This just makes me so happy while listening

@shiron222

7 жыл бұрын

All their videos do. The attitude they take is that of hopeful optimism. They see the good both in games and in people. They don't just love games, they believe that games can help solve so many of the worlds issues. That combined with their honesty are an inspiring combo. Their attitude is infectious, and honestly this channel is actually what made me want to be a game designer, despite being 25, having no coding experience, and limited exposure to games (a combination of parents who were very cautious about games effects on kids, combined with limited funds as an adult who lives off government stipends). This channel has helped me discover what I want to do, and has given great insight into the value games hold. This channel provides so much to be happy about!

@planespottermerijn

7 жыл бұрын

Agreed, and good luck with game designing :)

@shiron222

7 жыл бұрын

planespottermerijn Thanks! I still got a long way to go before I can make it a living but I'll get there.

@Juhziz

7 жыл бұрын

And where are you now?

You know, that last part, about the kids using Minecraft to learn to research, got me thinking. What if that would be one of the ideal ways to integrate games into the classroom? It would be an exercise to teach kids how to research, like covered in this video. The assignment would be simple. The students would be given one week to construct a large sign made out of Redstone Lamps. The sign would have to say a world, perhaps the student's name, and that word would have to flicker on and off at five second intervals. Work would be done entirely in class, using accounts provided by the school. The catch: the students wouldn't be given instructions on how to do this. They would have to find out for themselves. So the students would take to the internet, either on their own time or class time, and look up tutorials on how to do just that. Even if they knew nothing about Minecraft or Redstone, countless resources exist online to help them figure it out. And once they present their sign, they would be asked exactly what's going on to make this happen, and how they learned to do so. This would then transition into a lesson explaining how they used different research techniques, all on their own, to accomplish a task that they wanted to complete.

@Zeldur

7 жыл бұрын

I would love to see that. I will add on to that and say the teachers would have to know at least the basics of Minecraft like setting up a creative world and how to fly. My biology teacher in high school told us to make a plant or animal cell. He didn't want a standard clay or Styrofoam one, he wanted something unique and we where able to use Minecraft. I made a sculpture of a cow and put a button on it's nose to teleport me to the cell. Each part had a button that gave information on that part and it was huge, large enough to fly in between.

@101jir

7 жыл бұрын

It would be a good idea, but unfortunately not a popular one right now. Teachers have a culture that if it isn't guaranteed to teach something right away, they don't bother. This is exacerbated by the national standards in the US. I don't have a problem with the standards, but unfortunately teachers respond to it with such anxiety that good ideas get left behind. Teachers prefer games that use a more heavy handed approach and try to "make" kids learn, rather than letting tangential learning take its course. Part of the problem is that teachers try and use computer games for class time. I don't think computers should be used as the primary teaching tool, but as an educational tool when there is downtime, which honestly I think kids would learn better if there was more downtime. Teach kids stuff explicitly, then give them some time to relax and play videogames. Here is the time when we implement games like KSP and Minecraft. This is time meant to be enjoyed, not necessarily for learning, but we subtly include as much learning as we can.

@bekheath9659

7 жыл бұрын

Using names would probably be unfair, because some kids would be left with 12+ letters of work, and others with 3. Something standard like "Hello" would probably be more fair.

@OswaldOrtensia4ever

7 жыл бұрын

***** Yeah, that's why I didn't say names definitely, because that did come up when I was thinking about it.

@jonathantybirk

7 жыл бұрын

+

Can we all just refer to him as Uncle James from now on?

@The_Rising_Dragon

7 жыл бұрын

+

@davidjoffe-hunter7016

7 жыл бұрын

+

@incorporealnuance

7 жыл бұрын

Unkle Jame the viddygame main

I want to be max and Dave ;-; Cause I want james as my uncle

@newrecru1t

7 жыл бұрын

^

@cleander7779

7 жыл бұрын

We all do mate

@mattstan2499

7 жыл бұрын

same

@Madalovin

7 жыл бұрын

yeah... :

@thomaster8870

7 жыл бұрын

ehhhhhhhhhh................ Yeah, he's cool, I guess.

