The time has finally come. At the end of this week, July 7-9th, the event that most recent posts have been leading towards finally arrives: Indy PopCon! There are few things I look forward to every year than PopCon, and that’s because it is such a good time. The people in charge of the show really know how to put on a great convention!
One of the things that I love most about PopCon is their ability to bring in such a diverse and amazing set of guests each year. From well-known comic artists, to big professional movie and TV stars, PopCon offers the opportunity to meet a wide array of incredible people each year. As you all probably know from several of my other Media Monday posts, I watch a lot of YouTube. YouTubers are slowly but surely being considered “celebrities” by the mainstream, and PopCon gives me a chance to meet so many of the awesome content creators I follow on the platform. This year, they’ve brought in effectively every YouTuber I’ve ever wanted to meet, and all of those creators fall under one name: Normal Boots.
Normal Boots is a sort of internet network comprised of video content creators who all share a common love: video games. This weekend, PopCon will be hosting every current of the Normal Boots Crew, which, if I may take a moment to stop being “professional”, has me so dang excited! I watch most of these guys on a daily basis, and I can’t wait to meet all of them. Now, in no particular order, let’s take a look at the wonderful people who make up Normal Boots, shall we?
#1: ProJared
As I said above, each member of Normal Boots has a love for video games, and each one shares that love in a particular way. ProJared shares his love for games by reviewing, rating, and showing them off, all while sharing his personal charm. With each video, Jared Knabenbaur takes a video game (or something typically related to a video game) and talks about it, sharing his thoughts and opinions on the particular game. Typically, the game is either something that he loved as a child, or something that is universally loved/hated, and he shares his thoughts on whether or not it still holds up today. Add into the mix some great humor, and you’ve got a successful YouTube show! My favorite part about ProJared is his love for Dungeons & Dragons. Each December, he shifts his channel to focus almost entirely on the game, dubbing it D&December. If you’re interested in checking out some of Jared’s content, I’ll put a link to his latest video, on the classic Final Fantasy II, right here!
#2: Peanut Butter Gamer
You may recall me talking about PBG in one of my boosting articles a while back (link), but I’m here to sing his praises again! Much like ProJared above, Peanut Butter Gamer takes a particular game or series each episode and reviews it, riffs on it, and just generally talks about it. However, in my opinion PBG puts a higher emphasis on the comedy of it all, and tends to review some… not so great titles. I do my best to make sure I catch each new episode PBG puts out, as they never fail to make me laugh. In similar vain to ProJared’s D&December, each November on Peanut Butter Gamer’s channel is Zelda Month, where he makes several videos about different games in the Legend of Zelda franchise. For those interested, here’s a link to a newer Peanut Butter Gamer video, all about an Xbox game called Kinectimals!
#3: The Completionist
Jirard Khalil, also known as the Completionist, does something that sounds simple enough, but takes so much skill, time, and effort: he completes games. No, Jirard doesn’t simply beat the story mode, or gather all the collectibles: he does EVERYTHING there is to do in a game. He COMPLETES it. Under the channel title That One Video Gamer, Jirard uploads the Completionist Show. Each episode, he picks a different video game, and shows off whether or not its worth completing 100%. Now, Jirard has been to PopCon the last few years, and it makes me so happy that he has decided to return yet again, this time bringing friends! To get you started on his show, here’s a link to the newest episode of the Completionist (and, funny enough, the one where he mentions Indy PopCon): Crash Team Racing!
#4: Did You Know Gaming
In case you readers didn’t know, I am a HUGE fan of trivia. I am also a huge fan of video games. So it just seems right that I would be a huge fan of video game trivia! Did You Know Gaming is a channel dedicated to just that, with videos over different games and franchises that share interesting facts about the games development, as well as secrets and easter eggs! Each video features a different YouTuber narrating, and the founder of Did You Know Gaming, Shane Gill, is going to be attending PopCon. Here everyone, have another link: this time, to the newest episode of Did You Know Gaming: Ape Escape!
#5: Satchbag
As the name implies, Satchell Drakes’ show “Satchbag’s Goods” covers a mixed bag of different content, including video games, movies, technology, and music. His reviews of games are always very extensive, and he analyzes certain specific elements of different games. He also shares lots of interesting and awesome music every so often with his “Mixtape Monday” series. As of writing this, I actually haven’t seen much of Satchell’s content, but I will most definitely be changing that soon! For any interested, here is a link to one of his latest videos, where he uses Multiverse Theory to discuss Chrono Trigger and it’s sequel, Chrono Cross!
#6: The Continue? Show
Last but not least, I’m gonna round up this list with all three guys from the Continue? Show! As the name suggests, each episode of the show, the three guys sit down with a random old-school video game for thirty minutes. At the end of the thirty minutes, they ask themselves one question: do they want to continue? This show allows a very unique and fun way to “review” games in a much more casual way. This show is hilarious, and for those who haven’t heard of it, I’m linking here their hilarious channel introduction video!
There you have it folks, a quick run down of the Normal Boots Crew, all of whom will be attending the awesome Indy PopCon this weekend! They also announced a special show a few days ago for Saturday night, which you can learn more about on the Indy PopCon website.
I am so looking forward to this year’s PopCon, and I am hoping to attend on Sunday. While I love the Normal Boots Crew, they are not the only guests attending this year! PopCon has an insane guest list, and I encourage everyone to attend this wonderful convention. Hope to see you there!
-Grant
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