Legacy Notes

~This is my journal where I write down what I experience and think of whenever I have a thought, think of it like a scratch paper of ideas.~

~Try to write something about every media you experience, go into detail, use metaphors and analogies, to convey abstract thoughts beautifully, use detailed language to paint a clear and captivating picture.~

~Use this journal as a way to pick apart media you analyze and your thoughts about it~

EVE Online Down The Rabbit Hole:
On Deep Dives
When deep diving you can go back far in order to give context or interest in the topic as a whole by helping understand how something came to be in the first place. e.g. when talking about EVE online it can be beneficial to bring up the first Virtual World ever made, or the most advanced one, and how it came to be or WHY the developers even wanted to make it and what inspired them.

A First Look At Raytraced Audio
An excellently presented video with captivating visuals that provoke thought about how audio is utilized in games and how it tricks our mind into being realistic. An especially fascinating thought that was described in the video was how we don't question when a voice is muffled when traveling through a wall, we don't think that the person's voice is muffly today, instead we subconciously notice that the wall between us is muffling the sound. It is an interesting thought experiment to see where games might use somethingl ike this and will make me think more about audio in general in games. The thumbnail is also very eye-catching, it has this minimalist, graphic-design look to it and has the phrase "More games need this" which can act as a hook for many viewers. It makes people think, what IS this thing that more games need, and that can be enough to hook viewers in. The visuals and animations in this video are superb and go above and beyond in explaining visually, through what seems to be his own game engine, how audio travels through different game environments. This presentation is engaging and entertaining.

Parasite's Perfect Montage
This is the first video I have ever seen of Nerdwriter1, a popular video-essayist. Right off the bat I noticed him introducing the director of Parasite (Bong Joon-Ho) and noting one of his habits, that he is obsessed with rhythm. This gives the video a powerful first line which acts as both the thesis of the video and the hook. This line alone can intrigue the viewers and encourage them to indulge deeper into the video and learn exactly what he means by "rhythm". It was interesting to see Nerdwriter put forward the thought that the movie is so fluid that it feels like you're surfing the story. The movie flows effortlessly carrying the viewer from moment to moment. I think this is an excellent commentary on how Parasite has excellent pacing, always keeping the viewer invested in what's happening, never boring the viewer. Good pacing can immerse the viewer in the movie, but this immersive experience is not exclusive to movies and could apply to video games as well. What games have good pacing? - is a question I found myself asking.
-
Off the top of my head, The Last of Us Part 1 comes to mind. The storytelling and conflicts flow from cutscene to gameplay, back to cutscene again, stringing the viewer along for this rollercoaster of emotions where conflicts and events don't linger too long. Big conflicts and events often end in black, with a small time-skip, moving on from whatever happened quickly. This could be an intentional choice by the developers due to the game being in an apocalyptic setting, a world where humans are no longer afforded the time to mourn and grieve, or to stop and cry. It may also be a commentary on how everything is truly fleeting under these new circumstances. After traumatizing events you can see how the Joel and Ellie change and progress their character arcs, how they harbor deep pains and try their best to cope and survive. There is a profound power in how pacing can deeply affect how the viewer abosrbs a story. It makes me wonder what other games use this rhythmic, yet fluid pacing to tell compelling stories.

The Last of Us Part 1 - 5/8 - Finished TLOU P1 - Journal written inside.

5/9 - Wrote Notes in Devil May Cry
Today I started playing Devil May Cry. It was a lot harder than I remember it being. I wanted to get a refresher on the controls and level layout but was getting destroyed at certain parts. A big part of playing games like Devil May Cry is first playthroughs are always rough, I had the same experience in Ninja Gaiden. These games work like muscle memory and knowing where things are, strategies to fight specific enemies, and weaving together optimal combos are the ways to feel like you're doing it right. I should probably learn some tech and strategies if I want to attempt the game on Dante Must Die. I took some notes on the aesthetic and world-building of the game as well as the badass nature of Dante's character. I should probably add a note about the game's music but I wanna hear more of it before I write a note. REMINDER - Add a note about the MUSIC. ~

5/10 - Wrote some Notes in Crow Country - written many days after I played but I'm trying to write more and improve the richness and detail in my writing. I'm also trying to increase my media analysis skills and pick apart gameplay, audio-visuals, as well as narrative elements better. Also wrote some notes about the Left Behind DLC in The Last of Us Part 1

5/11 - Saw Fight or Flight in the theaters, it wasn't a bad movie or anything. I think some of the decisions to make it comedic were okay, although I wished they had taken some parts more seriously and let the humor lie in the fact that the plot was ridiculous but could be taken seriously. To elaborate, I think the fact that a roughed up ex-FBI agent, turned mercenary, is tasked with finding his target on a plane and keeping them alive is already interesting. But with the twist of information getting out on the target and the whole entire plane being now filled with mercenaries and assasins, there to collect the bounty on the target's head, makes the plot so much more captivating to watch. At the point the protagonist enters the plane and finds out it's filled with killers had me at the edge of my seat, and the little humorous interactions between him and the mercenaries was funny and tension building. I think the movie gets a little bit lost in its own sauce and extinguishes the flame it was starting to build by jumping the gun and quickly revealing who the target was without leaving much room for suspense. I would have preferred if the "ghost" was a mystery character for much longer, even leaving room for a twist relating to their identity. I think the all out war breaking out on the plane was very entertaining, the John Wick style action sequences were the peak points of the movie and definitely delivered. In fact, I wish the majority of the movie was chained together action sequences like that, as the protagonist comes across another angry mercenary or assassin and it would be even more exciting if each assassin or mercenary had their own quirk, talent, or personality. I think the humor was a little forced and corny, I really think there was already a lot of natural humor in the plot itself, where a plane full of killers is tasked to kill someone but they don't know who it is and one guy has to keep that person alive, and he also doesn't know who the person is. The confusion alone and maybe quirky assassins he meets would have satisfied the criteria for humor and could have left the meat of the movie as largely serious so that it still maintains its value as an action movie. Finally, I'd like to touch on the subplot at the agency with the two agents who are "cutthroat". Honestly, I would have preferred if this entire stupid subplot was out of the movie altogether, their goals, motivation, and acting was unconvincing and not really funny either. I think it's fine to make the agency corrupt but the dumb little dynamic the agent and his boss were having were just honestly boring and didn't add much to the plot. I think the basic idea of the plane filled with assassins and have a target and no one knows who's who is just a really captivating plot and could have been self sufficient the entire time. I realize that the agent being corrupt and putting out a hit on the protagonist was a plot device to make them target him but I think there might have been a way for that to happen diegetically(?) instead. 3-Stars.

5/12 - Did a lot of work and gathered up some informational videos and courses to look through, not much in terms of learning though.

5/13 -
Watched The Unreality of Pro Wrestling - Super Eyepatch Wolf
~ Really didn't know how much people hold the storytelling aspect of the WWE to heart. Not anything major to takeaway but just a lot of emphasis on storytelling, subtext, and underlying themes that build the iconic characters of the WWE. The story of Roman Reigns was very emotional and his underdog story was relatable. The hate he endured despite improving shows that sometimes you just can't win, no matter how hard you try. His farewell was melancholic and depressing even. I also liked how the creator edited the two different storylines and covered them simultaneously to give this interesting flow to the video. I really liked how the split storylines ended up converging towards the end. The analysis of the final match's meaning being Legacy vs. Immortality was a really interesting thematic takeway. I think the analysis of how Roman doesn't let go of his past and gives up everything to make a rash decision is also a solid takeaway.
~ This gives me an idea that maybe I can take little notes as I watch or play a piece of media of points and themes I notice and then at the end find the overarching theme or point.

5/14 -
Watched ROBLOX_OOF.mp3 - Hbomberguy
~ I think the introduction of the "stock meme screams" used in media as a baseline context for uncovering the Roblox Oof sound is really interesting. It gives some context that can act as a hook for viewers to have a-ha! moments of finding out how often certain screams are used and where they originate from (typically sound libraries). One even got me, I didn't know the iconic goat screams were just from an tvApple sound library, so there is something interesting here for everyone and a takeaway could be that including little known facts in an opener/introduction can really hook people in to what your central thesis is about without boring them.
~ His explanations are quick and sometimes unserious. It can add a comedic undertone to the video like when he says roblox makes a "made up number that sounds hilariously big" amount of money. Another interesting thing is that he seems to include criticisms of things hes talking about here and there, I think this adds some contrast and also makes his commentary seem very opinionated which adds weight to it. His editing style is fast pased and tends to focus on the humorous things and doesn't take itself way too seriously but still gets back to the serious topic after and doesn't linger on anything for too long. I like that he brought up an old game as a source for the OOF, but didn't just say it was from the game, rather he provided context about the game briefly so people felt familiar with it before he mentioned that it had the OOF sound in it. He also called out the articles for wrongly sourcing the wrong person to discover it first. I think a big takeaway I have from this is that I should be very thorough and critical in my research and not overspeak about something until it's boring but rather be concise and opinionated. The segue from topic to topic is very smooth and it feels like following a breadcrumb trail that he set for us and we are learning the full picture piece by piece. Once again I notice that the humor is very brief but keeps the video from being an information dump and more like a silly conversation. I think my takeaway from his Tommy Tallarico section is that it's okay to go into tangents of random barely related information as long as it's related enough to build interest in the story at hand. The point at the end about the obfuscation of female influence at Capcom and the connection to Tommy doing the same thing to his own sound team was really eye-opening.

5/15 -
~ I really find that I admire slade.station's style and just that old PSX gritty commercial-like aesthetic and really want to make it a mainstay in my videos. Thinking of not getting a couch and instead making it a cozy floor type corner instead, reminiscent of old 90s rooms.
~ Played Devil May Cry (1) today, the first 16 missions or so, Devil May Cry
I beat Griffon and fought Nelo Angelo for the 2nd time, also saw a bunch of cool cutscenes and took some atmospheric moments.

5/16 -
Watched Why Is Anime So... Weird? - Fractal Philosophy
Learned what Sakuga meant - Quality Jump in Anime Scene (Not exclusive to Action), which I found to be super interesting. I also noticed how the creator really took apart reasons people would find Anime weird and debunked it from a really interesting standpoint. Instead of just saying Anime characters have different multi-colored and weird hairstyles, he didn't simply point to it being inspired by DBZ or a prior popular anime, but rather he sourced how they had to stand out from one another in black and white from Shonen Jump issues. I think this level of deep dive and more nuanced almost pedantic thinking is something I should adopt for my own deep dives and philosophical points. It can really add meat to what I'm trying to say and give people a perspective they perhaps haven't thought of yet. My takeaway from this is to really think twice, maybe even thrice, and always ask questions of why, how, where, and when?

