Happy New Year, patrons! 2020 was quite the year for everyone. Navigating through video production and graduate school during a global pandemic was challenging, but I made it work. Let's all hope 2021 is easier on everyone!
I thought I would take a look back at my three favorite videos I made during 2020 and talk about my plans for the future. Let's get started!
Well, I survived my 1st semester of graduate school. It was extremely challenging, and I'm exhausted, but I'm alive! Next semester, I'm only going to take one class because I want more time to focus on videos.
When I was a guest on the Video Game History Hour Podcast, Kelsey Lewin mentioned a product called "Homework First." It's a literal lock for your Nintendo Entertainment System! Intrigued, ...
2020-12-11 17:40:27 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons!
I can't believe it's December already. I'm not sure how a year can simultaneously drag on forever and fly by, but 2020 has done it.
A quick reminder, we are having a Black Friday sale in our online store. Everything is 20% off, so if you haven't picked up a bullet journal or t-shirt, now is the time.
Let's get on to the Q&A! I picked three questions at random from t...
2020-11-28 15:02:50 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons! Here is what's new with The Gaming Historian.
And The Next Topic Is...
Well, it looks like we have a winner for our next topic. The winner is the Broderbund U-Force! I'll start researching this immediately and start looking for this device on eBay. Yes, sadly, I do not own a U-Force!
Twitch Clips
Rece...
2020-11-16 16:18:03 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons!
In honor of Election Day here in the United States, I thought we could vote on a new topic. The theme this time is "Weird Controllers!" I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
LJN Roll & Rocker
Broderbund U-Force
I started working on this video back in August. Then grad school hit me like a ton of bricks! I'm pretty happy with how this episode turned out. I love incorporating interviews into these videos.
Anyways, hope you all enjoy. We will have a vote next week on a new topic! Stay tuned.
2020-10-27 16:27:58 +0000 UTC View PostHello everyone.
First, I want to apologize for not posting last week. I was extremely busy working on graduate school assignments. I completely forgot about posting on Patreon. Physical rewards are still going out every Monday though.
Luckily, I do have some updates this week!
Mega Man on DOS Script
I have finished writing the Mega Man on DOS script! This took much longer than usual. I had to write it in the evenings, which resulted in about 1 page per...
2020-10-14 20:48:00 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons!
Work continues on the Mega Man DOS video. I also might be doing a quick video on LJN's Roll 'n Rocker!
But now it's time to answer some questions. I've selected 3 at random and the most popular question from the comments section last week. So let's get started!
Hello Patrons!
I thought it might be fun to switch up the weekly blogs a little bit. With me being in grad school, video progress can be very slow, which makes a weekly blog well...not very exciting.
So I thought maybe we could do some Q&A. I'd fill you all in on what I've been up to the past week plus answer any questions you might have. Do you have a question about how to do research? Maybe you have a question about video game history? Want to know what my Taco Bell order is...
2020-09-14 14:48:09 +0000 UTC View PostHey Patrons! Here are the latest updates from Gaming Historian HQ.
First, I want to thank everyone for their feedback on the Patreon. I was overwhelmed by the support and shocked at the amount of people who were happy to continue pledging to the Patreon.
I just finished my first week of grad school. It's going to be tough, but I plan on continuing to work on the show full-time while going to school. Therefore, the Patreon will remai...
2020-09-01 15:36:03 +0000 UTC View Post
My last video before grad school starts. This was much easier to make than Mario Paint. I'm hoping that during school, I can regularly put out stuff like this.
Anyways, enjoy! Should go live on YouTube around Tuesday. Let me know if you see any issues.
2020-08-20 18:10:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Patrons! Thanks for your continued support. Here is everything new from me this week.
This episode came in 2nd place when we voted on topics a few months ago. Mario Paint won, so that got made first. But I figured why not make this one too?
I've got everything researched, written, and filmed. Just doing t...
2020-08-15 14:24:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Patrons!
I wanted to squeeze in one more video before I jumped into grad school, so I thought I would work on the 2nd most popular choice from our last topic vote: Sony's 3 Biggest Mistakes!
I already have two mistakes picked out: The PSN Hack and the Launch of the PS3 (this includes the high price, terrible E3 presentation, arrogance of their product, poor launch titles, lack of rumb...
2020-08-04 14:56:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone!
Just wanted to let you all know the first new shirt design is available for pre-order! It should start shipping in about 1 month.
This is the 'Gaming Historian' logo on a dark navy, tri-blend shirt. Trust me when I say - these are extremely comfortable and breathable! I absolutely love them and spent a long time figuring out the right shirt.
You can also ...
2020-07-29 22:41:06 +0000 UTC View Post
You voted for it and here it is: The Story of Mario Paint! A 45 minute documentary all about Nintendo's art program for the Super Nintendo.
I started working on this video at a difficult time. My wife had just had emergency surgery and I was her caretaker for awhile. But she is doing much better now and, in a way, finishing this video feels like closure over that whole ordeal.
The most interesting part of making this video was capturing game footage. Because you don't really "play...
2020-07-25 23:07:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone! Sorry for such a late post this week. I've been wrapping up production of the Mario Paint video. I should have it ready for Patreon by Sunday!
The Mario Paint video clocks in at around 45 minutes.
