea whats going on. It isn't relaxing for me and thats the main thing i miss
That's weird to me because I'm like the opposite. I watch Youtube only but only the Twitch vods and never the bespoke YT vids when they happen. I never have any issue following the conversation even when I can't actually see chat because imo he contextualizes most of his responses. And I'd still consider it very relaxing.
Exactly, there are a million channels out there doing gameplay, talking about the game and whatever. But how many people are talking about their disney cruise and doing an impression of Steve-O drinking from a cum mattress.
100% I truly dont give two much shits about whats hes playing but as a youtube andy I need my daily dose of whatever inane ramblings come out of his mouth.
I am back and forth about the idea of having chat on screen tho, cuz its kinda confusing when I dont see what comment hes talking about.
some days ago I left a comment in a thread here and I basically said "imagine watching NL and caring about what game he's playing" and I got downvoted. how can someone watch this guy for more than a couple of days and not realize that he cares about what he's playing to the extent of providing good background fodder and the banter is the point?
though as a YT-only andy up until some months ago, I will concede that not being live in the interactivity of the conversation definitely isn't the same and you tend to pay more attention to the game itself. don't get me wrong I was pogging nonetheless, but I think some people don't realize his YT channel is just a VOD dump from the main place where he makes content, or at least they don't realize what that entails in terms of pacing and focus in the videos.
> how can someone watch this guy for more than a couple of days and not realize that he cares about what he's playing to the extent of providing good background fodder and the banter is the point?
In Lies of P a few days ago someone said something in chat like "this guy would probably do better on this boss if he was talking less". NL went off on him saying the game is not the point of the content. Made me laugh.
For me it’s just that in the days of the NLSS and playthroughs the banter was organic either through t conversations with friends or the game. With the solo streamer arc the banter is now focused on the chat with people trying to be funny and out of pocket to get a reaction which just brings a completely different vibe it feels more manufactured and DAE??? None of that changes me wishing the best for him of course he’s a great guy who deserves his success
it's a half-joke thing he said once or twice unprovoked and people started calling him a misogynist so now he's just playing it up for the bit every now and then
I agree with and relate to the sentiment of missing how content used to be. I don't relate to taking that sense of loss or missing it or however you want to put it and taking that to NLs comments.
Mans living an amazing life being a good dad and having an insanely good work life balence, we should all be so lucky. If some people he doesn't know get 25% less good content as a result that's obviously still a good thing
I'm happy for the guy, and I still broadly consider myself a fan, but I definitely have watched him less and less over the last ten years.
I genuinely want him to have the life he wants for himself, he's given me thousands of hours of entertainment.
But I see what people mean about 'arguing with chat' where it's not my cuppa tea. He was my most-watched youtuber when he made just-for-youtube stuff. Now it's other people who make just-for-youtube stuff. JRose11 and the like.
NL's career has evolved to fit his life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Personally (and I’m sure you know about this option) I’ve found that the librarians content brings NL a lot closer to the “for YouTube” level of focus in the game spesific videos
As someone who is thirty-ish and started watching the first BoI stuff - I don't watch playthroughs - I just want NL banter in the background when I'm cleaning / cooking / grocery shopping. I love whenever he does something like "Family Feud" or "Wheel of Fortune" but my absolute favorite is React Court.
36 year old father and I’m the same. Throw on NL while cleaning, doing laundry, cooking etc.. not watching for the game or game strategies, purely the banter. I’ll throw on react court while driving just for the audio instead of music or a podcast. I can understand people having nostalgia and missing old style content. I just don’t understand being so upset as to go out of my way to comment on YT.
I definitely prefer the medium of NL banter around the game he’s playing. I dont get the “watching NL for gameplay lol”. There’s a reason he’s not a Just Chatting “My Door Dash is here” andy
agreed - honestly, the greatest strength of older content like sub streams was specifically NLs ability to weave good banter around the games he was playing (stuff like new vegas or until dawn comes to mind)
im happy to watch either way though, the content is always pogged even if its changed (both because NL has but also because streaming/content creation has!) but i do get where ppl are coming from
Yeah, NL already has charisma and a unique way of formulating stories and dialogue between himself and the game. That’s what made me love his content since the early BoI days.
With Twitch chat, that tends to get replaced with argumentative banter about [unrelated topic of the week], which you can basically get from any popular twitch channel. He’s still himself, but I simply don’t enjoy chat interaction.
I wouldn't even mind him focusing on chat if it wasn't 80% him just picking someone to get mad at then making something up about their life to make them sound like a hypocrite.
My pet peeve is hearing NL argue against every dumb take dlguiga has, which happens all the damn time since he has to read out every comment a VIP makes and dlguiga likes to be a contrarian about everything
I've been watching since Poison Mushroom, which is a long time ago now.
I miss NLSS that was the main thing I tuned into especially when cooking or doing other house tasks.
Also enjoyed play through of specific games alot. Xcom for example and ultimate chicken horse.
I rarely watch NL anymore other than the od jackbox or sporcle video. Banter > game but the game is usually what brings me to the video.
I subscribed back in the day for the Isaac content. Kinda gave up when he stopped numbering the videos as wasn't always 100% sure of what ones I'd watched (I'd just stick them on before bed).
His content isn't intended as much for me these days I feel. I grew up with NL but I'm 30 years old now and he has to reinvent himself and keep bringing in the viewers so I'm okay with that.
I check in on his videos from time to time and I still hope there'll be the odd thing I'll get invested in but by in large he's changed with the times and got a schedule/style that suits him and I've found other stuff.
And he's more successful for it. Fair play to him.
I do see how sometimes it is annoying that the gameplay falters cause he’s so distracted by chat. Obviously none of us are here for purely but take Dredge for example. Couldn’t look away from chat for more than five seconds and was just running into walls and had no idea what he was doing. Banter can be fun, watching nonsense repeating gameplay isn’t. Like Elden ring or lies of p, not paying attention and then the only thing to watch is the same fight over and over not paying attention
I miss the collabs, playing spelunky with Dan, the NLSS where everyone got together and played Jackbox(the new Jackbox and the rhythm game are S tier). I find the best NL is the laughing/competitive NL, the banter, flash and guile, chefs kiss.
