Probably not the answer that anyone in here that wants to hear, but if you don't enjoy any part of the process of video making right now, then just it's time to quit or take a long break. It seems like you need to recharge. And if you find the spark to make content again, then awesome. What I want to see from you is for you to be happy, and it feels like you're not happy creating videos at the moment.
For what it's worth, your Dragon Quest videos really got me into that series. Whatever you decide to do, thank you for providing us some entertainment!
Happy birthday, GC! Normally I prefer to take the path of nonintervention via not making any specific requests simply because I don't want to lessen someone's artistic voice or spoil it with my own additions. However, I can't deny such a heartfelt request for feedback! I think you have a very pronounced strength in peeking through the message of a narrative and teasing apart its narrative beats and themes, especially as relating to real life and even sometimes your own life. I think one big draw to your Like A Dragon series in particular is drawing out the social themes and morals the stories present, thus treating the games with respect as opposed to the vast swathe of people out there who just think they're a silly goofy time. I really did enjoy your Feature Creep and Character Ballad series, but in this algorithm-based world, I think there was something about the on-face presentation that wasn't as tuned for SEO as it might have been. And that's a really frustrating thing to say and to read I'm sure, but I think they could find an audience if it can just figure out what kind of thumbnails or titles or advertisements it needs to reach them. A struggle with a shift in content from retrospectives to a different style of content is the audience overlap won't be 100% and the systems don't necessarily know what to do with your videos or who to send them to because they're an aberration. Some people start another channel to post that kind of content just to freshen up the algorithm, and that isn't necessarily a bad idea to separate it if you wanted to give it a try, but ultimately I think the idea is solid and I'm in support of experimentation, just the systems in which we're forced to work are counterintuitive to dipping a toe into something. Your research is thorough and solid on whatever topic you choose to cover, and that's always appreciated. I know "go with your passions/interests" isn't necessarily helpful advice, but creative fulfillment is ultimately important for these things. In times like these, looking to what other people are doing to see what strikes a chord with you and what inspires you is important. Not to copy the work necessarily, but to expand your internal metrics of what's even possible. Also in general, that feature RUclips added (if it's available to you, I don't know how it rolled out) that allows you to try out multiple thumbnails and titles and see what's most well-received seems like a useful tool in this hellscape of robots trying to predict what people want to see instead of just asking.
This breaks my heart, GC. I’m right there with you, trying to make my own channel go off at great expense to my time/mental & physical health and feel like I’m pressing against a brick wall, wondering if I may have to one day give up something I love… And this is the second time I’ve had to make that choice (failed Hollywood screenwriter)!! One of the last scripts I ever wrote before I walked away for good was one I wrote just for me, no thought to it being marketable or even one I’d pitch to a studio. And it was the most fun I had writing a script in years. It was a good note to end on. If there’s that one video idea you’ve had that seems dumb or stupid or completely out of left field, damn the analytics, Go. For. It. I hope that, whatever you decide to do, it brings you joy. Be well, friend
So, I showed up to the channel from the Unpacking video. Loved the diversity of videos around that time. You seemed to care about what you were making and it showed. Character Ballads are awesome too! Honestly anything you actually care about really tickles my brain juices. SuperEyepatchWolf has a video about making videos, and in it he basically just says...make what makes YOU happy. It will show, and it will translate to views. Dude puts out a hour and a half video on the fake story of Space Jam 2 (before there was a Space Jam 2) and it was one of my favorite videos ever made. I don't want a SERIES from you, I just love watching you be passionate about something. Whatever that is, I just want to see you be passionate about the video again. You need to make yourself happy with it, when you're happy and loving it, so are we. Don't force yourself into a retrospective, just make something you actually WANT to. If you make a video about cooking something, gardening, a deep dive into the intricacies of cicada mating, as long as you care, I'll be here for it. Funny, serious, analytical, off the rails...whatever it is man. Screw the trends. You know what? If this IS the end? I'll still be subbed. Just in case you come back. Because when you care, you're one of my favorite content creators. Also, happy birthday dude. I hope the existential dread wanes for a while and you have an awesome day. You deserve it.
dunno if it's up your alley at all, but it'd be neat to see videos dedicated to breaking down character writing that you come across. the way you analyse theme has always stuck out to me in your retrospectives, and I'd love to see more of that
Your DQ retrospectives will always be some of the best DQ videos on this platform. Thank you for contributing so much to this niche fandom in the west. The legacy of your videos will always live on no matter what you decide to do moving forward.
I feel I've seen you grow for what feels like a decade now. Been supporting since my channel from back then, have continued to watch your videos on my new channels. Hope whatever you are putting your effort in is giving you the results you want soon. I've liked all of your content verticals... I wouldn't mind you "adjusting" your content to your current moment. Tell us about yourself, how you came into these games, how you started your journey and so on. No need to go hard on editing imho. Don't "force" output or you'll burn out even harder, I can seriously relate to that creatively. As for what kept me coming back? Your infectious energy and honestly deep dives into the shit that you liked. You can still do that, even if isn't game related. Also, given your last name, I felt very inspired by you thinking you were a latin american content creator doing extremely well way back then. Don't force anything, maybe do a Q&A with someone else so you can go back to back on less editing-intensive content you can later clip? In any case, take care and don't feel bad about "not ahving anything to show for it", you DO have. I can completely relate to this, having been "rich" 2 times and having to build myself up after big losses. Creative endeavors are entrepenurial by nature.
Couple of suggestions to spark the ole creative juices: 1. Creativity thrives in a framework. Give yourself a rule set to stay in and find creative ways to push the boundaries of your rules. 2. If retrospectives feel like 'home' for you. Suggest a short franchise to dig into and flex with, Chrono Trigger is something I'd person love to hear your thoughts on 3. From a chasing the analytics dragon perspective, you've picked some really historically niche series to make retrospectives on. You could try and either make YT Shorts of your older content, or make shorter vids of whatever is the most trending series in YT Gaming. Regardless, your vids were a beacon of sunshine in a RUclips devoid of DQ content. That got me in the door. You as a creative voice is what keeps me coming back. Hope you don't call it quits just yet.
I found this channel through the Dragon Quest Retrospectives and thought they were so funny and creative...Time to Boat is now a measure of time I use for RPGs.
i've watched most of your LAD series videos (all the one's for games i've played), and also a handful of your video essays. i liked all of what i watched, but i think (normal video essay-wise) i most enjoyed the video on 'rejected' video essays, the gambling video, and the Yakuza is for Men video. i also liked showing up during the judgment streams (finding out the nichegamer interviewer was asking questions to the interpreter was so fucking funny). overall, i think i've most liked your critiques of games through a sociopolitical lens, your discussions of how a game (or series) fails to reach its potential or undermines itself, and your breakdowns of how a game very successfully accomplishes a thematic/character/story/whatever goal. also, looking through your videos, it's occurring to me that for a lot of the ones i haven't watched, the titles and thumbnails are probably underselling them. from this video, and from other videos of yours that i've watched, i probably *should* have been interested in e.g. the Paper Luigi and Urdnot-Wrex videos, but their undescriptive titles/thumbnails didn't give me anything to anticipate. as another example (which a bit better), i was curious about the mario party video on the basis of its title's assertion, but not enough to watch it. now knowing it's about mario party as a social deduction game (a way in which i've come to appreciate it), i definitely intend to watch it. one i've had no interest in is the fishing one since nothing about how it's about fishing is articulated (although, as this video alluded to, i'm sure it has something interesting going on). generally, i think titles and thumbnails that have a combination of (often implicit) question and thesis tend to attract my curiosity better. no idea if other people work like me in this regard, but i figured this additional paragraph could be useful if so. i'll try to watch some of those videos later today and maybe report back.
I think it's perfectly acceptable in life to get burned out from things we used to love, and I personally wouldn't look back at your time spent on the channel as a failure. In life, there are a lot of dreams and plans that don't work out, but what is truly important is what you take away from the attempts. I think it's really cool what you have achieved so far with the channel, if I learned a friend or coworker had done something like this I'd be blown away. So I guess I'd say, whatever you decide to do just don't be hard on yourself and think of it all being for nothing just because it didn't turn out monetarily.
