What New Game Hype Does To Your Brain

[@minteasip]

Props to Daryl for his phenomenal acting as monkey #1

[@kamikaze5528]

Acting?

[@GalacticPoisonX]

Masterpiece*

[@L1melemon]

He’s too good at it…

[@talitanaka]

It truly made the video

[@giarnovanzeijl399]

It comes naturally to him.

[@Niam_Haru]

“You can always replay Zelda, but… you only get one chance, to wait for it.” Literal goosebumps.

[@samf.s.7731]

Sure, if you're rich... and have 70 USD to spare... I'd be less cynical too if I didn't worry about money. This is not a product that's worth 70 USD imho. So to have someone throw people like me under the bus like that.... for corporate Nintendo no less. Yikes! Say whatever you want about how trash EA is, JS is the fruit of labor of hundreds, maybe thousands of ultra passionate people trying to tell a story. The core product is fantastic, it's just not optimized. It's "rough". ToTK, this game looks like it should have come out in 2021 tops, it's dated in every possible way, and the only reason for its delay was Nintendo trying to schedule these games for the best benefit of their fiscal year goals. They opted for an SS rerelease which they sold for 60 bucks in order to make sure ToTK bookends the switch era. This is faulty anti-consumer logic. Games keep evolving, they keep getting better. Here you have JS being released after beta testers confirmed it ran well only to run into issues upon actual broad audience consumer consumption. The game received a discount at multiple platforms for that reason. I got it for 62USD even before a discount. Even now, customers are not satisfied with it. Meanwhile Nintendo....

[@Shalakor]

@@samf.s.7731 There's some inkling of legitimate points to be made from what you said, but your framing is ludicrous. Are you seriously trying to equate $8 to the difference between a casual purchase of no real concern or life-ruining bankruptcy and destitution? Like, yeah, is sucks to pay more money for a game on more outdated hardware, and Nintendo has been making scummy moves, but pretending there's no sight of innovation or new worth in the software of the TotK game is just being like all those butthurt developers that complained about Elden Ring. It's petty and reductive and defeats any wider argument you're trying to make with the distraction it causes. So what if corporate Nintendo is stinky, guess what else is corporate and stinky? Basically everything. That's not a judgement on the games themselves, that's an excuse to hold up this one thing you want to be higher status while holding down some other thing you don't, no true merits being offered. One thing being good doesn't mean something else has to be bad to validate it (and not even released yet at the time of this comment). Though, mostly, it's simply unprompted bullying of a random commenter for your own appeasement.

[@potatoalexius]

​@Sam F.S. Bro, I finished the game yesterday, trust me, you're so wrong

[@Caleb-xk6yu]

@@samf.s.7731 suprised video game prices havent gone up sooner, youve probably expierienced inflation and so has nintendo, while they have a ton of money the amount they spend goes up with inflation and this is a way to balance it out. plus if you were in nintendos position wouldn't you do the same? an extra 8 dollars is small for an individual, but is huge for nintendo.

[@LuvzToLol21]

"you only get one chance at a first impression"

[@HeisenbergFam]

"im eating a banana to get in character" is a perfect ending, the banana eating skill is on point

[@Im-lost-pleaese-help]

Ohhhhhhh hell naw......

[@enntsuuoo]

Hello Mr. Heisenberg

[@dingomatic]

Damn Yigas

[@BloomT24]

He's here too

[@dampking]

How do your unfunny comments always end up on top?

[@Frostbloom]

"Because you can always replay Zelda. But, you only get one chance to wait for it." Loved this quote at the end. You can replay a game as many times as you want, but you can never experience that time leading up to it's release ever again. It never feels the same after that period of anticipation for a new game is over. Great vid! This one was awesome.

[@GregHuffman1987]

That's why we say we envy a person about to do something for the first time. If youve knocked everything off your bucket lost you better be ready to die because otherwise youve got nothing left to be excited for about life. To do something is to kill it

[@samf.s.7731]

Not really, see some people are poor. They have to save for games... They have limited funds for games. If it's great, they'll wait for it after it has been released, and play it to extreme satisfaction knowing exactly what they were gonna get. The people who will play Jedi Survivor, after it's been patched to perfection, during summer break a few months away... They'll have a better experience. I was not hyped for the game prior to release, in fact, it was nowhere near being on my radar, I got tp play it and it crashed a couple of times ... didn't lose major save data, but that was enough to take points away from the experience for me. People playing it this summer, no they're gonna have a great time. Everything I remember from my childhood about games was regarding the product itself, not waiting for it. Insomniac and Naughty Dog will always hold a special place in my heart despite the fact that I haven't owned a PlayStation since PS2! This is because the product brought me joy, not waiting for it. Time is fleeting, one day you'll be 30 like me and it will feel like you blinked and boom you're here lol! It's not bad AT ALL, it's quite the opposite, because you realize that you shouldn't invest a single moment of your time "waiting" for the game. They all come out eventually! Judge the product for what it is. Sorry for sounding preachy and going all "Back in my day" lol, but there's comfort here that I wish to share with you. Dopamine and Nor Epi play a role in anxiety too lol. Not worth it, spare your adrenals my friend.

[@GregHuffman1987]

@@samf.s.7731 I def know what it's like to game while poor. I still don't own a PS4 or a PS5 and am finally just gaming again for the first time in a while with Switch and mostly wait for games to go on sale on Shop. (I won't even buy Tears of Kingdom till June prob)

[@kkeithf]

Yeah that's solid, I'm stealing it

[@Epicwindow3]

a game developer can only make their first game once in a life GET WILD

[@Solarblossom2238]

God I enjoyed that sentence at the end: "Just enjoy the storm before the calm."

