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{{Short description|American critic and YouTuber}}
{{Short description|American critic and YouTuber}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}


'''Jacob Geller''' is an American [[video essay]]ist, critic, and writer known for his analysis of video games and popular culture. Geller's [[YouTube]] channel has over 1.2 million subscribers,<ref name=Chronicle>Middler, Jordan. [https://www.videogameschronicle.com/blog/podcast/podcast-jacob-geller-on-his-new-book-games-media-and-more/ "Jacob Geller on his new book, games media and more"], ''[[Video Games Chronicle]]'', 29 March 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.</ref> with videos covering topics like [[horror fiction|horror]], art, [[frigophobia]], [[thalassophobia]], and [[social justice]].<ref name=Channel>[https://www.youtube.com/@JacobGeller/videos Jacob Geller videography] by popularity, YouTube. Retrieved 2 June 2024.</ref> He published an annotated print collection of his essays in 2024.<ref name=TheGamer>King, Andrew. [https://www.thegamer.com/jacob-geller-book-youtube-creators-physical-media-how-a-game-lives/ "After Jacob Geller's Book, More YouTube Creators Should Release Their Work In Physical Form"], ''The Gamer'', 15 March 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024</ref> Geller's career has included writing for ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'', which named his 2019 video essay "Games, Schools, and Worlds Designed for Violence" as one of the best in YouTube's history.<ref name=PolyBest>Williams, Wil. [https://www.polygon.com/22417320/best-video-essays-youtube-history "The video essays that spawned an entire YouTube genre"], ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'', 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2024.</ref>
'''Jacob Geller''' is an American [[video essay]]ist, critic, and writer known for his analysis of video games and popular culture. Geller's [[YouTube]] channel has over 1.2 million subscribers,<ref name=Chronicle/> with videos covering topics like [[horror fiction|horror]], art, [[frigophobia]], [[thalassophobia]], and [[social justice]]. He published an annotated print collection of his essays in 2024.<ref name=TheGamer/> Geller's career has included writing for ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'', which named his 2019 video essay "Games, Schools, and Worlds Designed for Violence" as one of the best in YouTube's history.<ref name=PolyBest/>


== Life and career ==
== Life and career ==
⚫
Geller traces his experience with video games back to his childhood and cited his [[Judaism|Jewish]] upbringing and background as a basis for his writing and analysis,<ref name=Boston/> later describing Judaism as "a culture built on study, examination, argument."<ref>Geller, Jacob. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUBVSH6hBvY&ab_channel=JacobGeller "The Golem and the Jewish Superhero"]</ref> Geller's video essays typically compile experiences or ideas from across several different games or other properties, explaining in an interview that he often discovers the focus of an essay while writing it.<ref name=Boston /> In addition to his YouTube channel, Geller has interned for ''[[Game Informer]]'' and written for ''Polygon''.<ref name=Boston /><ref name=PolyBest />

⚫
Geller traces his experience with video games back to his childhood and cited his [[Judaism|Jewish]] upbringing and background as a basis for his writing and analysis,<ref name=Boston>Engber, Corinne. [https://www.jewishboston.com/read/running-on-serendipity-jacob-geller-on-video-game-journalism/ "Running on Serendipity: Jacob Geller on Video Game Journalism"], ''Jewish Boston'', 16 February 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2024.</ref> later describing Judaism as "a culture built on study, examination, argument."<ref>Geller, Jacob. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUBVSH6hBvY&ab_channel=JacobGeller "The Golem and the Jewish Superhero"]</ref> Geller's video essays typically compile experiences or ideas from across several different games or other properties, explaining in an interview that he often discovers the focus of an essay while writing it.<ref name=Boston /> In addition to his YouTube channel, Geller has interned for ''[[Game Informer]]'' and written for ''Polygon''.<ref name=Boston /><ref name=PolyBest />


