# Scott the Woz

Scott the Woz (officially stylized as Scott The Woz) is a gaming comedy review web series created by American YouTuber Scott Wozniak. The series, starring Wozniak, covers video games and gaming history. Episodes are written and directed by Wozniak, with recurring characters played by his friends. Compilations of episodes were syndicated on the 2021–2022 revival of the TV network G4.

## Premise

Scott the Woz is a video game review web series, with a focus on discussion and retrospective of video games topics such as consoles, accessories, merchandise, history and subculture.
The series centers around the titular Scott, a nerdy but charming video-game fan, played by Wozniak. Scott acts as the host of Scott the Woz, although, in later seasons, it becomes less clear whether Scott is hosting a show in-universe. Wozniak's real-world friends act as Scott's friends in-universe, and become defined recurring characters during the third season.
Most episodes adhere to a structure where Scott explains or analyzes a video-game related topic, interspersed with cutaway skits and some recurring jokes. Some episodes deviate from this structure, and feature the video-game topic as interludes between scenes, or are simply just an extended skit with video-game references and themes. The videos last anywhere from 10 minutes to well over an hour.
These reviews are made for entertainment, but are often researched to present information about these products and companies, while giving critique of faulty or misleading products. He draws from a large collection of game merchandise. Some videos focus on franchises like Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. Others compare games that fall within specific genres and categories, like “3D Gaming” and “Console Pack-In Games.”

## History
### Background

As a child, Wozniak uploaded videos to YouTube under the brand WozniakNews. They were based on his own creations, such as short stories, comics, and drawings. He stopped in 2014 due to low viewership. Wozniak returned to content creation in his senior year of high school with The Internet and You, featuring many of the same actors as Scott the Woz. He intended for The Internet and You to be his final video, as he was unsure if he would continue to make videos. Wozniak eventually changed his mind, leading to the production of Scott the Woz.

### Production

Wozniak published the first episode of Scott The Woz on January 7, 2017, focused on his opinions of the Nintendo Switch, combining his interest in video games with his skit-based comedy. The series maintained a consistent schedule of weekly videos until May 2022, when Wozniak announced that the series would run without schedule.

### Syndication on G4

Scott The Woz was broadcast on the 2021 revival of TV network G4. Ten episodes, consisting of one-hour compilations of YouTube episodes, premiered from December 7, 2021, to February 8, 2022.
The series was also featured on Pluto TV's G4 Select since March 2022.
G4 had expressed interest in a second season of compiled episodes, asking Wozniak to produce one in the summer of 2022. However, the network ceased operations before coming to a deal with Wozniak.

### Spin-offs

Wozniak's second YouTube channel, Scott's Stash features behind-the-scenes content from Scott the Woz, deep dives on video-game subjects called "Ramblers", and playing various board or video games with friends.
Wozniak's third channel, Scott's Snippets, publishes short clips and compilations from Scott's Stash and Scott the Woz, and occasionally sneak peeks of new Scott the Woz episodes.

## YouTube series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 50 | 50 | January 7, 2017 (2017-01-07) | December 17, 2017 (2017-12-17) |
| 2 | 50 | 50 | January 21, 2018 (2018-01-21) | December 17, 2018 (2018-12-17) |
| 3 | 50 | 50 | January 30, 2019 (2019-01-30) | December 23, 2019 (2019-12-23) |
| 4 | 45 | 45 | February 9, 2020 (2020-02-09) | December 23, 2020 (2020-12-23) |
| 5 | 35 | 35 | March 21, 2021 (2021-03-21) | December 24, 2021 (2021-12-24) |
| 6 | 20 | 20 | May 22, 2022 (2022-05-22) | January 7, 2023 (2023-01-7) |
| 7 | TBA | TBA | June 1, 2023 (2023-06-01) | TBA |

