My 2023 in Review (a look back at this year on the channel and a look toward the future)

Thought I'd post my YouTube Wrapped for 2023 and write out a post to look back over the channel this year to send out 2023. I want to say I really appreciate the support this year, it hasn't been my best year in terms of "highest number" but it's been the most consistently good and that's something I really value, something that has increased stability and that's in part due to everyone at Patreon. I couldn't do this without you.

My channel is a tricky one. As most of you know I gained A LOT of my audience from when I made purely Assassin's Creed stuff and when I decided to properly branch out, it was like starting from scratch in many ways. I finally feel like I've found my place again though, I'm posting what I want to post, what scratches that itch for me and I feel like I've found enough of an audience that I feel comfortable again and I've recovered my identity as a creator.

This Year's Highlights

The response to my Ragnarok video was beyond anything I could've really imagined. It was a video I thoroughly loved making. Spending 4 months just chiselling away at a project to make it just the way I wanted and to employ more creativity the way I did was incredibly satisfying. I was able to add parts, take away others, streamline it and really express myself in a way I don't think I've done before, especially not in a way that felt so varied and interesting to put together. Creating the cork board was such a fun morning for me, I'd love to do more shit like this in the future.

Working on more traditional critiques or retrospectives that, while not ground-breaking or pushing the boat out, felt like I was really sharpening my creative tools and getting better at what I do. I'm really proud of each of them in different ways.

My Burning Shores video felt like a way to truly get into the nitty gritty of how I feel for Horizon and how it operates mechanically, giving me a deeper understanding of general game design but also it felt particularly nice to delve into the political side of gaming for a bit, to express my thoughts there and how I've changed my views on particular social topics over the last few years.

My Jedi Survivor video was in many ways similar but I enjoyed stretching my legs where the narrative was concerned and analysing how and why it touched me as much as it did.

GTA V was a joy to revisit, it'd been 10 years for me and jumping back in with a totally different brain than I had when I was 16 was such an interesting journey, to exercise that critical muscle on something that had sat in my nostalgia banks for a decade.

My Spider-Man video was a lot more of a traditional retrospective for me, something that felt very comfortable in a lot of ways, yet different with all the additional writing techniques and editing styles I'd learned across the year and getting to experiment with a tried and tested formula of mine was a good time.

I didn't realise how nice it would feel to work on smaller more focused videos that come from a single place of passion for a single topic.

Talking about Mirage wasn't something I intended to do, but it was something I clearly needed to do, especially after saying my piece on AC1 earlier in the year. Everything I said in that video I still feel, because at the end of the day, the extent of what Assassin's Creed meant to me is hard to overstate and I think that video works really well as an isolated thought piece on why I feel how I do, and why I find it hard to compromise that viewpoint.

Working on the videos for Starfield, Resident Evil and even the Christmas focussed video were all small projects I felt a lot of love for and came from a place of genuine passion in totally different ways, being able to just write something up that was 20-30 minutes rather than hours and hours is something I would really like to do more of, even if they aren't as likely to bring in tons of views.

I could NEVER have guessed a passion project like an analysis of the 2008 film Bolt would've been my most viewed video of 2023, but here we are. I loved making this, it meant a lot to me, this film speaks to me in so many ways and the video is so much more than an analysis of how the film depicts a modern Disney, it's a video about the heart and soul of art and how that touches people, the exact way Bolt touched me. Most of all though, the comments are so lovely, kind & supportive, and push me to try doing more experimental and creative concepts that are outside of my comfort zone. Deeply proud of this one.

But my favourite video of this year is one that takes me right back to my roots (lol), the one that feels like it's been in the chamber for the best part of the last 10 years. To be able to make a (nearly) 5 hour video on one of my favourite games that people don't give enough time or credit & have people give a shit, means the fucking world. This video was a labour of love both to the art I was discussing and in a creative sense from me to you. Thank you.

I'm looking forward to putting together the Black Flag video as my next major project. I'm already noting things down and thinking up concepts. I have a lot of plans, a lot of angles to come from and a ton of ground to cover. I can promise it won't be like any of the AC retrospectives I've made before and will, hopefully, make you see Black Flag in a wholly new way. I'm sure it'll be a big video, but it'll be densely packed. I want it to be the best Black Flag video there has ever been, the same way I did for AC1, because the game truly deserves it.

Closing Words

I really just want to say a big thank you. This year hasn't been earth shattering in terms of pure data or metrics but it's been so much more meaningful for me. The numbers, the revenue, the stability has been consistent and It's allowed me to try new things, push what I'm able to create and deliver a higher quality of video without worrying as much about paying the bills and it's really a dream come true. I've come to terms with a lot in myself, I've perfected a work life balance that is so much healthier and I've had the confidence to try new and creative things, all stuff I discussed more on the final Jazz Lounge of the year.

I can't wait for what 2024 will bring and I hope to keep pushing and creating the stuff I feel is the best I have to offer the platform. Thank you to anyone and everyone who watched anything of mine this year. I truly, truly appreciate it.

And to close, I wish you all a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Keep pushing yourselves to be better. Be kind to everyone as much as you can, we aren't perfect, but trying is the goal. If you feel stuck in your life, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel if you keep pushing and keep fighting, no matter how much it might seem like there isn't. You all have my back, and I have yours. Much love to everyone, stay safe, you've got this.

Thank you everyone.💚