It is insane to think about how easily this vast wealth of knowledge can be found with a few keystrokes. An entire world of wisdom linked together, just waiting for anyone willing to learn to dive in. Maybe it means more being part of the generation that grew up watching this amazing connection be created, but still... mind blowing.

Dear Max and Dave, Penguin Cap

I never thought about this topic quite the way it's represented here before. It's so weird when you realize you know how to research because of things you enjoy doing.

I'll see you all next tie.

If only I wasn't a huge procrastinator when I comes to everything but games. Sure I do well in school but every once in a while I don't study for a test or turn in an assignment because I just feel to lazy to do it. And I've tried and I'm still trying to find how to motivate myself and not feel bored as hell every time I try to figure out something that I'm not interested in

@kaziislam2785

7 жыл бұрын

jsj0520 I'm such a procrastinator that I can't even research into the games I like to get better.

@Shousaphine

7 жыл бұрын

It's not about motivation, it's about pushing through WITHOUT motivation. That's how you stay consistent, even if it's boring, or you really don't want to.

@ThePhantazmya

7 жыл бұрын

Oh you saw that ted talk too! rofl

That's a really useful lesson that i think most of us have experienced at some point

This is one of the only channels I can read the comments on and not find heaps of hate and anger... I love Extra Credits and I also love you, fellow fans

In 1:51 there is a guy bonding to one molecule of Oxygen and one of Hydrogen. I've had too much Chemistry lately...

@michaelkintzlinger2266

7 жыл бұрын

here too...

@hrishikeshmanikonda2810

7 жыл бұрын

except they're atoms not molecules... whoops

@emperorjustinianIII4403

7 жыл бұрын

I knew, I see that it took 35 likes and one month till someone found out. Congratulations.

Huh. Welp I wish I had made that connection 10 years ago

@Alienrun

7 жыл бұрын

Age?

@lukatheott

7 жыл бұрын

Alienrun 22

@WhimsyHeath

7 жыл бұрын

don't worry, because now you know!

DUDE this is the exact thing I've been doing the whole past week.. I'm working on a new project, something I've never considered doing before.. And I've been collecting data for days, downloading tutorials, comparing them, trying to figure out the most efficient way of doing everything. I'd never stopped to realize this had all stemmed from my gaming background. Cheers.

The sad thing is I think emulation and piracy was what taught me these skills. That and MUGEN.

@3lH4ck3rC0mf0r7

7 жыл бұрын

I was taught these kills by modding, cheating (memhacking), emulation, piracy and programming. And now I don't even need to rely on people having researched a program previously. I just find the values and offsets I need myself most of the time.

I love these letters, they make really make me feel connected to the folks at Extra Credits. I feel like his nephews, like I'm part of this great family.

I tread a very similar path in learning to research for games, so I can appreciate how empowered one can feel when having the confidence, not of knowing everything, but of knowing how to find out about everything. It is perhaps the ultimate tool with the vast quantities of information available today. It even got me a job for a while, researching user-texted questions about all kinds of random things, and providing quick and accurate answers. This is the best advice I can ever give to anyone: Learn this skill. Learn how to learn. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know something, but likewise don't be afraid to then go and find out. Even if you never use it to write research papers, a dash of curiosity and the ability to find information will help you in a million ways big and small throughout your life. The confidence alone is worth it.

I felt this very strongly when I recently decided to go back to school this year. In a panic about how I was going to do, expecting not to get more then B's and C's, feeling like my work was going to sub-par then all these other students in their prime of learning. Simple stuff I learned from life, being on time and respecting the teachers time, being honest when I make a mistake, etc. And stuff I learned from gaming, like how to take and give criticism and use it constructively or how to get through a wall of text to find that one tibbit that is relevant to your subject. I got that all from playing games, mainly FFXI. So yeah this is great advice!

The way you teach and inspire me with your knowledge I couldn't pay enough for. It is always the little things I pass by in life that some times keep me feeling discouraged from pressing toward the dreams and goals I have set of being a Game Designer. I wish I could just pick your brain a few hours a week for some of the wealth that you have. Blessed are your nephews and everyone else whom has your wise counsel. Thank you for teaching me so much and revealing things to me. I am grateful for this channel.

