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Some Patreon-y things (Patreon)

Published:
2016-03-03 19:13:21
Imported:
2021-03

Content

Hello! Mark here. I wanted to update you lovely people on a few things.

Patreon is a weird nightmare of stress and anxiety but that's okay because it's fantastic and you're all lovely.


Creators don't really talk about this. Or maybe they do but I haven't been looking in the right place. Or maybe it's just me. But I wanted to let you know that having hundreds of people support you and give you money to make a thing is, to be blunt, super freaking weird.


Don't get me wrong - it's the best. Not just financially (more on that in a second), but I have thought about you guys many times when I have struggled with a difficult script or edit. I love getting your feedback and help. And it just feels fantastic. I've never been more proud to make stuff.


However! A sense of expectation lingers over me pretty hard sometimes. Not so much in whether or not you'll like my new video (I'd worry about that even if I wasn't on Patreon. I want to make good stuff), but more in whether or not I'm being a good "community manager".


I worry that I'm not sharing enough. Or maybe I'm sharing too much! And I being cold when I should be being more personable - or would that be self indulgent when you're just here for my videos on Mario and Half Life? I don't really want to post this. It's weird and too sincere. I should probably delete it.


But I won't. I want it to be a known thing that 1) I find Patreon kinda weird 2) so please bear with me and 3) do let me know if you want me to do more or less of something. Ask questions. Push me to be better.


My financial situation is odd but in a mostly good way


I now earn a lot of money through Patreon. This is terrific. Nothing would make me happier than be able to devote all my time and effort to this. I love doing this, and you're making my dream come true. Where do you get off being so awesome?


But it's not quite enough to just quit my job and do this full time. Getting there! But not yet.


So right now I'm working on renegotiating my job at Pocket Gamer. I'm looking to step down as editor so I can focus all my attention on growing GMT, and work fewer days a week so I can spend more time staring at Adobe Premiere. It's a slow process though and complicated by various factors.


Anyway, I do need to think about what I could do with my time when I am able to spend more time with GMT. Is there anything you'd like to see? I probably wouldn't do more full episodes than I do right now but perhaps videos on other stuff, or reviews, or mini episodes, or what. I dunno. You tell me.


One thing I definitely will do once I've sorted out my financial situation is back a few Patreon campaigns. I truly believe this is the best way for creators to support themselves and I want to show my sincerity by kicking a few bucks to the guys and girls who are making my favourite content.


Loose thoughts


Anyone going to GDC? Someone asked about meeting up in San Francisco and while I was initially hesitant (see above paragraphs that paint me as a crumpled mess of anxiety and introversion), I think it could be fun. So lemme know in the comments.


Would a book club for games be interesting? Like, we choose a game, go off and play it for a month, and then come back and discuss the design and other elements. Would anyone be into that?


I dunno. Let's end it here. God this update is weird. Just stop typing and hit upload Mark.

Comments

Anonymous

Personally, I like your interaction with the community it feels more personal and authentic. Most of the popular YouTube channels are successful because of personality and content of which you have both! So from my perspective keep it all up! I never considered patreon and as an Adblock user I'm the worse kind of person for creators, but I genuinely think you produce really insight and different material which is so worth supporting. So good in fact I'm working out a way to shift my career from graphic designer to the game industry. Plus $5 p/video is great value imo. Game book club sounds like an idea, a nice way to involved the opinions of the community and create a separate video about that too. Meet ups, gaming sessions with a purpose e.g. charity marathons etc. could be a similar but nice idea. Maybe you could organise events/festivals with talks, shows, learning etc. That could be a bit too far in the future but I'd certainly be encouraged to go! Literally just wrote some ideas on my train home so not the best ones. Either way, if you keep doing what you're doing I'll continue to support you all the way Mark.

Anonymous

Dude, wait, what? You buried the lead. I think a book club for games is an incredible idea. Your channel is one of the true highlights of my month. Keep doing what you're doing. I just love that you want to spend more time on GMT and not the opposite.

Anonymous

Thanks for the rambling but nicely honest post. You'll probably get many differing opinions, which is the nature of speaking to the crowd. For me I think you share and engage the right amount. I honestly only want to hear from you when you have something to say, whether a build up to a video, the video itself, notes from that (out takes, unused scenes/games etc), and newsletters. If you were making posts for the sake of making posts it would get old pretty quick. A book club sounds like a great idea. I like this on Cane and Rinse that you can play a game in advance of their show to engage with it even more. I would enjoy that community aspect of playing and discussing. As well as the GMT videos, perhaps a podcast/lecture series featuring interviews, discussions, or elements of games that don't need the visual component (narrative, audio, development, release, marketing) would be an interesting extension.