5/18 -
Watched A beginner's guide to Critical Literary Analysis - moon!
Analyzing Media - Notes in here about critical literary analysis

5/22 - Took Notes in Analyzing Media and Video Essay Framework over the last 4 days but I forgot to Journal it. I found out about a channel called Leon Massey and he makes nice supplementary material for his videos. He sometimes talks about things like cameras, skateboarding games, or the absence of power weapons in games in favor of balance instead. I think ideas like this are interesting because they think very outside the box. I think when I play games I want to be able to look into every aspect of the game I'm playing, and be able to compare and contrast different systems or tropes that are present in many games or genres. I also realized that I simply just haven't played enough games or consumed enough media either. Doing the aforementioned would help in my analytical skills as well as my writing skills. Some things I really want to pay attention to are..

• My own opinion and how I feel while interacting with a media
• Comparing and Contrasting skills when looking at the different parts of a media
• Finding the deeper meaning of the media or profound meaning unique to me
• Thinking outside the box for ideas from concise points to a grand scale
• Ways I can explain a point using more interesting audio-visual techniques
  ..I think some examples of "outside the box" ideas are the absence of "Save Rooms" in modern games perhaps. Something that was a trope or commonality in a lot of games for a while before being squeezed into a menu. There is positives and negatives to this evolution in games and both can be addressed. Something audio-visual that can give the viewer engagement for this is different save-room music and perhaps showing different save rooms with a free-cam mod or a blender re-creation with a Wizzy inside. A way I can implement my opinion into this is talk about how save-rooms used to make me feel as a kid and how it could make someone else feel now, even if they never experienced games as a child. For the deeper meaning, it can be talked about how save-rooms represent a moment of respite and clarity in a chaotic game world, this also can be represented audio-visually by showing the threats and audio changes right outside of this save-room. Comparing and Contrasting how various save-rooms worked in games that included them, then simultaneously showing how they have been removed and what effect it has could be a powerful technique to illustrate my point.
  -This was my attempt at utilizing the 5 points that I want to improve on-
  I thought it went well and this idea might be worth something, would just need some fleshing out and improvements! I would have to think deeply on everything I do in order to extract this sort of ideology from everything I do to make better videos. Other ideas I can implement that aren't so specific but more BROAD are...
• Game genres (RTS like Age of Empires and Starcraft and what it's made up of)
• Philosophical Meaning & Themes that a game gives me (e.g. TLOU and Morality)
• Retrospectives, Analysis, Critiques, Reviews
• Analysis of Music or Visuals (Can be a point for Retrospective/Analysis/Critique)
• Compare and Contrast of Game Mechanics (Can also be a point ^^)
• Connections to other media, movies, recurring characters, lore, universes
  These ideas are pretty standard but if utilized the right way can make for some captivating videos and ideas. Hopefully with some studying, time, and effort, I can hone my skills and create interesting and captivating content. Some things I woud need to learn for the audio-visual portions of my videos are...
• Blender (PSX Graphics inspiration)
• Premiere (Smooth Professional Editing with Supplementary Visuals)
• After Effects (somewhat)
• Texturing (PSX style texturing) + Environment Building or Porting into Blender
• Free-cam in Games (For nice shots)
• Mic Optimizations (For a nice voice quality and profile)
• Speech Optimizations (For a nicer voice that is recognizable with a good cadence)
  And some things I would need...
• CRT TV
• Some Old Consoles (PSP, DREAMCAST, PS1, PS2, XBOX)
• Original Games or Pirated Copies
• A way to display PC video on CRT
• Camera
• Surge Protector
• Rug or Carpet
• Capture Card
• Handheld vacuum
• Couch (?)
• Green Screen (?)
• Laptop eventually for notes and convenience
• Newer Consoles
• PC Upgrade
  ...And that concludes what I have thought up today. Hopefully it is profound and has a lasting effect on me. I feel like some things clicked but I have a long way to go. Finishing up DMC 2 today. Reminder to think of things to talk about for it!!!

5/23 - Finished DMC 2 - Wrote some notes in Devil May Cry 2
It's possible that I can go back and do multiple playthroughs for achievements. The game is pretty bad like many people said but I also see the good in it. There was potential for something good in this mess of a game. I would say there is something worth talking about here but would need more fleshing out and thought, but generally speaking, it was a bad game with some potential to be good.

5/24 - Wrote a review for DMC 2 on Backloggd after being inspired to start writing reviews to get better at my writing skills.

5/25 - Got an idea to make a video about Character Action Games, I really think it could be good. I think there are 3 ways to go about it, which I wrote in 01 - Stylish Action Games - CAGs. I should play through the games first and get a feel for it. I should also brainstorm cool supplementary ideas to add creativity and interest in the video like little Blender animations.

5/26 - Re-organized obsidian, made a Milanote, found new method to structure video essays.

5/27 - Started watching Anime again, started with Cowboy Bebop, can maybe do a write-up on it later.

5/28 - DELTARUNE Chapter 1 up until Jevil finished, prepping for the Chaper 3 and 4 release in 6 days from now. Took notes in DELTARUNE . Found out a couple bigger youtubers use AI to help make videos, I can't do anything about it or prove it but I am absolutely sure of it.

5/29 - Have been seeing this a lot and wondering myself, maybe I should make a video about EVERYTHING I play, seems like a waste of time but I wonder if trying is just worth it. Beat Jevil in DELTARUNE and am now on Chapter 2 - Took notes in DELTARUNE and am almost done prepping for Chapter 3 and 4.

5/30 -
Watched How to Structure a Video Essay - by Every Frame a Painting
Had a profound realization that creative and interesting essays are not lists or chronological or static but very dynamic and almost follow a storytelling beat. They are not matter of fact but they are tangents and streams of conciousness that are not boring and bland but filled with character. Things should flow into one another smoothly and not be basic, following the one after another nature much like a South Park or Simpsons episode where things are expertly introduced to keep the plot interesitng. "Meanwhile back at the Ranch" is also a really profound pickup from this video for me, if things are getting boring, drop it and pick up something nearby and flow back into it later when you can ideally "skip over" the boring parts. The author of this video shows an example of how multiple stories can run simulataneously and maintain interest. A good takeway is that video essays are not just essays, they are films. Utilize a Therefore/But after points and ideas so they have meaning.

5/31 -
Thought of an idea - Can write a review of every game I play to better verbalize my thoughts and ideas.

Watched Games that Aren't Games - by Jacob Geller
Watching this video I noticed a couple things that Jacob Geller does when presenting his idea. The way he presents his ideas through his speech is very smooth and has a good flow. Jacob utilizes alliteration and assonance in his sentences, which makes each line feel natural. He goes into a deep and descriptive detail within his sentences and provides a lot of personal feeling and anecdote in order to make the writing feel relatable and get his idea or point across in an engaging way. A vital point within his writing comes from the fact that it feels less like writing and more like a conversation. There is a natural tone and feeling to what Jacob is conveying to us through his words and it feels like he wants to tell us something rather than just talk ideas at us. Jacob extracts deepness from whatever he is analyzing and presenting it to us in earnest. His tone is genuine and emotional. The flow of the video and points is very good too, where he opens with an interesting and eye-catching idea and flows it from one thing to another, typically doing call-backs somewhere within the next point to any previous point to drive home the main thesis of his video. For example, he talks about LSD dream emulator, then pivots to another game that is like LSD, then talks about another game that that same developer made which is not like LSD. This was done to ease the viewer into the next idea through a relating "connecting idea". I think one takeaway I really need to extract from this video and use in my own essays is the confidence to go deep. What I mean by this is that I can't be afraid to extract deepness and meaning from things even if I believe it to be corny or lame or contrived in some way. I need to be confident in my words and my emotions even if the emotions are purely meant to be relatable and not my own. Although this seems disingenuous, it can be an anchor of relatability to the viewers who felt something from the subject I'm analyzing. One thing I don't particularly understand yet, but am slowly starting to gain a general idea about, is the "out of the box" ideas that Jacob comes up with for his titles. Perhaps the reason I fail to find these meanings is because I fail to look deeply into things and what they represent. This could be because I am too egotistical and act too much like a smartass to see the simple beauty in pointless things. Sometimes it really is just fun to find the "horror" in non-scary things or the "deepness" of random abstract artworks, and maybe I am just missing out on that fun.

6/1 -
Saw this comment on an essay writing video - I find the information to be useful
There's a technique that you can use to get better at essay writing:
But first, we must look at the problems:
1st: Ideation, What are you gonna be writing about? And what are the points you are going to support?
2nd: Structuring, What is the order of what we're gonna be writing about? How do we structure it?
Tips:
1. Increase your "elegance", read a lot of difficult books, develop that analysis skill and try and copywriting styles that you enjoy, because you're trying to find your own style that seems genuine to you.
Most problems lie in the approach, either because of procrastination due to feeling overwhelming writing without planning it out in layers, as well as structuring your points. This is why it's important to not write in a linear approach as it's less efficient than doing it in layers.
What are layers?
Stage 1: Before we do layers, make sure that you understand the concept, because then it will make it MUCH easier to allow you to write your essays. A way to conceptualize is to look at the main themes and how do they connect with each other, it's similar to mind mapping connections between different concepts. And a pro tip, look into the author's background. The themes and examples used in the story will probably be inspired by the author's real-life experiences.
Stage 2: Start with the questions, questions lead to points that allow you to structure the essay.
-
Example I made:
What is a phone?
Where did it come from?
What does the research say about it?
How is it important?
Why is it controversial?
What are you stances on the topic?
-
Now with this outline your brain doesn't have to be as scared because now you have a question that's easier to answer which you'll brain will naturally focus on.
Stage 3: Answer the questions from the outline, let's say for a research article use some evidence to explain the text.

6/2 -
DELTARUNE - finished Deltarune CH2. Pacifist - Genocide Tomorrow

6/3 -
DELTARUNE - Deltarune Weird Route Done - CH 3/4 Tomorrow.

6/4 - DELTARUNE Today

6/5 - DELTARUNE Today - Beat RK

6/6 -
Nothing day mostly

6/7 - Deltarune

6/8 - Deltarune CH. 4 Finished

6/9 -
Watched Liminal Spaces video by ThorHighHeels

6/10 -
Watched John Wick Ballerina in theatres today

6/11 -
Back to being productive today.

6/12 -
Quitting Caffeine, figuring out what I want to learn

6/13 -
Finally finished DELTARUNE Ch. 4 Weird Route, all prepped for 2026 Ch. 5 !

6/14 -
Watched Thor High Heels - I <3 DMC2
Learned a lot about writing today, storytelling structure even on informational topics. I think I might be on the right track. Need to play more games, listen to more video essays, study some more through reading and online study resources, and write! Thought a lot about starting Noita from scratch for an eventual, "Noita is Cosmic and Beautiful" video, where I encounter Noita from the beginning and deep dive into all of its depths from the secrets, like quests, lore, and pillars, to the even deeper mechanics, wand science, strategy and interactions between liquids, enemies, and the world itself. All the complexities can be thought of and tackled in a sequential order as I came across them in the most "natural" sense possible since I already played through the game once. Didn't add any new notes yet but notes here Noita Explained by a Wizard

6/15 -
Went out today
Watched Togi - WHY NOT YOU vid - learned a lot genuinely

6/16 -
Going to start DMC 3 Today

6/17 -
Watched Lessons Of - What Fern Teaches us About Identity
Honestly this is a far better analysis video than I would have thought. It reminds me that I should always be trying to find the profound message behind things. It can be obvious but also deep with a bit of digging. Also finding the right words to describe things is such a powerful tool. The line "in trying to find Clarity he only found Contradiction", is just worded so well and matches what the message of that part of the video is trying to say. I should look to always make concise detailed sentences. Maybe a method to do this would be to write out the sentence as I think it, fully fleshed out in terms if idea and identity, then proceed to refine the sentence down and find word alternatives and shorter more powerful ways to convey the message. Not every sentence needs this power mostly sentences with profound or powerful ideas behind them. Also lastly, the narrator of the video does an excellent job of using subtle emotion in his voice and usage of pauses and elongation for dramatic effect.

