The video hosting service is used, especially by most young people, to watch music videos, comedy skits, how-to guides, food recipes, life stories, career tips, everyday hacks, short films, and more. For the past years, I have been active with YouTube because of the necessary tutorials, mostly educational clips, that I need for my studies, assignments, projects, and other school works. But as time went by, I found myself sitting on a chair with my phone in front of me, distracted by the videos YouTube’s algorithm would show me—kind of like Facebook’s links for articles. Soon, I couldn’t get enough of watching for hours and hours of videos. I may have been captivated by their interesting thumbnails or catchy titles, but I made sure to look at the person, or even the organization, who posted the video. Below are some of my recommended list of channels as well as featured and handpicked videos that you should give a try. This list is updated from time to time whenever I catch another YouTube channel to feature or whenever someone recommends me a channel to give it a go.
1. Alpha Beta Gamer
Alpha Beta Gamer is a YouTube channel of new, weird, indie, creepy, funny, retro, platforming, and inventive games that are created by publishers found on their website. You can also sign up to their website to download and test their game (Alpha and Beta testing). The website is updated daily with beta tests, greenlight games, and indie games and bundles. The channel also features one up-and-coming game of the week.
2. ALTER
Disclaimer: Do not watch them at night or if you’re going to bed. Are you addicted to horror, but are scared to watch one? Congratulations! You’re just like me. I enjoy them, though. Are you down to watching short movies? How about short horror movies? ALTER is the YouTube channel for you. You can enjoy huge amounts of shorts that focus mainly on the horror genre and/or, sometimes, mixed with comedy, tragedy, etc. These short films can be animated, as well. The channel heavily showcases the art of horror made by various creators and producers of whom they work with as well as mini-series of a few. “The most provocative minds in horror bring you two new short films every week exploring the human condition through warped and uncanny perspectives.”
3. AlternateHistoryHub
History is such a mess, and human history is the messiest of all. It’s scattered like 10,000 pieces of more than two jigsaw puzzles. Some say that history is written by the victors, and some even revise what was already written. It’s a complicated, complex, concoction of nothing but knowing what happened during a specific time, day, or year. So why not make it, rather, more complicated? If you’re a bit of a history nerd like me, then you’ll love this channel. Cody Franklin, better known online as Alternate History Hub, is an American Educational YouTuber who goes over different alternate histories such as:
What if Ferdinand Magellan never circumnavigated the world? What if the Vietnam War didn’t happen? What if the Berlin Wall didn’t collapse? What if the Southern Confederacy won during the American Civil War? What if the Cold War became a “Hot War” and the world suddenly fell into nuclear annihilation? What if North Korea and South Korea never split?
Some of the channel’s contents also feature “alternate” histories, not only in the real world, but also in animation, films, games, books, and more that may pique your interest depending on the story/plot. Above are just a few examples of theorized and/or hypothesized possible outcomes of “what ifs” questions that continuously run through every historians’ mind. Using knowledge of geography, population, and other historical facts, we can see in this channel what could have happened if events during those periods changed or suddenly went in another direction untold in history books.
4. Answer in Progress
No matter how sublime or mundane they are, things in life sometimes require a bit of knowing and deep diving. Often, questions we’ve pondered through millennia reverberates through time just because these questions are kept on being asked over and over again. But the beauty of asking questions is both the formulation of its roots and the methods on how to solve these problems. Answer in Progress is a YouTube channel dedicated to answering random questions in a unique, fun, and interesting way. They often tackle issues and problems like “why do we stop reading?” or “why do people quit their jobs?”, some of which are very simple questions that can be completely asinine and garners complex perspectives, as well as answers as to who, what, where, when, and how these questions are.