[@Seergun]

I slightly prefer the next line "Because you can always replay Zelda, but you only get one chance to wait for it"

[@phant0mdummy]

​@@Seergun I'm saying. That was the clear banger and the thesis of the entire video.

[@yeniversetakanami3304]

both gave me chills

[@pigeongod3450]

It honestly feels unreal that in just a few days it's going to be real, TotK has always felt like this elusive hope, and now the years of thrill and anticipation are all coming to hopefully pay off

[@SuperFlik]

I remember watching the announcement for Twilight Princess at a live broadcast of E3. We see Link riding out from Hyrule Castle Town on Epona, there's some cheers, but then Link draws his sword while still riding Epona and the crowd absolutely loses their minds

[@doctorqrow3452]

That game still slaps to this day

[@EylsRichEntity]

So many jaded, analytical “psychology of games” videos are out now it was oddly emotional when this one ended with a call to ignore our cynicism and just “be excited”. I loved that. That was a nice reverse dopamine prediction error.

[@mechanicalmonk2020]

Be excited. Just don't pre order

[@samf.s.7731]

I am sorry, but how rich are you?

[@AsherTheModder]

@@mechanicalmonk2020 pre order more ? ok you got it.

[@APDFrosty]

“You can always replay Zelda, but you only get one chance to wait for it.” Is an amazing wrap up. Great video.

[@6reen6uy]

This makes sense. When you figure out the puzzle in Zelda but have a few steps to do before it’s complete. Fills you with vigor

[@ARTexplains]

Fills you with determination

[@jb0258]

Fills you with courage

[@DonkeyRhubarb21]

Fills you with hearts.

[@Nick-ht5yi]

fills you with semen

[@potatoalexius]

Fills you with tears

[@roseallai]

I think it’s not just about the anticipation, it’s about the community. When I was a kid I was vaguely excited about new games, but now that I’m an adult and I share the love of certain franchises with others, it feels like I’m a part of something bigger than myself as we frantically text game trailers and developer tweets to one another. And then, even if the game flops, I can express frustration with those same people. The end of Game of Thrones made me feel very close with those around me lmao.

[@GyanoGambano]

Well people hype each other up, and thus creating both community and anticipation at the same time

[@samf.s.7731]

Sorry, they can be very toxic. Like, have you seen how many racist people for instance exist in these communities? How many sexists? How many are just regular bullies bullying even cis het men? It's the internet and gamers here can be a vile bunch. Also, Nintendo, in particular, is kinda fascist in the way they treat KZbinrs,, and those who literally promote their games.... They file DMCA claims against many, and they even used to take a chunk out of their paycheck from YT. That's horrible! I would not give a community of these loathsome individuals getting a pass on whatever they say the time of day. Have you seen how many people want to f**k a fish in this one lol??? Like really, Link and Zelda can't be a couple but f**king a fish, that's okay! This is something that Nintendo greenlit.... A bunch of professionals with degrees, families, and years worth of experience sat around a meeting room to brainstorm the plot to that game and thought "Fish f**king, we want that in the game! A game for everyone to play". I find that hilarious especially since Kotaku is being lambasted over their "means" of dealing with Nintendo. LGBTQ+ representation? Nope. Link and Zelda normal cis het relationship? No! Playable Zelda? Heck, just don't make her freaking 16? Nope! All the Christian and Western influences that were an inspiration to the game? Nope! Because people in Japan only want Japanese representation. So everything is gonna be close-minded now! "Let's give pdf files and Beastiality a place in our AAA game. Because that's the kind of person who wants to play our game"... Wut?!

[@zombiesauce9886]

I’m studying psychology and this channel is just pure gold, putting theory in perspective with something I like has actually helped a lot

[@matthewjalovick]

I think this also relates to why weekly releases for television shows tend to feel more fulfilling over the long term than the Netflix binge watch. I get so much enjoyment and pleasure out of reading with the community on Better Call Saul episodes than I do gorging on the new Outer Banks season. I’ll add that CS Lewis’s Space Trilogy had an interesting concept in its first entry. The alien race on what is essentially Mars talks about how the “fullest experience” of pleasure is culminated in the memory of it after… not the experience itself. The entire linear timeline is important for properly digesting the joy we feel. The spike of dopamine at the onset isn’t the best part. It’s the long term saturation and smiles we get after we’ve finished. Good video, my dude.

[@Numbabu]

I have some minor memory issues, and this really speaks to me. Oftentimes I greatly fear that I’ll forget things that meant a lot to me. I can’t easily bring to mind most parts of my personal history, but whenever I am reminded by things outside myself, and my brain can make the connection, it really is a different kind of joy. Happy memories are some of my most prized possessions. Even sad memories to an extent. I always experience things in the moment, but there is something more, and extra about anticipation, and memory. I think memory and anticipation, (and probably to a lesser extent misunderstanding what’s going on) are ways we can experience a combination of imagination and reality, two things I love.

[@demifolk8940]

ehhh, i think it depends on the series. some are good to binge some aren’t.

