Video game characters have died in just about every way imaginable. Countless have been shot, many have been bludgeoned, and many more have fallen into bottomless pits, never to be seen again. Out of all the ways for video game characters to bite the dust, though, few methods are as intense or as anxiety-inducing for the player as drowning. For proof, one simply has to check out the YouTube channel of Mikhail Emmerich, who has spent the last two years uploading videos of some of gaming's most iconic characters meeting a watery demise.

Emmerich's journey of documenting the drowning deaths of video game characters has spanned nearly 80 different games at this point, ranging from classics like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to newer blockbusters like The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. He claims to receive two to three requests each week from fans wanting to see drowning animations from specific games, which has kept the channel plenty active these last couple of years.

Fans have also requested that Emmerich upload videos showing other ways video game characters can die, but for now, his channel is focused on drowning. Emmerich's ultimate goal, which he admits may not be feasible, is to one day have every single drowning animation in video game history on his channel for everyone's viewing pleasure.

Here's an example of the kind of content one can expect from Emmerich's YouTube channel:

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While some may find it disturbing that someone has taken the time to upload so many video game drowning animations to their YouTube channel, others may find it interesting. Emmerich's channel could also be used as a learning tool for someone developing a game that has a drowning animation in it, as they can now easily reference how past games have pulled it off.

It may sound strange to refer to a YouTube channel full of drowning video game characters as a historical archive, but that is essentially what Emmerich has created. Now, it may not be taken as seriously as other historical archives like the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame or video game museums, but Emmerich's channel is still documenting a slice of gaming history, even if the content is a little odd.

Whether using Emmerich's channel to study drowning animations or just watching the videos for morbid thrills, gamers may be able to derive some sense of value from it. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Emmerich is able to accomplish his goal of uploading every drowning animation in video game history, and if he does, what will be next for his channel.

Are you going to pay a visit to Emmerich's channel?

Source: GameSpot