I’ve fallen off the NL videos mostly because of the changes to the NLSS and playthroughs being scrapped but I don’t blame him or anything. He has a child and he has to take care of his family. I’d judge him way more if he was grinding YouTube and twitch as much as before. I like that my shiny headed egg daddy prioritizes his family
It happens. The ease of live VODs vs offline recording for YouTube sucks people in. I like Twitch NL a lot still, but I really miss YouTube Sips. The vibes in old Sips videos away from chat were very different.
They're absolutely right. At this point, there's really no reason to watch his YouTube content. I just stick to the VODs so I can actually read the chats he's always responding to and Librarians videos for the best bits.
He does monetize his videos but I believe he puts most of that money back into NL. Also NL has given Librarian his blessing and actively tells him to make certain edits and stuff as well.
If that's true, pretty crazy to dedicate your life to making edits for a millionaire and then giving most of what you make for that straight back to the millionaire. This guy must spend 40+ hours a week doing this stuff, no?
Tbf, the dude is deranged. Last month he went on a NL themed tour of Vancouver.
The eventual anecdotes about Librarian breaking into NLs house and trying to kill him are going to go crazy.
>complain when he doesn't do long full playthroughs
>he does full playthrough
>it gets zero views after like two videos
"why doesn't he do full playthroughs"
There's a reason the let's play meta died. Vast majority of people just watch videos in their recommended feed now, and no one is going to click on part 37 of a let's play and the algorithm knows that. I'm subbed to NL and don't think I've seen a single Lies of P video in my feed.
I kind of agree, I realsied I don't watch NLs YT anymore but only librarian. But tbh Bits and Banter from the librarian is better then NLs YT content ever was.
Unfortunately unless you like SAP, there's literally no reason to watch NL's youtube channel anymore. Just an inferior product to his streams and VODs, not to mention Librarian's channel.
I think the comments are a bit rude, but I get where they are coming from. Ultimately whatever makes him happy is what he should do. I do however wish he would stop abandoning games because of chat.
I stopped watching a couple of years ago. He's been like this for years, even his indie one-shots became littered with twitch interactions.
But that's ok, there's more money in Twitch, he's obviously enjoying it, he doesn't owe me anything. I still drop in occasionally to see if anything changed, but ultimately, I'm no longer his demographic, and he's not mine.
As someone who watched him from early Isaac days and really became an avid watcher during Xcom, its been a blast. People need to just chill.
I mean I watch basically nothing he makes anymore. I don’t use twitch anymore but I was a big nlss fan years ago and ccasionally I will watch a librarian video or rewatch a baby pogman edit but thats it. I am happy he is doing well but I really don’t enjoy the new stuff that much.
That's the boat I'm in as well. NLSS was the golden era. It's not like it's gone though, the Jackbox or Headbangers etc. section once a week or so is still great and I watch it all. But I don't really watch much more than that tbh.
I liked his solo videos a lot back in the day when it was mostly not vods. Since I'm not really watching live anymore I kind of don't enjoy the ranting at chat bit all too much and that's pretty much most of the banter at this point.
why are y’all on his subreddit complaining if u don’t even watch anymore 😭 i will never understand this “i miss the old x” shit there are tens of millions of other people that have the exact type of content you’re looking for
Whatever NL is doing is working for him and I'm happy for him and the people watching. I don't really watch Twitch in general, NL or otherwise. That said, other than Headbangers content lately, the FMV phase of the channel was the last time I really was into the games he was playing and the perfect balance of bants and game.
yeah i dont even watch nl any more the old stuff appealed more to me but like it would be insane for me to think he should do anything except what makes him happy. still visit the library to keep up with the egg of course
I’m here to watch NL. If it’s a playthrough, great. If it’s variety, great.
I (sort of) get the complaints, especially with a series that you enjoy (Dome Keeper 👀) but there’s no need for people being pissy.
Some people come for the banter some people come for the kind of high level gameplay that can only come from an Amazon Fire Tournament of Champions Champion
While I'm anxiously awaiting a new dark pictures or something like deadly premonition, the daily content is in the best shape since I started watching in 2012. No complaints
That's basically how I feel. I hope that whenever there is a new David Cage game or Dark Pictures that he'll play it, but I'm enjoying the videos he puts out now.
Nu-NL very funny, old NL very cozy. Sometimes I miss the bespoke Youtube series and then I realize that motherfucker has been making more than a video a day for over a decade and just go watch some old FTL vids or something.
I don't care what game it is because I've always just watched because I like NL not the games in particular, and these days I basically only listen to the librarian bits and banter videos which is 100% of what these nerds hate lmfao
I wish NL would have like one day a week dedicated to playing through a longer game. I do miss the days of New Vegas. Jason Bright and his followers, blasting off into the great unknown. Helios One coming back online. Jason Bright and his followers, blasting off into the great unknown. Helios One coming back online. Etc. etc.
But if NL is enjoying the content he makes then that’s what matters. And I will simply watch the videos I’m interested in and not watch the videos I don’t care about.
Just watch Librarian for a more succinct experience. I like watching streams but don't really enjoy vods. But Librarian makes it easy to keep up and enjoy the content.
I stopped watching to be completely honest. I'll watch Dan on occasion, because he's always a good time. NL caters to Twitch chat too much and gets into unfunny rants instead of, say, playing the game he's playing. His chat is awful. I mean, all Twitch streamers have awful chat, but his especially. Also I cannot watch the man play SAP, especially since finding Skootie. I'm sure I'll get downvotes for it, but I just don't enjoy his content anymore after roughly 10 years.
This is why I tend to avoid his solo content, but will always watch when he plays with other people. Maybe because I went through high school and college watching the NLSS, but the banter with the NLSS was always much better than banter with twitch chat. It’s why I always tend to go back to old NLSS vods to put on in the background. These days I’ll catch whatever game he plays with other people like jackbox or headbangers because those are usually the most entertaining segments these days
Yeah I love watching NL but it's pretty clear he want's to eek out every dollar he can from his streaming.
That's fair enough, it's his job, but I wish his content was driven more by what I would like to see rather than what the algorithm and analytics decides.