[@pingunooty]

what are your thoughts on the space trilogy? I really loved the narnia books, so I'm curious about his other works and how they compare

[@matthewjalovick]

@@pingunooty phenomenal. But you have to understand that they were written before we had a quality understanding of the surface of Mars and Venus (the two planets on which the first two books take place) and so some of the ideas about the planets are… well… creative and a little weird. They’re more of an adult version of Narnia. The concepts have more depth and the writing is geared a little higher. Definitely give them a try! I’m 32 and first read them when I was about 21 :)

[@matthewjalovick]

@@Numbabu hey, thank you for replying :) I’m sorry about the memory issue but you write well and communicate those things that have meaning for you quite articulately. I’m glad I was of some help tinkering around with those ideas for you! With trips and other adventures I can tend to stress during the actual experience but when I look back I LOVE the time. I much more deeply appreciate moments after they’ve happened… which is somewhat sad but also just different. Nothing wrong with being different. Journal. Keep a small journal of five things they happened during the day for which you’re grateful. That’ll be the best trigger for your memories. Read through all of them that you wrote at the end of the year. It’ll change your life.

[@oANMLful]

The idea of doing something is almost always better than actually doing it

[@Hegaems]

I was very hyped for Breath of The Wild, then played it and enjoyed more than i expected. That raises the hype for ToTK to me.

[@djroscurro9859]

This is why I usually go in with lower expectations

[@beesmongeese2978]

@@Hegaems Tried it and you won't be disappointed

[@Brindlebrother]

I had a great idea for a comment but that kind of fizzled out and I just wrote this instead.

[@Numbabu]

This is why I never do anything.

[@1BlueRozez1]

“You can always replay Zelda. But, you only have one chance, to wait for it.” That scratched a part of my brain so hard it’ll scar there for a long time.

[@D3cuca]

I've always loved the scientific side of your videos... The psychology behind the user and a game is sooo interesting, and the intimicy in jokes that you have with us will always make me crack a heartwarming laugh 😊 I'm in the hopeful side cuz Zelda and Metroid have almost always hit the spot and when a game is incredible, there's an almost spiritual side on the adventure and/or the mechanics for me. I won't be able to play TOTK because I need to finish a big project in 2 months for my studies so I'm gonna buy it and give me a full week after the projects due date to enjoy it without weight. I've done it a few times and I always knew that the anticipation was savoury because it was timeless and your video made so much sense ! (Also, there's so much power in anticipation and you've said it so well in so many videos but this video made me think that, in depressive episodes, we may have a hard time projecting ourselves in the future, it's hard to see "goals". Your video made me think that the anticipation to these potential "goals" may have so much power in us and could be used as a focus to combat depression Those are the kind of questions that you've gifted us over the years 😊)

[@how-long-can-these-be-anyway]

Man i wish you luck avoiding as many spoilers as possible

[@D3cuca]

@@how-long-can-these-be-anyway Thanks... I mainly don't want to be spoiled about the mechanics, but we'll see 😊

[@TheProbots]

As a guy waiting for Silksong and Hades 2, I’m lucky to be able to be optimistic for both. Not all studios are bad, Team Cherry will keep working on silksong until it’s good, and Supergiant games has never disappointed before, so the hope is real

[@andreiriboli]

At this point, I'm starting to question if Silksong even exists lol

[@Flygonite]

pokemon mystery dungeon explorers of sky is an absolute masterpiece and you SHOULD say it

[@internetguy7319]

super mystery dungeon is better

[@PlazDreamweaver]

@@internetguy7319 I disagree.

[@Th3BigBoy]

"Masterpieces" are a dime a dozen these days

[@Th3BigBoy]

"Masterpieces" are a dime a dozen these days

[@Thewhitedragon27185]

I so wish they’d port it to switch or give it the dx treatment

[@a_frozen_waffle4336]

”The hype train is more than a human phenomena, it’s something companies intensionally pour COAL into because it will DRIVE sales” straight bars🥶🥶🔥

[@rynemiller1931]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who rewatches trailers to get or relive hype and then playing those games

[@jhknightmare5131]

Hearing KH boss music over a “scary” looking math equation is such a mood😂😂😂 16:48

[@daft8090]

ive been playing the totk leak and it's kinda nice to be able to play it without dealing with the masses opinions on it. it's just me playing it by myself, experiencing the game in mostly a vacuum

[@Chaoszwaihander3434]

Agree, that's the real pure blind experience, before most people are able to play it and talk about it

[@SwagHyde]

I've been waiting for totk content on youtube and stuff but ngl, the first week of the leak were some of the nicest gaming days for me it was so cool being able to play the game when no one knew anything i was also in a few subreddits where you could actually ask questions and help other people, one of the most interesting aspects of the game leaking

[@justhearmeout3959]

Looking forward to hearing you explain why I'd rather play ANY new game than go through my backlog 😅

[@jacobhdz127]

Ooh that’ll be a good video!!!

[@themisterface]

I'd love to see a video on that too. Maybe something to do with the novelty of "new" vs what you already own.

[@helenwhs]

I just like the idea of never running out of good games to play

[@dirtywhitellama]

I feel like I saw a video about this already, but don't know if it was this channel. Someone with a similar style if not.

[@wuba5456]

Feeling of community? All of the hype around the new game vs. an old one with less buzz, you'd be getting in 'later' instead of with others

[@micheller3251]

unpopular opinion: being disappointed is part of life and if you won't even tolerate it from a video game or movie or series, how will you handle being rejected for a job or how will you handle break ups, or how will you handle when your kids don't live up to your expectations, or when you'll get out of college in your first job just to realize that the career you put so much effort towards is making you miserable? Stop having low expectation just to avoid being disappointed, accept and face disappointment. The more you learn to accept it, the less it will have power over you.

