Nextplus works like everything else mentioned. You can watch videos for credits for calling. Most videos are just for games and are only like 10 seconds long.
You can send pics with it but they end up as a weblink to the recipient. If you want to send pics imgur might be a better pic host.
If you want to go back to a hobby phone then you can buy a used smartphone off craigslist or a local facebook phone selling group, or heck even something
like this. It wont be an S6 or iPhone 6, but it'll still do everything you'd need for the hobby. Then just get a prepaid/pay as you go plan.