== Reception and notable works ==
== Reception and notable works ==
Corinne Engber of ''Jewish Boston'' noted "The Decade-Long Quest For ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]''{{'}} Last Secret" (2019), a documentary work of [[Internet history]], as the first [[viral video|viral]] success of Geller's channel, additionally naming "Judaism and Whiteness in ''[[Wolfenstein]]''" (2019) as a personal favorite.<ref name=Boston /> ''[[Hyperallergic]]'' praised several of Geller's videos, including "Art in the Pre-Apocalypse" (2023),<ref name=Schindel1>Schindel, Dan. [https://hyperallergic.com/850824/five-video-essays-that-go-beyond-the-surface/ "Five Video Essays That Go Beyond the Surface"], ''Hyperallergic'', 16 October 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.</ref> "I Want to Tell You About My Favorite Fight Scene" (2024),<ref>Schindel, Dan. [https://hyperallergic.com/873922/a-batch-of-video-essays-for-the-last-days-of-winter/ "A Batch of Video Essays for the Last Days of Winter"], ''Hyperallergic'', 26 February 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.</ref> and "Art for No One" (2024),<ref>Schindel, Dan. [https://hyperallergic.com/891574/art-made-for-nobody-and-other-video-essays-to-watch-april-2024/ "Art Made for Nobody, and Other Video Essays to Watch This Month "], ''Hyperallergic'', 4 April 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.</ref> naming him "one of the best video essayists in the game" in 2023.<ref name=Schindel1 />
Corinne Engber of ''Jewish Boston'' noted "The Decade-Long Quest For ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]''{{'}} Last Secret" (2019), a documentary work of [[Internet history]], as the first [[viral video|viral]] success of Geller's channel, additionally naming "Judaism and Whiteness in ''[[Wolfenstein]]''" (2019) as a personal favorite.<ref name=Boston /> ''[[Hyperallergic]]'' praised several of Geller's videos, including "Art in the Pre-Apocalypse" (2023),<ref name=Schindel1/> "I Want to Tell You About My Favorite Fight Scene" (2024),<ref /> and "Art for No One" (2024),<ref /> naming him "one of the best video essayists in the game" in 2023.<ref name=Schindel1 />


Wil Williams of ''Polygon'' named "Worlds Designed for Violence", an essay comparing the [[level design]] of [[cover shooter]] video games to the architectural renovations at Sandy Hook Elementary following the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting|2012 mass shooting]], as one of the best video essays in the history of "[[breadtube]] and beyond", crediting Geller with "baking sincerity, vulnerability, and so much care into his video essays."<ref name=PolyBest /> ''Polygon'' additionally noted "The Strange Reality of ''[[Roller Coaster Tycoon]]''" and "Fixing My Brain With Automated Therapy" as among the best video essays of 2020 and 2022 respectively.<ref>Williams, Wil. [https://www.polygon.com/22202828/best-video-essays-of-2020 "The best video essays of 2020"], ''Polygon'', 30 December 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2024.</ref><ref>Williams, Wil. [https://www.polygon.com/what-to-watch/23500291/best-video-essays-2022-youtube "The best video essays of 2022"], ''Polygon'', 29 December 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2024.</ref> Geller's work has also received mention in ''[[Kotaku]]''<ref>[https://kotaku.com/high-school-redesigns-shouldnt-remind-you-of-taking-cov-1838743464 High School Redesigns Shouldn't Remind You Of Taking Cover In Gears Of War"], ''Kotaku''. Retrieved 2 June 2024.</ref><ref>[https://kotaku.com/why-video-game-headshots-will-always-be-popular-and-uns-1836916797 "Why Video Game Headshots Will Always Be Popular—And Unsettling"], ''Kotaku''. Retrieved 2 June 2024</ref> and ''[[Screen Rant]]''.<ref>[https://screenrant.com/best-youtubers-gaming-video-essays-reddit/ "10 Best YouTubers For Gaming Video Essays, According To Reddit"], ''Screen Rant. Retrieved 2 June 2024.''</ref>
Wil Williams of ''Polygon'' named "Worlds Designed for Violence", an essay comparing the [[level design]] of [[cover shooter]] video games to the architectural renovations at Sandy Hook Elementary following the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting|2012 mass shooting]], as one of the best video essays in the history of "[[breadtube]] and beyond", crediting Geller with "baking sincerity, vulnerability, and so much care into his video essays."<ref name=PolyBest /> ''Polygon'' additionally noted "The Strange Reality of ''[[Roller Coaster Tycoon]]''" and "Fixing My Brain With Automated Therapy" as among the best video essays of 2020 and 2022 respectively.<ref /><ref /> Geller's work has also received mention in ''[[Kotaku]]''<ref /><ref /> and ''[[Screen Rant]]''.<ref />