Very Yes. I've had the same realization in my own life. The time I spent mastering games through research (including original research of my own, which I shared) actually did prepare me to write papers and investigate things that looked interesting, or seemed suspicious. It also fostered a love of figuring out puzzles and mysteries, and working hard at a problem that vexed me but felt worth pursuing. People who don't games don't get it, and that's too bad. The power of games is not that they teach you, but that they incentivize you to teach yourself, and self-motivation is powerful. They can do this in subtle ways a classroom or lecture typically can't, because they're so subversive about it. After all, you're just playing some dumb ol' game. You didn't come here to learn, but by god, do you learn!

I love these letters. Its quite endearing.

With three large research papers due in several weeks and a final report for my MA looming, this was such a lovely little piece of inspiration and encouragement. A little ray of sunshine. Thanks, guys.

Those letters are so amazing. I wish one day to share my experience with people I love thru something that is a big part my life like this show and games are for James.

Thank you James. Sincerely, thank you for doing this. It is absolutely amazing.

Cmon, the hands on that 2 Step Tie knot are just magic! I can't do that.

Finally. Was waiting for this, wasn't dissapointed! This series should be shown to parents too!

Hey, Extra Credits crew! I just want to say thank you. To get into the classes I wanted this semester at college, I had to write a personal statement basically explaining why I was worth their time. This video inspired me to write this, and my counselor really liked it. Thank you! When I play videos games, I don’t just like to play them. I like to find out things about the game, such as behind the scenes notes, Easter Eggs, fun tricks and secret areas, even watching KZread videos of people playing games and seeing how they solve puzzles. All this helps me to fully expand the fun that I get out of the game. The same could be said about my life. As I’m going through life, I want to know about things that can enrich my experience going through it, searching for those secret areas in life that can be so rewarding to find if you have the knowledge to get there. I’m not saying that life is a game, but there are several parallels. Think about it. In games, there is a certain goal that you have to achieve by the end, and this goal is achievable by learning how to play the game and using the knowledge you gain to pass levels on the way to success. An education is all about learning the mechanics of life in order to reach your goals. In the words of James Portnow, a game designer from ‘Extra Credits’, “…I learned that I could play [the game] twice as effectively if I really learned what I should do.” I hope to take advantage of these free classes to learn more about the game of life, and to enrich my experience in it.

This makes me feel really good about being a nerd. I always had that feeling that this kind of knowledge to do something in particular, it's always there. And saying you don't understand something or you just "can't do it", i'm like "you gotta dig further", learn what you don't know. Sometimes it's THAT simple. And this doesn't imply you are good at everything. But that you theoretically could. And that's encouraging. At least sometimes. Anyhow, great video. Cheers!

I feel like the problem I always have is less that I feel like I can't do something and more so that I end up not feeling like it's worth it. It feels like accomplishing the end goal won't actually make me that much happier, and it's hard to find goals that seem meaningful enough to be worth working towards.

This is my new favorite series on this channel.

I can hear his nephews now, "What's battle.net"?

@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece

7 жыл бұрын

And then they become addicted to diablo 2. Not cool dude, not cool.

@RaketenKuhGewehr

7 жыл бұрын

I mean, technically speaking it's still around. Wether you're playing Overwatch, Starcraft, WoW or simply Hearthstone, it's all still Battle.net :P

@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece

7 жыл бұрын

Or get addicted to diablo2...

@RaketenKuhGewehr

7 жыл бұрын

fgregerfeaxcwfeffece Fair enough.

@RaketenKuhGewehr

7 жыл бұрын

***** Really? Shame, it's such an iconic name. I think it's always nice to have a constant like that develop through the "ages".

At first I thought that I may have not learnt the same thing in all of my hours of games but then I realized that I was teaching myself how to code using these techniques. Thank you so much for helping me realize that I now how to research and making me look at other things I might be learning from games.

I'm actually doing a research paper on what people can learn from games, and this series has definitely given me some good ideas, please keep the series going!

love these letters. Dave and max are lucky to have you.

I am so glad to see me reflected in this lessons. Makes me realize why I love videogames. Keep up the good work!