[@robenriven]

unpopular opinion: dont be stupid. People manage things different, and put different value to things. So dont say that. Believe me, some people value more their videogames and stuff than other things. Literally ive met people that got dissapointed by a game and feel really bad. And they end a 5 years relationship and dont give a f

[@kobeniscreaming]

I totally believe this. Sometimes it just happens and you gotta move on

[@gr4n737]

So, your basically just saying... be hyped about whatever you want and if it turns out disappointing, get over it?? I mean, it would be a valid point if disappointment just happened randomly, but it doesn't. If something disappointing happens that means you either made a misjudgment in putting faith in something or you took a gamble and hoped for the best. If your kids aren't living up to your expectations, you didn't raise them well enough, or you should have known better. If your job isn't all you thought it was, you should have researched more and not made a decision so uninformed. Just be realistic man. I'm hyped for Tears of the kingdom because Nintendo has a track record of making amazing Zelda games. And you know what? If I'm wrong and Tears of the kingdom turns out to be a disappointment, I'll come back to this comment and apologize. But until then I'm just going to keep being realistic about my hype.

[@duskmare0000]

I disagree. This anticipatory reward is clearly the 'gambling mechanic' of our brains. It makes us susceptible to stupid risks and more unhappiness in being disappointed than happiness in excitement. Plus, the unhappiness of disappointment lasts forever while the happiness of excitement only lasts until the uncertainty is over. So, instead of hoping for the best and dealing with disappointment. Instead only take calculated risks that you can easily accept the consequences for if they go sideways. You'll have a more stable and ultimately happier life for it. You also won't be as susceptible to gambling addictions, loot box mechanics and pay to win pressure that a lot of games these days apply. Especially when they rig your expectations by giving you big wins in the first few tries so you feel like it's a much better risk than it actually is.

[@Excelsior1937]

@@duskmare0000 Good things don’t come to those who only play it safe. Take it from someone who refused to admit to his feelings for someone until she was gone from my life forever, you gotta shoot your shot sometimes.

[@RoboJean1994]

Awww yeah, just as I arrived home from work! Your timing is absolutely marvelous Daryl! Time to get me some food and enjoy some damn good content!

[@thecosplaycrafter8017]

I'm so ready for Tears of the Kingdom. I'll probably buy it soon after it drops, or right after the school year is over so I can start binging it immediately.

[@samwoodley1653]

This video made me appreciate the wait not as a kind of blue ball torture or slowly building hype train that could potentially lead to a greater crash, but as a valuable part of the whole enjoyment process from reveal to end credits.

[@CacklePack]

We will always clown for Silksong (even though at this point it feels like Team Cherry is doing that thing you do with your dog where you pretend to throw their toy and they go running and get confused when there is no toy and Team Cherry is giggling to themselves while we run around looking for Silksong that they are hiding behind their backs).

[@Spiney09]

We’re going to have such great memories looking back though. The community’s wait for Silksong has been hilarious to be a part of.

[@Materialgworlx]

as soon as you started with the “but what if it’s bad” I could feel my brain shifting 😂😂 went from excited to “…oh no”

[@ShOwOba]

One of the reasons I love your videos is always your ending statement before the credits and all. It always makes me smile, so thanks for that.

[@Max_McGamer]

This video got me to realise the reason why I don't get hyped about things was my ADHD. ADHD is a problem with dopamine regulation, so you don't have the "hype man" to motivate you to the end goal, you enjoy the reward but there's no drive for it. TBH the whole "focus on the storm before the calm" analogy helped me realise that I need to get as much satisfaction out of the process itself rather than wait for the reward to fall into my lap like I have been trained to do. I'm gonna go do my assignment instead of procrastinating on Cookie Clicker, thanks Darryl!

[@Blue-fe4by]

My guilty pleasure is watching people's reactions to video game trailers, even for games I've never played. That pure excitement and hype from other people radiates into me, almost giving me some sorta "high." It sometimes makes me nostalgic for things i wasnt even around for...i love it so much!

[@realtayo42]

This is a super interesting topic Daryl. I've honestly been thinking about this recently so it's cool to have a solid video on it!

[@ThePedroAmigo]

Hey Daryl, I just wanted to say thank you for making your videos. I'm currently studying psychology, and your videos really inspire me to keep pursuing this field. There is just so much fascinating stuff to learn, and yet even more to discover!

[@akshaybodla163]

That logo animation is so sleek and smooth. I love it

[@mikesproductionsgamedev]

Daryl's acting is great. For so many other videos, he made us believe he was a human and not a test monkey. He really had us fooled.

[@jakepearson7403]

I still remember watching the Force Unleashed trailer while waiting for the game to load the first time I played it, the hype could not have been higher

[@Neverwas]

Bro, this video is a masterpiece. You pieced everything sooo well together. Thesis, hypothesis, flips, narrative, emotional moments, everything while addressing the gaming culture. Daryl, I save interesting videos on youtube on my Notion page, and yours almost always end up being part of my knowledge repository about things I learn on KZbin. Truly, when I say that I love your content, I mean it. The right format, the right length, the right amount of entertainment, interesting topics...Thank you.

[@bruceelder208]

I've recently found myself being excited for a couple of games coming out, which I havent felt in years (namely Baldur's Gate 3 and Armored Core 6). Its refreshing to be anticipating something, while also mindful of the fact it might not hold up to expectation. This video was perfect for how I'm feeling now. EDIT: I now realise that my monke brain has told me that being excited is justified because i enjoyed Elden Ring and Divinity Original Sin 2, so these MUST be good... right?

[@utisti4976]

Same. I love Elden Ring (and the rest of the Fromsoft catalogue) and *especially* DOS 2 as well. Dark Souls 3 and DOS 2 are some of mye most favorite games ever created. DOS 2 might be my favorite game of all time.