I'm sorry you haven't been enjoying creating recently. I wouldn't have found more of the dragon quest series without those early videos, and your video essays around 2022 were always saying something that wasn't really being talked about. Your video about loving a game without playing it was beautiful, and I think it applies to pretty much any piece of media. I learned to love 40k through Rogue Trader, and I think it was just as valid of a way to experience the world. I've enjoyed videos where creators are just sharing about a piece of media they love and why it's been important to them. Probably doesn't sound creatively fulfilling, but it's just nice to hear someone talk about the media they love in a kinder, non analytical view. I hope you find a way for this channel to bring you joy, you brought that to a lot of peoples lives. Even if it doesn't feel like it in the grand scheme of RUclips metrics.
Hey GC, and happy birthday! I've been watching your content for 6-7 years now (I found the DQ Retrospective at the right time and it really helped get me into the series. I've played most of them at by now!). Your Yakuza 3 and 4 videos stick out in my head a lot, both creatively and from the unique perspective you bring to story and literary analysis which I think has helped me approach thinking about these things better. Representing Latines and Hispanics in Games also stands out a lot; I think about your coverage of LiS2 pretty often. I've been steadily catching up on Burnout Culture episodes lately and your tangent on Gundam Unicorn and your summary on like "The Dragon Quest series as a story of Yuji Horii's life" both really stand out. I'm not necessarily suggesting them as possible topics in the future, but I'd love to hear you talk about stuff like that in that way, if that makes sense. I've enjoyed watching all of your videos and would definitely miss your stuff if you were to stop (though I assume you'd be sticking around the podcast), but I think it's important that you don't continue only for the sake of it to burn yourself out further, y'know? Do what you gotta do, and I'll be happy to follow you on that journey or let you go either way.
Hey GC From one burn out of sorts to another, I can really only say I sincerely hope you take a god dang well deserved break. Like at the end of the day what matters is finding what you want in life, in creative endeavors, in videos in whatever, and you mention not knowing the answer to that exactly but that's just it- sometimes you can't solve a problem by ramming into it over and over. Maybe a full on break is the way to find where your creative juices need to be put. Videos or not. All I can say is that I wish the best for ya. I'm beyond thankful for all I've gotten to see from ya on account of me finding a lot of your analysis very entertaining in the real way- in the "Thinking on it after" way- you bring a nice perspective to things regardless of if you believe that or not- it's a perspective I put a lot of value in and appreciate :) And I'm far behind on catching up through your more recent years worth of stuff, so perhaps my own perspective is blurred by a reality in which you taking a break wouldn't mean I miss out on creative works to enjoy= but honestly fuck that excuse- I could have nothing and I'd be saying the same. It isn't like my own mental switches will suddenly flip and I'll be marathoning tomorrow as much as I'd like to lmao You deserve a break. What you've made is worthwhile. I think it's awesome that so many people have gotten to share these moments and thoughts with you and of fuckin' course it'd be so much better in some ways if some more did- but above all else, I would hope you take care of yourself in all this and that includes stepping back if all of 'this' just isn't doing it for you right now. Keep kicking ass, man 👍 Find your fulfillment and all those other buzzwords. The fact of the matter is life goes on, you can do fucking anything, you can turn around and do other shit whenever. It ain't a waste. It just ain't. This is all just some cool stuff you got to do, something unique and different and it's awesome. Ain't none of this a waste. Also, I'm outspoken on loving the "emotional analysis" style reads I suppose? I've had a damn blast in all your shit though so hard to say. I just find it really entertaining to see a video on a game I'm familiar with from someone seeking to find a deeper emotional core to propagate their story of the game from, and getting to hear it. Y5 best Yakuza from someone who stopped after 6 lmao. I haven't seen the later vids after 6 because I haven't played the games yet but if you're feeling drained on it then as an outsider to that discussion I would genuinely say maybe step away entirely on that end. I know *I* really enjoyed getting to hear your thoughts on Y6 which did plenty for my post-game defrag (since I watched directly after finishing it myself, probably shouldn't have done that since it lead to my head being busy defragging and then I just rambled far too much there- but it was a hefty discussion of a game so maybe it'd have always been that way lol) and your talk on yakuza's struggle to handle women was a banger- but if you've been feeling less invested then honestly? Fuck it. Videos or not, if the series is feeling more rushed as it's become such a major flagship for them then you don't owe them the time of day to play let alone write about em. I know half the reason I haven't played more is because my defrag of 6 left me feeling disinterested- I can't imagine pushing ever deeper and now experiencing a series milking itself for fast releases and still making it a point to play and write about em- that's rough damn stuff. Anyways anyways, traditional too long comment aside: HAPPY BIRTHDAY :D Now take a break, unless you have some lightbulb moment. Much love and appreciation, GC~
Happy birthday! I've been watching your stuff for at least 4 years now, and the stuff I enjoyed was mostly the stuff outside of your retrospectives, such as the feature creep about cooking, gambling, etc etc. But at the end of the day, if you're not enjoying any part of what you're doing, it may be good to take a good long break. I can sympathize with burnout; I'm not a youtuber but I do draw comics for a living and that comes with a totally different kind of challenge, but at the end of the day the stuff that I force myself through burnout to produce just isn't any good for anyone. My advice would be to try to recharge, and try to find something to be passionate about, whether it's making videos or not. Whatever you decide, I'm rootin' for you dude!
I've appreciated how naturally and unapologetically you've been through your work, especially the DQ vids and a lot of the Yakuza stuff. You were a guy giving their take, nothing more, nothing less and that's what made the work so engaging regardless of if I agreed or disagreed with your points. Like others have said, take the time you need to breathe, and refresh. Play some new games, don't play any, whatever makes you feel like you're getting that energy back. Being a writer myself, one thing I've learned is that the creative spark will always come back, but trying to force the spark will only make it take longer and longer. Whatever lies ahead for you, I hope you push through to get where you need to be. Been a fan of your content since around the time you dropped the DQ 11 retrospective and I've stuck around this long, so best believe I'll be around when you're back to 100%.
I can understand the feeling of not having your channel grow as you expected, I also have this channel since 2012 and only now got to 6k subs. On the topic of what I liked and made me follow your creations, it's definitely the sense of humor. From the start, having a skit with a costume and rhyming was cool, but you having fun was the total package. It seems people nowadays aren't into watching fun videos like they used to, since most people have serious concerns about their futures and that includes having some form of stability, financial or otherwise. Which brings me to the point of looking into making some form of external monetization, like Patreon and having an editor to help with the process. Also having a Discord with the audience may help with the creation process.
I literally just subscribed earlier today because of your Dragon Quest 6 retrospective, so I don't have much perspective outside this video, but if RUclips isn't working out, there's really no shame in putting your efforts elsewhere. You've built up a sizeable portfolio of analysis and editing, and I think those are definitely transferable skills. If you want to keep up the channel, why not go a bit meta? Videos where you take viewers on whatever process you're going through in whatever you're working on could be interesting, and you get other things done at the same time. I've never had it in me to put my thoughts into an essay or video, so frankly I'm a bit envious of what you HAVE done so far, and I think forcing yourself to continue doing types of videos you don't want to do won't be productive for anyone. TLDR: Not an original comment, but make what you want to make, when or if you want to make it, even if it's radically different from the rest of your catalogue.
I really really enjoyed your Feature Creep videos and the other miscellaneous stuff. Not actually a big fan of the retrospectives, although I understand that they bring the most consistent numbers because that's were youve built you're audience. That being said, I watch and enjoy every video because I like how you mingle the analytical mindset with the passion. My mom changed jobs a few years ago, is now a real estate agent and everyone who knows her is like "Yes, in retrospective it's obvious that that's the perfect job for her" because she really loves houses and in every house, no matter how ugly, she always finds something to love and then can convey that and infect other people with that passion and I feel like that's you with videogames. You always find that one awesome thing and you can always convince me that it's awesome. So the best tip I can give you is follow that passion. And if it isn't there right now and you're just burnt out, maybe take a step back and give it time to return instead of forcing yourself to make content you're not actually enjoying. I will gladly wait. If you care about growing the channel I think collaborating with other gaming essay channels would be a good idea (I personally found you because someone I already followed gave you a shout-out) and coming at it from that perspective (who would I want to work with and how could we make our respective perspectives and skill sets work in a collaboration?) might actually inspire you (paradoxically I had some of my best ideas in my professional life, when I was constrained in some way). Whatever you decide to do I'll stick around for and I just wish you the very best!
