Yeah, in all seriousness, and with no offense to James whatsoever, I don't think their content is particularly healthy to watch anymore.
That's not to dimiss the work they've done in talking about the abusive and exploitative behaviour of the game industry, but I genuinely feel like there's nothing to be gained by continuing to watch them at this point.
James says they haven't changed, but when they openly said: "I hate video games, and I hate that I made talking about them my job." in a previous video, I don't really see why I, as someone who loves video games, should continue to watch. My impression of James for the past near-ten years of watching them was that they genuinely did love video games, and their criticism of the industry came from that love of genuinely wanting better from it.
But looking at their video output and their Twitter feed, I haven't seem them talk about games like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Bravely Default II, New Pokemon Snap, etc. Like...there's been great games that came out recently that they seem to have no interest in talking about. The only ones they have spoken about lately are Returnal and Resident Evil Village.
There doesn't seem to be a desire of theirs to truly push people into playing more non-exploitative, non-gambling games, and just more of a desire to...be right and complain about others telling them that they were wrong. Like I've noticed this other trend in their videos where they constantly say like: "People have said this to me that was wrong, I've been saying this for years, and look, I was right!" And yes, James has been right about many issues on their show that they've spoken about. But it just seems like they just want to yell about being right and how people told them they were wrong and just...do nothing beyond that.
As someone who's enjoyed James' content for years, the Jimquisition has become a miserable experience lately. I think the moment that hit me was when they spoke about the latest Nintendo Direct and there was just this...desperate attempt to find something negative to say about it. Like yeah, why don't people get more mad at Ubisoft instead of not getting a Nintendo commercial they want? Sure, I agree. But the whole segment really felt like...low-key shaming of people who enjoyed it? Like people even expressing moderate enjoyment of game events or game announcements they're looking forward to is doing something wrong.
Yeah, they don't actually say that it is, but the more I watch, the more of an impression I get that that they think it is.
I didn't watch this video because I pretty much know exactly everything James is going to say, I agree with the things that they do say about EA, and well, I was never a fan of EA games to begin with, so what exactly do I have to gain by watching them? To stay informed and never forget? I stay informed and don't forget by simply looking at my own Twitter feed every morning. Why exactly should I watch a twenty-minute video that re-creates that same experience?
It's not even exclusive to the Jimquisition. I've been listening to Podquisition lately as well (It's the only place where they consistently talk about games other than the channel) and this sort of thing is showing itself there lately as well. There's a real regret about having established their career around games and all I see from them lately is just...contempt for the medium as a whole.
I truly believe that James believes that the slightest negative thing about a game now defines that game. That enjoying any game with the slightest immoral background regarding its development, is an inherently immoral thing to do. They've gone on the record in saying that that's not the case, but like...I get this sense that they feel otherwise. Like...the cues are there. There's this air I feel to their videos that comes across as them wanting to say that but won't because it would cross a line into inciting harrasment and would diminish the message that they're trying to bring across. Which it would, and I respect them for having that kind of restraint, if that's how they truly feel.
But this all just begs the question for me though: Who is the Jimquisition even for now? It's certainly not for people who like video games, that much has been made clear. Is it for people to stay informed on the terrible abusive practices of the game industry? Perhaps, but any effort into boosting viewership for the channel has since faded away. I hesitate to say it's even for James themselves, since they've quite literally said that they hate that they made talking about games their job. But then again, their Patreon is their only source of income, and maybe they're afraid if they moved on to something else for the channel they'd see a dip in their revenue. A reasonable thing to worry about when making decisions regarding one's career that I can't fault.
With all that being said however, and it really pains me to say this about a content creator I've enjoyed for about a decade, but I feel that the Jimquisition has become...toxic. It doesn't matter how right they are about what they say. If I'm constantly feeling miserable watching their content, even if I agree with them on what they say, then I can't in good faith recommend their videos. I'm not saying this to attack James or that talking about what they talk about is wrong...but I don't really know how else to describe my experience watching their content lately is.
I don't know how else to describe something that isn't healthy.