What are VTubers, and why do I love them?
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- Опубліковано 9 сер 2023
- VTubers have become some of the most popular streamers in recent years, but how did all begin? XTina GG explores the history of vtubing, from its idol industry origins to the world of anime waifus on Twitch. For a modern practice, it's got some deep - and surprising - historical roots. Come with us on a journey into the world of vtubers!
IMPORTANT LINKS
Polygon Newsletter: www.polygon.com/pages/newsletter
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Twitter: bit.ly/PolygonTwitter
Instagram: bit.ly/PolygonInsta
Facebook: bit.ly/PolygonFB
And for more gaming and entertainment coverage, visit www.polygon.com
#vtubers #polygon - Ігри
THANK YOU SO MUCH to the vtubers who provided their insight and expertise for this video:
CodeMiko: youtube.com/@CodeMiko
Luto Araka: youtube.com/@LutoAraka
Nyanners: youtube.com/@Nyanners
Projekt Melody: youtube.com/@ProjektMelody
Rita Kamishiro: youtube.com/@RitaKamishiro
Shiki Miyoshino: youtube.com/@ShikiMiyoshino
Fleshtuber is the most disturbing term they could HAVE given regular creators
i want to watch the flesh tube
It’s better than meat-tuber.
@Horrordoc Your comment has been up for three hours and it didn't get a single like until I saw it. People are so lame lmao. Sick reference.
It sound like some weird creepy pasta lol. But I know some strange people that call irl meat space so yeah and non-vtuber sound ever worse….
Fleshtuber sounds way worse than Hentai vtuber
Mel going on a tangent about the invention of aqueducts to explain vtubers is the most Mel thing she could've possibly done for this video
It's also on-brand for Polygon as well. Perfect fit.
Mel is the Sasha Grey of vtubing and I'm glad for her inclusion in this vid.
"the wisest man at the nude beach covers not his junk, but his face" - the Vtuber Code
Oh my gosh... me being mentioned as one of the lower pitched voices with all these lovely amazing creators... I am just a little small snek streamer, I am so honored!!!!!!!!!! THIS VIDEO WAS SO COOL AAAAAAAA
A fucking 40 minute video essay? in my Polygon feed? more likely than you think!
Thank you so much for interviewing me and many other wonderful creators and for making such a thoughtful video on vtubers and our lovely community! 💙
Can't forget that time so many "on-camera performers" were angry at Melody for being successful on that specific platform because she *gasp* had an avatar.
i mean there aren't a whole lot of other platforms you can stream sexually explicit content in general
Congrats to everyone watching this and now UA-cam will fill 90% of your recommended videos with vtubers. It's been that way for three years for me and it's a glorious life.
this is how we win
Welcome to the rabbit hole, there is no escape.
It's ok I'll just report them all then block them as they show up.
This is why I made a separate youtube account. I've got the one where I watch degenerate vtuber filth, and then the one where I immediately click Do Not Recommend as soon as I see a thumbnail of an anime character directly facing the camera. Gotta remain pure.
I'd recommend doing what I do: having a separate account for vtubers because the recommendation bloat is REAL @.@
I've gone full circle to only using pseudonyms when I was younger, to using my real name, then back to pseudonyms for everything public. Once you find out employers use people's social media in background checks it really causes you to just not want to post anything you think in fear it will affect future employment, which could mean going unemployed and not having healthcare, etc. If I made content, I would *100%* do vtubing.
Also, Lucy Pyre is funny.
I'm really hear for the "What is Xtina hyperfixating on this week" arc of the Polygon youtube channel
Well I mean they lost BDG so they need to make up the numbers somehow
Give her time, I'm sure after a few more of these she might become a little ... unraveled.
@@trident042 Honestly would rather she do her own thing instead of trying to ape his, but oh well. Creativity's dead, I suppose.
@@RDR911 I think someone can step in to fill a niche without being creatively bankrupt. "Creativity's dead" implies she couldn't put her own spin on things.
Thank you so much again for interviewing me and many more lovely girls in this community!! 🧡🧡🧡
An aspect that wasn't brought up is that vtubing, much like VRChat, is also very popular with trans people, many of whom may find that using a virtual avatar reduces internal dysphoria as well as external harassment.
yeah, I noticed this part, I don't necessarily blame her because it's easy to miss if you don't happen to run into someone who openly speaks about it, but as someone who knows multiple trans folks who have avatars of what their ideal or comfortable body would be, who also do it to avoid the horrifying amount of hate and harassment they would get otherwise, it was definitely noticeably missing from this otherwise very thorough video.