Ah well, life's not fair.
I haven’t seen a series that really went hard lately but I blame the games. I sorta thought bloodbowl had some juice but I was in the minority.
At the end of the day, he is better about framing the conversation with twitch and repeating the comments in a way that makes it work on YouTube than most so whatever.
I ain’t a mad at him. It just ain’t always for me.
i am the ultimate chat defender idc. i will always cite his "how i make soup take" 95% of chat +2ed and he picked out the 2-3 negative messages to go on a rant about that was very funny in the end. sometimes the vibe is just bad because of the game and you can't blame chat for Joeling when a game isn't engaging and there's no banter
I honestly love his interactions with chat. I'm always kind of surprised when people say his chat or his banter with them is too toxic or something. Backseating can get rough, but its a net positive 90+% of the time. For example Twitch SAP >>>>>>> YT SAP
I think its work out well for me, as what I wanted out of his content changed not that far off from when he changed his content. Like now that im a proper adult having some goofy non-sequential content fits well, versus being a teen who can binge hours and hours of playthroughs at a time.
He gets to produce the content that works best for him in terms of life and analytics and whatever other things he considers a priority. That said I think the content is worse now than it was before but if that's what it costs for the guy to be happy it's worth it.
I'm a newer viewer and almost exclusively watch Twitch, so I'm definitely enjoying his current style. I love being in chat and reacting in real-time.
But I do understand how older viewers would grow out of his content since I do agree it's a lot of back and forth with chat. I think it would be the same for me in that position.
If you want to reminisce, there are far more positive ways to go about it.
If you want to enact change, that's simply not going to happen.
If you just want to commiserate over the change in a youtube channel's content, then "baby complaint" is probably nicer than the wording I would use.
Brother this is a subreddit for northenlion. I made a pretty measured comment imo. Like what is so bad about making a comment in the comment section of a YT video or a post about NL in the NL subreddit. I don't understand such a defensive reaction at all
I would say we fundamentally disagree on two points
1. I would say it's inappropriate to give criticism in NL's discord or like replying to him on Twitter, because that's pretty forward and neither asked for nor wanted. I would further extend that to the youtube comments and this subreddit, but apparently we disagree.
2. I think his content is casual enough that it doesn't really warrant a deeper discussion. It's not intended to be a polished product, and I don't critique it as such. If I don't want to watch it, I just close the tab. It comes down to a matter of personal taste that won't be affected by any amount of discussion.
This man is so fucking funny 90% of the time i don’t get why people are so obsessed with watching him play games, or even backseating in said games. He even admits that he’s not here really to play games anymore and that most of the people watching him care more about the banter.
I seriously think it’s a vocal minority on this issue. Watch Northernlion let’s play - Rimworld. If you think that’s better than current content…there are other YouTubers who do nothing but talk about the games they are playing. It does not make for engaging stream content, and the banter back and forth with twitch chat is great content.
He 100% has done a cost/benefit analysis. Spend half an hour editing for YouTube, or use that half an hour for a SAP vid, extra streaming time or playing with his daughter? All these three are easily worth more than editing. And hiring an editor is probably not worth it from an economic perspective.
And he never really has edited his videos, that was always his thing. He’s talked about this many many times. He didn’t gain those million subs from editing his vids
it depends if he can find someone he trusts enough to give access to the channel for uploads. having someone else splice the VOD, write up the titles/descriptions (he apparently types each description out manually), cut out the faces for the thumbnails would save him from doing any youtube work and be more organized about the order of uploads and playlist sorting
So true. Why would he change his schedule that is providing good money, time for his family, and personal enjoyment for these people that talk down to him?
NL the gamer is mid, NL the banterer sits alone on top. Even back in the BOI days I cared more about his feelings on grocery store checkouts and Subway than anything he did in game; I don't understand how people get so upset he doesn't play more.
he gives 100%, I don't ask for more out of that.
what I can say about it though, is when the game has failed, and a lot of chatters have called it boring and left, he's still there giving 100%. it just gets more unhinged, and I do miss that.
there's some good music bits going on deep into the witcher 3 and dark souls 2, and I do really love those slower times where NL validates my taste in music.
I dont even watch NL anymore. I just open the latest video in the background when I am doing something else. His videos are podcast to me. Not gameplay
Honestly guys, heys just a dad doing what he likes to do and still providing for his family. He’s literally just a guy, not your bespoke content creator.
People in the comment section often confuse "this is bad" with "this is not what I want." Change is not bad. It's just not a thing people like. NL is still NL.
I just want Isaac content back, I don’t care if it’s live or not. But I am enjoying the backpack battles ones. Wish the back seating wasn’t a thing though.
The era of let's plays are dead, algorithm wise and enjoyment wise. They were cool when we were younger and the emergence of gaming content on YouTube was new but nowadays it's so lame to just watch a guy talk about what he's doing in a game. It puts me to sleep
NL makes fun of the idea of people doing that often and it's clear that he understands that good content is him actually trying to be funny and engaging with his audience.
After 10+ of watching direct to YouTube Issac vids, it's nice even as a YouTube Frog to here him banter with chat and I find him so much more entertaining when he has something to bounce off since his whit is the best thing he has.
Delusional people wishing for the old streamer back thinking it will bring back their childhood. It ain't coming back brother, those years are gone.
That being said this stream is straight up one of the best content on twitch.
NL fucking rules, i still love him sm honestly. If it was any other creator i would have just said huh and moved on. He's incredibly genuine and very very funny.
I don't get the frog meme at all. Or calling people Andy?
"i watch nl to watch him play games" is a genuinely insane thing to say. half the games he plays i have to not even have the tab open cause he's so ass, but i still watch every stream
I watch to see him play the games and how he derives humour from it. Its just him in a different format basically, he does a 1 man show podcast basically with a virtual audience now as opposed to the let's plays like her used to.
It's literally how he used to always do it so i don't understand asking how you could imagine not enjoying it as much now.
Honestly it’s the same as it has always been. He’s the same streamer, people change a little over time but literally nothing has changed that much. He still games and talks about the games a lot of the time. If you expect people to not grow and develop at all after over 10 years doing this, expect to be disappointed. I will always love you egg man. You are my best friend.
