Video Ideas

ALL IDEAS CAN BE EMOTIONAL -> HOW DO I TURN THIS INTO A STORY?
e.g. Noita Wand Science -> Frustration with not understanding -> Journey to enlightenment

Ranty game deep dives, viable for any game
- e.g. Void Stranger drove me crazy.. and I kinda like it, We Need To Talk about Silksong, Arctic Eggs makes me feel weird, and stuff akin to that.
- Simple premise with wide range of possibilities. Topics can range from jokes, funny clips, moments to deeper meanings, explanations, feelings to mechanical and game design topics.
- All is viable as a single thesis / story or multiple in one to get a point across, usually the one the title is illustrating in some dramatic, entertaining, or provocative way.
- Humor should always be relatable, referencey/memey, quick, and related. Writing should always feel like I'm telling a story not explaining it, weaving in explanation through good writing is the strategy and the writing should always feel like it is emotional and likeable with personality.
- Try to come up with one title for each game to help brainstorm

Useful Notes:
Types of Video Essays - Telling a Story - Quotes, Aesthetics & Feelings -

Essay Ideas

• SSStylish Action Games
• Lone Wolf and Cub (TLOU, God of War, Bioshock Infinite)
• The Most Influential Game of All Time - Final Fantasy VII
• An analysis of Floating Islands
• Playing like water (Fluidity and Adaptation)
• Cowboy Bebop has the best depiction of Tragedy
• You are ruining games for yourself
• Dying Genres
• Liminal Spaces in Games
• Launch Titles
• Console Exclusives
• "Rambling about.." - series critiques retrospectives one-offs etc.
• "You should get into..." - deep dive into why people should get into something
• An Ode to Stylized Games
• What makes a game Cozy?
• Secrets - Deeper Meaning - Sense of Discovery
• A defense of Water Levels
• The 3-D Platformers you forgot - iNinja/PacmanWorld2 -
• What was the deal with the gamecube hate
• Fighting for your Humanity
• E vs W Surv Horror
• Encourage players to be creative
• Replaying childhood games to see if it holds up
• Video Game Auteurs
• Gabe Newell, why is that fun? quote when related to graphics. Source
• Wizard explains Noita -> Understanding Noita's Wand Science -> Noita is Cosmic
• Skill Options (Royal Guard in DMC3, etc.)
• Vulnerability (games that make you feel weak or powerless and why that's imporant)
• Going through people's old Minecraft worlds (following people's stories and experiences) (this could be a hit or miss depending on what i find)
• You should play hard games (overcoming challenge and perseverance, learning new skills)
• The friends we never had (captivating video game companions)
• Game Towns / Hubs that feel like home
• The Irreplaceables (games that can't be replaced)
• Skating Games
• Old anime and rain (how it used more effectively)
• Retrofuturism
• Fatal Frame (That one game everyone asks what game is this)
• 5 indie genre games I think you should try
• I entered the Gungeon.
• Finishing the Backlog
• Games vs Experiences
• Physical Game Maps
• Games you can't win / Games that make you lose
• Delisted Steam Games
• The Art of the Heist
• The Wise Old Man
• Lessons through pain (learning the hard way, pain is a good teacher)
• Games that force you to confront your dark side (Jung, the shadow)(Auschwitz Guard Metaphor)
• My favorite deep narratives
• Techno-Horror
• Diegetic UI/Gameplay Elements
• The Disempowerment Fantasy
• ..because you had to know (Dark Curiosities in Games)
  • Genocide Route in UT
• That one shot (Single scenes that made a game special)
• "Game" is not a game (it lacks the feeling of a game)
• "Game" is not just a game (games that go beyond gaming)
• Games that make you feel tiny - alt title. GIANTS.
  • (Megalophobia) (Fear from size, Megalophobia in games, How Megalophobia scares you, Scale in games, How scale makes us feel)
• The problem with Waypoints