Watched some of illusory wall - The Invisible Walls of Dark Souls 1
This video is extremely well placed. One thing I noticed that I liked is the inclusion of music but also giving some pause from the music to absorb ambience or sound design in the games. Also, the pacing of the video is really good. The way he follows along the normal playing route of the game while showing each invisible wall is really cool because people can almost follow along in a playthrough style or play along themselves and find the walls mentioned. Most of all, it serves as a really good way to remember where the things mentioned are and it helps in following along with the video as this is the order most players played through the game so it offers familiarity and memorability. Upon further viewing I also noticed the sheer amount of interesting and enjoyable free camera angles, this adds a lot of visual interest and kept me engaged almost to the point of being cozy. Earlier in the video there was a world map of Dark Souls used to show a path being followed and I really enjoyed seeing that as well.

6/18 -

Reading over my notes in chats, trying to write down some takeaways.
- Themes are supported by motifs
- Theme: Isolation
- Motif: Empty corridors, echoing footsteps, unread msgs
- Perhaps I should get used to taking notes while playing
- Commonly I notice that video essays start with a quote, hook of some sort, or context building. What I think is important is to have a unique twist when doing mine. Usually this context will make some subtle statement about how something is or was percieved at a given time and provide some backing for the point you are about to make. It usually begins, or ends, with a hook line that resonates with viewers.
- A provocative question is one that challenges the viewer's assumptions or sparks curiosity:
- "Why do we enjoy games that punish us?"
- "What if failure was the real goal of Noita?"
- In this sense it means thought-provoking
- Vivid Anecdotes are sensory-rich moments from your personal experience.
- The sense of Journey is important in the storytelling aspect of writing, consider progressions: dark to light, confusion to clarity, question to answer. There should be some journey and a destination you arrive at to make sure that it is entertaining.
- Include the audience with the use of "you"
- Aim to be sincere, vulnerable, and relatable
- Enthusiasm is contagious
- In editing, the footage should always support the dialogue
- In editing, make sure to watch the video and trim when necessary
- Critical Theory is
- ideology critique (masculinity, nationalism, consumerism)
- power structures
- emancipatory goals
- interdisciplinary
- Critical Analysis
- Close Reading / Observation
- Interpretation through a Lens
- Contextualization
- Argument Formation
There is always a surface level view, and a deep one.
Bioshock is a cool dystopian city, critical analysis would say it makes a commentary about power and class, ideology, setting as a metaphor, and more. This view is developed through a Marxist Lens of viewing.
- A throughline to the Core Thesis is necessary, ask yourself: What do all these ideas add up to?
- When tackling too many ideas, pick the one with the emotional engine, that is the angle.
- Rhetorical Analysis
- Analyzing HOW the author is saying something as opposed to what they are saying.
- Ethos, Pathos, Logos
- Ethos: Cites academic texts and has a calm, intelligent tone. Pathos: Uses soft music, personal stories, and visual editing to trigger nostalgia or melancholy. Logos: Breaks down gameplay mechanics and links them to emotional experiences.
- Alliteration and Assonance
- Alliteration - Silent streets swallowed the sound
- Assonance - The low moan of a broken tone
- Use these sparingly, too much is annoying.
- Mark your scripts with [melancholic] or [earnest] to denote emotional vocal tones.
- The Rule of Three
- a trio of events, examples, or phrases is more compelling rhythmically than two or four.
- Typically
- Short enough to hold attention
- Long enough to establish a pattern
- Balanced and Rhythmic
- Natural buildup
- Beginning (sets expectations)
- Middle (builds tension or variation)
- End (delivers punchline, twist, or resolution)
- Examples
- Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
- Blood, Sweat, and Tears
- He came, he saw, he conquered
- Storytelling examples
- The trials, or tasks
- Three-act structure
- Trilogies
- Use case
- Three questions that are related to introduce a topic
- Three layered examples for a point, personal, gameplay, philosophical
- Emotion and tension across 3 beats, "The music slows, the world darkens, and your only light is the fire at your feet."
- Describing gameplay loops "You search, you suffer, you survive."
- Lasting closing lines, “It’s not just a level. It’s a memory, a metaphor, a mirror.”
- Game theme summary, “It’s a story about fear, survival, and sacrifice.”
- Must train my noticing muscle to think deeper.
- Have a system where I can quickly write in a Journal
- Write if you feel confused, moved, exhilirated, frustrated, anything really.
- Ask small questions as you go, mostly the who what where when whys.
- Ask reflective questions after the game
- What do I remember most vividly?
- What emotional journey did I go through?
- What is this game really about?
- What truth about life, people, or myself did it hint at?
- What theme or concept does this game explore?
- Idea-Building
- Must take ideas from sparks to structure
- Group ideas by emotional or conceptual categories
- Word-storming
- Find a centerpiece, that is the main idea, seed for a title
- Vetting Ideas, What's worth a video?
- Should be emotionally charged, applicable across games or strongly expressed in one, and speaks to a universal human question or feeling that is relatable.
- Should linger in my mind
- Can someone recognize this feeling without playing the game?
- Structure
- Once an angle is developed, structure it around:
- Hook: A striking moment, question, or contradiction.
- Idea: State your central thesis (clearly, not academically).
- Exploration: Show examples. Zoom in and out. Share how the game embodies the idea.
- Broader Relevance: Connect it to other media, real life, emotions.
- Conclusion: Reflect. Return to the opening idea with more depth.
- Simplicity is not stupidity, it's clarity. Do not chase complexity.
- Some people make so many ideas because they just simply:
- Play
- Reflect
- Trust the small sparks
- Not every video needs to be a masterpiece or grand statement, it just needs to be powerful, honest, specific, and resonant.
- Start with a feeling, and find a central point in that
- Any idea can be story-driven
- A human moment
- “I remember the first time I died to a pixel of lava I didn’t see coming.”
Ground the viewer in you, then build outward.
- Introduce stakes
- “For days, I thought I was bad at the game. Turns out, I just didn’t understand how powerful wands could be.”
- Build towards discovery
- A story is about change
- Treat the audience like a companion
- They are not a student, let them feel like they are discovering with you.
- Relatability vs Elitism
- Acknowledge the gap
“I beat Malenia pretty quickly—but not because I’m amazing. I’ve spent hundreds of hours dissecting boss patterns for fun. I get why people struggle with her. She punishes hesitation.”
- Reflect on shared feelings
- “Even though I beat her quickly, I still felt that anxious rush you get when her health is down to a sliver.”
- Relatability = emotional honesty, not just shared outcomes.
- Blending the technical with emotional
- Anchor facts in emotion
- “Noita’s wand system is intricate—but learning it made me feel like I was discovering magic for the first time in a game.”
- Use metaphor
- “Each spell combo is like writing a sentence in a language that only explosions understand.”
- Ask deeper questions
- “Why do we obsess over mastering chaotic systems like Noita? What does that say about us?”
- Some interesting frameworks in order to get the hang of brainstorming frameworks
- Feeling-Based
- What do you feel and why?
- When did the game suprise, frustrate, or move me?
- Mechanics to Meaning
- What does the core mechanic represent or say about the theme?
- What emotions does the gameplay itself generate?
- Contradiction Framework
- What’s something that doesn’t add up?
- “This game looks peaceful but makes me anxious.”
- Personal vs Universal
- What did I uniquely experience that others might relate to?
- What deeper idea connects this to life?
- Big Idea Lens
- Pick a philosophical idea (e.g. control, entropy, identity)
- Ask: how does this game explore that idea?
- Metaphor and Simile
- Approach literally at first
- Ask what this is like emotionally or conceptually
- Try comparisons to things that are known: nature, emotions, human actions, familiar objects.
- Don't force it

Learned a bit about AE and Premiere, notably plugins and importance of these tools in editing.

"The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips."

6/19 -

Watched Clark Elieson - Liminal Spaces: A Theory Concerning Our Existence
So far, I really enjoy how Clark is so articulate and engaging in his description of what Liminal Spaces are. In fact, his might be my favorite definition because he explains what Liminal Spaces are, how they are modified to our feelings, and then how they have been further modified by the internet in general. I think the words he uses are deeply dark and instill a lot of mood and emotion in me and likely others. He maintains a philosophical lens when analyzing the idea of Liminal and it encourages me to understand philosophy and powerful language more in order to engage viewers.

-Power Went Out-

6/20 -

Continuing video from yesterday -
Direct quoting of philosophical ideas by a notable philosopher then further unpacking them into a digestable understanding is really interesting and worth looking into improving and implementing into my own skill set.
-Key Note from interview-
I dug around and found an interview with this creator on how he grew.
On finding great ideas:
Bring a new or interesting perspective to content you are personally consuming.
Start video with the climax/most provocative part
The explosion or climax at the beginning can build interest, then eventually build up to the climax again with a story to follow.
The topic is the most important part of a video
This is the only way people will even see or click on the video so it is the most important for reach.
A good note about topics -
It is best to try to aim to NOT write about a single specific piece of media but moreso about its subject matter, and include other pieces of media that support that central topic. That being said if there is something worth talking about with one thing, do that.
ex. it's not as good to write about Omori as it is to write about how Omori makes you feel (battle with depression or some other complicated emotions)
Closing Notes
Utilize "Free Association"
"If I don’t know what to put in for a part of a video, I’ll ask myself, “What’s the first thing I think of?” and just go with that."
Just write down feeling words about the idea, can expand upon it later, just write what you feel, write prose.
Give your perspective on what you consume.
Utilize ChatGPT to ask what Philosopher has talked about certain topics and do research on it.
- I already knew that this creator goes deep using word webs but I would once again like to reiterate that these free thinking words and thought can go so deep if I allow myself to go deep. I must unlock this part of myself and utilize it. Deep thoughts with deep feelings.

6/21 -

Blender Practice
"Getting started - Blender for complete beginners" - Joey Carlino

Watched Internet Pitstop - Old Graphics ~
Noticed a lot of personalization comes from inserting himself into the scenes using the green screen, considering using a combination of both. Also noticed he used cozy and personalized language that can make people have a more memorable experience. Very vibes focused, despite not playing any of the games clearly, he was able to give off a solid vibe that people would resonate with.