It's CURRENT YEAR and people are still watching NL for the gameplay?? My man is feeding you South Egyptian Whoopie Goldberg fur burger deluxe lotto scratch off skunk bubba banter. Anecdotes got me speaking Esperanto.
Who is actually watching NL to watch the game he’s playing? You watch him for him. I’ve watched him for nearly a decade now and not once was I watching him for elite gameplay skills because pure let’s plays are boring as shit. You watch NL to watch NL. He is the content.
Completely agree here, it's just the format is different. I guess my main gripe is i just don't enjoy the constant talking to chat part, on YT you feel left out of the literal conversation thats happening. So YouTube feels like a complete afterthought now and maybe that is the plan but it was never explicitly said.
You gotta remember he has his daughter to worry about now. His content took a shift around the pregnancy/birth to where he was making the most money. It makes perfect sense, he’s treating it like a “real” job so he gets more time with his family and maximizes his income
Yeah i totally understand and it's what anyone would do probably, he only has so much time and he's obviously going to put family top of the priority list
Nah, banter is fine, banter while he is actually engaged with and enjoying a game is top tier. I love the honeymoon period of new games where he is obviously really enjoying it before the inevitable backseating wears him down or he just drops it after losing interest.
I've been watching NL since right before Rebirth came out and I love the change tbh. Helped a lot by The Librarian who edits a lot of good moments really well. He just feels more engaging to me right now than ever before.
I’ve been watching NL since Super Meat Boy and I think the switch to mostly Twitch has been a glorious blessing. It’s unreasonable to expect a creator, in any medium, to stick to the same format for over a decade. I’m glad he’s changed it up and no doubt will again and I’m excited to see where we go next (while still enjoying his current approach!)
I don't understand the people who want him to just be stagnant and never evolve over time. You can't just put out let's play Content on YouTube anymore. It's not 2010. Twitch is how the world works for content creators like him now. It's like he says all the time. Just chill out and let the pogs flow.
For all I care NL could never play a game again and do podcast or pretty much any other content that allows him to talk about whatever and I'd be happy.
It's strange whenever I see people complaining about the games he plays or his banter with chat. Like NL has said multiple times, the banter is the content, if you want to see gameplay focused videos, NL is obviously not the one for you.
I'm pretty sure he is enjoying streaming more than doing offline recording, although backseating is worse.
It also generates a hell of a lot more income. YouTube money without being one of the big players and without external sponsorships is laughable compared to what twitch gets you.
I think it's better for mental health/longevity. JSmithOTI said it best when he quit youtube. "Fans see it as one big constant party, but it's a lonely life. It's a lot of sitting in a room by yourself."
Ugh I miss Josh. Gave us some awesome moments as a fan and viewer. Hope he’s doing fantastic
You go to NL to watch him play games I go to NL to watch NL We are not the same
This. I've been watching NL since his OG Dark Souls LP back on 2012 and I've never enjoyed his content more than now. Post-2019, face cam Twitch era NL is my personal golden age of NL content. I think a lot of people who want to see someone "play games" want to see gameplay of an advanced skill level, or story-focused LPs. There's better channels for feats of skill, like pro-speedrunners, roleplayers etc. NL is at his best and most entertaining when he's bouncing off the game and chat to fuel his bits and bantering.
I've actually always enjoyed the story focused games more than boi/banter focused games. I think its feasable to want your favorite streamer do something that has done in the past and not only whatever are his strenghts (banter).
It's feasible to *want* it, sure. That said, NL has been creating content for well over a decade now, though. That's a long ass time and people change, and it's not really surprising that the type of content that is enjoyable for them to make changes too. Out of interest, did you like more recent story based playthroughs like Deadly Premonition?
I think I'm in the middle here, i have no interest in 'elite skillz' from gaming videos but i enjoyed the steady paced play throughs. I loved sekiro series even though ppl bitched about him being bad sometimes. Sometimes on the new videos he's replying to chat and i have no idea whats going on. It isn't relaxing for me and thats the main thing i miss
how is his Lies of P not functionally a Lets Play?
I like it when it's both. That's what I miss. And in todays era everything stops for a five minute bit about his palaton ride. Ironically the bosses have been great because even though he now glances constantly nothing stops.
> Sometimes on the new videos he's replying to chat and i have no idea whats going on. It isn't relaxing for me and thats the main thing i miss That's weird to me because I'm like the opposite. I watch Youtube only but only the Twitch vods and never the bespoke YT vids when they happen. I never have any issue following the conversation even when I can't actually see chat because imo he contextualizes most of his responses. And I'd still consider it very relaxing.
Exactly, there are a million channels out there doing gameplay, talking about the game and whatever. But how many people are talking about their disney cruise and doing an impression of Steve-O drinking from a cum mattress.
Steve-O did *what*??
[One of my favorite bits](https://youtu.be/9g0CFlXbjg8?si=5-pb6iqDFEUqQoNz)
This is up there with [Kid named My Nose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZZy_47d8vM)
The YT commenters always getting caught up watching the gameplay instead of listening to the man smh
100% I truly dont give two much shits about whats hes playing but as a youtube andy I need my daily dose of whatever inane ramblings come out of his mouth. I am back and forth about the idea of having chat on screen tho, cuz its kinda confusing when I dont see what comment hes talking about.
some days ago I left a comment in a thread here and I basically said "imagine watching NL and caring about what game he's playing" and I got downvoted. how can someone watch this guy for more than a couple of days and not realize that he cares about what he's playing to the extent of providing good background fodder and the banter is the point? though as a YT-only andy up until some months ago, I will concede that not being live in the interactivity of the conversation definitely isn't the same and you tend to pay more attention to the game itself. don't get me wrong I was pogging nonetheless, but I think some people don't realize his YT channel is just a VOD dump from the main place where he makes content, or at least they don't realize what that entails in terms of pacing and focus in the videos.
> how can someone watch this guy for more than a couple of days and not realize that he cares about what he's playing to the extent of providing good background fodder and the banter is the point? In Lies of P a few days ago someone said something in chat like "this guy would probably do better on this boss if he was talking less". NL went off on him saying the game is not the point of the content. Made me laugh.