[@ZephyrK_]

Both drop in August too, man I can’t wait

[@ZorroVulpes]

I agree, I haven't been as hype for a game as Baldur's Gate 3 in years. I've played through act 1 three times, so I think I'll like the other two when they come out

[@momob4276]

I don't re-watch old trailers, but I lovere-watching old reaction trailers and seeing other people being excited to re-live the hype. Love your videos! Very introspective

[@r4m0m777]

I kinda felt really emotional watching this video, the end made me feel just… happy? I’m always aboard the hype train and keeping gigantic expectations towards these big promisses with great track records and stuff, being alive and able to experience all of those feelings is absolutely one of the best things in life. I love videogames man! Thanks for the video, subbed!

[@keelyparker8466]

I can’t explain why, but that outro made me tear up. People always hope that things can be better, and we’re kind of stupid for it, but we do it anyway. Pretty powerful stuff

[@imanabuiqran9246]

watching this after playing TOTK is strangely emotional lol. I think this might also be the reason why many players (myself included) like to postpone ending a game and instead distract themselves with side quests and exploration. it's like you know the peak of the excitement is right here before the end, so you're trying to prolong it, while simultaneously building the hype and anticipation for the climax. pretty cool to think about.

[@frezeal33]

That dopamine hit when I get the notification that Daryl dropped a new video 📈📈📈

[@jdlnz9484]

So happy for every new upload. Found other gaming-essay style channels but your topics resonate the most!

[@encomiumpilot]

Wow. This made me lowkey emotional lol this was so well written. You just cemented the idea that no one should feel bad/silly, etc for being overly excited for a piece of digital media. Great job!

[@mofubunsart]

Same! 😢❤

[@sablestew]

New fan of this channel and I loved how you incorporated the scientific studies about the release of dopamine. As someone who is absolutely HYPED for tears of the kingdom, I'm still anticipating that it just may not be exactly as good as I expected. I appreciate you bringing in the science side and it's aspirational as a video essayist myself. Also, your editing is fantastic. Definitely a well-made video!

[@Totk1.0.0Glitches]

10:45 that WAS a good fluppin joke daryl

[@samiinaka1535]

It's been a long time since I've watched such a good video! Thanks for going through the struggle and doing the research 🙏

[@djcosmos5813]

The narrative on this one is crazy ! I love how you make us misbelieve for the study or your survey ! Great video, as ever Darryl !!!

[@eboatwright_]

These videos are always so much fun to watch, the twists and turns, the jokes and I can learn little bits about psychology in the process

[@ab-hx8qe]

You make the most convincing chimp face I’ve ever seen. Subscribed.

[@_Dingu]

Damn watching this made me realize how long it's been since I've felt that collective hype leading to a release

[@asmilenotmeantforme]

dude it's just been 2.5 years

[@_Dingu]

@@asmilenotmeantforme What I meant to say is, I haven't personally felt it in a long time. Including for BOTW/TOTK.

[@dandinkler6315]

@6:20 editing in these videos is getting really good. Great visualization of hype train and I love how the narration fits the rhythm of link's dive perfectly when it says "drive sales"

[@arumaruu]

Such a damn banger of a video, hope you enjoy the game when it comes out as much as I will!

[@JuiceVendr]

That's such a great way to put it, you can play it again and again, but the anticipation for that first time is only ever gonna happen once.

[@Kisher02]

Whoo boy this video did come at the right time. Only 38 days away from Silksong (presumably) and it's hard to keep my hype in check. This video partially already told me what I knew about hype but dang it was definitely on the more fun side to watch! Here's hoping ToTK is good! Altough at this point I'm not too pessimistic but I'm just praying it'll be half of what BoTW is, that would already be an inredibly impressive accomplishment

[@DarylTalksGames]

Yeah I probably didn’t make it clear in the video because it wasnt part of my point, but for the record, I’m all in on TOTK 😂 I genuinely think it’ll be fantastic

[@justabeholder4753]

You're right, silksong is real. It has to be.

[@zacharywoloszynski4258]

Silksong is NOT releasing buddy

[@justabeholder4753]

@@zacharywoloszynski4258 it has to

[@nachogarcia8217]

38 days until silksong?! How did I miss that? Are you sure? Where did u hear that?

[@superspider64]

19>37 I love this mental image of you just shuffling around in your house with a plate, a gamecube controller and a bag of raisins out of view of the camera, getting all sorts of different shots of you being a monkey

[@emdies-mds4957]

Daryl looking surprised as a monkey never fails to make me laugh

[@ac3e19]

Man I’ve been binge watching your videos.. and none of them ever miss. It’s just so good!!

[@kevpo08]

What a great video man! I’m enjoying so much the anticipation and you just confirmed that I’m partially right to be enjoying it. I will only live it once 😌

[@Inverse_to_Chaos]

It’s April 2024, and I have decided to return to this vid, as my emotions are still surging from my first viewing of a total solar eclipse last Monday in Texas. As gratifying and surreal as totality was, I honestly find the moments right before the sky went dark even more memorable. Throughout the weekend, I did feel hype about the event, though I also felt a bit of anxiety, as cloud coverage seemed imminent throughout the state after a weekend of clear skies (While we did receive clouds in the morning, the sky quickly cleared up within the hour). It wasn’t until roughly 2-3 hours before totality struck our point of view that my dopamine activity began to surge, and with every minute, the tension only seemed to intensify, knowing that a cloud could sweep over any minute. As you have stated in the video, the magnitude of one’s surge in dopamine intensifies with increased uncertainty of an outcome. Once the corona appeared, I managed to calm down and enjoy the wondrous sensation of daytime darkness and a glowing black disk, and later that day, shortly after the eclipse concluded entirely, I occasionally felt mild dopamine triggers, urging me to get prepared for the next possible eclipse chase. That said, I have been watching videos and news broadcasts filmed shortly before and during totality, so I can witness how others felt and anticipated this astronomical phenomenon. I’m ready for another lead-up to totality in the coming years! 🌙

[@DarylTalksGames]

I saw it too!