In 2024, Geller published ''How a Game Lives'' in collaboration with independent publisher Lost in Cult.<ref name=TheGamer /> ''How a Game Lives'' is a print collection of ten of Geller's video essay scripts alongside extensive annotations by Geller, a forward by [[Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah]], commentary by various authors, and art by Kilian Eng and others.<ref name=TheGamer /><ref name=LostInCult>[https://www.lostincult.co.uk/ ''How a Game Lives''], Lost in Cult. Retrieved 2 June 2024.</ref> The essays include "Fear of Cold" (2023), on [[frigophobia]] and extreme survival across culture and history; "Does ''[[Call of Duty]]'' Believe in Anything?" (2019), an ethical evaluation of [[Modern Warfare (2019)|''Modern Warfare'' (2019)]]; "Who's Afraid of Modern Art" (2019), analyzing attacks on [[Barnett Newman]], [[Robert Mapplethorpe]], and other contemporary artists; and "The Legacy of the Haunted House" (2019), on the role of architecture in works like ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'' and ''[[House of Leaves]]''.<ref name=TheGamer /><ref name=LostInCult/> Further topics include ''[[Returnal]]'', the [[Golem]], and ''[[Legend of Zelda]]'',<ref>Geller, Jacob. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYKT3emSzA&ab_channel=JacobGeller "JACOB GELLER BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT"], YouTube, 12 March 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.</ref> with each essay featuring an afterword by writers such as [[Jamil Jan Kochai]] and [[Gareth Damian Martin]].<ref name=LostInCult/>
In 2024, Geller published ''How a Game Lives'' in collaboration with independent publisher Lost in Cult.<ref name=TheGamer /> ''How a Game Lives'' is a print collection of ten of Geller's video essay scripts alongside extensive annotations by Geller, a forward by [[Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah]], commentary by various authors, and art by Kilian Eng and others.<ref name=TheGamer /><ref name=LostInCult/> The essays include "Fear of Cold" (2023), on [[frigophobia]] and extreme survival across culture and history; "Does ''[[Call of Duty]]'' Believe in Anything?" (2019), an ethical evaluation of [[Modern Warfare (2019)|''Modern Warfare'' (2019)]]; "Who's Afraid of Modern Art" (2019), analyzing attacks on [[Barnett Newman]], [[Robert Mapplethorpe]], and other contemporary artists; and "The Legacy of the Haunted House" (2019), on the role of architecture in works like ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'' and ''[[House of Leaves]]''.<ref name=TheGamer /><ref name=LostInCult/> Further topics include ''[[Returnal]]'', the [[Golem]], and ''[[Legend of Zelda]]'',<ref =/> with each essay featuring an afterword by writers such as [[Jamil Jan Kochai]] and [[Gareth Damian Martin]].<ref name=LostInCult/>


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 20: Line 19:


== References ==
== References ==
⚫
{{reflist


<ref name=Boston>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishboston.com/read/running-on-serendipity-jacob-geller-on-video-game-journalism/ |title=Running on Serendipity: Jacob Geller on Video Game Journalism |last=Engber |first=Corinne |work=Jewish Boston |date=16 February 2021 |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>
⚫
{{reflist}}