6/22 -

Adventure Time S1E21 "Donny" - A story about balance in nature

More Blender

6/23 -

Blender

6/24 -

Blender, Movie

6/25 -

Blender

6/26 -

Watching a Nexpo Video (Darkest Audios)
Noticed that on nearly every line break - unless lingering on an emotional thought - that Nexpo will do a cut or jump to a different visual. ex. Who is it? -CUT- What do they want? -CUT- What does it mean? -CUT- Looking at the dreary, misty hills, and overwhelming sense of dread fills you. But alongside that dread.. is hope. Hope that there is an escape in sight, hope that survival is truly possible -SHOT LINGERS ON MISTY HILLS-.
- I think this type of editing is really helpful in maintaining visual interest and also super dramatic.
One more side note: Nexpo is reiterating on points that many others especially peers within his same niche have talked about, its honestly really okay to just talk about things talked about already and I shouldn't feel ashamed in doing that.

6/27 -

Blender

Learned a lot from Louie Zong and just making creative art that has a style and vibe to it.

(Re)Watched Mousetrap YouTube -
I really like how the creator took a simple idea and turned it into a deep almost abstract metaphor. He made a connection between a niche, almost weird, interest and how someone who really understands most of a person really can't understand why they would like a particular thing. It goes into the deep and abstract thought process behind wondering what happens to the mice, why it's happening, what the mice and people feel, and why your partner would be watching it. Something I picked up from this is the integral use of free association when trying to convey a metaphor like this. It's told in a quirky, odd, and almost dream-like way. All of the thought feels so free form and abstract and doesn't feel like it's following a script but rather it follows a train of thought. Also the mice drawings and animations were very cute and simple.
- A big point would be to learn to look at things through a lens to find deep and philosophical meaning in otherwise mundane things.
- Look at otherwise normal thoughts and view them through the lens of a child or alien encountering it for the first time.

Watched - 12 Principles of Animation - Alan Becker
So much here I can't even write it, will probably reference it many times.

6/28 -

Had an idea about potentially covering notable internet legends and stories mostly pertaining to gaming.

6/29 -

Blender
Starting Geometry Nodes

6/30 -

7/1 -

Louie Zong Style Study + PSX Style Study for Blender
Painterly Style
Pixel Filter
Wiggly Text looks cool
Old PC CG Render style
High amount of dithering or low fidelity?
90s magazine ad aesthetic, satisfying but simple
Pretty Clouds
Clay looking characters, furry looking clothes
Grids + Checkers
How to achieve dotty style? Big Stepper Cover
Low FPS Animation
Little Robot Voice
Good Fonts

My3DStuff/Rodzombie
Uses Shader and Render Nodes
Photoshop pixel filter, also for textures
After effects for post stuff

Things to figure out, how to make textures, how i should make the models, how to use the render nodes, how to achieve the style I like probably through experimenting, how to use after effects for getting the look.

7/2 -

PBR Pixel Baking - put PBR material on a low poly object, then bake the material to a low-res texture map using a simple unlit shader and nearest neighbor filtering.

• Use limited color palettes - 256 colors
• Vertex Snapping - Wobble / Jittery Geometry
• No filtering or mipmaps - Nearest Neighbor Filter
• 4:3 aspect ratio (?)

7/3 -

not much - one idea is that since there is a lot of source map integration, perhaps I can find cool garry's mod maps and import them into blender with source methods. still look into the possibility of importing other maps.

also look into:

• importing objects
• importing textures
• importing sound/ambience
• importing characters / animations
• -set up drawing flow for some 2D art

7/4 -

Blender Learn

7/5 -

Possibly settled on shadow sprite wizzy design, possibly will be very fluid and malleable and can transform into many objects, shapes, and things, and move around throught stretching rather than walking always?

• Should start drawing out ideas and designs while listening to stuff.

7/6 -

Watched The Best Games Are Kinda Bad - Razbuten
Biggest takeaway from this video is that Razbuten is excellent at picking a provocative point and elaborating on it without alienating people and explaining his thoughts clearly in a non-inflammatory way. The idea behind the provocative points is very important because the title and thumbnail illicit a strong, even visceral, reaction from the viewer and cause them to come in and either argue, or agree with his strong point. The points he makes are strong, not because they are good or bad, but because they cause a strong emotional reaction. The thing to be careful with when doing this though, is to make sure to defend your point accurately and not be too controversial or inflammatory, but instead offer your point in a sincere and honest way. It is important to address the other side of the argument and defend it strongly in favor of others and explain how it differs from yours in a very neutral way.
- Presenting provocative ideas is a strong attention grabber
- Important to be careful and address the topic with care
- Provocative does not mean inflammatory, leave room for question on the viewer's behalf.
- Final Point -
- Think deeply on games and look at it from an angle or lens that would allow you to come up with ideas like this in the first place. A lot of his ideas centralize around player experiences, whether that be frustrations, confusion, joy, or general understanding and lack thereof.

7/7 -

Discovered a bunch of game design discussion channels and GDC talks that can provide me a lot of insight in order to better understand game design and come up with good ideas.

I like ideas of contained nature, boat or island in a teacup, small planter box with a little world on it.

7/8 -

Watched The Aesthetics of Fascism - by Ben
Excellently filmed and edited video, I really like at 3:05 where he uses that finite looking film square (projector?) effect with some grain and noise to make it feel like vintage film with a high quality effect.
I also find it very interesting how early on in the video he went for the curtain angle. The usage of props like papers, a board, and projectors as well as other things really added to the cinematography of the piece and it is something I'd like to incorporate into my videos if I can find a way to do so.
The power of finding art, quotes, speeches, and videos is really powerful in getting across the point.
The video has such good framing and progression.
I like the use of bass on transitions to build hype ~10:40
- Maybe how he explained fascism or even the aesthetics of it, a similar deep dive can be made into game genres or mechanics?
- Strong topics like Pride. Ego. Fascism. Can make for captivating hooks.

Blender Nodes

Figured out about corru.observer - seems unknown as of now

7/9 -

Blender

Watched Robbers Hate This One Weird Trick. - KRUGSTON
I like the animation style and mix between blender, pixel line drawings, and fast paced storytelling with silly quirks and jumpy style. There isn't too much animation but when it is animated it is charming. If every short segment of my videos with animation in it were paced and visually interesting like this it would be really cool.

7/10 -

Wizzy Concept Day

7/11 -

Superman Movie

7/12 -

Geometry Nodes

7/13 -

White Rabbit - Film Trailer
Really fond of the end title card, use it.

Strangers Ease My Soul
Strong sentimentality and storytelling, touching people in an authentic way

SAMPLING in Video Games - ToffeeBun
-Cute usage of line boil text, cozy framing of video (literally the frame of the video gives a nice condensed look)
-The scrolling background also utilizes little line boil drawings.
-Also when showing footage and images, popping in example images and mentioned line boil text on top of the background to give the video layers is a nice touch.
-The knowledge and research to explain the idea was done and the examples given are not well known but very interesting to normal people.
-The inclusion of the character only when it counts rather than overusing it is a nice effect

How Toby Fox Composed the Music of Undertale - ToffeeBun
-Similar to the other video the edits are very good, one new note to that idea though is how the edit for this video is thematic and im retroactively noticing the last video was too, just more generally.
-Isolating windows, in-out edits for images, and good sound effect usage all contribute a lot to the visual interest.
-

7/14 -

Jacob Geller MinnMax Interview
-Big big emphasis on emotional + personable speaking and ideas.
-Huge emphasis on music and nostalgia, powerful at tugging at the emotions of viewers and keeping them connected.
-A good thumbnail is not as good as an eye-catching thumbnail.
-Implement interests and ideas other than gaming if possible.
-Huge emphasis on talking about your personal experience.
-Don't be afraid to be cheesy.
-Have a personality and match your personality and cadence with the music / topic at hand.

7/15 - 7/16 - 7/17 - 7/18

A lot of time wasted, just getting stuff together.

7/19 -

Benchmarking PC
GTA V: E

7/20 -

Bought Plant + Shopping
Benchmarking PC
Crysis: Remastered + GTA V: E

7/21 - 7/24

GTA V: E

7/25 -

PC Troubleshooting

7/26 -

Restaurant

7/27 -

GTA V: E

7/28 - 8/4 -

GTA V + Online
Made a good point at the end of the GTA V: E Playthrough (audio)

8/5 -

Played PEAK w/ Linna -
Took some PEAK

8/6 -

Played PEAK w/ Linna -
Took some PEAK

8/7 -

Played PEAK w/ Linna -
Took some PEAK
Did some studying for Video Essays
The goal is not analysis, it is intimacy

8/8 -

Did research, wasted a lot of time, got motivated a bit
Don't wanna work a normal job, this is the way
Decided on some guidance on how to continue
Imported backlog into ChatGPT
Imported ideas from Discord into Obsidian
Gonna start schedule on SUN.
Gonna start gaming/watching better content tomorrow
Feed cat at 4pm tomorrow
Gonna try to climb PEAK with Linna tomorrow

8/9 -

Played PEAK w/ Linna -
Took some PEAK
Thought about Challenge Videos and the value of doing trends quickly and effectively with a workable format of humor and challenge mix? (Note: Challenge Content)

8/10 -

Played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Took Notes
Watched Wednesday

8/11 -

Watched Memories of Murder
- Cinematography and Music is absolutely beautiful, which establishes the mood so effectively.
- The detective is a good guy but a not so good guy trope
- Pacing is really good, top tier mystery build-up
- The mentally challenged guy getting abused and being a prime suspect by being creepy reminds me of "Prisoners"
- Alongside the cinematography I like the significance of rain in the plot, personally
- I really liked the ending, how the detective retired, and how the killer and him showed up to the same spot to reminisce, and how the case never left the detectives mind. It ties together with the title well, the memories of murder didn't leave the detective nor did it leave the murderer.

Watched Click: The Worst Movie - Big Joel
- I think his analysis on the movie was spot on and made me question my young self who watched it. I never found the movie as amazing as people claimed but I think that this put a lot of subconcious thoughts I had into words. The main character isn't all that likeable and goes through no transformation or purpose throughout the entire movie. People say things in the move about paying attention to family but it wasn't really the forefront issue anyways. The movie tries very hard to be "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Golden Thread" and "Click (Goosebumps)" and mish-mashes all three with some jerk-ass humor and no point or purpose. The most well made point was that Click felt like the husk of a good movie. There was something to be done with this plot and it just wasn't done. Some people may call this overanalyzing and others disagree due to some of the scenes making them emotional or cry but I wonder how much of that is because you care about the characters and plot on screen or it just related to you because you feel like you are ungrateful sometimes and should treat your family better. That point and some of the sad scenes are truly well executed in this movie but to what avail, I would ask. I don't think Click is the worst movie, not even close, but I do think it is immensely flawed and that this critical analysis by Big Joel nailed some of the aspects that bothered me.

8/12 -

Watched Naked Gun
not much to say, fairly funny, average movie

8/13 -

Disturbing Lost PSAs That Were Never Meant To Be Found
Small note on background footage from random games for still image to be put in front of. ~2:50

8/14 -

Took some notes in - Deltarune

8/15 -

Went to movies
Did some research + DELTARUNE notes

8/16 -

Watched Oldboy
- Oldboy

8/17 -

Our MC Highspeed Rail System
Editing of this video is very good, specifically the mapping out of the various railways using overworld maps, and 3D renders, to help the viewer visualize the scale and purpose of these rails.