  • (Go here then go here type gameplay, not bad on its own but can be a compounding issue) (GTA V and other games do it well where events often occur on paths you follow making the world feel fresh, alive, and worth traveling through on these common routes.) (Points about games that encourage you to explore their world vs others that don't and leave their worlds often unexplored) (Points about justifying the usage of this, GTAs cities are complicated, not easy to just navigate with a map, plus GPS does exist in this world and I use it in real life too over a traditional map as it's just inconvenient.) (What would be the viable replacement?)
• The Art of the Heist
  • (What makes a good heist? Why? Which games and media nail these elements? Which games and media fail? What is missing? What is the dream heist?)
• The Art/Importance/Power of the Side Activity
  • (Go over what a Side Activity and criteria for it is and the various memorable side activities both good and bad in various games)
• A genuine critique of Heartbound
• Games that you don't belong in
  • (Yume Nikki common feeling that "You don't belong here")
• The SHMUP Deep-Dive
• The "Anti-RPG" Deep-Dive
• The Lost Art of Internet Walkthroughs - (Flavorful Internet Walkthroughs)
• The Lost Art of Parody Movies
• The Lost Art of Parody Games
• Games that didn't need sequels (or threequels)
• The "Too Hard" Problem
  • common complaints,
  • boss fights aren't skill they become memorization,
  • unforgiving RNG or BS
• Dead MMOs - Games with 0 players online
  • Emil Chronicle - Dead MMO - Priv Server Available
  • Seal Online
• Promising games that never released
  • Eitr
  • Fermata on the Pithos
  • Ruin Pixel
• Taking Pictures
  • TOEM
  • Pokemon SNAP
  • Penko Park
• The slow sideways passage - Why?
• Fear Mongering
  • A little now -> The Past -> Segue back to now -> Why people then and now aren't so different -> Psychology behind why people do it, and how it effects the next generation
  • Big points to hit:
    • Big things and media that were Fear Mongered (Past and Present)
    • Psychology behind the Mongerer
    • Psychology behind the Mongeree
    • Where that leaves us today
    • The societal effects of it and censorship
    • Where this will take us in the future
  • Most important part of structuring this video is the flow (Free Association would do good here)
• I played Stardew Valley again - w/Linna - post-updates and what I missed
  • A cozy retrospective style that is very sentimental
• The Game designed to torture you - La Mulana
• Video Game Sound Effects
• The non-chalant twitter attitude that all games suck
  • are mid, or a boring 7/10 - why it's bad - robs you of fun, demotivates others, usually said by ragebaiters who hate video games
• The "Right" Way to Play
• I don't like guides
• I LOVE when I have CONTROL (midair jump control + movement)
• xxxx was a good year in Gaming (year with notably good releases)
• Arbitrary Video Game Challenges - Nuzlockes PVZ/PKMN etc.
• Learning to Speedrun Minecraft and what it meant to me
• on instakills (its not that bad or its BS)
• Black Myth Wukong is better not playing as Sun Wukong
  • Common argument online and in tweets that they didn't wanna play as this random monkey but I think it does a solid and honorable retelling of the original
  • A big reason the story isn't exactly the same retelling is because creative liberty comes into play and I think it shows
  • People complaining don't understand the lore or complexity of Journey to the West and can't possibly respect why BMW is an excellent game
• OFF - a Critique / a Critical Retrospective
• Take Your Time
  • A talk on games that allow you to take it slow, and why that's important
• How many games are you.. you?
  • Games that allow player insert vs. an established protagonist
  • Why you would do either and how it benefits the story or hurts it
• Places in games that feel like home
• Some game mechanics I didn't understand when I was a Kid
  • (Mario coin snake in world)
• Aesthetics > Optimization
  • Picking cooler and fun options over optimal meta ones
• Fights vs. Dances
  • Do you fight or do you dance?