Happy Birthday GC. I loved your Dragon Quest + Monster Series really got me back into playing the series. I watched a couple of the feature creep videos and your editorials. You are great at going deep into details and exploring features and narrative structures. As an visual artist I can relate to the burnout. I would let yourself explore games that bring you joy; it will help you rediscover the reason you started to make video game essay content in the first place. That being said you don't have to create essays about them right away do live playthroughs. You can still talk and explore design choices, narrative tone about the game as things pop up. Use live playthroughs when your explore games as a way to engage with your audience in-between creating your essays. Essays take time to write so engaging with your audience in other ways in practice should help your channel grow. Be proud of what you have done so far.
Been here since i found the dq7 video like 8 years ago, and ive loved ur content since. I will say retrospectives on games like yakuza, where the issues and content of the games dont vary alot, can be really draining. I got fatigue by the time the yakuza 6 video came out. I absolutely love it when ur a bit less “clinical” and more focused on being comedic. Idk i love ur content and its been a genuine comfort as ive gone through alot of changes in my life. I love the vibe of earlier content like the dq retrospective. The video on one piece was really fun and very in line with those as well. I hope you figure out whats best for you. You’ve provided alot of support my way even if just through youtube content, so i hope this helps a little. ❤
My initial response is that if you want to continue making content that you make content that you feel honest about. If it's something you enjoy, or something you don't enjoy. It's important to keep the honesty in what you're saying. I found your content when you started the Dragon Questrospective. Being a long time fan of the series before that I was able to feel what you were saying. The skits and theatrics you did kept me hooked for the next upload. It was fun. Even as your opinion on the Like a Dragon series changed over time, and while you got some undeserved hate. You were being honest with what you were saying. Even if I didn't agree with your view points it was still fun to watch. I think the key to your content is the fun you put into it. That fun and honesty will keep me coming back. Find something to love or hate and make the content how you do. If I were to recommend a series to try and see if you feel the creative spark is The Legend of Heroes. Namely the Trails series. They are mostly cozy rpgs but they go places. Unfortunately they can be very long, but it's a very good time. There is a lot to unpack. Finally Happy Birthday. I do hope that you find your creative spark and find the things that you want to talk about.
Happy birthday! I loved your videos for awhile now and while I’m bummed you're burnt out, above all else, please do what you need to do, even if it means taking a break from creating videos for awhile. That said, in terms of what I'd like to see, I'm a fan of both the video essays as well as the retrospectives. With the retrospectives, despite taking longer to do, are appealing in terms of being a long-running series of games that are seemingly appear similar from the outside, but digging deeper, there's much more depth and nuance to be found, always with a new angle to explore a series from. That said, it's probably smart to juggle these with other, smaller video types as not to put all the eggs in one basket (or burning out). With the topic videos and video essays, these have a lot of potential. In particular, I’m a big fan of the strategy guide video, the mods video, and the “yakuza is for men” video. Maybe occasionally instead of doing a wide berth of games, maybe scale down to just one game? Not quite as a 'review' of that game, but as an exploration of a specific theme or topic. (The Ballad videos get somewhat close to this, but something a slightly more expanded if that makes sense). The comment you made on the Burnout podcast about DQ games' plots possibly being tied to Yuji Horii's personal circumstances with the development of each was also an incredibly interesting idea.
An emotional core is #1. I want to know what people care about and why. Every other interesting thing often flows from that place of internal truth. Why does the work affect you, how does it achieve that, what does that mean, etc.
First of, happy birthday GC! I know the past couple years have been rough. But I sincerely hope 2025 treats you better because you deserve it. ❤ Second of, I admire your bravery for putting this out. It's hard to show your vulnerable side, especially to people on the internet, some of whom wouldn't hesitate to kick you when you're already down. I've been following you since 2021 and I've witnessed your struggle, at least partly through streams. I know you put a lot of yourself in the creative process and I'm so sorry that it didn't pay off like you had hoped. Unfortunately I wouldn't be of much help here. I'd tell you to keep following your heart and not care about the algorithm. But that wouldn't necessarily help steer the channel in the direction you want. I like all the content you make. Then again, maybe I'm easy to satisfy lol. So I'll let others make suggestions and hopefully some of them will spark your interest. Ultimately, whatever you decide to do, I'll support you. Say awesome 🎉
You have all the talent to do whatever you want to in the space. My only suggestion would be to try doing some live streams solo or with some other fans from the games in that community that you like. Whatever you do just keep on grinding and don’t give up. Appreciate your content hope you keep going.
I really have enjoyed the retrospectives and character ballads the most. That said, do what interests you! I think the best videos in general are made by those who have a real passion for their subject. I hope things get better for you soon!
I've always loved the passion and positivity - I hope to see more of you, but I wouldn't ask anything that's a sacrifice instead of a personal passion project. 🙏🏽 Our economy doesn't value art, even if we're always shown the exceptions - people always will though. Just know most of those numbers appreciate the piece of yourself you've given! No matter what you do, live your life however you're most happy. We may only have the one. ❤️
I discovered you about a year ago when I found your DQ11 retrospective. Honestly I was drawn in by this witty twink that could combine sassy jokes with incredibly insightful analysis of the game. (lol) It was a brand I thought was unique in the JRPG space and I was excited to watch more! But seeing more recent content, it’s clear you’re not that guy now. This isn’t bad - we all grow and change, but as a brand it’s difficult when a channel changes in terms of type of content, release schedules, etc all at once. Building an audience usually comes from consistency in selling what makes you unique from others. I say this as a marketing executive for an insurance company. This video seems to suggest the issues you’re feeling are a bit deeper. Your wording sounds like you have no choice but to make content, and forced content is never good. What motivates you to continue trying? What would success look like if you continued to make videos? You mention that you want to make jokes in videos again - why can’t you? Defining the barriers stopping you from being happy with how things are going is always a good first step. I’m not sure any of us replying to you can offer a fix, but I really hope you find a solution that makes you happy, whether that be on or off of RUclips.
I wasn't really a huge fan of Dragon Quest until i watched your retrospective. That was my introduction to your channel. I really enjoyed the humor, analytical observations, and emotional connection with those games, characters and stories. Now i love every game in that series and I've played most of them. The same goes for the yakuza series. I wish i knew how to better help spark that muse for enjoying making videos again. All i know is that I'm going to be watching whatever you make, whenever you make it, even if that takes you another year to feel motivated to do, and have a happy birthday my guy.
I can't answer whether or not it's correct for you to continue doing content creation. That's something that's deeply personal and I would encourage you to take some time, introspect, and see where you arrive with that. That said, when I think of your content and what I remember most, it was both your videos about gambling addictions in games and interrogating how games represent latinx cultures from the perspective of someone who lives one of them. I like those two videos in particular because they're rooted in your own personal perspective. They showcase the unique viewpoint you come from and how it colors the way you interact with media. And I think it's why they're such strong videos.
It doesn't always have to be this analytical dissection of a game, it can just be you talking from the heart like this video. It can just be you or with someone talking about your memories of discovering video games. You can talk about games that left an imprint on you and the joy of just playing them. Just something simple for now instead of a big project that's going to eat you up.
