Blog: Back at it again (05/16/22 - 05/20/22)

Hello Patrons! Last week, I took some time off to recuperate after releasing my biggest video yet. But now I'm back, and it's time to dive into a new work week.

Monday, May 16th

Today was mostly a "catching-up" day. I had to respond to a bunch of e-mails, ship out a bunch of Patreon rewards, and more. But I did wake up to a nice milestone: The new video has reached 1 million views in just nine days! That's a new record for a video. 

We also passed 900,000 subscribers on YouTube! When I started this show, I never imagined getting close to 1 million subs. But now we are almost there. Wild stuff!

Tomorrow, I'll detail my new work schedule and start on a new episode.

Tuesday, May 17th

We had a bit of a scare this morning. I got a text from my brother-in-law saying he tested positive for COVID. Kristin & I saw him over the weekend. We immediately dropped everything to get tested. Luckily, we both came back negative. We will hunker down and test again tomorrow morning to be sure. 

Besides that, it was back to work! I want to go over my new schedule and why I decided to shift to this concept. I feel like my channel is perpetually in a state of Catch-22. If I focus on long-form content, I get tons of people asking when I am putting out a new video. If I focus on short-form content, I get tons of people asking when I am putting out longer videos.

I finally realized that I cannot do everything by myself. So I've implemented a few changes to my schedule.

Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays will be focused on creating shorter videos. 

Thursdays and Fridays will be focused on creating long-form content.

The idea is that for three days of the week, I can work on videos that will come out about once a month. On the 2 other days, I work on a longer video that, eventually, will hit a point where I can focus the entire week on it. This will allow more consistent uploads and ensure the YouTube algorithm doesn't get upset with me.

But that is not all I am doing to get more videos out. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, May 18th

Kristin & I tested again this morning, and both came back negative. I think we are in the clear!

Per my new schedule, today is the day I work on a shorter video. So I started diving into Microsoft's 3 Biggest Mistakes. This video should be out in June. I've wanted to make this video for a while now and finally narrowed down what I think are the top 3 biggest Microsoft blunders when it comes to gaming.

Games For Windows LIVE
As a PC gamer, I can personally attest to just how awful Games For Windows LIVE was. The concept was intriguing - a way to bring Xbox and PC players together. But the actual implementation was a mess, and Microsoft never fully committed to the product.

Microsoft's 2013 E3 Press Conference
How could this not be on the list? At the 2013 E3 press conference, Sony and Microsoft were set to give more details on their latest consoles. Microsoft pitched a world without physical games, forced connectivity with the Kinect camera, and the inability to borrow games from friends. People were, obviously, flabbergasted. Sony grabbed the momentum and never looked back.

The Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death
The "Red Ring of Death" is arguably the most infamous issue in video game history. Players would boot up their console only to see three flashing red lights. Between 25% and 50% of consoles experienced the issue. Microsoft ended up fixing the consoles at no charge. But it ended up costing them an astonishing 1 billion dollars. It also crippled their momentum, as they had a 10 million console headstart against Nintendo and Sony.

Thursday, May 19th

Per my new schedule, I started on the next long-form video: Super Mario Kart. The game turns 30 years old this year (August 27th), and I wanted to have a video ready to go for the anniversary. 

I usually start my research journey by doing something simple: Replaying the game. But today, I felt like doing some good ol' fashioned research and dug into some old interviews about the game's development. 

I also ordered some supplies I know I will need for the video: The game (US and JP versions), magazines, strategy guides, and more. 

This video won't be anywhere near the level of Super Mario World. But I have some ideas floating around to make it fun and unique. More on that later!

Friday, May 20th

Today, I continued my research with Super Mario Kart. I recorded some footage and took notes on some sources.

In addition, I have an announcement: In an effort to produce more content, we are now featuring guest writers! And our first guest writer is Ethan Johnson. I've known Ethan for a few years now, and he has even assisted me with some research on previous episodes. I could think of no one better to help us write scripts for videos. His research and writing are outstanding.

Ethan's first episode details all the Nintendo games for the Atari 2600 - their history, comparisons to the arcade versions, and more. 

Kristin & I sat down and edited his script today. Expect to see this video sometime in July. 

Have a great weekend!

- Norm