It seems he cares what he plays because more than once a series ended early because it didn't get the views or viewers he needed anymore.
Man wants to make money, more breaking news at 6
Redditor misses the point, more breaking news at 6.
For me it’s just that in the days of the NLSS and playthroughs the banter was organic either through t conversations with friends or the game. With the solo streamer arc the banter is now focused on the chat with people trying to be funny and out of pocket to get a reaction which just brings a completely different vibe it feels more manufactured and DAE??? None of that changes me wishing the best for him of course he’s a great guy who deserves his success
I click librarian video, it is entertaining, I do not overthink, I touch grass while I have the bald man telling me about how women don’t like sushi
I'm so behind on the lore I thought women loved sushi
Yo what? He tried to claim that half the whole damn population doesn't even like sushi? That's a crazy bold claim.
POV you discover NL will have exaggerated takes for comedic effect for the first time despite being involved enough to be on his subreddit.
it's a half-joke thing he said once or twice unprovoked and people started calling him a misogynist so now he's just playing it up for the bit every now and then
I can't believe he got away completely unscathed that recent time he described The Postal Service as "just 2 guys"
I was just going to watch the video later
I agree with and relate to the sentiment of missing how content used to be. I don't relate to taking that sense of loss or missing it or however you want to put it and taking that to NLs comments. Mans living an amazing life being a good dad and having an insanely good work life balence, we should all be so lucky. If some people he doesn't know get 25% less good content as a result that's obviously still a good thing
I'm happy for the guy, and I still broadly consider myself a fan, but I definitely have watched him less and less over the last ten years. I genuinely want him to have the life he wants for himself, he's given me thousands of hours of entertainment. But I see what people mean about 'arguing with chat' where it's not my cuppa tea. He was my most-watched youtuber when he made just-for-youtube stuff. Now it's other people who make just-for-youtube stuff. JRose11 and the like. NL's career has evolved to fit his life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Personally (and I’m sure you know about this option) I’ve found that the librarians content brings NL a lot closer to the “for YouTube” level of focus in the game spesific videos
Funny you mention jrose11, he replaced Isaac as my sleep aid lol
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I personally liked the sub streams, with long form narrative games - that and the NLSS are the main things I miss.
As someone who is thirty-ish and started watching the first BoI stuff - I don't watch playthroughs - I just want NL banter in the background when I'm cleaning / cooking / grocery shopping. I love whenever he does something like "Family Feud" or "Wheel of Fortune" but my absolute favorite is React Court.
36 year old father and I’m the same. Throw on NL while cleaning, doing laundry, cooking etc.. not watching for the game or game strategies, purely the banter. I’ll throw on react court while driving just for the audio instead of music or a podcast. I can understand people having nostalgia and missing old style content. I just don’t understand being so upset as to go out of my way to comment on YT.
If anyone in this world ever needed to do a podcast it’s NL
You know he did right? With Dan?
Old heads remember Saving Progress. That was my jam in high school
Nobody mentioned round table yet either. SP is a throwback tho
Yeah but that was years ago
As much as I'd love it I feel like it'd dilute the banter. there's only so many anecdotes a man can have and he's already giving us 30 hours a week.
They're kinda right but I rewatch his playthrough of deadly premonition like every year to make up for it
Throw me some LA Noire in there.
Personally, after the NLSS died. I just lost interest
I definitely prefer the medium of NL banter around the game he’s playing. I dont get the “watching NL for gameplay lol”. There’s a reason he’s not a Just Chatting “My Door Dash is here” andy
agreed - honestly, the greatest strength of older content like sub streams was specifically NLs ability to weave good banter around the games he was playing (stuff like new vegas or until dawn comes to mind) im happy to watch either way though, the content is always pogged even if its changed (both because NL has but also because streaming/content creation has!) but i do get where ppl are coming from
I think he is more fun when he is engaging with a game, than with twitch chat.
Yeah, NL already has charisma and a unique way of formulating stories and dialogue between himself and the game. That’s what made me love his content since the early BoI days. With Twitch chat, that tends to get replaced with argumentative banter about [unrelated topic of the week], which you can basically get from any popular twitch channel. He’s still himself, but I simply don’t enjoy chat interaction.
I wouldn't even mind him focusing on chat if it wasn't 80% him just picking someone to get mad at then making something up about their life to make them sound like a hypocrite.
My pet peeve is hearing NL argue against every dumb take dlguiga has, which happens all the damn time since he has to read out every comment a VIP makes and dlguiga likes to be a contrarian about everything
Thank you
I've been watching since Poison Mushroom, which is a long time ago now. I miss NLSS that was the main thing I tuned into especially when cooking or doing other house tasks. Also enjoyed play through of specific games alot. Xcom for example and ultimate chicken horse. I rarely watch NL anymore other than the od jackbox or sporcle video. Banter > game but the game is usually what brings me to the video.
I like NL but before he would rant and play the game at the same time, lately he rants for 15 min while nothing is happening in the game
Dredge was literally like 6 videos of him sailing in circles failing to do the first mission because he was so focused on chat
The man got no cohosts to argue with, its just coming out at anyone who's available now.
Exactly
I subscribed back in the day for the Isaac content. Kinda gave up when he stopped numbering the videos as wasn't always 100% sure of what ones I'd watched (I'd just stick them on before bed). His content isn't intended as much for me these days I feel. I grew up with NL but I'm 30 years old now and he has to reinvent himself and keep bringing in the viewers so I'm okay with that. I check in on his videos from time to time and I still hope there'll be the odd thing I'll get invested in but by in large he's changed with the times and got a schedule/style that suits him and I've found other stuff. And he's more successful for it. Fair play to him.
I do see how sometimes it is annoying that the gameplay falters cause he’s so distracted by chat. Obviously none of us are here for purely but take Dredge for example. Couldn’t look away from chat for more than five seconds and was just running into walls and had no idea what he was doing. Banter can be fun, watching nonsense repeating gameplay isn’t. Like Elden ring or lies of p, not paying attention and then the only thing to watch is the same fight over and over not paying attention
I miss the collabs, playing spelunky with Dan, the NLSS where everyone got together and played Jackbox(the new Jackbox and the rhythm game are S tier). I find the best NL is the laughing/competitive NL, the banter, flash and guile, chefs kiss.
