It's one of the oddest sub-cultures clogging up YouTube - and some of the strangest vicarious thrills the Internet has ever produced. It's "unboxing", and to understand what it’s all about it’s best to see it in motion. Take one new video game or piece of computer hardware – freshly boxed – flick on that camera and then proceed to film yourself opening (or ‘unboxing’) its contents.

The degree of care applied to a given unboxing depends largely on who’s doing the opening. Some open simply with quivering hands, others with gloves and Stanley knives at the ready. One thing you can lock in when it comes to unboxing: it’s a strangely giddy kick to watch.

Unboxing, known euphemistically in the circles-that-matter as ‘Nerd Porn’, has over 9,000 hits on YouTube, and at least one dedicated website. The only thing it’s missing is that new-plastic smell.