[@Inverse_to_Chaos]

@@DarylTalksGames Were you in the path of totality (99% does not suffice)?

[@johncra8982]

For terminally online twitter users, media hype is the thing that's replaced religion. The addiction people have to the hype cycle, the way they talk openly, and with total self-awareness, about how they WANT to feel hyped and that's why they're HOPING a company will start marketing a new upcoming game, the way they openly make posts about how they're getting antsy and outright depressed when the hype ISN'T hitting them. It's all indistinguishable from old people that seek out church/temple communities in order to feel a strong sense of religious fervor and ecstasy overtaking them. I'm neither opposed to hype, nor am I an atheist, but spending some time observing hypebeast people like this on social media is genuinely one of the most depressing and disturbing experiences ever.

[@NevisYsbryd]

Modern society in general, really.

[@Swordslash]

"You can always replay a game, but you only get one chance to wait for it" is going in my list of favorite quotes about game hype now. I don't know how or when you came up with that, but that is a brilliant line. On another note, the fakeout "optimism vs pessimism" paragraph put a genuine smile on my face. Really well scripted, and your performance sold the surprise of it all. Great job and great video, seriously.

[@clay2889]

Very interesting video and I'm glad you brought up many scientific sources to talk alongside with. It does feel good to be hyped for Tears of the Kingdom!

[@silverwind0861]

This video was really good man! Thanks for an awesome follow-up before Tears drops next week 🔥🔥

[@MordredArkwright]

3:49 Extremely based, Explorers of Sky was such a great game.

[@lethauntic]

The reason why the current state of video games doesn't really bother me that much as others, is because good and bad games have always existed and still get made. You look at games back 20+ years ago and if you push the top film of amazing games aside you get mediocrity and trash. Not that I want to be too harsh for no good reason, I'm just saying that the past wasn't as golden as people make it out to be-- and that comes from someone who grew up with an N64 and PS2. I still love games from back then and I continue to find more, but then I also find series like Driver, which I don't think was ever good despite what I've heard some say. The gaming industry, notably AAA, but Indie isn't completely separate either, has problems. Big problems. But So often I'd hear someone talk about how games are bad now or whatever, which is subjective of course, but it's spoken with a level of objectiveness. Like they are saying it with an understanding that we all more or less agree with them. At some point, I feel like maybe it's not gaming that's the problem, maybe it's them-- not that it's wrong to want different things, I mean that they need to be aware that we don't all agree that all games are bad now, because that makes no sense, right? They'll say that, but when they talk about old games it's almost as if you can see them put on the biggest, rosiest glasses you've ever seen. Heavily criticize one group of games, but not the other. Look back at some of these old gems and you can see cracks, flaws, bugs, shortcuts, cut content, ideas that were never fleshed out, possibly even promises that weren't kept. There are many reasons for all of these things, it's a very complex thing for sure, but when I'd hear people talk about modern gaming and it's huge faults, I wish they wouldn't treat the past like it was perfect and amazing when it wasn't. I'm not saying it was awful, nor am I saying that modern games should get a pass for problems that happen, but I'm trying to be fair and realistic about things, if you know what I mean. That and when people talk about modern gaming being bad, they magically forget about all of the good games released within the last 5-10 years. But at the end of the day, it is still people making these things and while there are differing levels of involvement from people other than the devs themselves, they aren't robots.

[@blockeontheleafeon]

1:14 I watch Trailers because I miss out on stuff or don't want to play the game for myself. Even the music and settings are awesome and Trailers can make the imagination run wild. Even if you don't plan on playing or watching the thing they're advertising.

[@ThisisCitrus]

What if you're an intelligent/jaded person and don't experience hype anymore? Maybe it's getting older, maybe it's being constantly burned for games: Anthem, Fallout 76, Jedi Fallen Order, Redfall. But I do not experience this feeling of "hype" anymore, I expect the worst and am pleasantly surprised if a game releases in a playable state.

[@yoonglie]

i don’t get that feeling of hype either, but i wouldn’t say i’m jaded due to the past. i think it largely depends on our personalities and extrovertedness, the tendency to be more energetic. i’m optimistic (and idealistic) in my day-to-day, but i don’t express it in jumping around and using energy, like many others do…

[@thosebloodybadgers8499]

@@yoonglie I wouldn't describe myself as being particularly optimistic, nor energetic / extraverted (although I'm not sure the terms are comparable) but neither would I call myself jaded. I guess there's a space between being on the hype train and believing all the hundreds of reasons you've made up in your head why something will be bad that can be arrived at. For me it took going through both of those extremes. Even then, I don't think I have a perfect relationship with expectations but it's nice to both be able to somewhat understand why something may end up badly yet still get excited for things just because it's fun.

[@steveh1474]

bethesda makes games known for being glitchy, barely playable messes, you buy two more of their games, and get two more glitchy, barely playable trash piles, and you complain about it? mate, you arent intelligent for being depressing and sad, youre a toddler who hasnt learned "fire hot, dont touch"

[@ThrobbGoblin]

I swore-off hype after the release of Fallout 4. Cyberpunk lured me back in- I gave myself the excuse of "It's made by CDPR, it's a sure thing, right?" I swore off hype again. Now Starfield is releasing in a month or two and I find myself getting excited for a game made by the same clowns that made Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. I honestly don't think that human beings can truly control what they do and don't get "excited" for when it comes to upcoming releases. It's all just acting.

