When people normally discuss YouTube channels they like, you’ll often hear about infamous channels or creators such as Mr. Beast or PewDiePie. Even less commonly named—except by teachers—are the educational channels such as Crash Course History by John Green or The Amoeba Sisters.

However, a certain educational channel that has risen in popularity in the last few years has now begun to dominate the balance between excellent teaching and entertainment, Extra Credits. 

Extra Credits was founded on August 5, 2011, with the release of its first video, “Bad Writing – Why Most Games Tell Bad Stories.” Initially, the channel’s founding content largely consisted of a review of mass media entertainment in the form of video games; however, as the years went on, the channel expanded to encompass more themes ranging from literature to history. 

Their revolutionary expansion is largely attributed to the amazing talent and devotion of the Extra Credits crew in their quest to fulfill the central slogan of their channel: Because. Learning. Matters. 

As quoted on their official website (https://www.extracredits.site/), “We leverage game design and entertainment industry principles to create shows that educate as they entertain, and encourage people both to explore new subjects and think critically about topics they care about.”

Today, the channel has composed around 1. 4K plus educational videos on multiple topics: history, cultural mythology, gameplay/design, the study of sci-fi’s effect on the world, and their newest released series So You Haven’t Read. 

Their videos can contain fascinating works such as the study of “Star Wars – The Rise of Cyberpunk” in the channel’s exclusive series named Extra Credit Sci-Fi.

“Star Wars – The Rise of Cyberpunk” talks more about the effect of the infamous series Star Wars had on the sci-fi franchise in movies than the movies themselves.

It’s exclusive in its content because it explores the beginnings of the new wave when people were just starting to get more interested in high-tale entertainment than philosophical literature.

It explains the new limits and regulations brought onto the table by the release of Star Wars and how they affected the publishing, marketing, and movie-making industries. It’s an in-depth look at sci-fi culture in the 21st century, the cause and effect of past decisions made by the movie industry, and how those decisions led to the influence of sci-fi movies today.

And if you’re not interested in the study of sci-fi, no worries; there are a plethora of other subjects the channel has to offer beyond the extent of sci-fi to discover.

Extra Credits does a splendid job of creating atmospheres where learning and entertainment can thrive, and as seen above, expand beyond the boundaries of one unilateral subject in their videos; their dedication and ability to acquire new and interesting angles in fascinating subjects allows for the channel to be considered, at least to me, an underrated masterpiece of its time.