  • Title WIP
• The Brawl Fighter Deep Dive
• The Era of Edgy/Dark Games
  • Infamous - Prototype - DMC Remake etc
  • Come up with a better title tho
• What happened to the goofier games?
  • deBlob - Parappa - Samba etc
  • Find a better title again for these type of games
  • Ape Escape
• EXTREME Sports games
  • Hot shots golf and other crazy golf games
• The importance of Loss
  • Silksong, Dark Souls, others?
  • All Flames eventually Extinguish, even the brightest ones. Carrying them on in your memory. Letting their flame continue to burn within you.
• Harsh Worlds where you are shown warmth or can make a difference
  • Dark Souls, Silksong, others?
• Games that aren't just games
  • Games that had a profound impact on me and who I am as a person
• What makes a Metroidvania (And why it's called that) - WIP title
  • Go over what created and defined this genre and what it consists of, how it was advanced, and what makes it meaningful.
• Secret Paths - like in SMW
• Revisiting X Old Game X Years Later
• 01 - Difficulty in Games
  • Is it actually Skill Issue? - A Silksong Analysis
  • Make a point that the inhospitable nature of the world is part of the world building and storytelling
  • Is there warning signs or giveaways to prevent frustration or taking damage?
  • What are some problems that are truly unfair?
  • What problems seem unfair but can be overcome with skill?
  • Hollow Knight was never an "every-man's" game, but the game is very accessible due to expert world design.
  • Dark Souls / Sekiro comparison, perseverance and overcoming odds is a big part of the satisfaction and storytelling of these games.
  • Would it being easier add to it, or only take away?
  • Is there a point if the enemies are a cake-walk?
  • The boss fights in these games are often set pieces.
  • Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid comparison.
  • Other notable and popular Metroidvania comparisons.
  • Underutilized mechanics/styles that could be changed to or used to overcome obstacles/roadblocks.
• My SL1 Journey - How it changed me
• What's wrong with Backtracking?
  • Common complaint in games that I feel like isn't too big of a deal and mostly has purpose or you don't explore areas thoroughly when you're there.
• Eerie, Beautiful, Unsettling and Mysterious Alien Worlds where you don't belong. Vast and alien worlds where you realize you're very small.
  • Title WIP - But something to this idea. Rain World, Animal Well, etc.
• The Dissonance between Banjo-Kazooie and Yooka-Laylee
• What's wrong with using guides? - From someone who doesn't use guides
  • Empathizing with those who dont have all the time in the world but also criticizing those who rely on it and use it at every turn to avoid thinking or exploring, robbing themselves of an authentic experience
  • Could be included in the 01 - Difficulty in Games video as a talking point
• Achievements are not fun
  • Distracts from the purpose of playing games and forces players to do arbitrary thigns they wouldn't normally do, ruins an authentic player experience and experimentation for the sheer purpose of unlocking achievements. Encourages the use of guides and walkthroughs and min-max gameplay as opposed to enjoying things authentically. Have fallen victim to it myself. I don't think achievements should be removed but I think people need to change their personal connection with them. Go for it if it sounds fun or worth your time and avoid it if it's not. It's not about difficulty, it's about wanting to do it at all. Some games I want to 100% every bit of it like Silksong because I love it so much I didn't even need to look at the achievements I unlocked them blind and authentically, same for Persona 5. But other games the achievements didn't sound fun to me (not the game's fault even) but I forced myself to do it and it was frustrating.
• Games that copied other games
