End of Year Review + Youtube video finally up

Each year I do a brief look back at what I accomplished this year, and what I'd like to accomplish for the next. So let’s do that together, shall we?

This year, I released:

1. 29 3 Minute Reviews for The Escapist - everything from 1 to 27 on this playlist, as well as Thirsty Suitors and Star Ocean 2 that got deleted.

2. 30 articles for The Escapist, including one single news post, a bunch of SEO/Guides, and some pretty neat opinion pieces. Some highlights include this piece on Gunbrella’s dead wife, one on Eternights’ handling of trauma, a piece about Fae Farm’s overly repetitive gameplay, and an article explaining the controversy over JK Rowling’s Transphobia. That last one was a doozy to write, and although it has some problems, I think it’s pretty good.

3. 1 Youtube video about a 9 year old match of Smash Bros 64, sneaking in during December. This did surprisingly well, currently sitting at over 9000 views compared to my previous best of 380 or so, which gives me a lot of hope for next year.

4. Two articles for the Epic News Store about games I enjoyed - one for Keywe, and one for Lost Eidolons.

I also achieved some less concrete things, like:

1. I quit my freelance position at The Escapist/Gamurs Group, and joined Second Wind. Most of the consequences of this will be seen next year.

2. I got a crappy retail job to get some income, which I’m not too excited about. I’m hoping that next year I can make enough income from Second Wind and other creative projects to quit, but it may take more than a year to get there.

3. I made some progress on improving my health. I’m not 100% better, but I already have appointments booked for next year, and I should be on my way to getting better. This was a major limiter of what I could achieve this year, and if I recover fully, I should have extra time and energy.

As for December itself, I mostly spent it finishing off the Youtube video I’ve been working on which you can watch below, worked a little on some other projects, including video scripts, and also took some time off around Christmas.

In 2024, I’d like to:

1. Release more Youtube videos with a focus on quality. I’d love to make Youtube videos every month, but that may not be possible, as I’ll be prioritizing making the videos actually good rather than making them quickly.

2. Do more game development. I’ve been learning Godot, and it’s going well. I have some more learning to do, but then I’ll be hopefully making some stuff.

3. Figure out what my Second Wind schedule will look like! I don’t know how often I’ll be getting work, and I’m excited to work with the team.

4. Edit my novel. Yep, I have a complete draft of a novel that has just sat there most of this year, and I’d like to push towards making it an actual book.

I hope this year will be a good one, full of announcements on this newsletter. And hey, I hope it’s a good year for you too! Happy new year!