I’ve also had Youtube ambitions. I love video essays about games. I still think it is a possibility, but it’s something I’d rather work up to.
Writing on Substack, I’m finally making the kind of essays I’d make videos on, without worrying about video editing or sound or graphic design. I get to focus on writing quality.
Video essays have never been my thing personally, always preferred written ones, the long video times scare me off. I also like just focusing on writing without the need for visuals.
This instantly brought me back to when I was a gaming YouTuber awhile ago. It's so cringe to look back on, but also kind of awesome. It was a blast to do, but it was a full time job making videos, editing and creating new ideas because I was (am) a perfectionist and my content needed to be at a certain level to be deemed worthy of posting. Back then my problem was lacking originality, and so my channel never really took off. Substack has been exactly what I dreamed I would find with YouTube; Community, passion, originality, audience and fun.
If you think that's cringe, I have a friend who made a gaming youtube channel in middle school, so obviously if I ever need to blackmail him I can just remind him I know how to find his middle school Let's Plays. Honestly though I admire the drive to just go and do it instead of daydreaming.
Even editing a little bit of footage can be a pain, I've submitted some clips for combo videos and the amount of time needed to make them was far longer than the video length. Can only image the difficulty working off footage of actual length.
It's good that you found what you were looking for on substack. Having a community makes a big difference.
The editing was what killed it for me. If I could have hired an editor, I may well still have been doing it. I would regularly record hours of gameplay, only to spend 8 or more hours condensing the footage down, adding quality subtitles, making interesting edits, etc. By the end of it I could have been a semi-professional video editor with my bootleg copy of Sony Vegas.
I’ve also had Youtube ambitions. I love video essays about games. I still think it is a possibility, but it’s something I’d rather work up to.
Writing on Substack, I’m finally making the kind of essays I’d make videos on, without worrying about video editing or sound or graphic design. I get to focus on writing quality.
Video essays have never been my thing personally, always preferred written ones, the long video times scare me off. I also like just focusing on writing without the need for visuals.
This instantly brought me back to when I was a gaming YouTuber awhile ago. It's so cringe to look back on, but also kind of awesome. It was a blast to do, but it was a full time job making videos, editing and creating new ideas because I was (am) a perfectionist and my content needed to be at a certain level to be deemed worthy of posting. Back then my problem was lacking originality, and so my channel never really took off. Substack has been exactly what I dreamed I would find with YouTube; Community, passion, originality, audience and fun.
If you think that's cringe, I have a friend who made a gaming youtube channel in middle school, so obviously if I ever need to blackmail him I can just remind him I know how to find his middle school Let's Plays. Honestly though I admire the drive to just go and do it instead of daydreaming.
Even editing a little bit of footage can be a pain, I've submitted some clips for combo videos and the amount of time needed to make them was far longer than the video length. Can only image the difficulty working off footage of actual length.
It's good that you found what you were looking for on substack. Having a community makes a big difference.
Yikes, I can feel his pain. 😅
The editing was what killed it for me. If I could have hired an editor, I may well still have been doing it. I would regularly record hours of gameplay, only to spend 8 or more hours condensing the footage down, adding quality subtitles, making interesting edits, etc. By the end of it I could have been a semi-professional video editor with my bootleg copy of Sony Vegas.