  • talk about the stigma behind people saying THIS COPIED THIS, but how its always been a good thing, that we stand on the shoulders of giants, good artists take and great artists steal, how we are meant to learn and evolve what we created in the past, how it's impossible for everything to be completely original-nor should we strive for it, we should strive to create and experience people's interpretations of what they experienced, all stories are formed by people's inspirations and experiences and many of those came from games they played when young or movies they watched. "The best things you ever played were made by someone who was inspired by someone who made the best thing they ever played."
• Media that inspired other media
  • List of inspirations for Silent Hill on the Wiki could be a starting lead, similar to above idea maybe can be connected
• Japanese Depictions of Small Town America (or America in general)
• Silent Hill 4 - Something about it being underrated, under loved, misunderstood etc.
• Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - The game that JUDGES you
• The Noita Eye Puzzle is my favorite mystery ever.
• What came inside the box
  • physical maps, cool inside box art, flippable covers, booklets, the back of the box and cover design.
  • where it went, when it ended, why it mattered
• The Argument Against being a Wiki Warrior
  • Not a good title BUT a good point to go off of
  • Look Outside recently made me think this, going in blind makes this game so much better and many games are better this way
• FF7 vs FF7R Critique
• Games that make you feel badass (CAG tie in?)
• World/Overworld maps that I really like (or) that change e.g. Super Mario World
• Black Myth Wukong isn't Memorable
  • Addressing the reddit thread I saw
• Why I enjoy masochistic games
  • a deep dive into why extremely difficult games bring me, not frustration, but joy. And how they helped me grow as a person. Tied to the innate human urge to test our limits, answer what-ifs, and achieve what is said to be impossible.
• Games that scared me as a kid
• Getting lost in digital dreamscapes
  • Yume Nikki/2kki, B3313 etc.
• I love the style of games like (style name here find out??)
  • Factorio 1
  • Age of Empires
  • Etc.
• Why aren't multiplayer games ever GOTY?
  • they focus on gameplay when people often bring up gameplay, go over why it could or couldn't be and come up with a final answer
• Games that treat you like a baby
  • Talk about reiterating and constant reminders about where to go and what to do, overly helping, and not letting me play or think. Whether we need this in gaming or not and who it's for. How through all the repeating some people still don't understand where to go or what the story means
• Ninja Gaiden Full Series Deep Dive / Retrospective / Analysis / Critique / Opinion Piece
  • Address how I think Black is the best and I stand by that although many CAG fans will say NGII is better and for the context of CAG I agree but in general as a game I think Black is the most polished NG game overall.
  • Not sure if I wanna make it an opinion / feeling piece, Joseph Anderseon style Critique, Retrospective with light opinion, or all 3 in one. Prob all 3.. but leaning less retrospective but still provide good context.
• Undertale, Deltarune, and bringing back the gaming mystery
  • Talk about the feeling that Undertale/Deltarune gives that is nostalgic to the past of old internet gaming communities and theories of games that may or may not have been true but entranced gamers with their stories for years to come. A truly unique game that conceals its mystery so well that players couldn't figure out what's next no matter what and the game succeeded in slowly drip feeding the story in the most interesting and captivating way.
• Thoughts on Assassin's Creed as someone who knows nothing about it
  • Play through the whole series for a deep dive and give my take without any public discourse knowledge or social media influence related to it for the first time.
• Musical instruments in games
  • (instruments games let you play for various reasons or fun)

