The interactive element of video gaming means there are plenty of ways to enjoy them, from casual observers who play Angry Birds on their iPhones to die-hard fans who have bought every console since the Nintendo Entertainment System. Some, like Chinese grandfather Yang Binglin, complete video games on principle. However, few have brought the idea of completing games to the forefront online as much as Jirard "Dragon Rider" Khalil.
Khalil started a YouTube channel in September 2011 called That One Video Gamer (TOVG) with a flagship show: The Completionist. He has spent the last decade completing one video game every week, and is coming up on the show's 400th episode. While the channel has amassed 1.4 million subscribers as of this writing, leading Khalil to be the CEO of a production company with around a dozen employees, he said the idea behind "That One Video Gamer" was that anyone can be a gamer, a musician, a filmmaker, or whatever they want. Game Rant spoke with Khalil about his 10-year journey on YouTube, the lessons he has learned, and his upcoming charity livestream Preserved Play.
The Completionist was started out of "a state of desperation," according to Khalil. He double-majored in Theatre and Film at California State University, Fullerton, but was burned out on an industry that expected everything while providing next-to nothing, and felt many of his professors discouraged pursuing a career in film. After being passed up on a promotion following five-and-a-half years at Best Buy, where he acquired a passion for helping people buy the games they really wanted, he felt aimless.
Then, Khalil helped his high school friend Jon Jafari produce some early videos for the YouTube channel JonTron (now at 6.5 million subscribers), and through a livestream with Jafari met Arin Hansen - who would host Game Grumps (now at 5.4 million subscribers) with Jafari and later Dan Avidan. "I didn't know him very well, but [Arin] was like you just have to create something," Khalil said. TOVG was his third or fourth attempt at becoming a YouTuber following some sketch comedy channels, but "I told myself this one was going to be different, about me and what I'm passionate about."
The TOVG YouTube channel posted an update video on March 6, 2021, in which Khalil announced a "soft pause" for The Completionist leading up to episode 400. Khalil said the only other time this has happened was a one-month break around episode 100 when he re-uploaded older videos hit by copyright strikes. While this pause only lasts a few weeks, and content is still coming out for other shows, this will give his team the time to figure out how to keep The Completionist from getting stale for its creators.
"We're putting the brakes on so we can have that tough conversation of what it looks like in 2021 and beyond. Do we like what we're making? Is it exciting?...Are we trendsetters or are we adapting?"
Khalil describes production as a lot of moving parts with clashing elements on an intense schedule, not including other shows like Super Beard Bros. that he hosts with Alex Faciane and Brett Bayonne. However, "The reality is we've been in the stars for a long time ... and we've got a hardcore fanbase that shows up each week," so they just need time to get off the treadmill and focus. In particular, Khalil wants to know what his feelings are, what he contributes, and if "people care whether that contribution exists."
His journey began with Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo, and recently capped off with episode 399 on SSX Tricky. However, things got complicated in 2015 when Khalil split with former co-host Greg Wilmot, leading to The Completionist's first 120 episodes being removed. There was a negative backlash that made Khalil feel like he didn't want to create anymore, and he said his personal space was violated afterward. He said the thing that helped him breathe again was starting a show called New Game Plus on October 17, 2017: recompleting those 120 games alongside ongoing content.
"Looking back, it was the right call. It was the call that legitimized us as a true business, and it was a massive risk," Khalil said. As of this writing, Khalil has completed 112 of his 120-game backlog, but while he only has eight games left to complete on Twitch there are at least at least 30 episodes yet to be made or released. Fans of The Completionist are "the lifeblood of my business," and Khalil hopes he succeeded in giving back to them with this endeavor. Much of his drive has been giving back, from responding to as many messages as possible during early days of the show to adjusting his Patreon page for followers to "feel like they're getting their money and heart's worth by supporting me."
Yet as much as Khalil recognizes his community gave him the chance to accomplish his dreams, he's open about what his career has cost him. New Game Plus was originally decried by colleagues and family for adding pressure with nothing in return, and despite feeling right he is unsure if it was worth the toll on his health, well being, and relationships. Despite being a "personable, extroverted" person who has never felt uncomfortable with his interactions online, Khalil said he draws the line at parasocial relationships where audience members sometimes scrutinize him for contradicting years-old opinions.
Overall he takes pride in his fans being respectful, and recognizes there are marginalized groups that get beaten down for sharing their perspectives more often. However, based on analytics, data, and feedback, he said The Completionist fosters an audience that loves watching him suffer grueling challenges and games that take hundreds of hours. The team is always working on balancing audience interest in obscure JRPGs that would make cents on the hour, an increasingly short list of nostalgic mainstays like Super Mario titles, and games like SSX Tricky where he has a lot to say, but faces an algorithm that dampens creative enthusiasm. His favorite projects are often games he receives early and can "form a wonderful relationship" with during the embargo period like Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake. In his own words,
"That part of the show is what drives me the most, the mystery of not knowing what's to come in the future,"
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Khalil has been more comfortable opening up about his struggles with physical and mental health, finances, and YouTube - though he wasn't expecting the level of criticism he received from certain sects of the audience "machine" that cares more about the burger than the chef. Regardless, "I want to be able to support the next generation who comes along to redefine all this," Khalil said, and a big part of that is discussing issues he feels the community doesn't talk about enough.
He points to studies; for instance a widely publicized survey of 3,000 children in the US, UK, and China conducted by LEGO in 2019; showing many childrens' dream job is to be a YouTube creator. He stands by his channel's motto that anyone can be whatever they may want, but hopes to dissuade the notion that people can just play video games and make money. "If it were that easy, there would be millions of people doing it instead of the few thousand that do." Khalil said many YouTubers don't know how to file their taxes and there are no unions; much of his last 10 years has been spent worrying about paying and protecting his employees.
Even so, Khalil said he didn't start to become famous, but to express himself and build a "dream machine" that could help others. He grew up the youngest of five siblings in a poor household, but in the last 10 years has been "honored and humbled" by what he has accomplished thanks to his audience - from talking to major industry figures like Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto to hosting charity events for dementia research.
Now he wants to cement his legacy beyond just being a YouTuber. He wants to make a movie or game of his own, or start a publishing arm to support indie developers. More than that, he wants to use his "dream machine" to see what his partner, best friends, and producers want to do with their lives, and give them the stability and support they need. "That's kind of where I have always been since the beginning, and that's where I am now."
Preserved Play takes place March 27 and 28, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. PT to 6:00 p.m. PT on Twitch channel TheCompletionist.