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From The Desk of Nerd³ - March 2024 Edition
🕑 Added 2024-03-01 00:01:01 +0000 UTCDearest Patreons,
March?! Already?! I thought this year was going to be calmer, slower. Instead it’s rushing past like a LNER train bound for Peterborough that I’ve just fallen out of. I feel like I’ve completed nothing I was supposed to, despite being on top of videos, streams, and cameos, as well as having signed over three and a half thousand prints. I’ve even had time to be unwell for the past few days, which has been lovely, apart from the unwell bit. Why do I feel like the days are rushing past me?
Oh, I know. It’s Balatro, the newly released Poker-adjacent rougelite that absorbs more time than a Weeping Angel in a maternity ward. In our house we have a codeword for games like these, ‘FTLs’. These aren’t video games, these are anti-time weapons, designed to remove us from this plane of existence for hours upon hours. “Just one more go,” I’ll say, as my hands begin to wither away, my last meal nothing more than a fleeting memory of sustenance.
Anyway, we’ve now pulled up next to the point of this sermon. (Well, maybe not next to it, but it’s certainly walking distance away. Please remember to take your luggage with you and mind the gap.) Last month I signed off with a joke about how this is the last reboot, because I’m sure of who I am now. I’ve been thinking about this and, you know what? This might actually be the last reboot, but not for the reason I joked about. I just think I finally have all the pieces in place to cover every type of game imaginable.
Let’s take Balatro for example. (See? Walking distance.) It’s a roguelite, meaning that it’s simple on the surface, yet it possesses unbelievable depth. What series, previous or otherwise, does it fit into?
Plays? Nope. Not a lot of space for jokes, and the twisting intricacies of it can be easily overrun. Visually nothing to work with and I can’t break a game that’s mechanically designed to be broken. Next!
Challenges? Nah, people unfamiliar with the game could get lost, and over explaining kills the momentum of the video.
Completes? No, I’m not Northernlion. If I released as many videos as he does I’d literally dissolve.
FW/Tests/Loves/Retro/Alpha Detective/Other Series like this that you forgot ever existed? Maybe, but short unedited first looks didn’t really work for me. I missed too much, got too muddled. Also, I never called one of this style of series First Contact, so I didn’t deserve them anyway.
Three Fab Games? Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! A quick (although, mercifully lessquick now) hype reel where I can bang out gameplay features, show surprising footage from hours into the game, and make jokes. All bases covered, brilliant stuff!
These days, I like to think of myself as having three major spaces for games. Plays and Challenges cover the games I can be daft with, Three Fab Games covers shorter, tighter games, and livestreams let a bigger game breathe. (Plus, chat can point out when I’m being a berk.) This trinity, holy or not, might be the closest I’ve got to a system that actually works.
There’s only one problem. 14,532 games released on Steam last year. Sure, most of them are MyFirstUnityProject.bat, asset flips, or games about anime feet, but many have merit. Each week I can cover two to four games, depending on if it’s a Plays week or a Three Fab Games one, which means that each year, I can only cover roughly 130 games. That’s less than a single percent of a single storefront. To keep up with Steam, I’d need to release thirteen Three Fab Games videos a day.
Maybe that’s why I feel like time is rushing past me. It’s now impossible to keep up with the sheer amount of video games in the world, let alone books, films, TV Shows, YouTube videos, Pokémon cards and, you know, friends and family. The only relief amongst all of this is that at least the AAA side of the industry is focused on short, single player games that only take a few hours to complete, and not sprawling, repetitive live service behemoths. (Is it any wonder that, at the time of writing, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has just 320 players on Steam?)
But that’s for me to worry about, not you. I’ll continue to dig through the trash, pluck out the shiniest morsels, and stuff them down your chops. Content creator? Influencer? Nah. I know my role. I’m a Video Game Filter, and I’m damn proud of it. Now, with this new setup, I’ll be even more filter-y than before.
Have a spectacular March,
Daniel
xx
PS. Couple of train reference in that post. I wonder if that’s hinting at anything…?
Comments
Elias Lipka
I mean you're not wrong, you and Jon are literally my video game filter. Don't think I've bought a single game you guys didn't recommend over the past years... on that note, Timberborn is eating my life right now, thanks!
George “Sheffield’s Biggest Hater” Spence
Good job! Very happy for you! :)
ICE Trance
Hopefully this makes the joke funnier, .bat is a program file format. Like .exe but more basic.
Finn McCool
Was I the only one who was slightly disappointed yet also very relieved that the made up link for myfirstunityproject didn't lead anywhere? ..... just me... ok
Josh Harding
I would love for you to dust of your loves Series and just show some games you love again
Cameron White
Dan in any sort of violent event would certainly be an interesting sight.
lifeHacker42
Clearly the train references are nothing to do with actual trains, that would be too obvious for Dan. Instead he has been training to participate in the next creator clash!
Mitchel van Ham
You call yourself a games filter and it just clicked in my brain how many games I bought because you recommended them! I think you should be very proud of your role in the wider gaming and youtube community, your contributions to it and it's atmosphere are not unnoticed and greatly apreciated. Keep up the good work and if you aren't already, get well!
NeonCoding
Fun fact: I'm working on securing a grant for the purchase of a shop. I don't know what the point of this comment I'm just excited
NeonCoding
You've bought a train.
Dip Cheesus
Yes please! Altho I did ask about them during the Hit and Run stream and he says he hasn't had the time recently. So I'm assuming pencid man is returning.
Alyssa Gordon
that's what you've been for me in my eyes for a decade. I'm so happy you recognized your absolute unbelievable strength of having an incredible taste in games. You are THE #1 place i go to to find a cool ass indie game to fuck around with (or to be honest just to click random on a compilation playlist and watch that till my eyes bleed) I'm so desperately excited for more videos and more indie games to check out . o7 I'll be here for this era ride or die
Matthew Oliver
Any chance of a few podcats soon? :D
Alex Connor
Hope you're doing alright Dan!
Daddy Driffill
Oh my god, DANIEL IS GOING TO DO A TRAIN EXCLUSIVE BOOK SIGNING, we have to catch the 2pm from Manchester to Piccadilly Circus!
Alistair jolly
I have been watching your videos for 12 years now and I can say I am more excited about this final reboot than I have been about any other. It'd clear that you've finally found something that works and is enjoyable for you. Us patrons are here for the long run!
Matt Wolner
Best game filter ever, I literally downloaded like 4 games last week purely from seeing a video of yours, keep up the amazing work
Sophie Wyllie
Train Sim Returns here we goooo!
ZoomZoom0
Any and all train videos from Dan are just a treat, love them.
mychemicalbromance
I assume everyone is assuming the hint is at a train sim video but I really just wanna see Dan's t gauge trains
K T
Train sim world 4 video in the works? :O Dan you’ve been my video game filter for years I even go back and rewatch videos from a few months ago to 10 years ago to find games that I can get into or just download and have a bit of fun and forget the rest of the world for a bit, love everything you do because of how you do it. And like the thousands of other patrons you and your work is why we’re here
Unionise Your Workplace Today!
i agree, i too am piss delighted that suicide squad and skull and bones failed so massively