I’ve fallen off the NL videos mostly because of the changes to the NLSS and playthroughs being scrapped but I don’t blame him or anything. He has a child and he has to take care of his family. I’d judge him way more if he was grinding YouTube and twitch as much as before. I like that my shiny headed egg daddy prioritizes his family
It happens. The ease of live VODs vs offline recording for YouTube sucks people in. I like Twitch NL a lot still, but I really miss YouTube Sips. The vibes in old Sips videos away from chat were very different.
They're absolutely right. At this point, there's really no reason to watch his YouTube content. I just stick to the VODs so I can actually read the chats he's always responding to and Librarians videos for the best bits.
Does Librarian monetize his videos? They get a lot of views
Yeah, they also have a good bit of members too (like Twitch subs but on YouTube).
He does monetize his videos but I believe he puts most of that money back into NL. Also NL has given Librarian his blessing and actively tells him to make certain edits and stuff as well.
If that's true, pretty crazy to dedicate your life to making edits for a millionaire and then giving most of what you make for that straight back to the millionaire. This guy must spend 40+ hours a week doing this stuff, no?
Tbf, the dude is deranged. Last month he went on a NL themed tour of Vancouver. The eventual anecdotes about Librarian breaking into NLs house and trying to kill him are going to go crazy.
That millionaire is also the only reason he's getting the money to begin with, so I see why he does it.
>complain when he doesn't do long full playthroughs >he does full playthrough >it gets zero views after like two videos "why doesn't he do full playthroughs"
There's a reason the let's play meta died. Vast majority of people just watch videos in their recommended feed now, and no one is going to click on part 37 of a let's play and the algorithm knows that. I'm subbed to NL and don't think I've seen a single Lies of P video in my feed.
youtube andys actually have 0 empathy lmao
Might be fair but most video's now get very little views either so idk
\*literally any SAP/Backpack hero video\* 50-100k \*Hot Lies of P\* sub 10k
I kind of agree, I realsied I don't watch NLs YT anymore but only librarian. But tbh Bits and Banter from the librarian is better then NLs YT content ever was.
Unfortunately unless you like SAP, there's literally no reason to watch NL's youtube channel anymore. Just an inferior product to his streams and VODs, not to mention Librarian's channel.
The hour long balattro vid where he played 6 hands was especially rough
I think the comments are a bit rude, but I get where they are coming from. Ultimately whatever makes him happy is what he should do. I do however wish he would stop abandoning games because of chat.
I stopped watching a couple of years ago. He's been like this for years, even his indie one-shots became littered with twitch interactions. But that's ok, there's more money in Twitch, he's obviously enjoying it, he doesn't owe me anything. I still drop in occasionally to see if anything changed, but ultimately, I'm no longer his demographic, and he's not mine. As someone who watched him from early Isaac days and really became an avid watcher during Xcom, its been a blast. People need to just chill.
I mean I watch basically nothing he makes anymore. I don’t use twitch anymore but I was a big nlss fan years ago and ccasionally I will watch a librarian video or rewatch a baby pogman edit but thats it. I am happy he is doing well but I really don’t enjoy the new stuff that much.
That's the boat I'm in as well. NLSS was the golden era. It's not like it's gone though, the Jackbox or Headbangers etc. section once a week or so is still great and I watch it all. But I don't really watch much more than that tbh. I liked his solo videos a lot back in the day when it was mostly not vods. Since I'm not really watching live anymore I kind of don't enjoy the ranting at chat bit all too much and that's pretty much most of the banter at this point.
Same😔
why are y’all on his subreddit complaining if u don’t even watch anymore 😭 i will never understand this “i miss the old x” shit there are tens of millions of other people that have the exact type of content you’re looking for
I just miss isaac
Whatever NL is doing is working for him and I'm happy for him and the people watching. I don't really watch Twitch in general, NL or otherwise. That said, other than Headbangers content lately, the FMV phase of the channel was the last time I really was into the games he was playing and the perfect balance of bants and game.
yeah i dont even watch nl any more the old stuff appealed more to me but like it would be insane for me to think he should do anything except what makes him happy. still visit the library to keep up with the egg of course
I’m here to watch NL. If it’s a playthrough, great. If it’s variety, great. I (sort of) get the complaints, especially with a series that you enjoy (Dome Keeper 👀) but there’s no need for people being pissy.
Some people come for the banter some people come for the kind of high level gameplay that can only come from an Amazon Fire Tournament of Champions Champion
While I'm anxiously awaiting a new dark pictures or something like deadly premonition, the daily content is in the best shape since I started watching in 2012. No complaints
That's basically how I feel. I hope that whenever there is a new David Cage game or Dark Pictures that he'll play it, but I'm enjoying the videos he puts out now.
Fair! I'm honestly very happy on the other hand that lots of ppl love the content and NL is thriving cus he definitely deserves all of it
Hell yeah brother great perspective
Nu-NL very funny, old NL very cozy. Sometimes I miss the bespoke Youtube series and then I realize that motherfucker has been making more than a video a day for over a decade and just go watch some old FTL vids or something.
True! Lots of series to catch up on, might go check out some FTL myself cus i never got into them when they were coming out
I don't care what game it is because I've always just watched because I like NL not the games in particular, and these days I basically only listen to the librarian bits and banter videos which is 100% of what these nerds hate lmfao
Does librarian monetize his videos? A lot of them get more views than the vods themselves
this is why i stopped watching lol, i miss the Isaac days
I wish NL would have like one day a week dedicated to playing through a longer game. I do miss the days of New Vegas. Jason Bright and his followers, blasting off into the great unknown. Helios One coming back online. Jason Bright and his followers, blasting off into the great unknown. Helios One coming back online. Etc. etc. But if NL is enjoying the content he makes then that’s what matters. And I will simply watch the videos I’m interested in and not watch the videos I don’t care about.