5. CryptTV
Disclaimer: Do not watch them at night or if you’re going to bed. If there’s one thing you have to know about me it’s that I love horror. That’s right! More short films, digital films, web films, and a multitude of series jam-packed with nothing but monsters and ghouls and scary stuff that’ll keep you awake at night. Famous for its horror films and series like “The Birch,” “Look-See,” “Sunny Family Cult,” and “Hospice,” meet Crypt Tv. Crypt TV is an entertainment company focused on developing, producing, and distributing horror-themed digital content, with an emphasis on monsters and recurring characters in linked universes. Crypt TV lives up to its name because most of its contents revolve around characters dealing with terrifying, unimaginable, and horrific creatures with extensive narrative captivated within a short span of minutes.
6. Dead Sound
“Well, the name’s David. I create animations and artwork. This channel showcases some of my creations. Hope you enjoy.” An eerie and interesting video was recommended to me a few weeks ago, so I gave it a shot. As soon as I played the video, I was introduced to the city of “Autodale.” This is not an ordinary city, though, and not an ordinary short video. It was unique and artistic that it mesmerized me until it was finished—and then there are parts of it, as well. “Autodale” is a dystopian city set in the imagination of creator Dead Sound. David also publishes content about how the creator built his world, and explains how he created more short animated films with great insight. Along with dystopian-themed videos are explanations behind their worlds and how they were made, some real-life sculptures, and much more. It is unlike any other short animated series producing channels I’ve found on YouTube so far, so you have to check it out.
7. Deep Look
Welcome to the wonderful world of mini sciences! And it explores it big by going very, very, very small. Deep Look lives up to its name for bringing quick and factful research and did-you-knows about, well, anything from giant to tiny. From insects to birds, to reptiles you didn’t even know existed, this channel tribute a lot of trivia about looking deep from the eyes of the small. It’s an interesting channel for both invertebrate and vertebrate lovers and a wonderful channel for you to, at least, know a bit about how these small, little creatures behave and live within the comforts of your home or in vast and luscious forests.
8. Dust
“The Future Awaits from timeless classics to cutting-edge movies, series, short films, and podcasts, DUST acquires, produces, and distributes all content types.” Are you a fan of technology, interstellar and universal things, and general science-fiction? Guess what, there’s a channel dedicated to that! DUST is a collection of “short episodes,” or short films, that revolves entirely around the genre of Sci-Fi. Some may be futuristic, others during our period, and some are beyond the limits of time and space.
9. GOBELINS
GOBELINS is a YouTube channel, and an educational institution, dedicated in celebrating and teaching the art of referencing global fields of visual creation, from image design to image production. As a educational institution, the school has areas of expertise in animated filmmaking, graphic and motion design, photography, and many more. The channel, in itself, highly features a multitude of animated short films created by students of the same name, with each rich in plot, storytelling, and visual design. These short films were from the chosen bests from their animated short film festival that is being held every year.
10. Goodful
Wanting to be a vegetarian or vegan, but don’t know where to start? How about reducing your daily waste because it, somehow, make you feel bad? What about looking for new DIY (do it yourself) things at home to get rid of that pesky trash and turn them into something unique, elegant, usable, and eco-friendly? If you’re looking for something to make yourself better, feel better, do better, and just plain being better, then BuzzFeed’s Goodful is the place. This channel offers videos about healthy self-care needs and everything in between. The channel also offers health and fitness awareness tips, and some food challenges to see how cutting something off of your daily routine could result in a far more “good” future.
11. Great Big Story
“We’re global storytellers who believe this world is filled with magic. Our mission is to help you discover it, one video at a time.” Great Big Story creates short, quick, and informative documentary-style videos that would really pique your interest: from politics to social studies, from culture to popular media, their videos cover a diverse and wide array of “did-you-knows.” The five main categories are Human Condition, Frontiers, Planet Earth, Flavors, and Origins.
12. HiHo Kids
“Every kid—including the one inside each of us—needs imagination and curiosity about the world. Hiho promotes empathy through play.” This channel provides many varieties of videos starring kids trying the food, meeting people, and more. Kids also react to food from different countries, stories about the people they meet, new animals they encounter, and it shows the kids’ personal stories behind the camera.