This is a tough one to answer. I came in because of your Dragon Quest retrospectives, and I honestly enjoyed them a great deal. Some of your other videos, like the one about not having to finish games, replay value and even the game feature overview ones (I loved the fishing video by the way) piqued my interest a fair bit. I'll admit I'm not a big Yakuza fan so I've skipped most of those videos, and while I've watched the Dragon Quest Monsters videos, I can definitely see what you see in them as they progressed on. I think the thing I want to see you do is do what you want to do and find enjoyment in it. I know that sounds weird to say, but I think that's what I can say about all of my favorite content creators. The ones I stick with are the ones where I can tell they're having fun and enjoying what they're doing. There have been more than a few over the years where I've drifted away because that feeling of their enjoyment left the videos as they tried, often way too hard, to please the algorithm at the cost of their own personal enjoyment in the content or the process. I can kinda speak to this in my own past as a hobbyist illustrator. There was a time when I used to love drawing and would just do whatever for my own enjoyment. As soon as I made an attempt to expand and do work aimed at a specific audience, the cracks started to show in my work. I pushed through it for a while, but the pressure of trying to please everyone else ultimately ate away at my own enjoyment in the process because I wasn't making pieces for myself anymore. Eventually, I broke down and just stopped drawing altogether, and lost even more time I could have spent having fun to my own frustration at the process and an inability to come up with ideas that pleased me. It was like a weird mental block brought on by years of internal stress that I was ignoring. I don't know if this is a typical problem for other creatives, and I wouldn't take it to the extreme that I did with art, but I do think that you might do well to take a brief hiatus to think about what you want to do that would fulfill you. I'm not going to say that you're going to be a huge success or rake in thousands of new subscribers by this suggestion, but I do think that the audience can tell when you're truly having fun and doing something that is meaningful to you, and will respond accordingly. Hopefully this helps some, or that someone else here has something to say that clicks with you somehow. Other than that I can only wish you well, whatever you decide to do.
more pajama sam content lol in all seriousness, i loved your dq videos and regardless to whatever you decide to do, thank you for the time/energy/effort you put into them. i guess my question to you is… what do you currently feel passionate about? what are you doing to find moments of joy in your life? maybe that’s not even video games, but if you’re anything like me, you go through phases of different hyper fixations. if content creation isn’t fun, don’t do it!! but if you have something you’re feeling passionate about these days, i’m sure others would be interested in watching whatever content you want to create surrounding that interest.
GC, homie, you got this. I personally love any of your Dragon Quest content, you're honestly one of the only creators that makes DQ content that I enjoy. So I guess if I had a request, it'd be more Dragon Quest stuff -- as I'm sure you know, its an audience starved for content aside from the games.
I liked your DQ retrospective videos a lot. You are the one who convinced me to try out the series and I am grateful. You are a funny and charismatic guy, so I like to see your face in your videos.
Your Dragon Quest videos are how I found your channel not long after your upload of the Yakuza Kiwami video, and it's been a treat to see you tackle different games. Your retrospective vids have been a joy, you bring perspectives I don't often see, like with the themes of love and intimacy from the Yakuza 3 video. Questrospective, at least to my mind, feels like a cornerstone of your channel, and I feel it's where you really strut your stuff with your writing. The character ballads were also a good focused look at the characters you chose to discuss. I think some time away might do you some good, yes, but I ultimately hope you find that creative spark again.
My attention span has been terrible lately, so I've seen notifications from channels like yours and others that I'm subscribed to but I always push them away thinking "maybe I'll watch it later", and I feel like a lot of people might be going through the same thing, so it's mostly big stablished channels with enough subs to always reach between 200k and 1M that are actually surviving the tide of shorts, 1 minute videos, slop content... that's flooding platforms lately. I found myself watching the same videos on loop while eating, cooking, cleaning and more rather than trying to watch new and more "challenging" stuff (I said challenging in quotes because that includes deep analysis of media and just silly stuff... literally anything "new" feels terrifying right now) Editing this because I finally finished the video (sorry lol) but, personally, my favorite videos are things like the Mario Party, the ballads and your video about latine representation in media (I'm half Spaniard, half Latino), as I've never played DQ or Yakuza, but I've watched your DQ monsters and Caravan videos because I knew about the main series but not about these spin offs, and they caught my attention.
GC, I've been feeling the exact -- and I mean *exact* -- same way as you. I've put a fair amount of stuff into production this year, got as far as voice overs and just said "... that's it. I think I'm done." So from one video guy to another, here's at least my plan. I'm picking out a handful of topics that I would legitimately regret if I didn't cover them. Maybe if something happens after they're finished, I'll reevaluate. But I am fully prepared for them to be the last videos I make. Right now, I also have the dream of telling a story through a video game of my own making. And I think I've been procrastinating on that dream for too long. So it's not like I'm giving up that creative mind forever. I just plan on putting it somewhere else. So maybe stopping will also be your final answer? But don't think the years you spent doing this were wasted. Maybe I would have been a millionaire if I didn't make dumb RUclips videos, but I never would have made a friend in GC Vazquez if I didn't. Your videos also pushed me forward and inspired me. If nothing else, I'm glad you made them!
I found the channel with your "STOP SENDING ME YOUR RPG MAKER GAMES" video lol, I'm a big fan of the engine so it was a fun video to watch. Then I stuck around when i watched some of your Dragon Quest videos which were fun insight into a series I hadn't really played beyond the PS2 game (and now the recent DQXI). But I never really followed the DQ Monster or Yakuza series vids, as Yakuza is a series forever on my backlog so I try to avoid spoiler stuff, and I don't really know anything about DQ Monsters. Watched some of your vid essays (the drinking one especially I thought was good), enjoyed those too. All that to say: I quite like your personality and video style, so when it's a video I see that's of a topic I've an interest in and am not avoiding I'll click and watch. Sorry to hear about the burnout, I hope you can recover! But if you do decide to walk away then know that I've enjoyed the you you've put out onto the web and I appreciate this sort of head's up notification of what might happen, it's always a bummer when a content creator just goes dark without ever saying why and is never seen again, so it's nice to know the why if that does happen (though I hope it doesn't!). Thanks for all the vids and fun, I wish you luck in your self search!
When I started playing Dragon Quest 9 I didn't really enjoy the series as a whole. I liked that one game. But when I saw your video come up it was really inspiring. The way you analyze games is beautiful. Your videos have this feeling of hope and that really inspired me to do my own work better. I think the biggest thing I want to see more of stems from the videos you make. You make a lot of analysis on games, you have to play the games, if it's possible I'd love to watch you play the games! Your dragon quest series got me interested but the way you talk about things in your videos kept me around. I hope you find that joy again!
Honestly, I love the videos you make b/c you're passionate about them. If you have burnout, I know the feeling b/c I'm currently in that feeling since last year. The creative spark has fizzled out. I do have the need to make videos, but I just don't have it in me to MAKE THEM. If you wanna get out of your creative rut, here's some ideas: 1. Exercise, or take a walk of some sort, whether in your neighborhood or anywhere. The walking could run some creative juices in your brain. 2. I'm sure you did Dragon Quest and Yakuza b/c you love the series. Is there another game series that you love? Maybe do some introspection of the games you like. 3. Maybe listen to some audiobooks on burnout. I listened to the "Steal like an Artist" series and it got me some ideas what to do. Or buy those book if you're more visual than audio. 4. Just play some games on your own time. You might find something during those play sessions. Who knows?
I found you through a concerted effort to find someone who took an in depth look at the Dragon Quest series. I saw a few people discussing the series, but your retrospective is the only one I vibed with. I admittedly don't know a thing about Yakuza and haven't checked out that retrospective. I generally like the blend of serious analysis with jokes peppered in to keep things from being overly serious, but also remember being particularly fond of the analysis of DQ11 (I go back and watch that video in particular every so often). I am not entirely sure as far as what a good series to look at (or if it even has to be a video game related thing), but I enjoy the way you break down a story, and think it would work if you thought enough of the story to have something to say.
Happy birthday GC, love your videos even if I don't agree with everything. First thing is that you should always take your time, I might be an outlier here but I don't care how much time an artist takes to create something, as long as they enjoy it that's the most important. I'm using this as a launching point to say that a video idea should be exciting for you to begin with. As for me, my favorite videos you've made are of course the DQXI videos, they we're (and still are) the best videos on the game on the platform to this day. Not having to finish a game and replay value I like to think back to a lot, especially the older I get and time is limited with adulthood. Another favorite are the strategy guides and card games videos, they are aspect of gaming I don't think many explore in the way you did in those videos, and this leads to a video idea I'm interested in seeing is analyzing card based RPG and how they work as a card game in of themselves. Ever since I beat both Baten Kaitos games (some of my favorite games of all time), this is a subject that is fascinating and worth a look. in general it sounds like you're more burnt out of making long retrospectives and keeping up with LAG series, but most important is that you take your time and don't feel pressured about making videos.