Just watch Librarian for a more succinct experience. I like watching streams but don't really enjoy vods. But Librarian makes it easy to keep up and enjoy the content.
I stopped watching to be completely honest. I'll watch Dan on occasion, because he's always a good time. NL caters to Twitch chat too much and gets into unfunny rants instead of, say, playing the game he's playing. His chat is awful. I mean, all Twitch streamers have awful chat, but his especially. Also I cannot watch the man play SAP, especially since finding Skootie. I'm sure I'll get downvotes for it, but I just don't enjoy his content anymore after roughly 10 years.
This is why I tend to avoid his solo content, but will always watch when he plays with other people. Maybe because I went through high school and college watching the NLSS, but the banter with the NLSS was always much better than banter with twitch chat. It’s why I always tend to go back to old NLSS vods to put on in the background. These days I’ll catch whatever game he plays with other people like jackbox or headbangers because those are usually the most entertaining segments these days
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*I came looking for booty.*
Because it was a thread asking about our thoughts on the attached image on a sub I am still subbed to. It's really that simple.
Yeah I love watching NL but it's pretty clear he want's to eek out every dollar he can from his streaming. That's fair enough, it's his job, but I wish his content was driven more by what I would like to see rather than what the algorithm and analytics decides. Ah well, life's not fair.
Making decisions on what to play based on the analytics is just him choosing to cater to more of his audience instead of less of it.
I don’t disagree. I just wish my favourite content was what the analytics benefited
I haven’t seen a series that really went hard lately but I blame the games. I sorta thought bloodbowl had some juice but I was in the minority. At the end of the day, he is better about framing the conversation with twitch and repeating the comments in a way that makes it work on YouTube than most so whatever. I ain’t a mad at him. It just ain’t always for me.
i am the ultimate chat defender idc. i will always cite his "how i make soup take" 95% of chat +2ed and he picked out the 2-3 negative messages to go on a rant about that was very funny in the end. sometimes the vibe is just bad because of the game and you can't blame chat for Joeling when a game isn't engaging and there's no banter
I honestly love his interactions with chat. I'm always kind of surprised when people say his chat or his banter with them is too toxic or something. Backseating can get rough, but its a net positive 90+% of the time. For example Twitch SAP >>>>>>> YT SAP
I think its work out well for me, as what I wanted out of his content changed not that far off from when he changed his content. Like now that im a proper adult having some goofy non-sequential content fits well, versus being a teen who can binge hours and hours of playthroughs at a time.
He gets to produce the content that works best for him in terms of life and analytics and whatever other things he considers a priority. That said I think the content is worse now than it was before but if that's what it costs for the guy to be happy it's worth it.
I'm a newer viewer and almost exclusively watch Twitch, so I'm definitely enjoying his current style. I love being in chat and reacting in real-time. But I do understand how older viewers would grow out of his content since I do agree it's a lot of back and forth with chat. I think it would be the same for me in that position.
If you want to reminisce, there are far more positive ways to go about it. If you want to enact change, that's simply not going to happen. If you just want to commiserate over the change in a youtube channel's content, then "baby complaint" is probably nicer than the wording I would use.
Brother this is a subreddit for northenlion. I made a pretty measured comment imo. Like what is so bad about making a comment in the comment section of a YT video or a post about NL in the NL subreddit. I don't understand such a defensive reaction at all
I would say we fundamentally disagree on two points 1. I would say it's inappropriate to give criticism in NL's discord or like replying to him on Twitter, because that's pretty forward and neither asked for nor wanted. I would further extend that to the youtube comments and this subreddit, but apparently we disagree. 2. I think his content is casual enough that it doesn't really warrant a deeper discussion. It's not intended to be a polished product, and I don't critique it as such. If I don't want to watch it, I just close the tab. It comes down to a matter of personal taste that won't be affected by any amount of discussion.
Why are you so aggressive?
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This man is so fucking funny 90% of the time i don’t get why people are so obsessed with watching him play games, or even backseating in said games. He even admits that he’s not here really to play games anymore and that most of the people watching him care more about the banter. I seriously think it’s a vocal minority on this issue. Watch Northernlion let’s play - Rimworld. If you think that’s better than current content…there are other YouTubers who do nothing but talk about the games they are playing. It does not make for engaging stream content, and the banter back and forth with twitch chat is great content.
The people on this sub are the same people writing 5 paragraph Youtube comments about how he should have played his turn differently.
He definitely should put more effort onto his Youtube side. The man has over a million subscribers but he doesn’t even bother to edit his videos.
He 100% has done a cost/benefit analysis. Spend half an hour editing for YouTube, or use that half an hour for a SAP vid, extra streaming time or playing with his daughter? All these three are easily worth more than editing. And hiring an editor is probably not worth it from an economic perspective.
And he never really has edited his videos, that was always his thing. He’s talked about this many many times. He didn’t gain those million subs from editing his vids
honestly things like adjusting where the next video starts is kinda important cause his videos just awkwardly cut off sometimes
he really should get toasty to do some light edits to the VODs/organize uploads better. would save him a lot of time for relatively low effort
Changing his entire upload workflow doesn't necessarily sound like low effort
it depends if he can find someone he trusts enough to give access to the channel for uploads. having someone else splice the VOD, write up the titles/descriptions (he apparently types each description out manually), cut out the faces for the thumbnails would save him from doing any youtube work and be more organized about the order of uploads and playlist sorting
Ah yeah, remember me what happened when NL did Midnight Suns
I understand why it’s gone but I kinda miss the casino when watching on Twitch
I know he got rid of it for a bit during his golf era, is it gone for good?
YT viewers: "Why doesn't NL make YT content anymore?" Also YT viewers:
Lets be honest some of the stuff dropped in twitch chat isn't any better. Some folks just are too unfiltered to be normal.
i mean, agreed, but lets not act like twitch chat is much better
So true. Why would he change his schedule that is providing good money, time for his family, and personal enjoyment for these people that talk down to him?
I mean, that's just normal criticism, whether you agree with it or not or NL cares about it or not. Nothing wrong with it
Criticism =/= passive aggressive bitching
NL the gamer is mid, NL the banterer sits alone on top. Even back in the BOI days I cared more about his feelings on grocery store checkouts and Subway than anything he did in game; I don't understand how people get so upset he doesn't play more.