Rewriting Guardian Farms; Minecraft Java
This video also has excellent editing, more-so for explanations on more technical things. It looks as if he has some sort of minecraft blender loader thing, and loads a schematic into it and then uses camera angles, editing, highlights and arrows to indicate what he's talking about. The music also fits the explanation aspect which is a touch on why music as a mood changer is very important. If I ever explain something technical, even for a moment, this could be a really good method.

Watched Petrichor (2020)
short film about pool, sports, and what it means to pour yourself into something that it might have potentially ruined your life.

8/18 -

the literature of the moment - mother 2 critique"
Mother 2 Critique Article

otherhand interview - Mother CogDis
Otherhand Interview - Mother CogDis

interesting article about CRT effects digitally
EmuVR - Digital CRT - CRT Effect - VHS effect

vintage desktop
Desktop Simulation, possible way to make own or use this to make content on a desktop look vintage and nice

8/19 -

Games-show today
NG4, Silent Hill F, RE: Requiem, Silksong were standouts
~
Price Chart

Takeaway
Green Screen - Expensive but consistent on YT
VR - Cheapest creative option ~ VR hard to find
IRL - furniture option but can be done with nice spots
None - Relying on blender and visual rep. cheapest and works

Final Note:
~ Probably best to do a "None" angle and get creative later when money isn't so tight.
List:
HDD + Dock + Mixer + SM7B + Boom Arm + XLR Cables (?)
~760 w/Budget Mixer ~800 w/WaveXLR ~730 w/no XLR Cables

(SEEMS UNLIKELY XLR CABLES MATTER MUCH)
(SEEMS UNLIKELY AN AUDIO UPGRADE IS NEEDED)

~

8/20 -

Finished writing thoughts in DELTARUNE for now

Idea for an intro, really cozy N64 / PS1 sounding Y2K Wizzy logo with good accompanying sound effects, most of my vibe should really be cozy

8/21 -

Silksong Announced - Sept 4th.
Hollow Knight Research - Hollow Knight

8/22 -

Wasted time mostly but worked on Types of Video Essays

8/23 -

Worked on
Types of Video Essays
Hollow Knight

8/24 -

Worked on
Types of Video Essays
Hollow Knight

8/25 -

Worked on
Types of Video Essays
Hollow Knight - FINISHED -

Started Hollow Knight - Silksong in preparation for Silksong's release, wrote a bunch of preamble.

Finish some research webpages, reading info, reading articles, watching video essays.

10 Days Until Silksong !

8/26 -

Finish some research webpages, reading info, reading articles, watching video essays.

Need to finish Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare

9 Days Until Silksong !

8/27 -

• notes on Pirate Software growth
  • each short is a story with a beginning, middle, end
  • there is a narrative to follow
  • hooked from the beginning (the premise)
  • delivering a thought or answer within 60 seconds
  • often times it's answering questions, providing information, or telling a story
  • can also be a topical thing w/ opinion
  • it can also be a humorous, hype or accomplishment moment
  • visual aid to complement

Finish some research webpages, reading info, reading articles, watching video essays.

Need to finish Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
Talking Ideas & Stories - want to make a compendium of real(and fake) stories

neoGAF Rain in Games Thread
Good discussion on good and bad rain in games

8 Days Until Silksong !

8/28 -

NOTHING sadly

8/29

Finish some research webpages, reading info, reading articles, watching video essays.

Need to finish Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
Talking Ideas & Stories - want to make a compendium of real(and fake) stories

resetera rain thread
great rain in games suggestions

stalker intro

6 Days Until Silksong !

8/30 -

SILKSONG 5 DAYS
Tomorrow Furniture?

Work more for some money
PLAY STUFF AND READ AND WATCH

8/31 -

play read watch focus

settled killing every boss
Settled storytelling stays unmatched - big part of mood is music, casual music for casual moments and ramping intensity for tough fights or explanations / build up to hard moments. Tension is king in storytelling but not constant tension. The usage of a bossing ladder that he is climbing is a way to separate each bossfight into its own little story (if it's worth one) and then Wiki + Explanation about how its difficult and what to expect from a drop or what a best possible drop is to change the layout of this challenge. The tension comes from the difficulty of the boss fight and if the loot is sufficient enough to keep the challenge going or if it makes it more difficult, maybe even impossible. Tone is a big factor alongside the music where its a mix of narration and somewhat live commentary (still can be acted out in post). It seems the video (and all of settled's content) is mapped out in storytelling Chapters. These chapters act as different chunks of the video where different goal is attempting to be achieved to play into the overarching goal of the challenge. e.g. - we need to fight Archaeologist to get the RCB, because the RCB will help us beat the next boss easier to beat the overall challenge quicker (or at all). Risks of the boss and other possible non-RCB loot can change the outcome of the challenge and affect how the story is told.
-TLDR: Music + Tone + Storytelling beats in Chapters + Build a point and tension to each Chapter of the overall challenge and make sure the viewer is on the same page as you about the difficulties, possibilities, and reward of what you are doing.
-Side Note- Making a big bad guy or huge roadblock in overcoming your goal or in your story is a big way to keep people engaged. (in this case, Zuk/Sol) (ALSO like that the challenge goes from lowest level boss to highest)
-Side Side Editing Note- Quick Editing, good B-Roll, always supporting the commentary, nice popups

Silksong 4 days

9/1 -

Folding Ideas Presents: Silkposting a Culture of Trolling | PAX East 2025
There is a lot to be said about community passion and memes / in-jokes and how much influence it has. These things have a connection with people and make them laugh and help them cope. There is a factor of relatability and jokes that resonate that killed with the audience at this panel. Dan Olson literally had people dying laughing by showing them memes and giving some quips. This is a skill I need to engage with and not be embarassed to step out of my comfort zone and make cringey jokes. The likelihood that a in-joke that millions of people like is cringey is pretty low and it's more likely I'm just afraid to say it because I personally don't find it to be drop-dead hilarious. Things can be funny to many people and I am simply holding myself back by literally just pretending to be non-chalant and cool. Cringe is in as of 2025. Enjoy your hobbies and indulge.

9/2 -
oops

9/3 -

The (Mostly) Complete Lore of Hollow Knight
One thing I failed to do in my research that mossbag does here is some self-interpretation and theory crafting. Lore is lore but documenting a Wiki is not as valuable as theorizing an opinion. Particularly, I learned that there is interpretations of how exactly they chose who the pure vessel is and what constituted "pure". The commonly believed interpretation was there was either a first to reach the top, or judgement once you reach the top, then thrown down if not worthy. Being able to ask the whys, hows, and whos of the worlds of games I play and soon Silksong will be a valuable skill in having interesting and deep interpretations that will resonate with people.
-Side Note- Making jokes, even if they are cringe similar to the silkposting panel by Dan Olson, is a skill I need to indulge in. I am too afraid and shy to make jokes. A lot of mossbag's jokes don't hit for me but some got me to think that was funny or even smile. You miss every shot you don't take.

Idea juice
The Five Whys
Why did I react x5
Constraints
Micro-Obsessions
small things I keep thinking about, noticing, or enjoying
Scene Dives
Experiment
I try 'something' for a 'reason'

Truly, just consume and create things

Try to remember the quirky/humurous style of explaining/storytelling with a twist of animation youtuber style humor that fits my wizzy personality. Serious + Silly with purpose and emotion.

==========================
Play-Read-Watch-Focus

Need to do Silksong prep + Study + Work

SILKSONG TOMORROW 7 AM PT
Find a window to continue COD 4.

=======

9/4 -

Hollow Knight - Silksong - Today 7AM PST
Played for almost 5 hours !

=======

9/5 - 9/27

Stuff
Green Screen + Stand + Lights
GS + Stand (eMart) - 70
Lights 2-Pack Amazon - 50
Savage Vinyl GS - 53
Neewer Full Kit - 165
Sony ZV E-10 + Lens(?)
Cam - 630
Kit Lens - 85
Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN - 250
Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD - 165
Dummy Battery + Micro to HDMI + HDMI
Dummy - 22
Micro - 12
HDMI - 8
Avermedia OR Elgato HD60X
Aver - 140
HD60x - 120
HDD Dock + HDDs
Dock - 27
HDD - ~75
Camera Desk Mount + Mic Arm
Mount - 30
Arm - 70
Shure SM7B + Mixer
360
Need about 1400 to comfortably buy main stuff

More Hollow Knight - Silksong

How Inaccurate are Nintendo's Official Emulators?
I love the editing of this video, the jagged pixely drawings, the backgrounds, the transitions. There is use of inkscape or some alternative to do some timeline stuff. I like the one grass background at 6:28. The centering of things like windows in the middle look nice. The little animations of talking are just enough to stay entertaining. The little skits are not drop dead funny but keep the humor light and the video entertaining. I wonder if the video being in 4:3 increases focus or interest on certain aspects.

Decided that I might make a CRT room in Blender for my CRT game footage, allows for dynamic angles and freedom while still maintaining 4:3.

Thumbnails like TotallyPointlessTV's thumbnails seem to do really well without naming off the game.

Music quiet behind my talking then increasing for shots where im not talking adds a layer of dynamic audio that is very pleasing to listen to.

SILKSONG DONE - 9/27

9/28 -
Did Switch Capture today

• SWITCH CAPTURE NOTES -
  Switch Discord Audio to VB Cable B1
  Change OBS Canvas Size to 1920x1080
  Source Project to Monitor XXXX
  Mash Y+Home to Pair Controller
  Switch Discord Audio Back to Fifine when done
  Switch OBS Canvas Size Back to 2560x1440 too

• Took some Silksong notes - great idea about how Hornet grows when she arrives at Pharloom and didn't expect to do all this and help when arriving and just wanted revenge but quickly grew and found where her moral compass lies as a person. Comparison to Persona 5 how Joker arrives and how he and all his friends adjust and learn and grow in the same way. Coming of Age? Learning about themselves as a person? Learning about morals and the cruelness of the world and how to deal with it as a young person who is often helpless against it? There is something here and I like it! -GOOD NOTE-

10/15 -

1
Love how this video does the line boil pixel text and presentation of everything (timestamped)

Shorter ideas and thoughts can be fleshed out in shorts quickly
Idea to use KidPix for some thumbnails?

Wrote in 01 - Difficulty in Games
Video Ideas - Expanded upon framework and organized
Wrote for Horror Games on Spooky Month - Study Up Only

Find 3 Silksong Flea clips and crop them to mobile resolution
Idea: (Starting Hook Text on Screen is: Saving Silksong Fleas IRL?) Open with 2-3 Silksong clips of you saving fleas in rapid succession, Save 3 Silksong Fleas IRL but they are your clay charms and you find them stuck and save them then say available in my shop at the end, add silksong sound effects of the fleas barking and struggling and then the awoo~.