[@blokvader8283]

Already an incredible video, I love everything about this so far, and then out of nowhere Kira's theme starts playing lmaooo Thank you very much Daryl C:

[@NyAppyMiku22]

This is why i always loved midnight releases. everyone was so hyped and brought together by a common interest. And i think that its another reason why i like kpop so much. im always looking forward to the next song that artists put out, and the companies do a really good job of getting everyone hyped for each comeback.

[@Mathlink2695]

I think the entire feeling of dopamine out of sheer anticipation is best showed whenever we get a date for a new Smash Character reveal. I was there for every single Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal, no matter when or where, because it always the most important event of the month for me, and I remember what I was doing for every single review and exactly how I felt. Joker was wild, I saw it in a discord call and we were all losing our minds. For Hero, I was in the teacher's room with a friend before we started our classes that, sheer hype from us. I was in the middle of class for both Banjo and Terry, watched Banjo with my teenage students and pretended I was looking at some important stuff while seeing Terry. Saw Byleth in the middle of an important meeting and it legit ruined my day, had to hide my face from my boss. Min Min, Steve, P&M I was streaming my reaction and thought they were pretty fun, absolutely couldn't believe Steve. Sephiroth was I was with my brother and we both screamed so loud with excitement we thought Smash had peaked. Kazuya I watched it on the couch and literally just "aight Namco I see you". Sora I was also streaming and was betting with chat it was going to be him, absolutely lost my goddamn mind with the reveal, literally cried of joy. I don't think a game reveal will ever reach the peak of hype like Smash Bros did with those trailers, man. I also have no idea how anyone can follow up Smash Bros Ultimate after Sakurai, since there's barely any absurdly impossible characters to be put in like that. At this point they could just add Waluigi for the lolz to please the fans, but I don't think they can top Sephiroth, Sora and Joker's reveals.

[@ElMedkit]

i swear time is always flying by except now because i want Zelda and sf6 to drop lmao. i re watched their trailers too much :-)

[@DarylTalksGames]

That’s totally how it feels! Glad I’m not alone on the SF6 train 😈

[@ElMedkit]

@@DarylTalksGames oh absolutely, this game looks way too fun and I’m already having my character crisis when the game is not even out lol

[@evilded2]

10:26 yeah luckily for me this was almost a decade ago when I stopped having expectations without proof. I have never been unhappy about a games release ever since. The is no point in even thinking about a game until you have played it, stuff happens & sometimes games don’t come out well, life goes on.

[@zomt420]

9:06 Bocchi-chan sighted

[@sno7599]

Daryls monkey bits were so funny the faces were perfect I loved those moments they made the video even better

[@mattieice4785]

I refuse to watch the final TOTK trailer due to spoilers, but I also need to watch this video….. Thank you for the 22 minute audiobook Daryl!

[@grantbishop1441]

This is very similar to the disconnect between thinking about playing a game and actually playing it. I’ll keep myself up thinking about base ideas in The Forest or Minecraft, but when I play I’ll be too scared or bored to actually go through with them.

[@BabyCharmander]

I love being active in fandoms, including making fandom events, and when the release date for Psychonauts 2 was finally announced, I immediately went to my best friend and said “so do you want to do a countdown challenge?” Then in the span of a few hours, she and I put together a countdown challenge leading up to the release of the game. We made a chart and for every day leading up to the release of the game, you would draw one of the characters from the series. It was a 70+ day challenge (73 I think?), and I will never forget it. I will never forget posting the challenge and so many other people jumping onboard to join me, checking the tags every day as we posted art of that day’s character. It was a ton of fun, and it helped a bit to build up the excitement for the game, especially since we’d arranged the challenge so that it went from least-important characters to most important, with the final day before release being the day to draw the main character, Raz. It was a ton of fun seeing people who liked a particular character get excited for the day when everyone would draw that character. I have NEVER finished a challenge like that before, but I did for this one. Even when I fell behind, I doubled up on characters to catch up, finding fun scenarios to draw them in, all the while counting down the days until the game’s release. The release itself was fantastic too-I specifically scheduled days off of work (which happened to be around my birthday anyway) just so I could play the game much as possible. GOSH I miss that-the hype of drawing a character every day as we all counted down the days, and then FINALLY getting to play it. It was one of the good situations where the game was actually incredible (though interestingly it did not meet my expectations-I had been hoping for the plot to go in a different direction, and was initially disappointed until I realized I was happier talking about all the stuff the game did well rather than the stuff I’d wished it had done, so I set aside my disappointment in “this isn’t exactly what I PERSONALLY wanted” and found joy in “this is still FREAKIN AWESOME” instead). So uhhhh… a lot of rambling there, but this video just reminded me of that time and made me feel happy and nostalgic thinking about it again, so… thank you!!

[@InkyDustMan]

I find it interesting how the most important things in my life are just outright the things I've experienced the most anticipation for. ANYONE who watched Hellsing Ultimate Abridged can testify to this. A large part of WHY that series is quoted absolutely everywhere- Is because we had to wait a year between each and every episode, we were in hype mode for 11 out of 12 months, and whenever a new part dropped, or someone new reacted to it, or there was an announcement like the final few episodes dropping at the same time- We went insane. Obviously, this is on the more extreme end of things, it's a rare experience to wait EIGHT YEARS for ONE SERIES, with anywhere between a few months to a few years between episodes, but it's proof of the potency of uncertainty and anticipation. To this day, if I hear just the first few notes of "Ready To Die" or "Party Party Party" I will NOT stop smiling for at least an hour. Anticipation is SUCH a strong force in the human brain, that it can leave borderline permanent impressions in a person's mind.