My favourite video you ever did was 'Representing Latines and Hispanics In Games'. I like it when you take your own personal experiences and view games through that lens. That said? I agree with those below. If you're burned out, it's time to step aside. I can say that this is a lesson I wish I'd heeded, where exciting projects kept coming up and I kept taking them, ignoring the burnout signs. And I just died. Blew a contract, never wrote again, when if I'd been smart and just stepped back, I might still be doing it. Listen to your heart, listen to your instincts. If it's time to say goodbye, it's time to say goodbye.
I'll be honest, after your year hiatus, I don't know if I just quit paying attention to your channel, or stopped getting it recommended in my feeds or what, but I haven't watched much in a long time. But from I watched a few years ago, I enjoyed the videos you have passion for. So if you've lost your passion, you need to find what you love. I can't recommend another hiatus, because like you mentioned, it wrecks the algorithm recommendations. I mentioned it a few years ago, but I'd love your take on a Final Fantasy series retrospective. I know you don't have the same nostalgia for it as Dragon Warrior/Quest. But at minimum, with it being such a huge franchise, it may help bring in more views. Now I'm going to try and catch up on some of your videos I missed.
Firstly, happy birthday! I don't know how this specific individual day is actually going for you (good I hope!) but I'm really sorry to hear you've been having a rough time of things lately... As for myself... I'm not really sure how, like... actionable? my feedback would be, but in terms of what I like about your stuff, I think you have a really good ability to sorta... look at things in a broader context than just a vacuum. Things like the social commentary and theme analysis in the LAD series, for example, or discussion of the sort of broader metanarrative of the Dragon Quest series as a whole in that series. From those two examples, it's pretty obvious that I do really enjoy your retrospectives, but I don't just enjoy them purely "because they're retrospectives". I think you have a really thoughtful, compassionate, sincere way of looking at and talking about stuff you clearly care about a lot, and I'm always happy to hear your thoughts on things, since I know they're coming from a genuine, well-considered place. That said, I have liked your other series and your one-off videos, too! I think that same way of looking at things shines through in them in a different sort of way, and it's perhaps even clearer in those videos that you're coming from a place of caring about the real-life people who PLAY (and make) games, not just the games themselves. I don't really know that I have any singular specific suggestion that this is all building towards or anything. At the end of the day, what I want the most is for you to live your own life in a way that's authentic and fulfilling for you. If that involves making more videos, I'd love to see them! If it doesn't, well, I'll miss seeing new stuff from you, but your own happiness and well-being as a real-life person is most important of all. Take it easy and take care of yourself, y'know? I hope this comment can be of some help, even if it's a little rambly and aimless!
Hey GC I follw you from.. god I don't know when... from when you were in the middle of your DQ Retrospective and always admired you because you have that "one" thing. You know how to comunicate, you have passion, you are talented and creative! And you may not see it now because of the burn out. RUclips is very frustrating because there are no rules. The control locus is always out so it always looks like you don't have anything on your hand to be in a better position. Please do not listen to that voice that is telling you you don't have any creativity left. Creativity is not something you can ran out of... but it's something you have to take care of. Take time to enjoy what you are doing and if youtube is something you don't enjoy now, I will be the first to be sad but, maybe take a break... and focus on doing things you enjoy. Many many thanks for being honest GC
Hey, I've been subbed to your channel and have been watching your stuff for the past 7 years at this point, and I really think your videos started to shine with the Yakuza retrospectives. I know I'm not speaking for everyone here though, but I tend to usually like watching "one-off" or "episodic" types of video essays, rather than an entire series with multiple parts, because that requires a time investment that I, or other viewers may not have. There's so much other content on RUclips to watch, and as ""content creators"", I feel like we have to take that into account to some extent. However, that part in this video in where you talked about being on the platform for over a decade and not having much to show for it was pretty disheartening to hear, especially from my perspective, I run a channel that I'd still consider to be (relatively) new and really tiny; that's at like 600 subs. And although I feel like I finally found my footing in the types of videos that I want to make and my channel's still actively growing, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about the RUclips algorithm just casually deciding to snuff my entire channel without any second thoughts. I don't know. I'm probably not the guy to ask for advice at all, but personally my way of making videos is to create the exact video I had envisioned in my mind, and avoid looking at the analytics screen at all costs. Forgive me if this sounds too pretentious, but whenever I make a video on my channel, there's this almost strict "artistic vision" that I find myself following no matter what, whether that's the wonky pacing, or the editing choices, it's almost always intentional. I'll do it even if that vision that I have could ultimately alienate me from my viewers, and "contemporaries". Sorry if all of that was hard to follow. Also Happy Birthday!
I did like Feature creep. It inspired me to make a project in uni last year to be about problem gambling in online spaces. I also think bits of comedy help a lot. I do like the yakuza reviews but there was a turn around where there was a bit too much negative without the brevity of humour, but I still appreciate your intense criticism. I feel deep readings of media you like is always a good focus. Like if you want to do a deep read of the lilo and stitch cartoon go ahead. We want a close reading and deep thinks on your hyper fixations. Also if you need to maybe make short form less than ten minute videos if you feel overwhelmed. I don't comment all the time but I love you man. I am up for a back and forth talking shit out to get the ideas flowing is probably what you need, isolation is a key part of burn out I think.
Hey GC. Big fan. I hope this comment doesn’t get too long, but if it does then I hope it remains interesting enough to finish. On the off chance that any of this reads as judgemental or negative (which I do NOT anticipate), I just want to reinforce that all this is said with 100% love and no judgement. Tone is just hard to convey through text, so I wanna play it safe, because this is clearly a very sensitive issue. First of all, I never watch videos like this - much less watch them all the way through - but I watched yours from start to finish, for whatever that says about my personal enthusiasm for your content. Now, I’m going to answer the questions you posed directly here, but tbh I think that the information you requested is a little bit at odds with what you want to accomplish deep down. Speaking as a “””””content creator””””” myself (teeny tiny channel), I can really empathize with your plight. I’ve had the experience of the 1 or 2 videos that blew up out of nowhere, only to be followed up with entire strings of videos that never even broke 5k lifetime views. For gaming channels, a lot of times it feels like unless your name is Dunkey, the algorithm just likes taunting you, and it can be really disheartening. She’s a toxic, fickle mistress, who gives you just enough high to make you think you can reach it again, only to hold out on you 99% of the time. It just kind of sucks. Now it seems to me that what you really want is conventional success, by niche gaming RUclips standards. I think your content is good enough for it and I think you deserve it just as much as plenty of others who have achieved it, if not more. But I’m just one guy. The reason I think your questions are at odds with your goal, is because I imagine that the majority of the people who are even going to hear them are already your diehards - the people who are showing up regardless. If you’re content to reduce RUclips completely to hobby status (likely not what you want to hear), then I and I’m sure plenty of others will be glad to offer requests, but if what you really want are numbers and mass engagement (a 100% respectable and understandable goal), then I really don’t think our opinions matter anyway. My most brutally honest advice would be to just cut back for now. Forget the algorithms. Forget about RUclips as a source of potentially sustainable income. Do it as a hobby, or for the art. Make what you want to make when you want to make it - as often or rare as that is. Just make what gives you the spark of inspiration. There’s always a non-zero chance that you take off anyway, but if you don’t think of that as the benchmark for your success, then I think you’ll at least enjoy the process again. Now to answer the questions you actually asked: I predominantly watch your Dragon Quest content. That’s how I found you, that’s what I think of as your “brand” in my head. I’ve seen and enjoyed a few others, but I don’t necessarily watch every single thing you put out on principle. Please keep in mind though that that’s not a reflection on you - that’s how I am with EVERY channel I’m subscribed to. My time is limited, and while I have a wide spread of gaming franchise tastes, I don’t like EVERYthing. Yakuza for example just isn’t a franchise I’m into, so I ignore all of those videos. So what would I like to see more of? Honestly, that’s a little tricky. Your recent DQM content has been my most hyped GC content in a while, but understandably the DQ well runneth dry at the moment. I suppose I’d enjoy seeing your take on more of the spin-offs (Heroes, Swords, and Rocket Slime in particular come to mind), but only if they’re actually of any interest to you. The bottom line is I want you to be happy and fulfilled in what you create, regardless of the mindset you need to get there. I’d kind of rather you just “retire” and make something once in a while when you really have the spark on inspiration, than force yourself to churn out content - even quality content - in a desperate bid to achieve a standard that is so notoriously fickle and arbitrary to reach. But again, this has all been just one guy’s take. I sincerely hope you find an answer that’s satisfying to YOU. Stay positive my friend.
if Im not mistaken, I remember that once you considered making a video about fable2 morality system, and you had a lot to talk about it. Could be worth a try.