I wish it was the same for me. I enjoy jumping into things i have no clue how they work with so much enthusiasm but once i know how they work i start losing interest and just drop it compleatly, rarely going back

Pre-Good Internet: if you wanted to learn something you had few options. 1) Find a class/person who can teach you about it. 2) Hope it is in your library. 3) Trial and Error 4) Give up. This may be a pivot point in history between the era of people who only knew what they get from their local community and/or travels vs. an era of people who can learn/research anything at any time. The skill to learn/research is so invaluable in this new era and games produce an eager want in our youth to learn/research about the game they are into. Knowing that games could be a key to a broader era of learning and research is incredible. Good video with great content.

God, I love these episodes. Very personal and intimate in a good way. Well done

Thank you for this. I'm one of those people who often gets discouraged by what they don't know. I'm trying to learn C++ and it's very frustrating, but I realize if I've built up an encyclopedic knowledge about the games I like, there's no reason I can't do that for a programming language or anything else. It only requires a lot of time and determination.

I never thought about it, you're absolutely right! We do it subconsciously :)

This is why Minecraft was such a great game for kids. Minecraft had no tutorial ( at least on PC). You had to look up the recipes and what things did. It taught many kids to research.

I feel exactly the same way... I am happy that as a gamer, I learned to do research. I am never afraid to try something new or buy an expensive item because I know how to find pertinent information about it. Thank you, 'bad habits'!

Games teached me a lot and without noticing, they do it naturally. From maths to social skills I've gotten all from it. Cheers.

Why am I getting so emotional when listening to this?

James is a good person and I respect him.

I realized how James played the same games when he was a teenager that boogie did when he was in his 20's. Magic, Everquest, etc.

I realize this isn't your normal bread and butter, but I really do enjoy these. Thanks guys.

I never really thought of it before, but I was the same why when I was young, except with information about Star Wars. I spent tons of time researching and compiling information from the internet and books and tracing sources to see how reliable that information was.

This was actually very insightful. I needed this to motivate me to get out of my C in Math and to actually study and use the time in class to get help instead of researching other things (like games!).

This almost made me cry, it was very close, just barely held it back.

I must say this series always make me think things with a new perspective.......I could never think Virtual Boy as an ancient artifact before...

*Researches "how to get some action".* Oh There's a big difference in knowing, and in actually pulling it off.

@RingxWorld

7 жыл бұрын

research how to pull it off then

I do the exact same thing with competitive Pokemon. I barely even actually play because I get bored doing the grinding to actually make a team, but I love doing the research and math to formulate a team.

HELL YEAH! I didn't even make it 30 seconds into this before liking it and I favorited this thing AS SOON as I was done watching it

I spend more time making spreadsheet for my games than I do playing them. I made one for Pokemon Go even.

@hanssmirnov9946

7 жыл бұрын

I had more fun researching and making spreadsheets and strategies for Pokemon Go, than I did playing it.

This is a great episode I'm going to share with my teachers right now.

@worldofgaming8887

7 жыл бұрын

Ethan Buchanan I don't think sadly there's such thing these days as "arguing with a teacher".

@zzman7305

7 жыл бұрын

there is if ur teacher is actually a decent teacher and is actually willing to learn beyond what they think they know.

@BryceDixonDev

7 жыл бұрын

I agree with Grayson. I've had some excellent teachers, but I've also had some terrible ones. It just depends on who you're dealing with.

@mennoltvanalten7260

7 жыл бұрын

It depends on the teacher: in our school most teachers are nice, but the arts lady and the new chemistry teacher both are impossible to argue with. The new teacher is almost like a politician!

@Spartan322

7 жыл бұрын

I agree with Grayson, BtheDestroyer and Mennolt, arguing with some teachers can be great if they are willing to learn, but there are a lot of teachers that don't want that, I've had lots of teachers (especially in like science classes) that very much dislike being questioned that way, and I had others that actually very much loved it. Just gotta find the cool diamonds in the rough.

this series is seriously the best one on your channel. heck, maybe even on youtube. keep it up 👍

This is an absolute amazing Channel and this Videos Series is so far my favourite of it. Just big Props !