13. IGN
A channel all about gaming and more! IGN focuses on games, films, television, comics, technology, and other media. Originally a network of desktop websites, IGN is now also distributed on mobile platforms, console programs on the Xbox and PlayStation, FireTV, Roku, and via YouTube, Twitch, Hulu, and Snapchat. The channel offers a variety of game walkthroughs, reviews, news, and everything in between. There are also official trailers of games and movies.
14. KIVAMKII
“I am KIVAMKII, I make music.” A channel for music, and game, lovers alike. KIVA is a known composer for many featured music in games like Deemo, Cytus, and Cytus II. Check out his/her music to learn and discover a new brand of sound that’ll make you dance off of your feet.
15. Kurzgesagt
Are you tired of learning or wanting to learn something filled with technical mumbo-jumbo and hard-to-understand words? This channel is for you. Kurzgesagt is a German animation studio founded by Philipp Dettmer. The studio’s YouTube channel focuses on minimalist animated educational content, using the flat design style. Their videos are backed by multiple research, face-to-face discussions with experts, books, and hard facts checked from time to time to bring out the information needed and omit the ones that serve as infodumps. Apart from the highly interesting educational information jampacked into minutes, the videos also feature the feeling of existential dread while watching cute birds. They create videos using Adobe After Effects and use Adobe Illustrator for the animation. The name derives from the German “kurz gesagt” which directly translates to “said in short”. It has also been translated as “in brief” or “in a nutshell”, the latter being used as an English subtitle for the channel’s name.
16. Llama Arts
Llama Arts is an English YouTube channel that uploads animations of the horror stories read by another YouTuber known as Mr. Nightmare. She animates these stories to give viewers a better visualization of the stories Mr. Nightmare reads. Not much is known about Llama Arts’ persona, as she has not shown her face yet nor told anything about herself. However, it is obvious that she has an interest in drawing and animating. Llama Arts formerly made videos of her speed drawing and speed painting pictures of famous cartoon characters, but has since discontinued doing so once she started animating horror stories possibly because her animation videos appear to gain a lot more views than her drawing/painting videos.
17. Omeleto
“Omeleto is the home of award-winning short films. We showcase Sundance winners, Oscar nominations, and critically-acclaimed filmmakers from every genre.” More short films and series? Heck, why not? Omeleto offers an award-winning variety of multiple films and animations produced by artists and profound directors. You can now watch short movies of any genre online just like watching them in festivals and theaters. In Omeleto you can even submit your own short film.
18. Screened
Having a writer’s block lately on your latest story? Or looking for a nudge of materials for your next written and filmed materials? That’s a lot of short movies above, but what about the lengthy ones? Well, Screened got it covered. In one condition… Except for watching one-hour or two-hour movies while sitting on a couch, you get a minimum of five and a maximum of 25 minutes of movie interpretation, examination, and analysis on a specific movie, the world it represents, and everything in between. And the best part after watching a video? You’ll see yourself nodding in approval and mesmerized by the depth of the movie and the depth of the analysis made, especially if you’ve already seen it. This channel offers videos of narration in an essay-type appreciation and explanation of movies you have already seen or haven’t seen yet. This channel influences you to watch the movie for the first time or watch it again, all while contemplating the deeper meaning behind every dialogue, setting, character, and genre that exists within the movie.
19. TED-Ed
TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design—features “ideas worth spreading.” The speaker series launched in 1984, and there are now more than 1,400 TED talks available online as of 2013. TED-Ed offers short, carefully curated educational videos about anything under the sun with a mission of expanding and spreading great ideas. These videos are always portrayed on animated representations, and the terms used that are usually used in professional and educative manners are always converted into easy-to-understand, easy-to-digest words so that the information could reach its ulterior goal.
20. The Dodo
Cats and kittens are often the most viral content on the internet, as well as dogs and puppies. Basically, every cute animal on the planet. The Dodo, however, offers a wide variety of animals, no matter how big or small, to be featured on videos. These videos are sometimes anecdotes about saving to fostering to releasing animals. The Dodo is an American mobile-first media brand focused on telling animals’ stories and animal rights issues. The contents would oftentimes have rescued animals, cute stories of animals, on-cam videos circulating on the web, and the general well-being and protection of animals.