I have to say, looking at your data, you are doing tremendously well considering your subscriber count and viewing numbers. You get a good percentage of viewers that show up to your videos. Sure, some videos didnt hit the mark since it wasnt pushed by the YT algorithm, like the gambling video, but in general, you reach your subscribers and viewers a lot. Im also a subscriber and feel you have a lot of hidden potential in writing, especially about the topics you are passionate about. Dragon Quest and video gaming in general are you strong suit. Maybe branching out to other JPRG series and making shorter videos could work. For example making shorter video essays about indie games like Sea of Stars or Chained Echoes. Or you could go back to the classics and talk about Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana or even Final Fantasy. Off topic: I work a lot with people who are burnt out and one general tip i can give you is the following: If you really want to continue with content making, then dont abandon or take a long break from it. Thats one of the worst things you could do. BUT take a step back and look around content creating, what others do, what video games you are interested in and if you still feel the motivation, go back right away. The farther you go away from the field you are burnt out of, the more likely it is you never turn back.
Hey GC, been watching since I think the end of 2021, so I was comparatively late, but I've watched through almost every upload. I've personally loved all your videos I've seen, with my favorites being in your Feature Creeps and Character Ballads, as well as your videos on social subjects like the one on Latines and Hispanics in games, and the more "out there" (comparatively) like the one about reading guides as playing games. My favorite aspect of your work has been when your analysis centered on emotion and growth- be it the characters in the game(s) or your own- as well as how you've used the theme(s) of the game (or games) being discussed to ground that analysis- like in your Unpacking video (another favorite). I think that you have a great voice (sonically and words-wise lol), perspective, convictions, and sense of humor that consistently resonates with me. Many of your videos have truly moved me and I find you're one of a very unfortunately small group of people online that looks at this medium in these ways. That all said, as a fellow creative of about the same age I think, I can very much understand the feeling of wasted time on top of burnout. It's an awful feeling, to be sure, and sometimes a break or even quitting IS what's needed. Hurting yourself to create by forcing a march through the burnout will only cause even worse problems for yourself. And, if you decide to step away from this altogether, I know I'd understand. I can't lie- I'd be bummed out and miss hearing your perspective as I sincerely respect it, but I could never hold it against anyone to do what's right for oneself and their health. I do hope that if you keep making videos, you can find that spark and drive again and that they come from a place of joy once more.
Happy Birthday!!! If you see this I'm writing it as I am watching. But I suggest first off just make videos about things you are excited about full stop. Stop worrying about what people want make what excites you! Then the rest will come! Im using a friend as an example he started a channel just a couple months ago only talking about stuff that he finds interesting and he already has a few 10,000+ views and like 500 subscribers while he isn't blowing up he enjoys making the content on topics he likes and he makes a video a month with a full time job and family. I love the content you make and have been around here for years. I haven't felt the energy you had in some of those early videos. So please just make stuff that excites you! Thats what I want! MAKE WHAT EXCITES YOU and I will be here watching! And to answer your questions at the end YES to all! We also have talked on twitter before I will happily bounce ideas with you! I have ideas but no great way to execute them. Also still waiting on a Last Remnant video.
I’m a subscriber but I guess kind of a casual fan of yours. My typical RUclips video wheelhouse is deeper dive reviews like from Majuular, AboveUp, Basement Brothers, Dungeon Chill, PrettyCody, TheGamingBritShow, historical videos like those from Classic Gaming Quarterly, Bowl of Lentils, and some harder to box in channels like, Nerrel, Big Yellow, hazel, Any Austin, and ThorHighHeels. I know that’s a massively wide spread and I’m not suggesting you do videos like those, especially if they’re not something you enjoy. I did want to say though, and I promise I’m not being a hater or trying to be negative here, but you don’t owe anything to this channel or this audience and you certainly don’t owe anything to this anti-creative platform. If you’re not enjoying any part of the video making process and it’s a drain on your time and livelihood, don’t feel like you need anyone’s permission to stop. And if in 6 months or a year you feel really pumped up about a video idea, you’re not locked out of putting something out once or twice a year, especially if you’re not financially dependent on this channel’s success. It can be just a little side thing for fun that doesn’t matter. I’m sorry it’s been a rough go. I think the main thing you need to pursue is what you yourself enjoy. Don’t make yourself miserable for this website. I’m not advocating for you to quit but if that’s what you decide to do, don’t feel like you’ve failed. You’ve made great videos. That’s more than most other people in the entire world can say.
Yo! I would just want you to be happy as others as expressed. The good thing is, nothing's wrong with you and you don't owe anyone on the Internet anything. It sounds like to me capitalism is getting to you. Maybe take a look at some optimistic nihilism information that's out there, not that I believe life doesn't have meaning, but, it could help with finding more meaning where there currently is a gap. You got this GC. You didn't waste anything. Your subscriber amount does not equate to your value. You know your value, you are worth a lot to a lot of people that know you in your life outside of RUclips if I had to guess. You got this.
First off, I loved the DQM series. I've never played any of those games, but I love the DQ franchise, so it was nice to learn more about them, so thank you! I write a review for every game that I play and post them to a blog that I don't share with anyone, and I've been doing it for almost a decade now. I 100% understand the feeling of burnout, and I'm not trying to build or maintain an audience, so I can't imagine how much worse it could be for you and I'm really sorry that has become an issue. However, this scriptless video turned out great, IMO, so I wouldn't mind seeing a full pivot from your channel, if you still wanted to put stuff up on RUclips. Like seriously, I'd gladly watch videos that are just you chatting about whatever you're playing and enjoying. It doesn't have to be clean, clever, well-edited, etc. I'm just happy to have more to watch from a creator that I enjoy. Have you ever played Outer Wilds? I'd love to hear your unfiltered take on it! Whatever you decide to do, though, just know I'm grateful for the videos you've made so far! Take care of yourself. Your health and peace of mind is more important than feeding the content machine. Edit: Oh! Happy Birthday!
first off, happy birthday. secondly, if it's not sparking happiness, and quitting is the alternative anyways, just make the content you want to, disregarding what the youtube overlords and algo care about. comedians can't make jokes in a vaccum, they have to go out and have life experiences to have things to talk about, and same thing i imagine goes for content creators as well. watch more movies, go to conventions, read books, go out and find something to want to ramble about on the internet, and i guarantee, we'll be here waiting for you.
Happy birthday! I found your channel from the yakuza/dq videos. I like the way you look at stories/mechanics and the videos where you relate personal xp to broader gaming discussions like gambling or reading game guides. afaik burnout is primarily the disconnect between effort in and rewards/value out, so if you're not feeling like making videos is rewarding it could be good to take a break and think about what you want out of it before trying to grind your way through. I think the algorithm/metrics side of it seems random so you should make whatever kind of videos you want about whatever is interesting to you. It might be a good time to try a variety of input whether that's different genres/types of games or shifting media to books/movies/music idk if it'd lead to video ideas/topics, but if most of your engagement has been with the purpose of creation you might be turning all your leisure time into work time which would feed into the burnout. I like your videos and wish you the best whatever you end up doing.
hey brother GC been following your for a long while now.. I’ve been meaning to comment on your videos many many times but have a hard time saying what I want without turning the comments into a long winded mess, so I never pull thru. I have watched most of your videos plenty of times and I do think you excel at this man! I also watched your Caravan Heart essay for like the third time, and then clicked on your Fishing in Games video just to take a peek.. and it was pretty refreshing to watch..! it’s not the kind of content I would normally watch, since I usually stick to retrospectives. I also enjoy your tone and your crafty jokes, which have made me chuckle out loud plenty BUT I do enjoy some of the videos where your demeanor is a bit serious. While in outings I feel more comfortable around people who are not sliming or making jokes every minute, as it can feel a bit less genuine, just my hot take. OK time to cut this shorter… MY favorite of your vids is Dragon Quest XI - I refused to watch it before beating it so it took a lot of effort to ignore you for a bit, but once I was done with the game I plugged in AND had to stop once you started talking about the post content because I really had no idea. So I put you on time out AND then came back to finish hearing your beautiful thoughts on the game. Anyways brother I hope you can find your way wherever it is and somehow I can still be part of it.
