They deserve to be studied
Ein US-Historiker und sein Gaming-YouTube-Kanal
„Hi! I’m Norman Caruso, and I am the creator of The Gaming Historian.“ So stellt sich der sympathische US-Amerikaner auf der Webseite von The Gaming Historian vor. Als langjähriger Seher dieses Videoformats, welches sich auf profunde, aber doch leicht verdauliche Art und Weise um die Welt des Ludischen kümmert, war es RUDOLF INDERST eine große Freude, Norman einige Fragen zu stellen.
Rudolf Inderst (RI): Hi Norman, thanks for taking the time! As a long time fan of your show it’s a great moment for me to be finally able to put forward some questions. As we can see, you have crossed the milestone of reaching over 200.000 viewers with your YouTube channel
The Gaming Historian. What comes to your mind when you think about
your very first episode?
Norman Caruso (NC): It’s so weird to watch my very first episode. I filmed it 8 years ago, so it’s like stepping into a time machine. Many viewers have literally watched me grow / change over the years! I feel like I have come a long way since then.
RI: Please tell our reades a little bit more about your personal and gaming background.
NC: My father was in the US Navy, so growing up, we lived all over the place. When I was young, we lived in Scotland for 3 years and that’s really where I learned to love history. My parents would take us to all of the old castles and I was fascinated by them. This led me down the path of getting my bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in education. I wanted to teach other people the amazing stories history has brought us. Gaming-wise, I’ve been playing games my whole life. Growing up, I primarily played on my NES, Game Boy, and Genesis. As I got older, my interest expanded into PC games. Nowadays, I play just about everything! Of course, I prefer retro or indie games because they are simple.
RI: We have noticed that one of your YouTube colleagues – Samuel Gronseth from
Games as Literature – has started to introduce himself using the quite academic formula of „Gaming Professor“. Using the term „historian“ yourself, would you say that this some kind of trend?
NC: I definitely think there is a movement of scholarly / analytical takes on video games. Initially, video game videos on YouTube were all comedy. But it’s getting somewhat tired and repetitive. People uncovering new information about a game or presenting a unique perspective will never get old.
RI: Four weeks ago a
Gaming Historian episode aired with your plans for 2016. But now let’s take a look into the crystal ball… let’s say five years.
NC: I’d like to write a book by that time. I have an idea for a book and have done some basic research for it, but I have no idea when I would start writing it. I also think it would be cool to make a full-length documentary and submit it to film festivals. We’ll see!
RI: To wrap things up:
Would you be so kind as to complete the following sentence for us? „For me games are…!“
NC: “For me, games are part of our culture. They deserve to be studied, preserved, and enjoyed by all!”
RI: Thanks for time and all the best!
Wenn Euch Interviews mit YouTube-Größen aus dem Spielebereich grundsätzlich interessieren, schreibt uns doch in den Kommentaren, wenn wir als nächstes anfragen sollen.
Pingback:Neuer Artikel auf nahaufnahmen.ch: “They deserve to be studied” | First.Person.Writer