## Television episodes

Contents below are adapted from TV Guide.
| No. | Title | Original release date |
| 1 | "Episode 01" | December 7, 2021 (2021-12-07) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Plug and Play Games", "Pre-Orders", "Third Party Controllers", and "The Games That Time Forgot". |||
| 2 | "Episode 02" | December 14, 2021 (2021-12-14) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Mobile Games on Console", "Cross Generation Games", and "Special Edition Controllers". |||
| 3 | "Episode 03" | December 21, 2021 (2021-12-21) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Reboots", "The Great Mysteries of Gaming", and "Backwards Compatibility". |||
| 4 | "Episode 04" | December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Game Show Games", "Lost in Localization", "Value Pack Games", and "Demakes". |||
| 5 | "Episode 05" | January 4, 2022 (2022-01-04) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Nintendo 64: Nintendo's Best Mistake", "Game Foods", and "The Rarest of Games". |||
| 6 | "Episode 06" | January 11, 2022 (2022-01-11) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Game of the Year Throughout the Years", "Game Boy Color: It Just Sorta Happened", and "Cheat Codes". |||
| 7 | "Episode 07" | January 18, 2022 (2022-01-18) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "The Fall and Rise of 2D Gaming", "Rated E for Irrelevant", and "Wii Channels". |||
| 8 | "Episode 08" | January 25, 2022 (2022-01-25) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Instruction Manuals", "Console Games on Mobile", "Used Games", and "Nintendo Before Video Games". |||
| 9 | "Episode 09" | February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Game Controllers", "False Advertising", and "Console Gaming on the Go". |||
| 10 | "Episode 10" | February 8, 2022 (2022-02-08) |
| Compilation of YouTube episodes "Game Stores", "From Developer to Defunct", "Game & Watch", and "Tech Demos". |||

## Fundraising

Limited-edition merchandise themed around the show is offered once a year during the Merchandise for Charity Bonanza events held in collaboration with Pixel Empire (a gaming focused print on demand company), with all proceeds donated to Critical Care Comics and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. As of 2023, the fundraisers have collectively raised over $1,000,000. The events feature common items like T-shirts, posters, and more unique products, such as VHS releases of The Internet and You and a behind-the-scenes art book.
In 2020, Wozniak began to offer the Mysterious Game of Crypticism, a randomly chosen Nintendo Entertainment System (and later Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis) cartridge with a custom label to hide what game it was.
On November 26, 2021, Wozniak announced Monopoly: Scott The Woz Edition, an officially licensed version of the Monopoly board game based on Scott the Woz. The game, produced in limited quantities, was sold via the Pixel Empire website as part of a charity fundraiser. In December 2022, he announced Clue: Scott The Woz Edition, a version of Clue based on the show.

## Reception

Scott the Woz has received a generally positive reception from critics and writers. A 2020 listicle from Innovation & Tech Today's Anthony Elio named Scott the Woz as one of the five best YouTube channels for gamers, and Florian Thibodeau of Jeux.ca called Wozniak his favorite YouTuber.
The series has been praised for its humor and writing, described by Screen Rant's Pio Nepomuceno as "zany, off-kilter, and outlandish" in a ranking of the series' best episodes. Reviewing Scott the Woz for PC Games, Lukas Schmid hailed the series' comedic script as "perfect", writing that no cuts feel pointless and that running gags are established without overuse. Schmid, however, noted repetitive lines – commenting that statements are sometimes repeated word for word only three sentences later – but admitted that this might make the videos easier to follow. Kennedy Unthank from Plugged In called it a "fun" and "entertaining" show, but voiced a disliking towards the script's unsuitability for children. He criticized crude jokes, such as the referral of condoms as "a college essential", and disapproved of the use of swearing; whilst words such as fuck and shit are censored, he noticed that others (such as dick and bitch) are not.
The series' characters and universe have also received positive reception, having been called absurd or surreal. Schmid called the cast of Wozniak and his friends fast-paced and funny, and particularly praised Wozniak's fictional portrayal of himself as an exaggerated character that still remains authentic.
Unthank positively noted Wozniak's research and detail on covered topics, opining that even episodes surpassing an hour in length still maintain a genuine and fair review. Nepomuceno wrote that the best episodes of Scott the Woz are those that combine his reviews, retrospectives, and skits. Comparing the series' 2017 review of Super Mario 3D World to its 2021 re-review, Nepomuceno said that the 2021 review does well in incorporating jokes to the more "serious" 2017 analysis – which was similar to a "formal game review."
Wozniak received criticism for a segment in the episode "Nintendo Switch: Five Years In", in which he criticized Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania's use of the Unity game engine. He had repeated a common prejudice that the Unity Engine, due to its simple features and engine limitations, had caused worse gameplay. However, game developers made responses that this was questionable and the negative impression is detrimental to indie Unity developers. Scott quickly apologized and said that this was a "dumb" statement for his discomfort with the game, and that he would do more research in the future.
The Scott The Woz YouTube channel has amassed over 1.96 million subscribers as of March 2025, and its popularity has been noted by writers. John Connor Coulston, writing for PopCulture.com, described the fanbase as a "huge online following," and attributed the series' popularity to its "comedic-yet-earnest" style produced in a unique homemade manner. Schmid described the show's style as "simple", though with much effort put into "tiny side gags," and praised the series' lack of sponsorships.