My favorite video of yours is definitely the one on text LPs and your experience "reading" through Majora's Mask. I think my favorite videos of yours are the ones that are more focused on your personal experience with media than the more analytical critique (although I still really enjoy those.) But if you're feeling burnt out, you should probably take a break from RUclips for a while, maybe try out other hobbies or kinds of media you don't usually engage with. That's what usually helps me when I'm burnt out. If you still like making videos, you shouldn't stop, but I think you should just wait around and try other things until the feeling of "Man, I REALLY want to make a video" comes back. You don't owe anyone X amount of videos every Y amount of time, take your time. I hope this helps, and happy birthday ❤
It's all apart of the story man, i've been a subscriber for 9 years now it's insane.... and have thouroughly enjoyed every video, even was a patron for awhile too when things were better for me haha xD but things will get better again, and things will improve a lot more for you, you just gotta keep going. i know you know that but sometimes it's good to hear something again for it to stick. the beatles being cut from their first record labels, jordan being cut from his HS basketball team, so many examples of greats that faced many failures before succeeding. the difficult thing isn't that your videos aren't good, they are fantastic, it's just youtube is a tight ass space now with so much competition that it's difficult to gauge. the thing is that youtube changes it's algorythm every few months so that no one can take advantage of it's formula therefore noone can benefit from it, and because of that, those really big channels? they usually grow quickly all within a certain short time frame that gets them viral, and that's enough to keep them going. basically, it's like.... it's much easier to make a ton of money, when you have a ton of money. if you're a millionaire, you can continue to make money a lot easier than starting from scratch. you started from scratch and have so many fans, niche, sure, but a loyal following. another thing is that dragon quest is only recently begining to become big in the west, we all know it's japan's cultural icon... and western videos, aren't filtered, but a lot more difficult for the japanese side of youtube to see. so it's basically like someone in america making videos about kpop in 2014, yeah theres a small following in america, but if your videos were seen in korea /asia where it's really hot, you'd blow up. but here we are a decade later and it's huge everywhere. same thing with DQ. instead of feeling like you've hit a roadblock, feel like this is an exciting oppertunity, that feeling of virality, of hitting that 1 mill, should continue being your fire to think of something. it's literally moments like this that people begin getting creative and truly make some incredible content. i know you don't want to do what everyone else is doing... but maybe it may pay off to be early on things that are popular, just for a moment. Maybe rebrand, to something catchier and shorter, basically make a one worded channel name instead of gc vazquez. it looks better and is more memoriable for the viewer. and most of all, engagement: the audience obviously makes huge engagement for a channel but this video is amazing for engagement and getting the audience active as youtube really loves that. i'm so excited to see where things go as i absolutely love your channel, it's like sweet smaller channels that really have the good stuff that people adore, but those channels deserve to be big, so here's to virality, growth, good mental health, and stability in the new year GC.
Happy belated birthday, GC! Have absolutely loved your videos over the years! Totally understandable and would love to see you back if you ever wanted to!
Feel like it's such a cop out answer but it is the passion and genuine emotion you get when talking about stuff like Dragon Quest. For real, you inspired me to go ahead and play all the dragon quest games (taking my time with it so I'm only up to DQ7 after like 3 or 4 years) As for my favorite video of yours 100% it's the Latino representation in video games video. As a Latino myself it was really cool to see a video that yknow made me feel represented and seen, and in general think of certain aspects and tropes that I didn't really think about prior.
It takes me at least an hour to get to work, so I usually go for longer format videos. Another thing are videogame updates. Although similiar channels are doing the same thing, its the person talking and how he/she delivers is what makes me watch. Hope you're doing well man. You got this
It may not be all that interesting of an answer, but honestly, I think that you should just try to focus on making content that you yourself want to make. And if you don't feel like making any content at all right now, well, then maybe a nice long break is what you need. Either way, what I most want to see from you is content that YOU are passionate about. Sorry if that isn't all that helpful.
You need a partner dawg. I understand that you’re not making money here, so paying someone is out. But, doing EVERYTHING by yourself is a lot. You need a partner.
In the end , 100 years from now. Your videos might not mean much in the grand scheme of the universe, or world as a whole. But right here, and now. You mean the world to a whole lot of people, and we'll be forever grateful to you. Thank you for your continued efforts in these videos, and thanks for making us all feel comfort when some of us have so many reasons not to. your videos have so much heart in them, especially the DQ ones, theyve helped me discover the series, and how wholesome they are, helping me through tough times. Youll always have a special place in my heart GC
You are the content creator. Surprise me. You're burnout? Take a break. One year. Two. Don't care. Go and have FUN. Don't search for ideeas. When you're ready, they will find you. There are chanels with 1 video in a year. Who cares about them finds them. Relax. Go and have fun, don't think about video for a while. When you're ready, i will be here, waiting for you to surprise me. If you don't come back, have a nice life. You did already much more then all of those who just comment and never did 1 minute of a video. Cheers.
First, it's clear you're just not in the right headspace because you're focus is on the bigger picture of your channel "taking off". I think that a break would be good so you can let that creative energy come back. Second, I'd love a style that balances story sentimentality and gameplay analysis sprinkled in with bits of humor here and there. Your Yakuza 5 video is one I come back to often because of how it focuses on the themes of the game without it being a 6 hour long beat for beat analysis. There's a lot of great advice about dreams that I think you could go back and attribute to how you're feeling now. Kiryu's section about feeling lost when searching for a dream and how going to back to what made you start chasing it in the first place, Saejima's section about how it's totally okay to have your dream change in life, Haruka's section about how difficult it can be to be in the midst of chasing it, Akiyama's section for helping someone else achieve their dream, and Shinada's section about chasing your dream for YOUR sake because it matters to YOU, etc. It's a video I often come back to when I'm feeling a lot of self-doubt in my life because it reminds me nobody is going to write the stories I want to write, or how I can just write for the sake of having fun, even if I don't release a story, so on and so on. TLDR: The Yakuza 5 video strikes a good length of about 45 minutes that strikes a good balance of story sentimentality, gameplay analysis, and humor. I think a break would benefit you to take a step back and remind yourself that it's okay to create just for the sake of it.
Now I feel kind of bad coming here to check on a Dragon Quest III HD 2D video😂. As a person that started creating content this year for podcasts, I feel you man… the reasons I come to your videos is for deep reflections on story, mechanics and social commentary fir the games that I love. Like having an intellectual dialogue about games that I could not have with anyone else. If you are able to bring it over to any franchise you choose, you will be good.
I liked your videos where you were creative or make jokes. I think my main thought on your channel is that the burn out is a sign but I am not sure of the answer it should mean to you. There is a creator I will watch what he puts out and even rewatch his 4+ hour videos named Tim Rogers. His content always included why a video game pulled him in. I love his PAC-MAN video and rewatch it because there is no one who has talked about the game the way he has. No story, basic mechanics, and decades old but hearing him enjoy what it offers and him reasoning why it’s so great is compelling. I feel your early Yakuza video had that element. I would love to see you in your videos more rather than analysis for analysis sake. I have been an analyst for 15 years and one thing I keep in mind is “how do I communicate my feelings/emotions on why what I am making is important”. I do data analysis and it is dry and few people truly understand it, but I see things that are interesting and just try to communicate that and found more success than checking boxes on “good” analysis and format because it is expected.
