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The Completionist!

A Different but Better YouTube Channel

By Gray Beard NerdPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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For over ten years know I have been following the YouTuber Jirard Kahlil, enjoying his videos about his journey as a "Completionist." What is a completionist? Well according the urban dictionary it's someone who, when playing a video game insists on gathering every item in a game, or to compete a game to 100%. Multiple times a week Jirard releases a video where he chronicles the journey he takes in completing a game. With one and a half million subscribers and on the verge of completing his four hundredth game, the formula has brought him great success.

But why? What do I and over a million others find appealing about his formula? Well first Jirard does not build his channel around the formula that is overly common on YouTube. He does not like to criticize developers or their creation, taking a more open approach that people worked hard on these games and even when they turn out poorly it does not mean that are devoid of merit. The best games ever made will sometimes receive a finish it rating rather than the "higher rating" of complete it, not because he things the game is bad, but because the journey to 100% may not be worth the struggle. Jirard does not necessarily focus on whether the game is good or bad but is what the game asks you to do to complete it worth the effort?

Certainly how good a game is does come into play. If a game is full of game breaking bugs then of course it affects ones ability to complete it. In this perspective Jirard points things out in a game that most reviewers often miss. The perspective is always fresh and unique because he has cornered the market on it. He "is" The Completionist, that is what he does. This is all presented with a light hearted tone, full of funny skits, clever editing and writing. This comes from another unique aspect of Jirard's method for creating content, he has a company.

He does not create content as an island, and while he is the face of his company, he also shares the spotlight with his support staff. Large personas, like Brett Bayonne and Alex Faciane who bring their own energy and humor to his projects including their second channel, Super Beard Bro's Also, the office staff gets regular opportunities to contribute in front of the camera through skits and voice overs. There is a real family feel to the content and because of the support staff videos from both channels come out multiple times a week. Many Youtube channels struggle to produce consistent content, but not Jirard who keeps a tight schedule and despite the amount of videos coming out is almost never misses a deadline.

Beyond YouTube you can interact with the completion process or just hang out with Jirard on his Twitch channel. His streams are often pretty late at night due to his active schedule but if you are up late, like most of us gamers are, it can be great fun to join in and if you know a game well, help in the process of completion. A few years ago I joined a Kingdom Heart stream, a game that I had recently completed myself, and rode shotgun as Jirard blazed through the game to get the speedrun trophy. It was incredibly fun and I was glued to my phone late into the night and when that episode came out I felt proud, like in some small way I had helped make it happen.

The Completionist channel is one of my favorites on YouTube and if you get the chance you should check it and The Super Beard Bro's out. Go enjoy an enormous backlog of material that you can binge during the closing months, we hope, of the pandemic. To close out this article I will leave you with a short list of some of my favorite content from the channel. But with that in mind, I give this YouTube Channel a Completionist rating of Complete it.

"The Complete Legacy of the Mega Man X": a thirty minute documentary on you guessed it Mega Man X. With high production value and lots of great details this is a must watch for any fan of the franchise.

Alien Isolation Beard Bros play-though: Staring Brett and Alex this is one of the funniest and most entertaining let's plays I have ever seen and I re-watch it on a regular bases.

Beard Bros Metroid Fusion. Another excellent let's play of a great Metroid Game. I go back and re-watch this series often as well.

The Hollow Knight Episode: It's one of my favorite games but the episode showcases the difference between a review of a game and the totally different questions that arise from going after 100% of what a game has to offer.

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About the Creator

Gray Beard Nerd

A nerd who is into cars, video games, movies, book and more. I love to write and hope to share what I have written with others. Please enjoy!!

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