@isopodgaming

7 жыл бұрын

props*

@Eggscargot

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, really big *probs*

@HirohitoSyndrom

7 жыл бұрын

MrSlipfix Whats going on ? If my writing was wrong pls just ignore it i was just here to make a nice comment.

@Eggscargot

7 жыл бұрын

Sorry if it sounded offensive, and I know it was just a silly mistake. It's just funny to see a comment that is saying something good about the video and then at the end, because of a typo, it says that there are big problems. :P

@HirohitoSyndrom

7 жыл бұрын

Youre right thats funny :) I fixed it, no offense taken :)

These episodes are just as good, if not better then extra credits usual material!

As I try to help my niece and nephew grow into successful adults, there is one lesson I have struggled with how to impart because I cannot remember how my parents imparted it to me. What I have come up with is this: Your own attitude has a strong influence on your outcome. If you approach a problem thinking "I can probably figure this out", you are probably right. If you approach the same problem thinking "I will not be able to figure this out", you are probably right. If you have never registered a car before (to pick a random example), but you go to the DMV thinking "today I am going to learn how to register a car", and say to the clerk there "I'm sorry, but I have never done this before, can you help me understand what I need to do?" you are probably going to walk out having successfully registered a car, and if you don't you will almost certainly understand what you need to do next time to be successful. If you instead go in with the attitude "This is all WAY too complicated for me to ever understand", you are probably going to leave without having registered a car and with little idea as to why you failed. Here's a big hint: put yourself on the other side of that situation: you are at work and somebody has come up to you and they need extra help. How are you likely to react. If they are polite and are trying to understand your instructions, you probably want to help them. If they act helpless, like they are unwilling to try to do this on their own and expect you to do it all for them, your reaction is probably going to be, "Nope. Not my job, and I don't have time anyway." So the person who goes in thinking "I can succeed, if I can just get a little help" finds the employees are happy to provide the help he needs. And the person who goes in thinking "This is all too much for me, I need someone else to do this for me" finds those same employees completely unhelpful and eager to just move on to the next person in line. I rode a city bus for the first time in my life when I was 10 years old. I had to get from my dentist's office to my father's office by myself. This involved walking a couple of blocks, finding the bus stop, getting on the correct bus, getting off at an unfamiliar intersection, and walking a couple of blocks. My father knew the name of the correct route, that it stopped somewhere near those intersections (although not precisely where), and made sure I had cash. I had to do all of this while high on laughing gas because I had just had 3 fillings done. I am 100% certain that the reason I succeeded was I went into it thinking "I can do this". I am about 80% certain that if I had said to the driver of the bus "Waa, I'm lost and helpless and can't figure out how to deal with this big bad world," the best outcome I could have hoped for was he would have kicked me off the bus and called a cop to deal with the lost kid. And that the reason he gave me the help I needed was because I instead said, "I'm sorry, I've never done this before. could you tell me when we are getting to Trout Brook Drive so I can get off?" and then took a seat near the front so I'd be easy to find. I understand that the 4H program is all about instilling this attitude in people, and I wish I understood that as a child, as I never was much interested in joining 4H because I misunderstood what they were about: I thought they were about preparing for a career in agriculture.

This was more than inspiring for me, THANK YOU

James is an incredible role model. Great video!

I was just recently wondering when you would make another of these, great video.

i love this series, it helps me more than you know

To all those who look down on gamers, to all those who see gaming as just a mere waste of time, I say SHAME ON YOU, THIS VIDEO IS PROOF YOU ARE MISTAKEN!!!!

@timothymclean

7 жыл бұрын

...This is far from the only reason gaming isn't just a waste of time.

@saintmaster22

7 жыл бұрын

well... it all depends on how you game and why and how the rest of your life moves around. when people tell you that you are wasting too much time on games, they might be right in your particular case. so chill, most things are relative

@clawwer4404

7 жыл бұрын

Im a foreigner and all english that I have learned, are from games!!Im best at english in my class and the only one playing games, so I wouldn't say that gaming was a waste of time:)

@LiveLXStudios

7 жыл бұрын

Okay, we all know its not a waste of time, but you're seriously grasping hard for some confirmation bias for whatever self-esteem issue drove you to care that much.

