Our main man Shady Jay, despite being cool as fuck as an adult, had a couple of beers in him and told us all the story about when he was seven? years old and, while bathing, took a shit in a bucket that was stuck to his ass. His father, a dyed-in-the-wool old school southern gentleman, had to deal with the situation as it happened. Please enjoy the clip, and think about your own situation before you judge.

I swear, this was such a go to for Billy whenever he wanted to showcase a product. It's such a great tune though.

Any other background tracks that you guys remember?

I recently got the chance to watch all of the DVD/Bluray extras that members of the community have uploaded over the past few weeks. A big THANK YOU to everyone who did that, it really felt like I got a couple of seasons worth of Game Chasers content all at once. And it's great that people will be able to view the Game Chasers in the future, and that their work doesn't get lost to time.

I wanted to write my thoughts on Billy's passing and the end of the Game Chasers a few months on. I'm a long time fan, and have seen pretty much all of the content they put out. I felt the urge to write something because at this point, it really does feel like the end.

The thing that always stood out to me about this show was not only the amazing production value, but the hardcore authenticity of the people involved. Billy, Jay, and the whole crew never made themselves feel like they were better or above you. They always seemed like the guy down the street, ready and willing to hang out.

I think it's important to remember that Billy could have sold out the Game Chasers at any point. I think there were three potential paths....

1. Early on, the Game Chasers had an offer to be picked up as a television show. This would have been lucrative, but Billy refused the offer. He said that he wanted to keep it authentic, and didn't want to do things like planting games to be found or staging scenes. I wouldn't have blamed him for taking the offer, but I really admire his dedication to the authenticity and spirit of his work.
2. He could have gone the Pixel Game Squad, Retro Rick, or Phoenix Resale route. Basically, the Game Chasers could have starting collecting things purely for profit, essentially wholesale buying and reselling on other platforms. But they never took that route, and I think that really added to the appeal of the show. The crew was only buying things that meant something to them personally, and it kept me interested.
3. He could have cheapened production quality and started going for stuff that was really attention grabbing. Clickbait, basically. But Billy struck a really good balance by regularly outputting high-quality episodes that never blew up too much in scale.

At the end of the day, the Game Chasers was unchanging in a changing world. The late 00s/early 2010s was so, so different than the mid-2020s. But through all of the ups and downs we've endured, the Game Chasers was like an old comfort food- something you could come back to, sit down, enjoy, and laugh. Even when the retro game and toy market dried up, it was always about the guys hanging out, moreso than the finds themselves.

Seeing all of these DVD extras really drives home for me the high level of care Billy put into his work. He could have easily just plopped out a DVD with the canned episodes on it, maybe a thank you video, and called it a day. But they were packed with so much well-edited new video content, including full-on commentary tracks on old episodes. Some of the extras were even insanely personal, like the video of Billy trying desperately to review a game while stone-cold drunk. It's not easy to put yourself out there like that, and it is admirable.

The movie was Billy's magnum opus, and seemed like a much needed creative refresh for him. I can only imagine how frustrated and burnt out he must have been, editing the same show week in and week out for over a decade. While the movie won't win any Oscars, as a fan, the movie really resonated with me. All of the cameos, the style of humor, and the message of the story were completely authentic to who the Game Chasers were. And the extras of the movie really drive home what a MacGyver Billy had to be on a shoestring budget. Last second shoot cancellations, endless re-shoots, editing shots of the sky, keying out and in a spider frame-by-frame....what an insane amount of dedication.

Another thing to mention is that Billy did this all as a hobby. He worked as an editor for his day job, and, during the later seasons, was busy raising a family. Meanwhile, even before Billy's tragic end, he constantly dealt with physical health problems. I remember him describing his life at one point - he literally never would just sit on the couch and relax to watch a movie or play a game. He was always consumed by his productivity, and the only time he got to game was playing video games on stream. Put simply, the dude really cared.