Megabyte01

Thanks for making such great videos! They always provide me another lens to consider game design with. Honestly, I enjoy the present form of the show. I like how you find an aspect of game design - a type of gameplay mechanic, a graphical or musical style, a piece of technology - and examining the effectiveness or drawbacks of that design aspect. I gather you approach the topics as they come to mind, but that allows your videos to be more authentic. A book club for games or game design sounds like it would be fun to do, as well as generate a lot of discussion for certain games or topics. I would advise selecting the titles and topics carefully of course. As for GDC, I might be down there on Thursday and Friday. I can't spend too much time away from my day job, but I can spare some time.

Anonymous

Honestly, I see a lot of creators feeling similar way and I have one thing to say: you do you. We decided to back you here because we saw what you do out of your passion and will to share and as long as you'll be happy with whatever you do, we will share that happiness and give you our money with pleasure. So don't worry much about beingg too much or too little something. We like you for being you. That being said, any addition to the present form of the show would be awesome. GMT videos make you do a lot of researcg and consume some time and thought so something lighter inbetween is reasonable. Some small thoughts about games that are popular at a time, mini-reviews, etc. And a book-game-club? That would be awesome ;3

Anonymous

Really appreciate the honest post! I mainly just want you to keep doing what you're doing—every episode gives me a new appreciation or insight. And the 'Game Maker's Playlist' bonus is great, to the point where I feel bad for non-supporters missing out on it! ;-) The 'gaming book club' idea sounds intriguing. I would just need a lot of lead time, as I need to fit gaming around work and family responsibilities (as I'm sure many/most of us do!).

Anonymous

I think the 'game club' is a fantastic idea!

Anonymous

Echoing the rest of the comment saying that you should do what you feel comfortable with! It is great hearing back on comments and other community things, but don't feel obligated. The videos and playlist and whatnot are the main thing keeping me coming back. As far as other content goes I like what you do right now. Isolating themes or mechanics in genres and citing good and bad examples of both is very interesting and original. There are just too many channels out there doing reviews. I'm kinda tired of reviews and that's why I support your channel! The monthly game club sounds interesting! You could host a discussion on google hangouts or discord once a month for some dollar amount Patreon perk or something! It might be hard to find a time that works for EU and stateside, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too tough to work out.

Anonymous

Keep sharing. Because you're authentic with your passion it shows in the content you produce. I look forward to the updates and posts here in there before a video release. People skim read so fast these days it doesn't matter about the quantity as long as you retain your quality. And because you care so much and have created this internal pressure we know you will perform. So yeah, keep being you.

Anonymous

Personally, I'm supporting you as a way of giving back for the great content you produce. I'm not expecting anything but the same quality content I got before I pledged anything. I think you should definitely focus on the public videos, because those are much more important IMO. Most of all I just want to say thanks for the awesome insight and entertainment. LOVE the book club idea. Suggestion: Maybe do some short videos about GDC. Maybe some short rants, ideas, thoughts, vlogs, whatever. I can't make it out, so it would be really cool to sort of experience it through you. But this is just an idea.

GameMakersToolkit

Thanks for the supportive comments, everyone! I'll give that book club idea some more thought, could be fun

Anonymous

Hi mark, I really like the book club idea! The games would need to be easily accessible and not super expensive though (free to play or on steam I guess?)- but I feel like it's a thing a lot of us would like to do! If getting enough money to quit your day job is one of your professional goals (or to be able to comfortably step down as an editor and work less), why not make it a patreon goal as well? I for instance pitched in for the rewards but I wasn't sure at first since your goal was already reached, it that makes sense. I feel like it could be a good incentive for ppl to pitch in and you might be surprised by the results!

Anonymous

I'll be at GDC and would love to meet up. Hit me up on Twitter (@LordNed) or I'll bug you sometime during the week. Everyone's a giant crumpled mess of anxiety and introversion so I think it'll all work out.

Vesselin Jilov

Being brilliantly analytical and being overly self-conscious unfortunately go very often hand in hand. Don't listen to the voices, Mark :)

Anonymous

A GDC meetup sounds great! How would that be organized?

Anonymous

Hi Mark. I don't quite expect anything for special Patreon privileges :) I'm backing you because I get so much value & joy watching your videos. I think it deserves it. Having more context in Patreon is an added bonus for me. Keep up the amazing work.

Anonymous

Good idea the Book club thingy. Of everything, I don't think there's much to say. Keep posting, we love to read your thoughts on new games and good things you see throughout your day.

Anonymous

Focus on the videos! That's why people are here and that's what they're supporting with each donation. If you were to increase anything, it should be that — video content. Not always as slickly produced as a GMT episode, but something in the same space — and on the same channel. Don't overextend yourself with community management. Look at other YouTube creators and make some insights as to the variety and rhythm of content they produce. "Game Maker's Playlist" is a great start. Mini-episodes sound interesting. If you do a game club, make sure a great video comes out of it — perhaps one looking at a handful of game design choices the selection made. Maybe trends you spot, or game mechanics lost to time — videos with a more historical bent. And comment response videos seem to be an easy way to double your content while encouraging community. Just do the research and put the work into making what you're known for even better. Cheers!