[@xx_g4m3rsw4g_xx]

Hey Daryl, I wanted to say you teach me something new in every video you create, and no matter the topic I think you always end up saying something profound. You're like a modern day Socrates when it comes to ideas surrounding video games. Thank you for sharing and amazing video today! You're awesome!!

[@AbigailMaureenVI]

I AM HYPED BEYOND BELIEF and no one can take that excitement from me. As soon as I got the release date I put in for a week of vacation, Friday-Friday, and it’s the most time I’ve taken off consecutively in 3 years. I’ve told everyone not to call me unless they want to talk about Zelda for the duration. I’m an adult and I’m gonna spend a week doing what I always wished I could as a kid, making it a historic moment for my memories.

[@surendrapadamata2123]

Holy hell! Some of the research papers he cited could very well help us in our experiments and coming up with new connections. A very well thought out and developed video. Now I am a fan of yours! If we do end up using the papers you showed, will definitely cite your video in our paper 😅

[@anustinnewsam13]

Anticipation really does help me get through days. The anticipation of finally one day being able to work through my backlog of course. But even day to day stuff like having a TV show to watch with my wife after a long day of work. Great vid as always!!

[@SUPERFunStick]

I returned to this video about 25% through exploring Hyrule all over again and every single one of your what if questions were thankfully redundant. This might be the best game ever made. The hype actually paid off for once. I'm addicted AF

[@MikeMohamed]

You talked about multiple of my favourite game trailers of all-time in this video man. Trailers I've rewatched over and over again, I know exactly what you mean. There's something about feeling that hype that just makes you so damn happy.

[@Deadflower019]

Shoutout to games which release as chapters. It was a big thing several years ago, the standout one from my time as a nerdy teen being Bendy and the Ink Machine. It was all the same game, but instead of the immediate dopamine rush of playing and beating the game, you had to wait for the next chapter again and again, which kinda minmaxed the process.

[@eboatwright_]

16:53 actually sounds like the name of a psychological horror movie / tv show

[@OtepRalloma]

1:11 whenever I get back on my DMC obsession, I can't help but look up the reveal trailer for DMC5 and watch reaction clips of it again

[@luisburgos7365]

14:16 my mans realized he was having a lil too much fun lmao

[@blueegg4198]

Right at the end of the video I realized this is also true about watching a show weekly instead of binging after it's all over. Each week you get to go through the shared anticipation and hype cycle, not knowing if it will pay off. (In my case, I'm having the time of my life right now watching the Witch from Mercury anime, and the time between episodes is just as much part of the fun.)

[@qew_Nemo]

Just wanted to say again, I'm really happy I found your channel. It's extremely comfy!

[@rutta5232]

Live crowd reactions (or just KZbinr reaction compilations) to new game trailers are always my absolute favourite. You can really see and hear the excitement these games give people. I always remember when the official first trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 came out, and you’re right - while I loved the game when it finally released, the build-up to the game was possibly the most exciting and fun. I love release-day build-up 💕

[@BigCowProductions]

Starfield HYYYYYYPE!

[@RavenFilms]

I’ve been avoiding seeing *anything* about TotK. All I’ve seen was that one trailer that was out like 2 or 3 years ago. Trailers (in games and movies) often give away the best parts, or make it easy to guess what’s going to happen at a certain part, that without the trailer, you would have never guessed. I’m a massive Zelda fan, I even have 2 Zelda tattoos. It’s been soooo hard to not check any of it out, but I want to go in with zero expectations. There were so many theory videos before BotW that while I was playing, I was busy trying to guess the story based on all those theory videos that were way off, instead of just enjoying what was in front of me. I also don’t want to see any of the game play footage, I want the full experience, the way the programmers designed it, for maximum impact. (Also, I’m happy there’s time codes on here. It looks like I’ll miss part of the video cuz I’m skipping the Zelda stuff, but I’ll be back in a few weeks. I rewatch stuff in this channel anyway) (Edit: 6:39 in, nope, too much TotK clips, I kept skipping and saw too much already. Back in a few weeks)

[@allyson3393]

It's true for the devs too! There is no moment more exciting and terrifying for me than just before the game you've been working on gets revealed - even more so than release day. That's a rush that's hard to beat, especially when the reaction is positive and you get to watch the flurry of reactions and theorizing that happens immediately after.

[@soysinyo]

Thanks for the Silksong joke. I needed that 😢

[@leolightfellow]

Interesting, as always. One of the best youtubers, for sure. :) That 50% thing reminds me of how facebook found out they get more engagement from people when they only send notifications of friend activity some of the time your friends do something, not all of the time.

[@emmjaygames]

That quote at the end hit HARD. LOVE THIS!

[@IXPStaticI]

To my knowledge, dopamine not only plays a role in reward but also motivation, and with that in mind it makes total sense why a uncertain outcome would prompt a much larger response. The more uncertiain a reward is the more active participation is required to check. If it's always there you don't need your participation is limited to getting the reward, if there's never anything at all there is no participation in the first place, but if it's an equal tossup you have the most participation in having to check what the outcome is and adjusting to it accordingly.

[@lazyknowledge6286]

Awesome! Thank you so much! I kept remembering my wishing on Gacha Games like Genshin Impact and rewatching the Zhongli-trailer because I was so blown away by it then. Maybe that is also the reason we return by watching people react to something for the first time since it recaptures the feelings we had then (watching "Barcelona"-reactions by Freddie Mercury and Montserat Caballé or playthroughs of "Bramble" or "Little Misfortune"). Thanks for this lovely video!