@robertbrock1610

7 жыл бұрын

.. any of those people who think Video games are a waste of time would NOT watch extra credits

You people helped me to be inspired and i am right now working on a game based on all the little notes you make here , all those stacks of xp u got for me is gold and youtube is making tutorials faster than you can read this complex engines like unreal engine 4 ( which i am working on ) is childs play now and really all this is because of you Thanks EC, if i ever were to release it i will mension you in the descripition

I love the choice for outro music :) hope James' nephews will experience the joy of the Chrono Trigger OST one day too!

Okay, this is such a friggin cool video. Genuinely brought a smile to my face

Wow... I'm proud of you, James.

"Unearth ancient artifacts". I Laughed. ) Nice one, as usual!

I love these. Can't wait for more.

And here i'am now trying to learn stuff by watching your videos.

I learned something very important about myself through games. I noticed a pattern when I was fully invested in MMO's; I would get invited to the guild, and quickly rank up to second-in-command, the one the guild leader trusts his judgment the most. In my earlier days I didn't take it as seriously because we were all a bunch of teenagers but the last MMO I played I ran a guild alongside adults nearly twice my age with families. This made me realize if I can translate this enthusiasm and confidence in the real world I could achieve a lot in my career. and so I did. The head of my department has absolute confidence in my work and I plan on impressing them over and over. If you're still young and wondering what games will translate for you in other parts of your life; take it easy and never let anyone tell you games are just for mindless pass time. If you look hard enough you will find the pattern. :) Oh and, competitive games taught me how to never give up. *apologies for the misuse of semicolons*

Tying a tie still eludes me. Definitely much harder than anything else I've done in my life.

I GOT THAT VIRTUAL BOY REF. You tried to sneak it past us, but I GOT IT.

You should subtitle this episode "How to be Smart". This is the magic key, it really is, that separates "smart" people from others. It's not that they know everything it's that they know how to know anything.

OMG I love this video and the message!

I can program in several languages, but I STILL can wrap my head around red stone circuits. I even tinker with electronics for fun. I'm not sure why I struggle with it so much, but It blows me away when kids as young as 4 or 5 are making things that would take me days or weeks to understand

I here the ending theme Sounds so familyer not from pokemon, no some other jrpg Chrono Trigger! omg I love that game soooooooo much

this went from 0 to on fire really quickly

I always feel that researching games breaks immersion. I almost always feel like I am cheating when I look stuff up and most of the time it does make games less fun because you are trying to do it the "right" way rather than the natural fun way.

I feel that the reason games teach this so well, is because there is no reluctancy. If you look at guides or stategies, you don't do it because you don't want the teacher to get mad at you, but because you want the information to help you improve. There is only one person in the world who can motivate you, and that is yourself.

This is so cute it made me cry

me too, I am sharing this with my mom who is a librarian

Amazing, Dan.

Dear Max & Dave, ~rocking guitar riff~

I never even knew that's where I learned to...learn. But it is!

Dear Max and Dave, BADA BADADABABA BADABA BA BA BA BADA BOOOOW

Love these videos, they're so inspiring and motivating :)

Virtual Boy as the "Ancient artifacts"! I remember when that came out...

Wonderful outro from Chrono Trigger! I really wish that you would do a few episodes on that game!

When I was young, we used the card catalog. *shivers* Sad, dark times...

it is true i know exactly what you mean the sad thing is alot of games arent that complex anymore you just have to press 1 button to go trough the whole thing not all games but the really popular ones

these are so inspirational

Listening to the Outro music~ o.o ... O.O Chrono Cross!! Close enough =)) You guys always select the best video game music ^^

This is awesome. I'm going to go find something I love (probably a book series) and I'm gonna research it

He spent *half* the time involved with the game, learning to play *twice* as effectively

So very true.

I love these video letters. Excellent life advise.

I had a similar experience in high school geometry! I had been playing the Ace Attorney series and was learning about using your available knowledge to construct a line of logic. Then our class gets to geometry proofs and it's the exact same thing! I organized my notes as if the different postulates and principles were pieces of evidence in the Court Record, and aced a part of the class lots of people were struggling with. Good times :-)