Hell yeah, this is super cool to hear! As someone very outside of the scene, does anyone have any recommendations for chill trans V-tubers?
I had no idea about this aspect of Vtubers! That's so cool!
@@yeah5540honestly the best place to look is TWT! I can’t think off the top of my head any corpo ones, but if you start to look at the vtuber community on there you are bound to find some trans vtubers!
I was definitely surprised when transness wasn't brought up as a big factor in the "using vtubing to be your most authentic self" section.
THANK YOU for the shout out! I'm very proud to represent the Non-Anime VTubers. theres a TON of cool looking vtubers out there! theres also alot of Indie vtubers on here that im really happy to see get some attention
this was something I knew virtually zero about going in and it was so fun to go down this path with Tina! Excited to finally be seeing some longer-form stuff from them! 💚 thanks gang
we as a society need to move beyond flippant undermining and disregarding of Wikipedia, one of our most valuable public resources and pools of information that teams of people work very hard to maintain
Yes! Also international. Being able to find sources in other languages is so valuable
It is an article by article thing. Some topics that draw the right type of geek are definitely well-written, accurate, and worthy of praise.
Some articles on more niche topics though… No, I wouldn’t trust them.
Sometimes you get articles where every other statement has “citation needed”. Even some of the ones that do have citations provide really bad sources if you follow the link. Or, in others you get clearly dissenting authors talking about either side of a controversy in such a broken way that you see the seams.
Just spend some time going through the “Talk” section of an article and you can see what kind of people contribute and what they are arguing about. It can be pretty eye opening.
So yes, don’t disregard all of Wikipedia. Major STEM topics in particular are great. But definitely disregard some of Wikipedia.
Yes people need to use it properly and that's by checking the sources
thank you so much for giving me a shoutout in your singing vtuber section! it means a lot to me, as an independent VTuber! it is an incredible honor to be listed among so many talented vtubers i look up to! (❁´◡`❁)
I kind of thought Patrick would be discussing this, because of the similarities between wrestlers and Vtubers, especially in regards to kayfabe and the difference in personality when performing versus in private. Maybe Tina can rope Pat into discussing that if they ever come back to this topic.
In regard to the kawaii voice, there are some vtubers that simply use their natural voice (which ends up being deeper). I think the most famous example of this would be snuffy, who went viral after a clip of her doing a "voice reveal" garnered droves of support, with many stating that her og voice fit the character better than the kawaii one.
And for others, their voices really are just naturally high pitched
For example, Meno Ibuki
Vtubers are like muppets but digital and sometimes less animated. Models and rigging are expansive, man.
That just makes me excited for the day Muppets will enter the youtube sphere as Muppets or VTubers. I also feel like there should be more puppetTubers... I do watch Arlo and he's cool.
Great video overall! The bit on "graduating" was a little unclear though. Generally, "graduating" is the term used when someone leaves a company amicably or on positive terms. When someone "graduates" they will still be mentioned and acknowledged even if they are basically left in the past. As an example, Hololive/Cover is literally selling a new Sana plushie right now even though she graduated some time ago. If someone actually does something to break contract or is removed for another reason they are, in most cases, just completely removed and even the members who used to work with them almost never even mention them again. Both are someone leaving the company, but if someone actually ends up getting "fired" they won't use the term "graduation."
Exactly! Also to add, if a company vtuber leaves on bad terms (like when they break contract, for example), they're usually referred to as being "terminated" instead of "graduated". One of the most well-known vtuber termination is the case of Hololive's Uruha Rushia, which is briefly mentioned in the video.
Another term that's also related is "reincarnation". This refers to when a vtuber, who has graduated or was terminated, returns with a different vtuber persona, along with a different model. An example of this is Hololive's Kiryu Coco, one of the most superchatted vtuber of her time, who graduated in 2021. Some time later, she "reincarnated" as Kson, an indie vtuber, before eventually joining Vshojo as the first member of their Japanese branch. However, please keep in mind that vtubers who reincarnated, either from agency to indie or vice versa (or even from one agency to another), are usually still under NDA, so they cannot openly talk about who they were before they reincarnated. Kson, for example, have never referred to herself as Kiryu Coco, even when talking about her time as Coco.
