skillupyt

The Future of Skill Up & This Week In Videogames (I need your input)

Hi everyone,

Ok so I'm thinking about making some big changes to Patreon, and I'd really appreciate your input.

For a while now, I've been thinking about what's next. On the reviews and previews front, things are going well and I've been really happy to have Austin now contributing reviews. I think he's doing a fantastic job and the reception he's received has been amazing. Thanks to everyone who's made him feel so welcomed. When I think about 'what's next', I don't think too much...

Reflections on the DEATH STRANDING review cycle

 Well, it's finally here. Check out my Death Stranding review if you haven't had a chance (it's spoiler free!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuLRlRLBwQ8 

I've spent a great deal of time reading reviews for the game - I must have taken in at least 15 or so in the past 24 hours. On balance, I think the majority of reviewers got it right. It's sitting at an 84 on Metacritic and it has the...

Outer Worlds + Death Stranding

Hey friends!

So it's been a big two weeks and I wanted to provide a quick update on how things are going!

The Outer Worlds

So my Outer Worlds review is now live: https://youtu.be/xb7Am7VtzLQ

Man, what a great game. Just...wonderful. I loved it so much. It's beautifully constructed, functional, the perfect length, microtransaction-free and just so damn wholesome. Given how disappointin...

*Tap tap* Umm, is this thing on?

Hi everyone,

Well it’s been a while since I’ve given you an update. Let’s explain all that:

Where have you been?

I’ve been doing my thing – reviewing games on the reg, streaming on Twitch intermittently, doing Laymen almost daily. You know, same old. 

So…how come you haven’t been doing anything with Patreon?

Yeah ok so let’s talk about that. I think my content has changed a lot over the past 12 months. I thin...

Just Cause 4: A Review

I’ve spent the last few days playing Just Cause 4 with the intention of reviewing it. I like it. It’s fun, but it’s not a game I’ve been able to develop a meaningful connection to, and as a result I’ve opted to just pen a few words here. There simply wasn’t a video in me when it comes to this game. 

Just Cause 4 is what you’d get if you crossed Spiderman with Ghost Recon Wildlands. It’s set in a fictional South American country where the local populace is trying to rise up...

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - A Brief Review

Patrons,

https://youtu.be/AhtpjU7ZaX4

Man, this game is kicking my arse right now. I'm 45 hours deep on a main-quest only run through and I'm STILL not done. 

If value for money is what you look for, then AC:Od delivers it in spades, but to be honest, I just think the experience is too drawn out. It's missing an x-factor that really draws me in, with its decent writing and decent RPG elements falling short of...

Forza Horizon 4 - A Brief Review

Patrons!

I'd like to stay in touch with you a little more over the coming months. We're coming into release season now, with the heavy hitters of 2018 about to be released. Where I review something, I'll try to shoot out a brief note so you know where I'm at on a specific title. 

For Forza, I have to say that while I enjoyed this title, I couldn't stomach the degree to which the game is trying to charge you for it. Car Packs, Expansions, and a VIP pass which is basically a must-purc...

Destiny 2: Forsaken review is live!

Hi everyone,

Long time, no update. I spent all of August travelling, and pretty much all of September playing Forsaken so that I could prepare the review. It's finally finished, and I wanted to send it with a quick note of thanks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DypNaZOIcqo

Thing is, I wouldn't be able to do a review like this were it not for your support. Playing a game for three weeks so that you ...

Patron exclusive video: Dauntless Post-Script

Hi everyone,

Something I'm trialing are short, relaxed post-script videos supporting my major drops. I want to make this stuff available exclusively to Patrons and YouTube sponsors. 

The intent is just to connect with you guys on a more personal level. The way I do content is very 'highly produced' and I'd like to do some stuff connects with you more personally. 

Really, REALLY open to feedback on this as it's new- do you like this, do you hate it? Is there something else...

I quit my job- I'm now a full time YouTuber :)

I wasn’t sure this day would ever come but I’m now, officially, a YouTuber in every sense of the word. I quit my job and this is now both my passion and my career. 

For two years now I’ve been working roughly 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, nearly every day of the year. Between working a full time job and putting everything I could into my YouTube channel, I’ve sacrificed sleep, time with friends, family and general life stuff. Most challenging, this career meant I had to sacrifice...

Happy holidays!