Current Notes

• Twitter and Anti-intellectualism -

  • This is the single best way I have ever seen someone tackle a difficulty and controversial, even touchy, subject with grace and fairness while having an argument hard to poke holes into. A masterclass in presenting an idea, defining the point/argument, determening the meaning and nuance of the question/point/argument, addressing that point with nuance, coming up with a solution or fundamental problem this idea presents and what that means for us as people.
  • Also introducing and addressing shoeonhead with fairness and still dismantling the argument with logic was something I really liked
  • The video is animated with this cute, simple, engaging line boil animation style with still drawings and its funny but not distracting.

• Shouting at Stars: A History of Interstellar Messages -

  • A masterclass in presentation, little editing quirks like blurs or distortion and the quotes appearing in this clean aesthetic font, presented beautifully, is the core of why Lemmino is so popular. There is a strong aspect to setting a vibe or a mood with each upload and I think all creators who are successful have a vibe or a mood they set. One that inspires wonder, creativity, curiosity, and provokes thought. I wonder if it is possible for my videos to present something like that. Not all video essays for games are deep and I think that I need to find a voice or mode of presentation that I am comfortable with and capable of reproducing, one that can become my style. I would aim to present it as I have stated above, and if I had to compromise it would be to lower the seriousness and stakes in favor of humor and a more relaxed vibe but still I want to err on the side of a truly emotional, and to quote myself earlier, "...inspires wonder, creativity, curiosity, and provokes thought", mode of presentation. I want my voice to resonate with people and make them truly feel and think. This might mean vetting my ideas or presenting them in a way that fits my voice at least somewhat, in a way where the bottom line of each video can reach people in a resonant way. This might make content like critiques of games a little less valuable to my channel but it's something worth exploring nonetheless, to quote Joseph Anderson, "I want to talk about games intelligently", and that is truly what I want to do. I wonder if critiques can be a valid form of content for me so long as I am still strongly emotional and resonant, or the resonance of the critique can be emotional but maybe through the lens of game critique although this would be strictly for critique style videos. It is often hard to be emotional in critiques because of how much you tear something apart but I can maybe find a way to include it in it really depends on what I'm working on and if I can find seedlings of emotion to work off of, but if it's big enough I'd rather make a video essay on that emotion itself. Some ideas aren't worthy of that feeling perhaps but I can still turn interest into emotional weight somehow I just need to be creative. If a thing interested me enough to make a video about it then I should be able to articulate why it interested me and that should tie to some emotion that I can exaggerate to assist me in my resonance and overall messaging.
  • Music fade out for emphasis and general music ins and outs for mood are spot on.
  • Emphasizing the hopelessness of communication with unknown lifeforms is an emotional tie that makes this video feel even though it is mostly scientific in nature.
  • Once again this video is a MASTERCLASS in visualization, if something can be shown to us it will be in a very clear and compelling visual.
  • There is something beautiful about our desperate attempts to show the outside that we exist, and we are here, and we want to communicate. I think it adds a lot to the emotion in the video that the topic at hand is so closely tied to the human experience and the limits of our curiosity.
  • I like how Lemmino included the war crimes of the Nazi and didn't let it go unnoticed, good research.
  • Once again on the music, the sad last of us sounding guitar on every line that hits is so powerful, the voyagers losing signal eventually to roam the universe alone.. something is truly sad about that and it tugs harder at your emotions when the music kicks in.

• Devil May Cry 3 - Combat Notes

• Cursed Problems in Game Design - GDC

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• The World Design of Hollow Knight | Boss Keys - GMTK

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• I Care Very Deeply About Mario Kart. - Liam Triforce

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• The Never Ending Sonic Game - Kiro Talks

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• Food Horror - Solar Sands

  • Solar Sands proves his storytelling prowess, finding horror and intrigue in the mundane such as a thing we all brush off like mold. I find it so interesting how he is able take simple topics and paint them illustratively, but through words, not visuals (although his visuals are good too). I would love to improve my personal skill in drama in speech, analysis of the world (specifically games) for the little interesting things that can become a whole topic, and the emotional resonance that his videos have overall. Often these videos incite me to think and wonder during and after and leave with a sense of intrigue and emotionally affected. He really treats each video and topic like art. Another thing I really like is how he connects ideas. Food -> Can Rot -> Mold -> Mold is Horrifying/Gross -> Gross Food Horror -> Horror -> Gross Food Horror in a Game (The Resident Evil Fridge) -> How Food Rots -> How Animals Rot -> How We Rot -> The concept of death -> How we aren't different from the cheese in our fridge -> Optimism that we aren't trule gone, we re-enter the earth just like everything else, nothing truly comes or goes it is always here. This series of connections feels abstract in the flow of it but it's all loosely (but actually tightly) related to the overall point.

• I don't know why this film exists - Supereyepatchwolf

  • Perfect PERFECT example of a shotgun video essay
  • Presents a hook / idea / thesis: "have you ever had a film that keeps creeping its way back into your mind?"
  • Hard Intro + Quick exposition and context to get you to understand what it is
  • Tie it back home, the quirks and reasons this fulfills your hook/thesis
  • A video essay is just THIS but longer and more fleshed out

• How I completed the HARDEST Elden Ring Challenge of ALL TIME

  • The editing of this video is really subtle and good with the 3D text effects, freecam, and text tracking like in sovietwomble videos. The build up and explanation at the intro was good and the threat levels of the various bosses and explanations of various items that popped up on screen were honestly interesting and added a lot, maybe there is way to utilize this for my own videos.

• The Horror Games that Haunt Me -

  • BABBDI
    • Nexpo's take on Babbdi, an abstract indie horror game, is one that is refreshing for me and is a stand out piece on how I want to start off my video essays especially on short games. The format is good splitting each game into its own little disc and experience. The thesis is games that haunt him, games that resonate, and leave a lasting impact. My favorite takeaways from his babbdi short essay is his self-insertion into the world. His curiosities, uncertainties, fears, loneliness, empathy, all portrayed through his own lens and how he would see and experience the world as if he were in it. I think this is important because it allows him to pick apart the game and attribute a narrative and feeling to it that might not be readily apparent to the average player. His analysis on the AI looking text and the world being an example of a world "void of humanity" is very powerful and resonated with me. The game never explicitly tells you any of this, he reads every dialogue and absorbs every feeling and feels as if it was real. Most gamers hear the man's wife dies, and is almost happy because they get a ticket, but that is so unhumanlike. A true human emotion would be empathy for the lost one, but it ties in to his example that this world is a world without any humanity left. I like the part where he mentions that " BABBDI exists in a world so devoid of humanity that whoever constructed it was so focused on expansion, on building up and outward at as rapid of a pace as they could that they didn't care if anything made sense. Those who planned this likely don't even live here. And the end result is a population so far removed from the arts, from entertainment, from kindness, and the little aspects that all add up to make us who we are, human beings, that all we're left with are the graywashed corridors of depression." Other little things like, finding a hope to move on to, the ticket and the train, following the false hopes the game gives you in the moment as if they were real. When you get to the ticket station and using powerful words like, "cold.. insulting even" when they no longer have tickets for you. Every little line Nexpo speaks and every part of the game he is analyzing is contributing to world building but also mood building for the video. Nexpo made this game resonant because it resonated with him and he painted the picture of why. He immersed himself into the game and found gold where it wasn't readily apparent. As a final note to close out my thoughts on his BABBDI script, his final line, "In this world, you are an outsider. Yet, considering what they're eternally confined to, I think that's something I can live with.". The most powerful thing about his BABBDI analysis was perspective. He put himself in the perspective of the character and experienced the game through a human lens, with all the emotions and experiences that humans have, with all the questions that might never get answered that humans have.
  • DESCENDING
    • Another reminder to always ask questions. A perfect example of media literacy, and always trying to make sense of the things around you with human logic, not game logic. Thinking critically and emotionally is the key. I really like the connection at the end to the beginning of the game, "our only way back.. is gone"
    • Such a skill but at the end of both games he always includes a little ending bit that summarizes the situation and comparing it to the beginning and how we ended up there recognizing the circular narrative at play. The thematic echo, or re-contextualization of the story with the newfound knowledge we have to provide a haunting conclusion to the story is a skill I want.
    • Big note: RECONTEXTUALIZATION
    • Fatalistic / Restrospective Framing
    • Always ending on a poetic note, describing things emotionally and artfully
  • THE TARTARUS ENGINE
    • A perfect example of analytical skills is when he gets out of the elevator and looks at the machinery, the thought that there are many rooms just like this room, that the machines are sprawling, parasitic, almost alien-like. The ability to convey such powerful thoughts and subconcious visuals into elegant descriptions is a skill I greatly desire. I think it's just about remembering to think critically, ask questions, and feel. The details and descriptions can be flowered up in post.
    • Nexpo isn't just covering the games, he does have an underlying thesis, a point, themes he recognizes and wants to say. It all comes together cohesively and he reveals it as it matters.
  • The Children of Clay
    • This is a pretty good example of making a not really scary thing that builds tension into an actual scary thing by really leaning into the tension it creates and adding your own sound effects and assumptions.

• How to Get Permanently Stuck in the Water Temple

  • Learned about "Key Logic" - a way to not be softlocked in games specifically in Zelda where no key is blocked behind another key door and another door not, so that if you open the wrong door you are softlocked.
  • Also learned how often people use the word "Posits"
  • Asking or posing a question then answering it with the next section is a good way to add some intrigue, personality, and keep people up with what you are talking about. e.g. - What if there WAS a way to sequence break?

• Cuphead - A Modest Tutorial

  • Surprisingly well made script for a troll video, introduced me to his writing and even speaking style. Feels like a teaching / audiobook style of cadence - refined but accessible.

• Cybershell General

  • Looking on GameFAQs and TCRF and other forums (/v/) and niche youtube videos and internet resources can be a fun way to get into older games and get the player-side lore. Could become something really interesting. Also generally read game critique about the game you are playing to get an idea of what other people think.
  • Quick Idea - I really like Wario, and go over the clearly well made wario series and how many games it inspired.
  • Cybershell is really good at anecdotal stories that are really relatable especially his Knuckles story, could be good to insert my own childhood stories and experiences.
  • I like his most obscure sonic game, he went over almost EVERY obscure sonic game in a row to lead into the eventual obscure sonic game, makes it more engaging and longer and allows more fun trivia to be unveiled or funny things to be noticed as we make our way to the eventual most obscure.
  • For his Banjo Video - All the cheats and secrets are discovered now but going through it from a child perspective and leading up to people discovering adds interest and mystique and value that wasn't present if you just went over secrets as they are currently available.
  • Always adds a personal note and nostalgic take that I enjoy
  • The Game Most Like a Creepypasta - Peak flow. The video goes from topic to topic in an unpredictable and clean way. You will barely notice how these things are loosely related until the next topic comes along and connects it all. Building up to the topic from small but niche and interesting.
  • fdjakslfjsdfas;kdgfasjhd - Favorite way to present a tiny idea - animal racers in games - but just go on a random tangent. Super fun and interesting way to present something by just going down a small rabbit hole.

