Starting a YouTube Channel

 [This is from my second channel, I got lucky with this thumbnail, my second video not so much]

I see a lot of videos and articles discussing how to start up a YouTube channel, the vast majority of which come from channels that are already somewhat successful. This makes a lot of sense, but because they all come from the same (often older) perspective there are some elements that get passed over. Something I wish I knew before I started 3 YouTube channels (1 for my band, 2 personal) was that YouTube only allows you to verify 2 channels of of the same phone number. I verified my band's channel (we plan on possibly writing songs over 15 minutes, so that's important) and my primary personal channel covering topics similar (or ripped straight from) this blog. Unfortunately my 2nd personal channel now cannot be verified and the biggest problem I have there (apart from being unable to upload 15 minute plus videos) is that I can't add custom thumbnails, a bigger deal it seems to me than any other restriction. So in light of my recent lack of forward planning I thought I'd put together a short list for anyone looking to start a channel in 2016.

So, I made a video

I made a video from my favourite piece on this blog, the one on Art, Porn, Commercialisation, Kill La Kill and Cashback, This took ages and is the second time I uploaded the thing (thanks to automated systems that flag videos for copyrighted content which, although fair enough, gets abused by companies to avoid negative or non-profitable videos and fair use laws aren't upheld), I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a look and dropped some feedback; that helps immensely.

Cheers, have a good one.

Creative drive vs Justification

I was once told that I shouldn’t keep making art or music unless it was making me money. To this day I don’t understand the thinking behind that. I’ve always been a work to live kind of guy and because I don’t spend much money my current “job” teaching kids to play drums at a local primary school as well as part time employment for a local T-shirt manufacturer is enough (although this is only because I live with my parents so of course I’m mooching off of them and not truly supporting myself, I’m not deluding myself into thinking this is actually enough work to live off of). When I started to tell people I wanted to be more serious about making art and making music people asked me “Is that what you want to be, an artist/musician?” and my answer was always no, I didn’t want to “be” an artist, I just wanted to continue drawing, painting etc. I didn’t want to be a musician, I just wanted to continue making music.

Who we play as - Videogames, the protagonist and the player

[Edit] The old video is pretty awful, and although I had fun with it I don't really want it to represent my work, the link still works, but the video is unlisted and has now been replaced with a new one that's a lot more serious and now includes relevant gameplay. I think the improvement between the two is pretty tangible, but it's still not perfect and I'd love feedback. The new video is embedded below. [End Edit]

I made a YouTube video, this is the script I was originally going of, I changed things a bit in the resultant video - see the video here or in the embedded video below and give me some feedback if you can, I'd like to know if the style of comedy I'm going for is interesting to anyone. Just don't complain about the Cicadas. I know about the cicadas.

I recently started for the second time to play Fallout 3. The first time I tried to play as a male avatar, one that looked like me. Within an hour I gave up on that first play through. On my second attempt however I made a female avatar and have probably sunk around 20 hours into the game with this character thus far, despite not being particularly partial to open world games. At first I wasn’t sure why I seemed to be instantly more invested with a female avatar, the Jennifer Hale is a better voice actor argument doesn’t work for a silent protagonist, but I think at least part of the reason lies in Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. In Dreamfall you play as Zoe, and Zoe was the first playable character I truly felt invested in within a video game, in some ways I think that investment carried over into other female protagonists.

Undertale: A masterpiece in game design

Undertale is the best game I have ever played. While it may only be subjectively better than all the other games I’ve yet had the pleasure to play there is a particular reason that I think it’s the best game I’ve come across. People have cited the characters, the music, the writing and even sometimes the art style as the reason they fell in love with the game. All of those elements are fantastic but one of the least lauded aspects is the reason Undertale stands above the likes of Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid and Team Fortress 2 in my eyes, and that’s actually the gameplay.

In Praise Of: The Music Machine

If it weren’t for a late play through of the incredible Undertale David Szymanski’s The Music Machine would be my pick for game of the year for 2015 (admittedly I played very few new releases but beating out the likes of the excellent The Beginners Guide is no small feat). Clever writing, incredible aesthetic, horrifying environments and subtly intelligent game design all combine to make for a fantastic game that sadly hasn’t seen anywhere near as much praise as I believe it deserves. Why does it deserve so much praise? Read on to get my view on one of the more intelligent and unique takes on horror (in any form) I’ve ever experienced.