Kristopher Kolish

For starters, I'm pledging because your videos are thoughtful, insightful, and well-made. Anything else is just icing on the cake. That being said, I think you do a fantastic job of engaging the community and incentivizing people to support in a way that goes beyond simply delivering content. I also think the book club idea is a good one. I think I would enjoy it more, and have more to contribute to a discussion, if you provided a few general, overarching things that we could keep in mind while playing the game. You don't have to tell us what to think about a game's design before we play it, but if you could pose two or three design-related questions to keep in mind while playing, I think I would get more out of the experience. But, that's just me.

Anonymous

keep doing what you're doing! any and all videos/posts/thoughts beyond the full episodes would of course be greatly appreciated, but don't stress to pile on the content. very happy getting the monthly full episodes + newsletter + playlist. would love to see you at GDC!

Anonymous

I find the Book club for video game idea appealing, especially in those days where I have so many games available to play :)

Casey Jones

It may sound weird to hear, but I'm glad you're feeling anxiety about making GMT videos, because it shows that you CARE about them. GMT is a series that always provides some excellent food for thought, and as much as I would love to have an unlimited buffet of episodes available to me at all times, I recognize the tremendous amount of work and care that goes into them. Best thing I can tell you is: your anxiety and stress is not going to waste. You're doing great work, enough for me as a viewer to take some good faith in you as a content creator. I trust your instincts on the content you create, and am onboard fully for whatever you create. I've loved the Game Maker's Playlist you've been putting out monthly as well! It provides a good overview of what games are doing well or interestingly, without being a simple reviews compilation. I'd be happy to even pay for those, as well. As for the book club idea, I think it's great! I'd be excited to play whatever games you cover on it wherever possible.

Anonymous

Hi Mark. I think it would be great to meetup at GDC. This will be my first GDC and also my first time showcasing a game so I'm pretty anxious but also excited. The game is called Oneshot and it's an indie puzzle/adventure game with some meta gameplay elements. The dev and I will be at the Indie Megabooth. If you have the time, I'd love to run you through the demo (it's only 15-20 minutes) and get some feedback. That goes for anyone else that will be there too. You can find more info on the game here: <a href="http://indiemegabooth.com/project/oneshot/." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://indiemegabooth.com/project/oneshot/.</a> Also feel free to give me a tweet @artbane.

Anonymous

The Internet is as strange as ever, but its never been this great either (if you ask me). There's so many creative people that haven't had as much financial freedom as someone a century go did. It's still difficult to figure out even for us, and we're living it! I'm still trying to figure out this Patreon thing, and its scary. I keep finding myself wanting to back out of trying it out due to pure anxiety. You do you, Mark. Your content is too good to think about negative stuff like this, so try not to worry about it, yeah? :]

Anonymous

Long time watcher, recent supporter here. I'm not too interested in designing video and I'm not even much of a gamer. But a lot of what you outline in GMT can be applied to other areas, UI design being the one I'm the most interested in. So maybe there's more to be done there. I'd also enjoy seing more analysis of the actual Ui of games, not just the game design. Just food for thought :-)

Anonymous

Hello! Firstly, I'd like to thank you for everything you've contributed to the game scene. I always welcome people creating intellectual videos on the young medium that is video games. Secondly, what you're feeling is completely natural. I don't think anyone of us can alleviate that feeling for you, but I can 100% assure you you are not alone. I suppose all I can say is this: Keep up the good work, and do it at your own pace. Take as much time as you need. We are all patient. If anything, the last thing I want to see you do is rushing your videos or forcing in gimmicks. Being a patreon is our way of saying thanks. And on that note, thank you! Maybe we'll meet in person if you ever get a chance to visit Canada.

Anonymous

In all honesty, I first subscribed when I found your video about Axiom Verge on 9gag. I had never heard anybody in my life talk about a game that way, it made me so excited to have found someone like you. I watched all your videos next, and all the new videos you uploaded after. At this point I realized how much I would like to support a great content creator like you and that's why I am a patron now. What I want from you is to show me what you have on your mind. I want to hear you talk, about anything really. So keep doing what you're doing, I trust in you and your creativity to keep the content coming, and I just want you to be yourself with us, share what you feel like sharing, and don't share what you don't want to share. The fact that you read all the comments you get makes you in my eyes a great community manager. The idea of a book club for games sounds so exciting I would love to see that come to life! Although I don't have much time on my hand to participate :( As a final word, trust in yourself as much as we trust in you, we have your back :)