• Cybershell DX Video -

  • Philosophical Essay Idea: How do games age? Another idea in same video: How games were more creative and experimental in the past.

• Why does this keep happening... MMOPINION -

  • One of the strongest commentaries I have seen on "WOWKILLERS", gamers wanting to be first to a new MMO because they want to be involved early in a new community. These games target the communityless gamers. Good criticism of MMORPGs actually being mostly bad games carried by communities. Virtual Worlds not mechanical marvels. People won't find the same community or friends that they would as adults nowadays as they would in games in the past, the ship has sailed. The games with communities already exist and can really not be replaced based on this philosophical analysis of WHY gamers crave a new MMO. This type of deep analysis is something I crave, pinpointing a problem and why this problem exists, and that there sometimes is no solution because the solution has already been made.

• The Most Terrifying Movie I've Ever Seen -

  • I found that this guys introduction and explanation of why this film is scary, what the events of the film are in a sequential order, and talking about in between the sequential events why it hit him so hard and what he felt while watching it. It feels like a good way to just play a game or watch a film then go in order about what you think it did well, what you liked, and why it matters while covering it. This act of weaving in your feelings and context/explanations is a simple and effective way to make essays perhaps that I can lean into. For future me this is that Lake Mungo video.

• how do you beat a villain thats right? -

  • I like how he had this villain triangle - Obstacles, Dilemmas, Mirrors - I think this is an interesting way to visualize deep media. Not all media is not deep because it follows conventional storytelling but post-conventional storytelling (from good vs evil to what is good and evil at all?) is an example of how deep it really can get.

• Whitelight's Serious Minecraft Critique -

  • I think this is the first legit critique I watched. I think it was important that he identified that minecraft's original feeling that made it popular was so iconic and it is largely removed. Minecraft can't be "bad" because of how it is designed but it can be flawed to what made its core gameplay engaging. Identifying the original feeling, what was good, what wrote over that original feeling, and how that made it less good, is a really important step in critique. Especially little examples like how a certain thing affects another thing. A seemingly inconsequential item, like a bed, destroys the entire fear of the first night. The overworld structures change how the player interacts with the world and the path they choose. Asking genuine questions like, why is the end.. the end? Why add lore if it doesn't service anything or become deep but also remove the mystique that the lack of lore really added to the world. There is a lot of notes here on how to interact with gameplay from both a mechanical and emotional point of view and how these things connect far more deeply in minecraft than in other games. Emotional reactions can drive the player to set their own goals and engage with the mechanics organically. There is also a big note here on how to look at something and ask questions and not just take it as face value because I got used to it, I should be mindful of how I or another player would interact with something and what I want/should feel vs how it actually makes me or another player feel.

• Empathy for the Inanimate -

  • Generally good idea, however the part that interested me the most is the pointing out of the difference of a hearth vs an HVAC. The fact that we don't feel connected to phones or HVACs like we do a book or a fire because of functionality. We don't really get how an HVAC works and if we do we don't care, we draw empathy for objects that create human-like connections. A fire needs tending and people gather around it, sometimes it's a group effort. People can tell stories and bond around it and cook food with it. These ideas mean that all humans need some base level of friction and humanity in their lives and removing all of that is anti human and makes us less emotional and connected. Ends with no means, too convenient, so much to get and nothing to earn. Connecting a sentimental object to becoming one of "us" because it witnessed memories and was present to represent a moment or many moments or that someone cared to get it for you is important reasoning for why this phenomenon happens. This whole video makes me think if I can verbalize or dig into my feelings about certain things with more scrutiny I can come up with an idea or philosophical question it presents so I can research if anyone has written or done studies on it.

• Horses

  • I need to find my depth of feeling. I need to be sad. I need to be emotional. I need to be happy. I need to be positive. I need to let myself be free and open and myself. The world is too fleeting to hide.

• what can you actually learn from video essays?? -

  • It feels so important to make the main point of the video to answer a question or prove a point, then find out what points/questions prove the main point and answer those questions. This can be scary as you can keep answering more and more questions and never end - I have to find a way to answer all the questions I want to answer to prove my point and make it entertaining without overcomplicating it for a normal audience. At some point you have to stop overthinking how to make a point with no holes and just make a point people can understand and enjoy. There is value in replication and reiterations - it's okay to talk about something again even if covered often. The capitalistic mindset of constant innovation tricks us into obsession with shock value over thought provoking content. Video essays don't need to be so plainly argumentative - they can explore information and possibilities, it can serve as the beginning to finding an argument or point. You don't NEED an argument or take. There is value in finding a basic concept to describe a thought or feeling and expand on that.

• Joseph Anderson "broke the game" videos -

  • It can be fun and entertaining to break a game at various points to entertain the chat and make for funny moments. Playing "perfectly" is not required and a lot of people don't even care that much.
  • If I notice something weird or dumb when I am thinking about it I should be critical of it and notice it. It isn't nitpicky to look at flaws and point them out and if I don't get a story element or think it's lame I should point it out.

• a love story... told from the end

  • i like the editing of the transitions and credits. good and moody. a lot to learn from a short piece.

• Saw | ContraPoints

  • Really like this topic and tackling it. The SAW movies are overly hated and panned by critics but can't even defend their criticisms and stoop as low as calling it torture porn and accusing those who enjoy it as sadistic and they take a moral high ground with their sanctimonious reviews. I think the idea of picking an overly criticized thing and doing the job of analyzing the media literacy of those critiquing it and making a case for the thing (or not honestly) but some case other than shaming it and not engaging with the media as art is pretty powerful. I like that she includes an example of worse things that happen in real life that people hardly care about even now. I think there is a way to apply this to video games, pick out games that are overly criticized by people but without ever engaging with it in a meaningful and honest way, the thing can even still be bad but hated for the wrong reasons, or it could even be great but people are too sanctimonious to be honest with themselves. This tackles an overall problem with dishonesty from the general media community and a lack of media literacy through and through, even from those we trust to be media literate. I like the anecdote at the beginning of thinking SAW is gross and evil as a child but then growing up to realize that their thought was childish... however many people who are "media literate" critique this media with that very same childish mindset. There is something to be said about the "high art" horror that mirrors slashers and torture horror but it isn't hated because it isn't bad.. but neither is "low-brow" stuff. Same thing can be applied to gaming. A lot of "high-art" games are as hated as "low-brow" games probably due to contrarianism. Going into definitions for context is important like what is sadism. Good point made - it is distasteful.. it is SUPPOSED to be distasteful. How you interperet that distaste is really important. Admitting to perversion is a good point - respect for an artist who is unashamed to make what they want AS art. Good point on Kramer being inconsistent which makes his character interesting but also it is bad writing because the writings are not necessarily aware of their dual writing due to defending bad aspects and trying to plug holes instead of making him be a logically flawed character.

• F.D Signifier -

  • Tyler Perry Video
    • This is an important example that you can make a video essay about anyone and anything as long as you can divulge some sort of feeling, emotion, or overall point/message alongside it. This video simply stems from the cultural significance of Tyler Perry movies in the black community and this man's research and feelings about it and what it all means.

• Charjie

  • The ENTIRE Journey of Final Fantasy VII -
    • Seems like a step by step storytelling with humor and charm of the personal experience as the player would see it in a normal blind playthrough - emotions, first impressions, ideas of what's going on and what might happen next, humor, etc..
    • He will go step by step long form with his experience on the game but with a lot of edits - entirely post commentary only some live it seems. he will make jokes, add little drawins, cut in with green screen, explain what hes learning and thinking as he goes, what he thinks might happen later, what he likes and dislikes. like a very in depth feeling based analysis of his playthrough experience
    • NOTE ON COPYING: maybe my angle is to be more emotional, descriptive, philosophical and search for some depth. so many people copy.. why can't I copy but better?
    • ^^ This is pre-watch, post-watch is below..vvv

• Bizly

  • General
    • Similar to Any Austin he definitely seems to hyperfixate on a particular thing in a game or a vibe that a game gives and sticks with it for the theming of the whole video. It relies on a more narrow and focused scope than a large broad scope. It can be some wiki warrior type stuff but I would assume (since I haven't watched either) that it heavily focuses on just Authenticity, Humor, Vibes, and converying an overall Message or Feeling. It doesn't try to be high brow or large production it tries to be authentic and simple with depth in its simplicity.
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• Non-Vid Essay More Playthrough Style Content

  • I Finally Played Deltarune... it Changed Me - RoyalPear
    • Started with a hook, an initial reaction, an introduction that is short that explains what's gonna be in the video, and then starts with the edited down playthrough. Explains intro character sequence briefly (Focus SUPER hard on MAIN MAIN KEY POINTS). KEY CHARACTERS. PLOT POINTS. THINGS YOU WILL HAVE TO REMEMBER FOR LATER. STUFF THAT IS INTERESTING OR NOTEWORTHY. (These things might be covered for only a brief moment even). Then include reactions or one liners or jokes for certain information. Big moments deserve more explanation and reactions. A lot of his explanations I notice include hindsight or things he learned or researched after the fact. (e.g. mentioning CH.3 is an IRL 5 year timeskip of time and everyone's theories about the TV were so wrong from what Tenna actually turned out being.) Advertise a 5-hour cut after admitting you had to cut a lot to make this video and then can sell 2 videos at once. The 5-hour cut seems to be like just cutting all dead air and boring moments of being lost mostly.
  • PakPak
    • Poppy Playtime and Mob Games' Tenuous Redemption
      • Noticing that he gave a lot of context as an opener and is calm and humurous in a somewhat intellectual way. Uses words like assimilation and "smarter" and more "mature" versions of stupid immature humor. Has a deep voice and uses pauses and light emotion to his advantage. Utilizes silly meme-like editing quirks and clearly spends time writing out a well-spoken script at least so far. I like his lowpoly transitions and in game character in MH. Kinda does a step by step analysis and review/playthrough of Poppy Playtime with jokes and memes and analysis/explanations littered throughout chronologically. There is nothing particularly original it really is just a silly coded step by step feelings + analysis video.
    • More like playthrough with heavy editing and explanation.
  • Albino/NotAlbino
    • His point about picking games specifically good for streaming, easy to do challenges on, easy to edit, and focusing on entertaining talking about what im thinking and mostly joking and memeing with the audience is pretty solid for a simple content strategy. The angle could be
      • Stream Game (Roguelike,Multiplayer,Challenging)
      • Always focus on emerging ideas (Narrate thoughts, react to good or bad things, have curiosity and questions always)
      • Have a setup of memes and jokes that are relevant and references people will understand
      • If the Game is stale introduce a challenge to spice it up
      • Upload VOD to VOD channel, Edit to Main, Clips to Main as Shorts
      • Angle is challenges or reactions or both, follow squeex and ludwig and other daily channel slop channels to see the meta. Pick a thing to do and do it for a while. Have a bunch of faces and reactions and styles and a general identity. Always be in commentary and streamer mode and say what you are thinking, where you are going, what you are doing, how you are feeling, jokes etc. Focus on better edited main channel content first then on slop channel when main takes off, stream everyday when main content starts rolling.
      • Settled style of explanation and editing can help add depth.
  • Goragle
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  • CDawg
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  • ClintStevens / Squeex
    • Observational / Relatable Humor
    • Pick a random game that is good background noise and pick a random challenge / speedrun / thing to work towards in the game.. can literally be ANYTHING.
    • Bounce off of chat and random rant / talk points
    • Use your personality, story, discover who you are, react.
    • If you wanna play long stuff it needs framing "This Broke Me" type shit.

