Why history?

History is the best novel you've ever read. It's full of betrayals and blood feuds, heroic sacrifices, impossible triumphs, and the daily struggles that add up to momentous change.

Extra History takes snapshots of history and presents them in animated shorts that are freely available for anyone to watch on YouTube. Patreon members like you help us pick interesting periods and people to talk about every Saturday for each 5-7 week mini-series. Each series will be enough to whet your appetite and put human perspective into a subject that might once have seemed dry.

You might know us from our show Extra Credits, where we talk about the art, industry, and community of video games in a way that educates as it entertains. We're excited to bring everything we've learned from making Extra Credits to history!

Extra Credits has been so successful because as game designers, we understand how to use the techniques that make video games compelling. We take our knowledge about tutorial design to model the information flow so you don't get overwhelmed with facts and data. Then we apply interest curve principles to make sure the show has the right pacing to keep you engaged. Now we want to use that to make history something that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Why we use Patreon

We created the first Extra History series in September of 2013, and we were blown away by the response. The series got over 600,000 views and not a month went by when we didn't get a comment or an email asking, "Will Extra History ever come back?" But much as we wanted to, we couldn't afford it.

Until Patreon. Patreon allows us to make Extra History a reality - with your help. As a member, you get access to our members-only Patreon feed, watch videos early, and cast your vote in the poll for the next series topic. We'll sit down with you every month for a Patreon-only livestream Q&A. And if you're feeling super generous, you can even get your name in the credits as a Sponsor.

Thank you for watching (and reading)! We hope you'll support us making Extra History, because everyone should enjoy learning.

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