Sure, but you know Sana is receiving a cent of those plushies. Once they leave, it's very much a one-way relationship where the agency will continue to profit off them if possible. "Graduate" is just a friendly term (from idol groups) to cover up the fundamentally inequitable relationship.
@@hoagie911Uhh... Sana is probably still receiving money from the plushies. She even still gets contracts for designing merch. I'm sure her cut is much less for merch she didn't personally help with, but she still has contact with Cover.
@@GastricProblemsHaver Why would she be paid for the plushies? The company still own the ip on her vtuber persona, so they wouldn't need to licence it from her.
@@hoagie911Because she is the designer of the plushies. She would get paid for the design work.
Seeing myself appear on your list hit me like a mental flashbang. There are so many amazing and deserving content creators out there, it's an honor to be next to a few of them!
Thanks for the kind glimpse to me in the Non-anime vtubers part, really appreciate it ^^ Also, damn good video that gives a good look at the vtuber industry and it's influences ^^ Appreciate the hard work ^^
Loved seeing Punkalopi getting a shoutout. But yeah, there are so many different types of vtubers: if you dont mind lewd tubers like some Melody streams, there is Vexoria and Cottontail; if you want music PumpkinPotion often does piano streams that are great and LolaLoading is a talented singer and her streams are interactive in a way i have never experienced before; if you want to see feats of dexterity and physical comedy, filian will have you in stitches with pratfalls in VR or wowed with her dance moves. And if you are looking for inspiration, look no further than Ironmouse, someone afflicted with a compromised immune system and secluded for her own health and safety but able to interact with the world via vtubing.
In the past year I have become friends with several vtubers and they are some of the coolest people I have ever met. I had even started dabbling into streaming earlier this year because of that experience. 10/10 would highly recommend
I love that you're finally approaching long video essays ♥ can't wait for your 3+ hour long takes
Nooo let's keep things concise and meaningful throughout rather than those hours long snoozefests with more padding than my wife's bra
"Even fleshtubers get big gifts, and that's fine!" they say as they stare meaningfully into the camera
Xtinagg engagement rings coming soon /s
I really liked your section on parasocialism, you did your research and didn't just say parasocial bad and even brought up a great point about kai cenat, i kneel
so glad xtina is getting more time on the main channel! love her on the streams but i just can't get into tiktok.
"annoying orange is the first vtuber" hit me like i just put on rowdy roddy piper's sunglasses from They Live
this is one of the most well researched breakdowns of vtubing + its history i've seen in a while!! for me as a fan who generally lurks in streams or puts on VODs in the background, i enjoy a lot of vtubers for the variety of content that also ends up intersecting with my own interests--vocaloid music and video games. the anime idol thing ends up being sort of a cool side effect of that, but i think the things people do with their rigs is so interesting (my particular favorite example to show people is seto kazuya, who drew their own model!). there's so many aspects to vtuber culture as a whole that so many people dismiss as just "Weird Anime Streamers" when there's so much more you could talk about, and i'm glad you did!!!
I think it was a bit of a shame you didn't touch on the indie vtuber space, because while the corporations did really open up the space, they also opened it up for a lot of people who are doing their own thing on their own too. Which is both giving the streamers the opportunity to have that sort of anonymity and a mask to be themselves behind when they aren't so comfortable showing their own face, and also getting them lifted up with the rising tide of general vtuber popularity.
Another thing is how vtubers come from a fairly diverse background prior to becoming vtubers, and while a lot were just regular streamers beforehand, some had never even really done gaming streaming prior to it, and some (many?) were actual professional singers rather than just doing it as a vtuber because of the idol thing.
This video is so cool as someone whos been following vtubing for 6ish years. It was so cool seeing some of my favorite streamers in the background, and this video is so well written and researched! Hats off to you and the talents interviewed!
My brother walked in while I was watching this and asked if I have an oshi. So I got a chance to use it in a sentence almost immediately 😂 No, I do not. I only learned that word in the past 30 minutes.
Definitely not my cup of tea, but this video is very insightful and thorough. Great watch!
yayyyy xtina! I'm really happy they're doing nerdy video essays
LONG FORM SERIOUS POLYGON IS BACK LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOO
Polygon's really leaving money on the table by not selling engagement rings in their store smh my head
Fantastic video! I have watched a number of VTubers, but I feel like I've really not understood what I was seeing until now. Thanks so much!