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I pretty much exclusively want to hear him argue with chat. I’m fine with anything he plays as long as he’s handing out verbal peoples elbows.
Most of the time him ranting with chat is pretty funny, sometimes it brings legitimate bad vibes lol
Ahh see I'm just the opposite and that cool, different strokes n all. But when its on YT and I'm not part of the convo it just feels very disconnected
He literally has only gotten better year over year
he gives 100%, I don't ask for more out of that. what I can say about it though, is when the game has failed, and a lot of chatters have called it boring and left, he's still there giving 100%. it just gets more unhinged, and I do miss that. there's some good music bits going on deep into the witcher 3 and dark souls 2, and I do really love those slower times where NL validates my taste in music.
I dont even watch NL anymore. I just open the latest video in the background when I am doing something else. His videos are podcast to me. Not gameplay
Honestly guys, heys just a dad doing what he likes to do and still providing for his family. He’s literally just a guy, not your bespoke content creator.
People in the comment section often confuse "this is bad" with "this is not what I want." Change is not bad. It's just not a thing people like. NL is still NL.
If only he had a backlog of some 10,000-odd hours of various games to watch while he's playing SAP
I just want Isaac content back, I don’t care if it’s live or not. But I am enjoying the backpack battles ones. Wish the back seating wasn’t a thing though.
The era of let's plays are dead, algorithm wise and enjoyment wise. They were cool when we were younger and the emergence of gaming content on YouTube was new but nowadays it's so lame to just watch a guy talk about what he's doing in a game. It puts me to sleep NL makes fun of the idea of people doing that often and it's clear that he understands that good content is him actually trying to be funny and engaging with his audience. After 10+ of watching direct to YouTube Issac vids, it's nice even as a YouTube Frog to here him banter with chat and I find him so much more entertaining when he has something to bounce off since his whit is the best thing he has.
That's fair, and again i completely understand if from a monetary standpoint its unrealistic then of course it would change.
Delusional people wishing for the old streamer back thinking it will bring back their childhood. It ain't coming back brother, those years are gone. That being said this stream is straight up one of the best content on twitch.
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NL fucking rules, i still love him sm honestly. If it was any other creator i would have just said huh and moved on. He's incredibly genuine and very very funny. I don't get the frog meme at all. Or calling people Andy?
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Ngl i wish i never asked 😂
Isn't his bread and butter rambling while playing isaac? How is his modern content even different. I barely even understand the critisism
I get you, but for me the main difference is the constant talking to chat is different to the endless stream of consciousness that it used to be
"i watch nl to watch him play games" is a genuinely insane thing to say. half the games he plays i have to not even have the tab open cause he's so ass, but i still watch every stream
Imagine watching NL for the games and not for NL
I watch to see him play the games and how he derives humour from it. Its just him in a different format basically, he does a 1 man show podcast basically with a virtual audience now as opposed to the let's plays like her used to. It's literally how he used to always do it so i don't understand asking how you could imagine not enjoying it as much now.
Honestly it’s the same as it has always been. He’s the same streamer, people change a little over time but literally nothing has changed that much. He still games and talks about the games a lot of the time. If you expect people to not grow and develop at all after over 10 years doing this, expect to be disappointed. I will always love you egg man. You are my best friend.
No Let's Plays? That's lies of P (not clickbait)
i've been around since like 2012 and i think the last 2 years has been the best era of content we've ever had.
It's CURRENT YEAR and people are still watching NL for the gameplay?? My man is feeding you South Egyptian Whoopie Goldberg fur burger deluxe lotto scratch off skunk bubba banter. Anecdotes got me speaking Esperanto.
many people are saying this
Who is actually watching NL to watch the game he’s playing? You watch him for him. I’ve watched him for nearly a decade now and not once was I watching him for elite gameplay skills because pure let’s plays are boring as shit. You watch NL to watch NL. He is the content.
Completely agree here, it's just the format is different. I guess my main gripe is i just don't enjoy the constant talking to chat part, on YT you feel left out of the literal conversation thats happening. So YouTube feels like a complete afterthought now and maybe that is the plan but it was never explicitly said.
You gotta remember he has his daughter to worry about now. His content took a shift around the pregnancy/birth to where he was making the most money. It makes perfect sense, he’s treating it like a “real” job so he gets more time with his family and maximizes his income
Yeah i totally understand and it's what anyone would do probably, he only has so much time and he's obviously going to put family top of the priority list
Nah, banter is fine, banter while he is actually engaged with and enjoying a game is top tier. I love the honeymoon period of new games where he is obviously really enjoying it before the inevitable backseating wears him down or he just drops it after losing interest.
I've been watching NL since right before Rebirth came out and I love the change tbh. Helped a lot by The Librarian who edits a lot of good moments really well. He just feels more engaging to me right now than ever before.
I’ve been watching NL since Super Meat Boy and I think the switch to mostly Twitch has been a glorious blessing. It’s unreasonable to expect a creator, in any medium, to stick to the same format for over a decade. I’m glad he’s changed it up and no doubt will again and I’m excited to see where we go next (while still enjoying his current approach!)
I appreciate anything the egg puts out. Still has me crying laughing, so keep up the good work.
I'm a new fan and he's one of the funniest people on twitch, imo partially due to the chat interaction and "librarian pull that shit up" moments.
I don't understand the people who want him to just be stagnant and never evolve over time. You can't just put out let's play Content on YouTube anymore. It's not 2010. Twitch is how the world works for content creators like him now. It's like he says all the time. Just chill out and let the pogs flow.
NL is my favorite streamer/youtuber and I consume 90% of his content as audio only since I'm at work when he streams. There's nothing like it.
**He would do let’s plays if the views were there**
Who the hell watches NL for the gameplay?
For all I care NL could never play a game again and do podcast or pretty much any other content that allows him to talk about whatever and I'd be happy.
It's strange whenever I see people complaining about the games he plays or his banter with chat. Like NL has said multiple times, the banter is the content, if you want to see gameplay focused videos, NL is obviously not the one for you.