I'll be honest, when you all voted for a Mario Paint topic, I was super nervous. I didn't think I could deliver a good video about it. But I moved forward wit...
2020-07-24 21:01:41 +0000 UTC View PostHi Patrons! This week I've been continuing work on the Mario Paint video. Things are coming along nicely and I still expect it to come out later this month. For the weekly blog, I thought I would tell you a little more about my b-roll shots!
(Can you find Kiki the Cat in this picture?)
In short, B-roll is supplemental or alternative footage. For example, l...
2020-07-12 17:36:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello Patrons!
As I continue to edit this massive Mario Paint video, we have run into an issue with t-shirts: The "dark teal" color in our logo isn't available for mass-produced shirts. So we have some other color options! Which shirt color do you like the best? Vote below. Thanks!
Hey Patrons
Not much is new this week. Just been doing a lot of editing on the Mario Paint episode! It's slow and steady, but I'm happy with how it is turning out. Had some hiccups along the way so I think this video will be out by Mid-July. It still needs some music tracks and I have to re-record some narration.
Bonus Video!
Instead of a comm...
2020-06-28 17:12:11 +0000 UTC View PostHey Patrons!
Not much new to share this week. We have just been doing a lot of work on Mario Paint! In the beginning of the week, we finalized the script and I recorded the narration. Since then, I've been editing. I've gotten about 15 minutes of a rough edit done, which took me about 3 days. I think in about 1.5 weeks I should have a version for you all to watch.
In the meantime, I'd love to share an early version of some custom music we are doing for this episode! Banjo Gu...
2020-06-20 23:18:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello Patrons! Here is what I've been up to this past week.
This week, I got accepted into the masters history program at UMKC. I'll be focusing on public history. This means stuff like museums, archives, historical societies, etc. Basically the ability to interpret history for the public. I thought it fit well with what I do on YouTube. I'm excited and h...
2020-06-14 15:44:47 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons! Here is what I've been up to this week.
I met with our shirt manufacturer and made progress on new shirts. This time around, I want to use a higher quality shirt that won't shrink. I'm going to go with a tri-blend instead of 100% cotton. It makes the shirt much more comfortable and breathable! Cost might go up a little, but I think it's worth it. I also re-ordered notebooks, because I'm running out!
I've also been making pro...
2020-06-06 15:30:55 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons! Here is what I've been up to this past week.
I've been recording footage of Mario Paint over on my Twitch channel. Viewers send me photos and I try to recreate them. The more I use Mario Paint, the more I am impressed with it! The limitations force c...
2020-05-30 14:55:24 +0000 UTC View PostHi Patrons! It's story time. Warning: Medical stuff, could make you squeamish.
I recently mentioned some "personal stuff" going on that was keeping me busy. Well, we are finally at a point where we can share the story.
2 weeks ago, Kristin (my wife) complained of severe abdominal pain. She was vomiting all day and couldn't keep anything down. By 8pm, she said the pain was too severe, so we headed for the ER. Obviously with the pandemic, we were both nervous about ...
2020-05-22 14:56:46 +0000 UTC View PostHey Patrons! What's new?
Hey, if you missed it, there is a new episode live on the YouTube channel! It's all about Crusader of Centy, a pretty darn good Zelda clone on the Genesis.
The Mario Paint resea...
2020-05-16 17:08:28 +0000 UTC View PostHowdy Patrons!
This past week has been a wild one. I was planning on releasing the "Crusader of Centy" video on Thursday. But the morning of release, a developer involved with the game finally got back to me. Instead of releasing the video as is, I decided to delay it and speak with him. Just in case he revealed the game was made by the Illuminati or something.
In the end, there was no earth-shattering revelations, s...
2020-05-09 14:15:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Here is an early viewing of the newest episode! I've always been curious about Crusader of Centy. I bought the game years ago and vowed to one day do a deep dive. It was a really interesting story! I had no idea Sega launched a project to get more RPGs on the Mega Drive / Genesis.
In this video, I tried to learn more about After Effects. It made the editing process a little slower, but I think it upped the production values. It's nothing fancy, but I'm really happy with some of th...
2020-05-05 16:14:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Patrons! Hope you are all doing well. Not much to say this week. Had some personal stuff come up that kept me busy, but the show must go on!
I've been spending most of my time editing this Crusader of Centy video. I should have a rough draft on Monday for you all to enjoy! I'd guess it will be around 10-12 minutes long.
For this edit, I've been trying to use a lot more After Effects, ...
2020-05-03 03:49:49 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons! Here are the latest updates from The Gaming Historian HQ.
The script for the next episode is finished! I'd estimate it to be around a 10-15 minute video. I'll be recording narration for it this weekend and editing will start on Tuesday.
Nintendo hoped Mario Paint would appeal to parents. "Look, the Supe...
2020-04-25 16:14:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends! Welcome to the weekly blog! Here is the latest from Gaming Historian HQ.
Recently, I have been brainstorming new topics. My issue has been creating big episodes during this COVID-19 pandemic. The big Oregon Trail video is on hold because of it, and I've been afraid to dive into other big topics. One of my big goals this year was to travel more and int...
2020-04-18 19:34:00 +0000 UTC View Post