• I want to change video essays in 2025 -

• Jacob Geller Interview -

  • Talks about how he sits down and fully writes out the script, always focuses on the emotional and feeling aspect of playing a game, and when writing the script AND reading it out he finds music that matches it and it helps the mood and cadence of his reading. Always looks for books, literature, papers, movies that will support his idea or feelings in the game or games he is talking about if pertaining to something that crosses multiple games.

• Games are like books, not movies | Joe Talks Writing -

• Writing English with Joseph Anderson -

• Joseph Anderson QnA -

  • 2017.10.08 Enter the Gungeon/Ruiner QnA
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  • 2017.10.09 Ruiner QnA
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  • The Witness
    • Big Hook. Good points that are bold, like Dark Souls being above criticism mostly by elitists due to "skill issue". Noticing that he strongly introduces the games purpose, mechanics, and how it teaches these mechanics and makes it feel. He brings in his personal emotions and how he feels while experiencing these things whether its satisfaction or frustration. He isn't giving a step by step playthrough more like an experience to experience.. experience, in order to guide the player through the game up until the point where he can make a point so that the context required is given for us to truly understand what his point means. Notably loving a lot of the game while being unafraid to point out its many flaws with detail and reason. Started first with gameplay as it is the most obvious part of the game and most notable probably. Acknowledged that they sound very positive about the game but tells you to wait and see. Criticism of the Puzzles amount comes second, and opinions of the creator alongside it. Praising the game for its beauty only to be staring at panels for the majority of it, panels that barely count as a puzzle. Too many puzzles are hidden and not utilizing the 3D world that could have been its biggest benefit. Pointing out the steam page is a lie and accusations of Jonathon Blow messing with the player. So much nuance in this video, its casual but so fair and logic based. I like that he emphasizes a point simply or poses the question simply that he is going to answer for more clarity. Love the idea of the 4 types of story - SS SC CC CS (complex/simple). Powerful Criticism on the storytelling. A Simple story told complexly in order to appear deeper than it really is. I love that Joseph Anderson does not accept any predisposed notions and doesn't get told his opinions or what to think, they are so clearly of his own and carefully pondered on and came to a conclusion on based on his own moral and logical judgements. Ask yourself questions on everything.
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• Jacob Geller Nebula Guide

  • Free Trial

• Cane and Rinse NGB

• Loose Notes:

  • Deep Tumblr Quotes and Corny stuff can be a good source of meaning (Pinterest too maybe)
  • ASK QUESTIONS - BE SKEPTICAL ALWAYS - BREAK DOWN QUESTIONS INTO QUESTIONS - DO NOT ORBIT THE POINT BUT ADDRESS IT !
  • It can be interesting to question a fundamental thought process that a story builds off of like vaults or terrorism and find real world examples or inspirations and truly question the logic and philosophy of it all.
  • Maybe the angle is to find a game I wanna talk about first THEN figure out the topic to talk about? - Dogma Tweet: Thinking of doing a longform video about Kenshi sometime this year but it'll largely be a comprehensive guide as well as analysis of the game due to the sandbox nature of it. I might do it in a sort of documentary format.
  • Be more thoughtful and active in my in-game thoughts. Be more critical and comparative but also analytical and emotional.
  • I think my thumbnail style should be drawn art in Wizzy style relating to the topic at hand but I could also go with darker or more aesthetic thumbnails focused on emotion, mood or a cinematic look in general to convey a thought or feeling strongly. Would need testing and maybe depends on the video type, although it is likely I should stick to one style.
  • It's okay to just dive in to a rant, don't circle the same point or repeat, ask some W questions, self-narrate and predict, react and turn everything into a possible commentary or point about what I think about the thing.
  • I saw the THUMBNAIL -> Video smooth transition and I think that is a cool thing to try out if possible.

• Definitive Notes:

  • Choose Either Long Edited Playthroughs and Presenting Like a Video Essay/Twitch Blind OR Types of Video Essays (Can mix the first style in for some earlier videos until more stable then can focus on being artsy) ~-~-~Thinking CDawg Style with more effort and emotion and more of a point/thesis/experience piece, VTuber or IRL, Shorts can be reaction or Video Essay Minis. Need Phone Cam Holder + Key Light. For Vtuber need to design and rig it. For IRL need outfit and hairstyle. Need a content style like I played the ENTIRE Mother series(example). Need a personality to lean on consistently and a content schedule.
    • BUT ALSO - Why not both? Deep Essays and the above?
    • THIS IS IT DO A MIX OF BOTH LEAN DEEP THOUGH FOR ME
    • No CAM unless in post. Clean footage is better for now.
  • No matter what - always write with curiosity, emotion, and as if I'm talking to a friend.
  • Conversational Tone, utilize clarity and brevity. Declutter and cut the fat, and don't use any filler. Don't abuse fancy words unless they truly add value.
  • All examples must be concrete, use stories as evidence of feeling and emotion
  • Be yourself on the page - natural humor, wit, quirks, and flaws should be present. Authenticity resonates. The unique insights and worldview I have is my advantage. Be emotionally honest, if I felt something say what I felt, and always interrogate my feelings. Speak in the first person often. Don't force jokes but don't unforce them either. Try to joke when it would obviously make sense. Admit my own flaws and absurdities.
  • It can be better to describe emotions rather than say them outright. Anxious -> Hands were shaking
  • Vivid details - Don't describe a scene flatly, include sensory details, specific details, colors, sounds, reactions. This can make my point memorable. Paint a picture with my words.
  • Never.. EVER.. sound like you are reading from a wiki page.
    • "Video games have become a major form of entertainment and storytelling. Many games use narrative and action to engage the player. They often involve challenges, puzzles, and choices." - VS. -“Have you ever felt your heart racing the moment a game world comes alive? I have. As soon as the opening theme of The Legend of Zelda started, I was hooked.. guiding Link through forests, villages, and dungeons felt as real as any adventure movie."
      • The difference between these two is obvious however I want my writing to be less corny but nonetheless its a good example of wiki writing vs emotional feeling based writing.
  • Note: I want my writing to be more casual.. more like "I have a question for you.." then kind of go from there with that but more chill. Still invoking powerful emotion but not sounding desperately earnest while doing so as it fits my real personality more.
    • Active Writing - Speak as if it is happening now.
    • Active Thinking - Reiterate on an idea until you find its depth
    • You don't write it all at once, you
      • think->write->learn->rethink->rewrite.
    • You must chisel away at it to find the gold.
  • Music is important, ambient music can be a huge mood setter.
  • On green screen usage, saw a comment about how it is used to not have to find good B-roll. Placing myself in the game or scenes myself or being more creative than just standing in front of something purely unless it is brief. Rely heavier on good footage and good b-roll and less on pure standing in front only. Try to make it fit the mood of what I am doing. Adding a shadow and different room perspectives help too. Use Mods and anything at your disposal. (Maybe make an environment in blender and pick angles and spots carefully to greenscreen myself into realistically?) Iconic gaming locations can work too, on a skyblock or something like that.
  • Use Freytag's pyramid, even in video essays
  • Use analogies for simplifying ideas
  • “When have I felt this outside the game?” (important question for unique personal angles)
  • ADD MORE HERE (CADENCE, PERSONALITY, EDITING STYLE, RECORDING STYLE, TYPE OF VIBE/FEELING CONTENT IM GOING FOR, CAM OR NO CAM/STREAM?, THUMBNAIL AND TITLE STRAT, HUMOR STYLE, LOOK, VISUALS 2D/3D/IRL or all 3?)
  • my first vid trend? do a little lineboil anim about who u are and what ur gonna do and what your style and humor is.
  • Complicated Topic or Deep Topic Layout
    • i guess the secret would be -> talk about deep thing but clickbait it and make it digestable so that normies will be tricked into clicking, watching, staying, understanding, spreading
  • COMING UP WITH IDEAS, EMOTIONS, CREATIVITY. USE A WORD WEB/CLOUD OF CONNECTING IDEAS, PHRASES, AND FEELINGS TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING INTERESTING AND NOT ROBOTIC SOUNDING OR TOO STIFF AND ACADEMIC.
  • Start Tweeting - About game experiences, ideas, screenshots/vids, hints, QRT with jokes/memes/references, strong opinions on trending things, discourse.

• Script Study

  • https://jphanderson.wordpress.com/

• Reading List Jacob Geller

  • https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pi6a-xbzEBzpOcvf1N16t0yLdd1-Kmvd9mnWxPyjCdg/edit?tab=t.0

• Research tips w/ Operators

  • Google filetype:pdf (at end)
  • Google Scholar
  • Academia.edu / ResearchGate
  • site:sitename.net (operator)
  • -WORD (op to remove a word)
  • "exact phrase" (op)
  • Google Custom Time Range Tools
    • Old Gaming Forums
      • GameFAQs Boards
      • Something Awful Forums
      • NeoGAF (Pre-2017)
      • ResetEra
      • RPGamer Forums (Defunct)
      • RPGFan Boards
      • IGN Boards
      • Usenet
        • groups.google.com
        • rec.games.video
        • can use site: op on groups
      • Wayback Machine (broad search)
      • LPArchive (Something Awful)
  • Same deal with interviews of devs and reviews etc.

• Creators I want to Emulate
  • Jacob Geller
  • Joseph Anderson
  • Folding Ideas (Dan Olson)
  • Nexpo
  • Action Button (Tim Rogers)
  • Hbomberguy
  • Super Eyepatch Wolf
  • Matthewmatosis
  • Dogma
  • Power Pak
  • Dungeon Chill
  • Pyrocynical
  • Razbuten
  • Super Bunnyhop
  • Nerrel
  • Bizly
  • Sagan Hawkes
  • KBash
  • Any Austin
  • DarylTalksGames
  • Liam Triforce
  • Hey Peter
  • Akasharose
  • Earlybird
  • NakeyJakey
  • FUNKe
  • NeverKnowsBest
  • YourFavoriteSon
  • Virtual Carbon
  • STAR RUN
  • Noodle
  • Charjie
  • ThorHighHeels
  • hazel
  • Majuular
  • Bind
  • Leadhead
  • eurothug4000
  • Nighthawk
  • Noah Caldwell-Gervais
  • Internet Pitstop
  • i am a dot.
  • Raycevik
  • Cybershell
  • BeamBuddy
  • Marsh
  • yakkocmn
  • Goldec
  • Ghost Surge
  • Grimbeard
  • minaxa
  • tangomushi
  • DoshDoshingtion
  • skittybitty
  • Max0r
  • Jeffiot
  • Not Saber (i think he uses AI)
  • Solar Sands (broad topics)
  • Horses (broad topics)
  • Clark Elieson (broad topics)