<ref name=Chronicle>{{cite web |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/blog/podcast/podcast-jacob-geller-on-his-new-book-games-media-and-more |title=Jacob Geller on his new book, games media and more |last=Middler |first=Jordan |work=[[Video Games Chronicle]] |date=29 March 2024 |accessdate=1 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=GellerBook>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYKT3emSzA |title=JACOB GELLER BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT |last=Geller |first=Jacob |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=12 March 2024 |accessdate=21 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=GellerBirth1>{{cite tweet |number=1145057749245542402 |title=whatup im jacob, im 24 years old, and i never fuckin learned what an AT Field is |last=Geller |first=Jacob |user=yacobg42 |date=29 June 2019 |accessdate=9 July 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=GellerBirth2>{{cite tweet |number=1755607819381068126 |title=True Story: today is my birthday |last=Geller |first=Jacob |user=yacobg42 |date=8 February 2024 |accessdate=9 July 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=Kotaku1>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/high-school-redesigns-shouldnt-remind-you-of-taking-cov-1838743464 |title=High School Redesigns Shouldn't Remind You Of Taking Cover In Gears Of War |last=Rivera |first=Joshua |work=[[Kotaku]] |date=3 October 2019 |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=Kotaku2>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/why-video-game-headshots-will-always-be-popular-and-uns-1836916797 |title=Why Video Game Headshots Will Always Be Popular—And Unsettling |last=Rivera |first=Joshua |work=[[Kotaku]] |date=9 August 2019 |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=LostInCult>{{cite web |url=https://www.lostincult.co.uk/ |title=''How a Game Lives'' |publisher=Lost in Cult |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=PolyBest>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/22417320/best-video-essays-youtube-history |title=The video essays that spawned an entire YouTube genre |last=Williams |first=Wil |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=1 June 2021 |accessdate=1 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=PolyBest2020>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/22202828/best-video-essays-of-2020 |title=The best video essays of 2020 |last=Williams |first=Wil |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=30 December 2020 |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=PolyBest2022>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/what-to-watch/23500291/best-video-essays-2022-youtube |title=The best video essays of 2022 |last=Williams |first=Wil |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=29 December 2022 |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=Schindel1>{{cite web |url=https://hyperallergic.com/850824/five-video-essays-that-go-beyond-the-surface/ |title=Five Video Essays That Go Beyond the Surface |last=Schindel |first=Dan |work=[[Hyperallergic]] |date=16 October 2023 |accessdate=30 May 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=Schindel2>{{cite web |url=https://hyperallergic.com/873922/a-batch-of-video-essays-for-the-last-days-of-winter/ |title=A Batch of Video Essays for the Last Days of Winter |last=Schindel |first=Dan |work=[[Hyperallergic]] |date=26 February 2024 |accessdate=30 May 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=Schindel3>{{cite web |url=https://hyperallergic.com/891574/art-made-for-nobody-and-other-video-essays-to-watch-april-2024/ |title=Art Made for Nobody, and Other Video Essays to Watch This Month |last=Schindel |first=Dan |work=[[Hyperallergic]] |date=4 April 2024 |accessdate=30 May 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=ScreenRant>{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/best-youtubers-gaming-video-essays-reddit/ |title=10 Best YouTubers For Gaming Video Essays, According To Reddit |last=Woods |first=Jordan |work=[[Screen Rant]] |date=11 October 2022 |accessdate=2 June 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name=TheGamer>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/jacob-geller-book-youtube-creators-physical-media-how-a-game-lives/ |title=After Jacob Geller's Book, More YouTube Creators Should Release Their Work In Physical Form |last=King |first=Andrew |work=TheGamer |date=15 March 2024 |accessdate=1 June 2024 }}</ref>
}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
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Revision as of 07:07, 9 July 2024

Jacob Geller (born 8 February 1995) is an American video essayist, critic, and writer known for his analysis of video games and popular culture. Geller's YouTube channel has over 1.2 million subscribers,[1] with videos covering topics like horror, art, frigophobia, thalassophobia, and social justice. He published an annotated print collection of his essays in 2024.[2] Geller's career has included writing for Polygon, which named his 2019 video essay "Games, Schools, and Worlds Designed for Violence" as one of the best in YouTube's history.[3]

Life and career

Jacob Geller was born on 8 February 1995.[4][5] Geller traces his experience with video games back to his childhood and cited his Jewish upbringing and background as a basis for his writing and analysis,[6] later describing Judaism as "a culture built on study, examination, argument."[7] Geller's video essays typically compile experiences or ideas from across several different games or other properties, explaining in an interview that he often discovers the focus of an essay while writing it.[6] In addition to his YouTube channel, Geller has interned for Game Informer and written for Polygon.[6][3]