But you can't forget what a critical role Jay played in the whole operation. Jay funded a ton of the first season and got the show off the ground. He organized all of the fan meet ups at retro palooza and networked like no other. More than that, Jay has an incredible personality. He's a storyteller, he cuts up, he starts fun arguments - the dude just knows how to have a good time. I think this is why I was a regular viewer of Jay's streams, while I virtually never watched Billy's streams. To me, Jay's streams were like "The Game Chasers After Dark". You never knew who was going to show up on the couch, what insane stories they were going to tell, what ridiculous video game challenge or competition would come up, or when someone would just lose their shit. I've spent more weekend nights than I'd like to admit just getting drunk and watching along, haha. I'm really glad Jay is continuing to do his own thing and keeping some of the old crew together. I still stop by his channel from time to time. I know some of his personal circumstances have gotten really tough lately, but we all know he'll pull through.

Melvor was also another key guy behind the scenes. He seemed to have less time than the other guys, given that he worked retail and had a family of his own, but he contributed a lot of the creative passion and editing support. (His drawing skills are insane!) And he was always just a hilarious character on the show. His passion for toys and film was on another level, and he didn't care about being the butt of the joke. You could tell he was dragged in front of the camera kicking and screaming. But he had some really insane quirks - like who packs up all of their stuff in a trash bag and goes on vacation? lmao. I don't know if we'll ever hear from Melvor again. I'd like to see him come back on Jay's channel eventually, but if he just wants to go back to his private life, more power to him.

Dodongo is our favorite crazy alternative guy. Doesn't give a shit about the rules or what anyone thinks, and has some really insane stories from his past. He was also the only stoner, which is something a lot of us can relate to. He was a cameraman and a personality. His recent tell-all on Jay's channel was nice, it's great to hear about him finding a steady income and raising a young family.

Tim is probably more well-known from Jay's streams than the Game Chasers themselves, but he was a perfect add-in during later seasons. In the aforementioned video on Jay's channel, he talks about how, after he got out of prison, he was excommunicated from the family. The Game Chasers was his only way of seeing his brothers and what they were up to. The fact that he redeemed himself and got into the show is really heartwarming. He's a lovable oaf, and no one can top his fight stories and his passion for martial arts.

Redneck Chris is Billy's cousin, and another great late add-on to the show. He really helped flesh out some of the stories from Billy's past, before Billy met the gang as a young adult working at Blockbuster. Chris also brought in a lot of energy as a new collector, as well as a handyman and a dyed in the wool cowboy.

8 Bit Eric embodied a lot of our secret hope as fans - he was a fan of the show who befriended the crew early on and became a regular. The guy brought in the charisma and attitude of a wrestler - absolutely no shame, willing to do the grossest or silliest possible thing for all of our entertainment. I think David Eaton, an actor in the Game Chasers movie, put it best - Eric is a "ham".

So many other names and faces have come through the show.

• Rob from Order42, an old friend of the crew and another guy who brought in technical know-how.
• Wood, a fan all the way from Australia who brought in a foreign perspective and shared Billy's passion for high quality production.
• OKChief, a super generous and chill guy from Houston who would do anything for his friends.
• Rufus, a quiet friend of Jay's who is almost completely unflappable.
• Keeb, probably the biggest Game Chaser fan of all time.
• Joe from Game Sack, a close friend of Billy's who gave a ton of advice and help behind the scenes.
• Pat the NES Punk, who knew how to turn it on for the camera in his classic East Coast way.
• Jordan, a young fan who performed a lot of the legwork behind Jay's channel for many years.

I know I'm forgetting and leaving out a lot of people, but this is just who comes to mind.

There's a lot of drama going around the community regarding all of the circumstances and disagreements around Billy's sudden and tragic death. I've read it all, and it's heartbreaking. But I think in five to ten years, all of that bullshit will be water under the bridge. We're going to remember the good times and what all of these people brought to our lives.

I never got the chance to meet Billy, and I've only interacted with Jay through a few donations on his stream. But I'll always remember the joy the Game Chasers brought to us all.

Moving forward, I'll continue to keep tabs on the public videos put out by the former crew. It'll never be what it once was, but life moves on and it doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the content that they put out.

And, hell, even though I've been out of collecting for many years, I recently started to pick up some stuff of my own while out with a few friends. You just can't beat the camaraderie and adventure of the hunt. The Game Chasers probably kept that passion alive within me.

Rest in peace, Billy. You were a real one.