I realise now that as early as in 2002, the annual Swedish state TV summer program Högaffla Hage was actually technically using vtube technology - it had 2D animation which was animated in real time to match the hosts' voices during live phone calls with kids. Huh.
this is great, love the longer format.
will be including fleshtuber in my vocabulary from now on! thanks!
I loved the interviews! And also that gundam on the shelf in the back... awesome
Woah I was surprised to see my face on the recommendation!! Thank you so much for featuring me in this video!!!💛 This was such a thorough and informative content on Vtubing!!
Digging the long essay format! I hope you keep doing them.
I thought this was going to be Tina's Vtubing debut. Perhaps the next project is to create herself a Polygon Vtuber.
This was a very interesting dive into VTubers, I'll be sure to check them out!
36:35 Ayyyy that's my snek editing boss Ari in there! She's really cool and I'm glad you put her in (she deserves way more attention).
Good video! A well researched, level introduction with social/cultural context. Two thumbs up!
I got into Vtubers less than a year ago but it's been quite a ride. This is an excellent look at the whole concept for people who aren't familiar, and I appreciate that it doesn't shy away from some of the negative aspects of the scene but doesn't sensationalize them either. If you ever do a followup about the tech/behind-the-scenes specifically, I would recommend talking to GirlDM. She's had some very interesting discussions on her stream about the state of Vtubing tech for both 2D and 3D models.
Very cool video. I didn't know much about Vtubers, so thanks for explaining it to me ;) It's pretty exciting
As someone who's a vtuber in my private life--yeah vtubers are weird but its been so helpful to me figuring out who I am as a person? When I started a Vtuber I had pretty recently said "yes i am nonbinary." As I went through my time as a vtuber, I literally went through the he/him->he/they->they/them->she/they->she/her pipeline meme and I really don't think I'd have gotten there if I didn't get to dress up as an anime girl every once and awhile :3
OMG there was a whole section that I cut in the script about vtubing and gender. I think vtubing can be great for exploring gender queerness !
congrats on the anime girl gender 🥳
@@xtinagg ;w; you shouldn't have cut it. ;w;
I love that she put male vtubers as a separate category as if their main content is being male.
Out of everything i expected to see in this video i did not predict the scarlet pimpernel musical (great vid!)
Personally if vtubing becomes more commonplace I'd like to see more freedom for vtubers to do as they please. If they don't want to sing and dance then let them do whatever. Independent vtubers can but they don't get the recognition that agency vtubers do
You managed to find the one clip of Irene doing aegyo seriously 😂 Great video all around! Maybe I'll check out some of those recs 🤔
I like to have a life not recognized in public. I'm agoraphobic so I rather just still enjoy online be me but no one can just spot me on the street
I was so confused seeing rachie and amalee in the singing section because i completely forgot they had vtuber models now lmao 😅
Finally finished this.
Love XTINA GG style of Video essay. Great writing and some of the comedy bits were genius.
Would’ve been interesting to talk to KSon too. She’s had an interesting path.
but you'd have to assume she 1) doesn't necessarily want to talk about it, and 2) might not be able to talk about it, at least in detail
I don’t remember ever seeing this woman before now but she actually makes me laugh so hard at this new information
I feel flattered ❤
video essay hall of fame immediately I love this
I think I'm too old to ever understand VTubing, but I'm happy for those who do :) Thanks for the education
It's digital puppets, some are socks on a hand, some are Jim Henson rigs with hundreds of hours of highly specific technical knowledge. It's not a new thing, it's a new format of an old thing.
Okay boomer (lol but at least you're trying to understand, hope I am too when I get old)
Weee so happy I had a little clip on here 😊😊 VTubers FTW!
This is excelent, love your content
These streamers profiting from this told us that it isn't mainly built on predating on intensely parasocial young people's worst instincts, and I don't see why they would lie about that.
It's nice seeing Mana in the singing category, she has an incredible voice
I think this should've been a video series. There is frankly, so much more to talk about and deconstruct, as well as explore in the space, and frankly, as an emerging part of the sector, vtubing definitely deserves a deeper dive. There are a lot of misconceptions and other avenues to explore, and without further elaboration, a large portion of the video feels like it just enforces people's biases who haven't yet dove into this entire side of streaming.