Reception and notable works

Corinne Engber of Jewish Boston noted "The Decade-Long Quest For Shadow of the Colossus' Last Secret" (2019), a documentary work of Internet history, as the first viral success of Geller's channel, additionally naming "Judaism and Whiteness in Wolfenstein" (2019) as a personal favorite.[6] Hyperallergic praised several of Geller's videos, including "Art in the Pre-Apocalypse" (2023),[8] "I Want to Tell You About My Favorite Fight Scene" (2024),[9] and "Art for No One" (2024),[10] naming him "one of the best video essayists in the game" in 2023.[8]

Wil Williams of Polygon named "Worlds Designed for Violence", an essay comparing the level design of cover shooter video games to the architectural renovations at Sandy Hook Elementary following the 2012 mass shooting, as one of the best video essays in the history of "breadtube and beyond", crediting Geller with "baking sincerity, vulnerability, and so much care into his video essays."[3] Polygon additionally noted "The Strange Reality of Roller Coaster Tycoon" and "Fixing My Brain With Automated Therapy" as among the best video essays of 2020 and 2022 respectively.[11][12] Geller's work has also received mention in Kotaku[13][14] and Screen Rant.[15]

In 2024, Geller published How a Game Lives in collaboration with independent publisher Lost in Cult.[2] How a Game Lives is a print collection of ten of Geller's video essay scripts alongside extensive annotations by Geller, a forward by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, commentary by various authors, and art by Kilian Eng and others.[2][16] The essays include "Fear of Cold" (2023), on frigophobia and extreme survival across culture and history; "Does Call of Duty Believe in Anything?" (2019), an ethical evaluation of Modern Warfare (2019); "Who's Afraid of Modern Art" (2019), analyzing attacks on Barnett Newman, Robert Mapplethorpe, and other contemporary artists; and "The Legacy of the Haunted House" (2019), on the role of architecture in works like Control and House of Leaves.[2][16] Further topics include Returnal, the Golem, and Legend of Zelda,[17] with each essay featuring an afterword by writers such as Jamil Jan Kochai and Gareth Damian Martin.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Middler, Jordan (29 March 2024). "Jacob Geller on his new book, games media and more". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d King, Andrew (15 March 2024). "After Jacob Geller's Book, More YouTube Creators Should Release Their Work In Physical Form". TheGamer. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Williams, Wil (1 June 2021). "The video essays that spawned an entire YouTube genre". Polygon. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. ^ Geller, Jacob [@yacobg42] (29 June 2019). "whatup im jacob, im 24 years old, and i never fuckin learned what an AT Field is" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Geller, Jacob [@yacobg42] (8 February 2024). "True Story: today is my birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ a b c d Engber, Corinne (16 February 2021). "Running on Serendipity: Jacob Geller on Video Game Journalism". Jewish Boston. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  7. ^ Geller, Jacob. "The Golem and the Jewish Superhero"
  8. ^ a b Schindel, Dan (16 October 2023). "Five Video Essays That Go Beyond the Surface". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  9. ^ Schindel, Dan (26 February 2024). "A Batch of Video Essays for the Last Days of Winter". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  10. ^ Schindel, Dan (4 April 2024). "Art Made for Nobody, and Other Video Essays to Watch This Month". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  11. ^ Williams, Wil (30 December 2020). "The best video essays of 2020". Polygon. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  12. ^ Williams, Wil (29 December 2022). "The best video essays of 2022". Polygon. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  13. ^ Rivera, Joshua (3 October 2019). "High School Redesigns Shouldn't Remind You Of Taking Cover In Gears Of War". Kotaku. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  14. ^ Rivera, Joshua (9 August 2019). "Why Video Game Headshots Will Always Be Popular—And Unsettling". Kotaku. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  15. ^ Woods, Jordan (11 October 2022). "10 Best YouTubers For Gaming Video Essays, According To Reddit". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "How a Game Lives". Lost in Cult. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  17. ^ Geller, Jacob (12 March 2024). "JACOB GELLER BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT". YouTube. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
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