Short Ideas

• What was YOUR most important year in gaming?
  • Scroll through years and blur out some shorts style and list games besides some of the years that were goated then settle on mine and explain a top 3 and some quick honorable mentions. Short, quick, shorts voice, stylized content like youve seen before, very shortsy lots of visual aid
• Recent Gaming Hills that I am willing to die on.
• Friendslop games are not slop
• Bile water is a top 3 area in the game
• Ranking the hardest games I've ever played (Tier List)

Challenge / Gameplay Only Ideas

• What is the hardest official Mario Level?

• Learning Kaizo in one week

• Beating Silksong as a Pilgrim

• Silksong but every boss is Savage Beastfly

• Silksong Steel Soul Mode but I'm Naked

• Minecraft but we spawn on the other side of the world - Split World Hardcore

• Speedrunning a game before my Doordash arrives

• Can I beat Sans with 1-Finger

• PEAK - Death Mountain Mode (impossible mod)

• Noita - 100% Journey - All Pillars and Unlocks

• Noita Wandless (No waiting for good seeds)

• Noita but I start with no wands

• Noita but I am being hunted (co-op mod and Linna hunts me?)

• Noita but if I stand still I explode

• Isaac Co-op - Dead God 100%

• CloverPit - 99 Ascensions

• Ninja Gaiden Master Ninja Gauntlet (All 3, or 4, NG games on Master Ninja in a Row)

• I Wanna Be The Guy - One of the Hardest Games of All Time

• Nightreign - Long Runs Co-op

• Lethal Company High Quota Duos

• Dark Souls - Soul Level 1 - Co-op

• Elden Ring Bare Fist Challenge

• Achieving Perfection in Sekiro - Mastering Combat

• All Souls No Upgrades Gauntlet - Only attempt after beating all the games and some practice

• Easy Delivery Co but I deliver your packages as fast as possible

• Becoming Master Thieves in Payday 3 - Deathwish Contracts

• Dante Must Die - DMC3 - 1 hit KO (this might not be possible lol)

• Minecraft learn to speedrun, challenge to hit a specific goal time

• Cuphead - some nightmare mode, hitless, co-op maybe?

• Learning to Speedrun - Mario 64, Mario Odyssey, Galaxy?

• Region Locked Challenges (Like OSRS) - Locked to an area until goal is achieved for next area, usually 100%ing possible things to do in that area.

• Silent Hill F - Hitless, Highest Difficulty, Single Weapon, No Weapon etc.

• Becoming "Good" at Sonic - Learning complex mechanics instead of running to the end like most people do

• Terraria - Any Modpacks / Hardmodes

• Balatro but all cards are flipped - Blind Mode

• Enter the Gungeon - 100%

• Deep Rock Galactic - Duo Hardest Missions

• Hollow Knight Pantheon 5 but - some arbitrary restrictions

• Learning Geometry Dash - Beginner to Skilled

• Can I go from 6 to 4-digit in OSU (problem is wrists but maybe its possible)

• How far can a BLANK player get in Valorant? (play a singleplayer shooter and translate to competitive?) e.g. Ultrakill

• Learning SF6, 2XKO, Melee, Smash Ultimate - learning tech and getting good

• Binding of Isaac - 0 to Dead God

• Minecraft difficult or interesting modpacks

• Halo - LASO

• COD - Veteran

• Noita - Fair Mod

• List of Challenge Games:

  • Minecraft
  • Terraria
  • Elden Ring
  • Nightreign
  • Dark Souls
  • Dark Souls III
  • Dark Souls II
  • Sekiro
  • Bloodborne
  • Hollow Knight
  • Hollow Knight: Silksong
  • Celeste
  • Super Mario 64
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • The Binding of Isaac
  • Hades
  • Enter the Gungeon
  • Cuphead
  • Pokemon (any)
  • Breath of the Wild
  • Tears of the Kingdom
  • Ocarina of Time
  • Skyrim
  • Ninja Gaiden Black
  • NG II
  • NG III
  • NG 4
  • DMC 3
  • DMC 5
  • Touhou
  • Super Metroid
  • Sonic (find out most popular and tech filled game)
  • Mario Kart
  • Mario Maker / Kaizo mods
  • Stardew Valley
  • Slay the Spire
  • Balatro
  • Factorio
  • Baba is You

• Mods / Challenges

  • Any% / 100% Speedrun
  • No Damage
  • Pacifist
  • No Upgrades
  • Minimalist (Specific restrictions on items or skills)
  • Single item / stat / build / archetype only
  • Bad item only
  • Low Level / SL1 / BL1
  • Perma death / Ironman / Hardcore
  • Nuzlocke / Solo / One Weapon Only
  • Randomizers / Randomizer Races
  • Glitches
  • Time Attack / Score Attack / S-Ranks / Stylish Ranks
  • Modded Difficulties
  • Daily Seeded Challenge Runs
  • Custom Levels
  • Difficult Modpacks
  • Climbing Ranks (Competitive only)
  • Speedrun Race
  • Co-op Soul Links
  • Controller Split (I control half Linna control other half?)
  • Weird Controllers
  • Blindfolded
  • Not pressing a single button (A or B)