I was watching the parasocial relationship part and then I had a notification saying “the third wheel strikes again”
YOOOO TY SO MUCH FOR MENTIONING ME!!!! I really appreciate it
Vtubing is so much fun, to do and to watch, thanks for getting the word out a little more, there's a vtuber for everyone !
O.k after i watched the video and subscribed everyone you mentioned for research i subed ou ... great Content
I do like how someone like Nyanners now does irl streams and vtubing streams. Yes it can ruin the immersion and some people may not want to see what the actress looks like in real life but i think its fine to see the streamer not have to hide behind a model if they don't want to
That my oshi baji right there at 36:30? 👀
@39:29 We've already seen some experiments in virtual live theater - The Under Presents is an example
Re: the voice being higher when speaking a foreign language (19:50) , I noticed my voice is higher when I speak english, compared to polish which is my first language lol
I am indeed a hoe for long video essays
Seeing my face in a Polygon video gave me whiplash lmao.
I am an RPGtuber!! ❤️🌸
As for the evolution of VTubing as a whole, there are people out there combining their 3D avatars with game engines like unity and twitch integration to make a more interactive type of stream. The biggest I know of are DoigSwift on twitch. I would love to see a follow up video on more vtubing!
missed opportunity to have the text quotes being read by Pat in a kawaii voice.
while i understand that the culture stems from anime art, I’d love to see a much more diverse realm of vtubers in all sorts of animated styles. some styles could even provide more expressiveness. an expansion of styles could only be beneficial
i know i originally created a username, because my real name was a core part of my day job. i wasn't trying to hide, but needed to separate from those work responsibilities. thanx for this overview; helps me to better understand others on the internet ^^
I did not expect Okayu's face on baby Goku
Great video, explains concepts well and doesn't shy away from the gross bits that carried over from idol culture. I'm someone who digs some music from VTubers for sure, but I'm very much here for the muppetness of it all. Like Kermit riding a bike, there's a lot of things VTubers do that have what I call 'visible invisible effort' that amuse me with their humor or amaze me with their cleverness - Nene's PPAP video is a short-form great example of this, imagining the person behind the avatar manipulating those hand-drawn elements onscreen is way funnier than if someone real just did the actions to me. A lot of folks compare muppets to VTubers and oftentimes in an attempt to de-legitimatize the efforts of the latter, but I'm like hell yeah, who wouldn't want their own muppet?
Also if you're still reading this, I recommend checking out Dollip Daze, who has collabed with Polygon in the past and has a UA-cam VOD channel with highlights edited by DaThings.
Just remember the good old days Ninjago, Chiema, Johnny Test, Samuri Jack, Hero Factory, Bioncle, Markipler, PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, Minecraft videos, MW2, Black ops 1 and 2, Halo 1,2,and, 3, Gears of war, World of Warcraft, Pokemon, 1999-2000's in the music industery, Lost, Quantum Break, Alan wake, Uncharted, God of War, Jak and dakster and their sequels, Lord of the Rings, 300, The walking Dead, Fire Embelm, Castlevania, For Honor, Yu-Gi-Oh, YuYu Hakusho, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Dark Souls, Spiderman 1,2, and 3, Rick and Morty, and every great thing we enjoyed with others or ourselves.
Thanks for covering this subject and for interviewing Nyanners!
the kawaii voice bit killed me
6:44 damn, ritas stream intro theme hits hard.
This was so dope - I didn't even know this world existed before today
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll check them out!
Does anyone know what the piano song at 17:29 is? I remember hearing it from another video.
Really good video! Appreciate the look into how kawaii and idol culture permeate a lot of the VTubing space. Thanks for the video, XTina of... Polygum? Poolygon? Whichever channel I'm on right now.
One of my favourite twitch streamers is a vtuber. She used to just have an avatar in the corner of the screen, or nothing at all, but then decided to get a 3d vtuber commissionned because why not?
This was a really great breakdown and I enjoyed it quite a lot! My only note is I'm surprised your section on being more authentic didn't at all touch on gender exploration. The trans vtubing space is pretty big for that reason
HOLY CRAP! THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTING MY BEST FRIEND BAJI!!!
I still say Max Headroom was the first VTuber
Mamma Mia!
Mario made a great video essay!
Great video, only complaint is the fact that you forced me to listened to the gummy bear song twice. shame on you XTINA GG
The title completely sums up my feelings on vtubers. But I'm excited to learn more!
My favorite moments are the ones that make me go 'what the hell is this'