21. thejuicemedia
Ah, nothing but the putrid smell of burned corrupt politicians and corporate megalomaniacs. The channel offers you exclusive access to a surplus of “Honest Government Advertisements” filled with “genuine” contemporary political and social satire, sarcastic infomercials, and a sh*t ton of WTF content. These satirical videos would make you smile, would make you laugh, and would also make you cry because of the depressing truths they ring. The channel also makes rap battles, which is cool, and has podcasts with experts talking about the social and political issues they’ve made into content.
22. TwoSetViolin
“We love violin. We love classical music. We love to practice.” You may know Ling Ling, the (fictional) person who practices his violin 40 hours a day? Or the viral reaction video of two musicians reacting to a BBC News story titled “Fastest Violinist in the World,” which was horribly not? TwoSet Violin is an Australian YouTube duo formed in 2013, made up of Australian violinists Brett Yang and Eddy Chen. They are best known for their antics on the YouTube channel of the same name, which has reached over 2 million subscribers and 390 million views as of 10 January 2020. They create violin reviews, funny videos that even a non-musician can understand, as well as learning instruments besides the violin.
23. Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair is a monthly magazine of popular culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast in the United States. Vanity Fair is also a YouTube channel where you can watch celebrity interviews, celebrity reviews, movie and series “note on the scene” analysis by the characters playing in them, spotlights, lie detector test games for celebrities, interviews of influential people, the differences of accents or slangs conveyed by celebrities, movie references, person impersonations and impressions, sound and music in movies, and much more.
24. Vox
According to Vox’s founding editors, the site seeks to explain news by providing additional contextual information not usually found in traditional news sources. The themes covered in the videos are usually similar to the themes covered in the regular, written articles on the website. Vox takes a liberal-leaning editorial stance, mostly featuring political and social documentaries, researches, articles, and videos. The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, writing in 2016, described Vox as “mostly liberal.” Liberalism is defined as being open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values; (of education) concerned mainly with broadening a person’s general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.
25. WatchMojo.com
“Top # Something Something” Listers are found everywhere, from printed materials to your own device. WatchMojo.com, also a website, is best in doing it every day. They produce daily “Top #” videos and videos summarizing the history of specific niche topics. These topics can be one of 16 categories: Anime, automotive, business, comedy, education, fashion, film, health and fitness, lifestyle, music, parenting, politics and economy, space and science, sports, technology, travel, and video games.
26. Wired
Wired is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Basically, Wired features videos of anything under the sun. But, they are encyclopedia-like when watched on YouTube. Some of these include tech and IT support, accent tutorials and explanations, general news, science and innovation, a featured “5 levels” of professions and practices, people answering what other people have searched in the net, and many more.
Further Reading
32 MORE Youtube Channels Anyone Should Binge-WatchThese are some channels on YouTube I have found that may suit your taste and deserve your following.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. © 2020 Darius Razzle Paciente
Comments
Darius Razzle Paciente (author) from Metro Manila, The Philippines on September 17, 2020: Glad you liked the list, Dale! :) Dale Anderson from The High Seas on September 15, 2020: Love it! I have bookmarked your article here and a about to start watching these channels right now. I am certain that I will subscribe to at least some of them for sure. Darius Razzle Paciente (author) from Metro Manila, The Philippines on June 08, 2020: @Diana, no problem! I hope you like the list. :) Diana Grant from United Kingdom on June 08, 2020: I had never even heard of most of these channels - quite an eye opener - thanks Darius Razzle Paciente (author) from Metro Manila, The Philippines on April 07, 2020: Thank you, Sherry! I hope you’ll like some of these recommendations. I am planning on creating another article like this soon, along with new YouTube channels you can check out. Have a great day! Sherry Haynes on April 06, 2020: Very interesting list. Wired and Vox take 50% of my watch time on youtube. And of course TED Ed is another favourite of mine. I did not know about the rest of the channels except two more from the list. Will keep the list bookmarked till I watch at least one video from each channel before subscribing.