Whatever it is you're celebrate, I hope you're spending it in good company and with some good games waiting for you once all the eating is done. It's been an amazing year and I want to thank  all of you for the incredible support you've shown me. It's been amazing, and it is more important to me than ever since I plan to go full time on youtube in the first quarter of next year (more on that soon!)

For now, enjoy this look back on the 2017 that was. It's not exactly an uplifting video, bu...

Moving on from Destiny 2

This has been a big week. 7 days ago I published my review of Destiny 2's first expansion, The Curse of Osiris (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEEUJ4hSwwI&t=25s) and I'm not at all exaggerating when I say that it was more underwhelming that I could have imagined. There's a point at which you have to cut your losses and move on, and I reached that point with Destiny 2 and Bungie when I saw how litt...

The Wilson Lootbox, Star Wars and TotalBiscuit!

Hi everyone,

It’s been a crazy 2 weeks so I wanted to provide a brief update on what’s going on:

The Wilson Lootbox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTLFNlu2N_M&t=292s

This started out as a review for Star Wars Battlefront II, but the more I wrote, the more it become about the business of videogames and the history of lootboxes, and that story led right back ...

Wolfenstein, CoD: WWII and Star Wars!

Patrons!

Long time no speak- hope you've been well :)

This week I manged to push out two videos- one about a game I care very deeply about, and another about a game I came to care about a lot more than I thought I would...

Wolfenstein II is the best movie I've seen all year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x--UQhIpzA&t=9s

It's difficult to put into words jus...

The Plains of Eidolon is here

Hi Patrons,

It's been a very crazy few weeks since PoE launched. I was on holiday at first, and then at PAX, and now having spent dozens of hours in the Plains, I feel ready to review the experience as a whole. 

It's a mixed bag- it expands the game in a meaningful and valuable way, particularly in the core combat loop and the boss design. But it's impossible not to be overwhelmed by it all- even as a veteran player- and that experience isn't going to fly when your game is the 4th m...

I need your advice...

Patrons,

I’ve been on holidays for two weeks, and during that time I did a LOT of thinking. I have a lot of ideas swirling but I want some advice, and I think you would be the best people to ask.

Beginnings...

I began this channel covering Tom Clancy’s The Division. And one of the ways that I got big fast, was that I did a highlights reel of The Division’s Weekly State of the Game stream, and a weekly review of vendor weapons available at the dozens of vendor...

With Destiny 2 behind me, it's time for a break...

Hi Patrons,

I've come to really value these updates to you all. It's akin to a 'Dear Diary' moment each week, which is welcome moment of pause and reflection given how constantly crazy my life is. 

The Destiny 2 review is done (thank god)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPC9k5Bxnxc

The truth is, I had planned for Sep to be a spammy month in terms of videos, really coverin...

Destiny 2 is......

Hey Patrons,

It’s been a while since I provided an update, so I wanted to touch base on a few things.

Destiny 2 has all but consumed me this week

You’ve probably noticed I’ve been light on the uploads- that’s because I’ve been playing Destiny 2 every spare minute I’ve had (aka when not at work or sleeping). I didn’t want to do the whole ‘Top 5 guns you should get’ vids because tbh, no one knows what the top 5 guns are yet so that stuff just annoys...

Big changes, all thanks to you!

Hi everyone,

It's over a week since I first put up the Patreon and the generosity of people has been astounding. It's the best start I could have hoped for and gives me a huge amount of confidence that one day (not yet, but one day!) I'll be able to devote my full self to this, and just focus on putting out the best content I can, every day.

For now though, the journey continues. So let's take a look at what steps we took this week:

- Following on from my interview with Forbes ...

Forbes interviewed me on my decision to start a Patreon

Hey Patrons,

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm not the only one making this sort of transition to Patreon. Many other creators are facing the same challenges as I, and noticing this Forbes reached out to me to ask what drove the decision. 

If you're interested to learn more about how YouTube's approach to monetisation is pushing people off the platform, the article is a really great write- up. 

If you have other content creators that you really respect and value,...

Thank you, and welcome to the ground floor!

Well the Patreon has been live for a few hours now, and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to those of you who’ve lent your support.

I’d really like this Patreon community space to be a place where I can share what’s going on with my channel (and with my life more broadly). I don’t know how that conversation will unfold, but I know I’d like to have it.

I’d love to hear from you all as much as possible here. I’m pretty accessible on Twitter/Discord, but I think this is pr...