2017 (Patreon)

Hey everyone!

So, 2017 is going to be a big year for Game Maker's Toolkit. Thanks to your generous support, I will be able to leave my job at Pocket Gamer and work full time on GMTK. Which is exciting, scary, and incredibly amazing. 

I'll still be doing a little freelance work, and I'll also be doing some game design consultancy stuff, but the majority of my time will be spent working on the show, as well as other projects (in the same vein as Boss Keys). 

Before I go on, I want to assure you that nothing will change in terms of Patreon payments: I don't know if I will release more videos but whatever the case, I will only ever charge a maximum of two vids a month. 

That's the TL:DR. Keep going for the mushy weird stuff. 

So, I want to discuss the "why". Because there's more to it than "oh hey, I now earn enough on Patreon to live - goodbye real job!". Though, that is nice. I won't deny that! Then again, I work harder on these videos than any "real" job I've ever had. 

The main "why" is because I think GMTK is actually, like, good? And important? And useful? And I almost feel like it's my moral obligation to spend as much of my time as possible working on it. 

I get more tweets, emails, and YouTube comments thanking me for my work on the show, than I get in a year doing trad' journalism. Indie and student developers say the videos are useful, and gamers say the show has helped them think more critically about the games they play. Someone told me that the show helped them understand games - which let them bond with their autistic sibling. That's rad. 

I've had comments from Notch (Minecraft) Cliff Bleszinski (Gears of War), Clint Hocking (Far Cry 2), and dozens of developers who aren't internet famous but are incredibly talented. Edmund McMillen (Binding of Isaac) said Boss Keys helped him overcome a design problem and Warren Spector (Deus Ex) said my immersive sim vid explained his job better than he could. 

And of course, there are the Patrons. You guys keep me going, literally and mentally. 

The point is: it feels good to be good at something, and once you discover that, any time spent not doing the good thing feels like a wasted opportunity. 

However, everyone needs a break. And I haven't had much of one for a while. I've been working at PG - for a while, full time. For a while, part time - and then spending almost every other moment on the show. I'm looking forward to getting my weekends back. To play games that aren't for an episode. To read books again! And do other stuff. To clear my mind every week. That's going to be sweet. 

Oh, and I also want to take all of the incredible opportunities that have been  coming my way. Talking at universities, doing design consultancy, judging for award shows. I want to say yes to more stuff. 

But first I need to figure out how I'm going to structure my week and how much time I need to devote to the show. Don't expect me to do a video a week (I have no idea how shows like Nerdwriter do that) but do expect more stuff. Including more Patreon stuff: the book(game) club is happening, promise!

Also, while we're still on the "why"s, I want to point out how liberating it is to get away from traditional press. Away from the need for bigger and bigger traffic, which can lead to crappy SEO-driven stories, clickbait nonsense, and quantity over quality. 

Stuff like GMTK needs time, editorial freedom, and trust. You give me that, in a way that advertisers don't. An example: my numbers suggest that indie games don't bring in big traffic. My videos on Nova-111 , Her Story , The Swindle , and Downwell  have fewer views than other episodes. If I had a boss they'd tell me to quit blabbering on about this niche indie shit and do episodes on Call of Duty and Clash of Clans. 

But, nah, I'm good. I'm not oblivious: my view counts help steer my decisions, but they don't override them. My next video is on an indie game no one played this year. It won't get many views. That's okay: I think it's important and interesting, so I'm going to make it. I'll follow it up with something more populist in January, and the Twilight Princess Boss Keys. 

Anyway. 2016 has been good, I'm really proud of what I put out this year - the episodes on DOOM , Jonathan Blow's puzzle design , Spelunky , controllers , immersive sims , nostalgia , and Nintendo , and the first episodes of Boss Keys, were all especially well received.

I already have dozens of ideas for episodes in the new year and I can't wait to get started. I also wanna finish Boss Keys and then start another recurring project of some kind. And, well, we'll see. I don't want to give it all away. 

Do let me know what you'd like to see me do, too - either on Patreon or in general.

Anyway, so thank you to everyone who has supported me this year. Not just Patrons, but also viewers, subscribers, and commenters, and anyone who has submitted foreign subtitles, or sent me a lovely email, or shared an episode on Facebook. You're all #FFXVbestboy in my heart. 

God I hate talking about myself. I'm going to go now. Thanks, bye.