Every game you covered made me interested in the series regardless of the type of video. My advice is to scale down and talk about anything that has peaked your interest regardless of what media it is if it's even media related.
I'm sorry to hear you going through creative burnout. Perhaps a bit of time away to refresh for new ideas and perspectives. If you decide to stop, it has been a hell of a ride. Thank you so much.
I've enjoyed your stuff for a while, and legit just properly subscribed before watching this. I have poor timing lol As somebody who has way less understanding of the whole situation than you do- politely, it sounds like you really need a break. If these videos aren't worth doing right now (financially, personally, or creatively), then it's okay to not do them for a bit. Spend your time other ways! Try to pursue whatever's making your happy right now, since that will probably pay back more than trying to force videos that exhaust you. It's okay to not know where to take things, and it's normal for figuring that out to take time. I'd hate to see you rush that process for the sake of presumed obligation to your audience, or some other factor. You don't owe us anything- but if you do find a creative spark again, I'm sure many people would be happy to see more stuff from you in the future. :] (Also happy belated birthday!)
The solution to burnout isn't "do more work". I totally agree with taking a break. Recover. Reevaluate what you are doing, and how you are doing it. When I got burnt out, I had a spike of depression. The solution was to reevaluate what I was doing, how I was doing it, and how it made me feel. I will say, a lot of "successful" youtube channels, don't farm content for a year, and then trickle it out. You should probably rethink this. Maybe take a youtube business class? Maybe take a video editing/workflow course? It's probably better to make one or two videos at a time, and release them when you are 80% satisfied with them. Easy advice: - Chase your passions - Minimize effort/activation energy - Outsource things you don't like - Keep the things you enjoy Consistency is key to feeding youtube's algorithm, but some people are successful even without that. Channels like technology connections or hbomberguy don't have regular release cadence or 15 minute videos. Stop chasing ideas on how you think things should work, and just do what you enjoy doing. Figure out how to make it easy for yourself. The plural of "series" is "series".
"I kinda have some ideas for a couple of videos, but I don't even know if I should make them" Do that if you want (I'd watch), but if you hate the process and it isn't your job... well, I don't see the point. You could try written material if that's not the part that gets you. Also, happy belated birthday. I turned 30 yesterday and sometimes I get this feeling that I've wasted my youth, but what's done is done and those what-ifs probably weren't gonna go that way anyway.
I will say this, I am guilty of only watching your Yakuza/Like A Dragon videos, Dragon Quest, and a few select videos. I do love your content though and the way you articulate your opinions and how you clearly do care about the series you cover even with the games in the series you don't like. There were takes I disagreed with and other takes that I agreed with, and there were videos that helped me reevaluate my feelings on games like Yakuza 6. My personal favorite video of yours is honestly the video that talked about Hispanic and Latino culture in video games and how you felt represented as a whole. I am guilty of not watching all of your videos, including the You Don't Need To Finish Games, and part of my reason is because I tend to not watch videos of games I haven't played yet, and certain games like Like A Dragon I have been replaying in release order and as a result haven't played the newer games that came out. I will say this. If you aren't enjoying what you're doing a step back might do you good. But it might be a good idea to focus on what you want to do for a video, and if it takes off, great, and if it doesn't, you just keep moving forward. I will try to watch your other videos going forward since I do genuinely love what you do and I think you are a genuinely talented writer and a smart man who can make succinct points. I would say maybe go back to a childhood favorite and play through it and see if it helps with anything. Or maybe try something new you never would have thought to try. I recently played through Team ICO's games and started with Ys series because I needed to stop playing the games I was playing and needed something new because of a personal traumatic experience that really put me through the ringer, and when that happened, I had your streams to help put me back together for a bit until I got so busy I couldn't get back to them. I don't really know what to say. I will say do what feels right to you. If you need to step away from video making, it will be sad to see you go, but you ultimately have to do what is best for you. If you want a suggestion for series to cover that you might enjoy, I think Team ICO games are up your alley. Maybe Ys. But my recency bias is showing. Anyway, I am sure you will find your way. You're good at what you do, and I am sure you will do what is best for you in the long run. Sidenote: I loved seeing the funny bits in your videos. My personal favorites are probably the Yakuza 0 where you realize the Millennium Tower isn't there. "What rooftop are we going to end the game on?!" makes me laugh a ton. Another one I loved was seeing you sing the Karaoke songs from the games. You are a genuinely good singer and I enjoyed your covers of them.
You just need to figure out a “junk food” type of content to supplement the bigger projects - shorter things (which includes shorts) that take very little time to make, and you can schedule a boatload of them daily to cover you between the bigger vids. Both can co-exist, but it’s that balance of making artistic content vs making junk-food content that just panders to the algorithm without detracting from the creative integrity of the bigger stuff
If you want to keep going, i think you should truly look at doing series or videos that truly bring you joy. If you make content that brings you happiness it will bleed into the videos and then the viewers. One of my favourite creators was in the same spot as you, and started to upload completley different content that while strange compared to what i was used to, the joy and passion in his new content was so amazing and infectious. I love your video essays and your retrospectives. I like your humour and your deep dives on characters and stories. I think if you continue, maybe take a break, and come back to it because you want to create joy. It’s very niche and might not bring in the viewers, but I absolutley adore your dragon quest retrospectives. I feel like your humour really shines through and so does your joy for creation. I hope some of this helps!
I'm sorry GC. Creativity is a slippery thing. I pursued art for a long, long time and became a published artist for some children's books...which completely killed the dream for me, ironically. For me, when I realized I wasn't enjoying the creative process anymore, it was time to let it go. That's a question only you can answer, but at least give yourself permission to do so if you need to. Now, my out-of-pocket answer to your "What should I do?" questions is...Final Fantasy XIV. There is a long history of streamers trying the game and really digging deep into the story, and the audience loves to show up for them. Often in a very big way. Because we're emotional vampires that want to re-live the experience. Not only that, I truly think you would enjoy the story and experience. It also has years worth of content if you take your time with it and if that's a concern of yours. The downside is...that same audience often dips when you complete the main story. Anyway, just something to consider if you hadn't already form a big FFXIV (and DQ) fan.
That suck man, i only watch your dragon quest videos cause thats only what interest me, my recomendations would be do what makes you happy and if making videos it not it just stop, life is only one my friend, you could expand more into a retro jrpg channel or cover more new ones, maybe follow some trends, i really dont know, maybe just do it as a hobby only with a game that you really really like, i believe that you are a Spanish speaker so maybe change your target audience lenguage with a second channel, hope some of this advices help but my first one would be the most impirtant to me, if you dont like it any more or at least dont line it like you used to be just stop an focus in more important things in your life, mental health is important. Sorry if you dont understand something i writte English is not my mother tonge.
I guess, for any video, for me, there needs to be a central thesis, and it can't just be about the game itself - it needs to connect the game to something in meatspace. Otherwise, the video is just content.
I mean, all I can say is that if you’ve already done everything you can for dragons quest then why don’t you go the route of Final Fantasy or persona or SMT? RPG’s seem to be your genre outside of Yakuza so why not embrace that? There’s another channel I sub too called resonant arc. They cover games like a book club. As if you’re playing the games with them and discussing them. You should check out that channel and their format. It could give you some ideas too.
I def agree with smt route specially ones with little info or not talked about much. Any obscure or japan only rpg. Love your content GC so I'm sure it will work out with what you go with.
I like that you cover dragon quest, it's not popular in America as much so it's nice to see a person with your production values give his opinions. I liked your humour too, but as you said, you didn't feel like writing jokes anymore so 🤷
I strongly recommend you take some time off, enjoy life, and come back when you have ideas and you are enjoying making videos for their own sake. It has worked for Ceave Gaming, and I know you don’t have his fanbase but it’s probably the best thing for you as a person. Personally, I am here for stuff that isn’t Yakuza or DragonQuest. I’ve never played those series and feel guilty when I don’t watch them and kill their algorithmic momentum. I like your video essays, the Paper Luigi thing, Feature Creep - all good. The other thing I would emphasise is that a large part of this is, unfortunately, luck. Razbuten got lucky with Gaming for a Non-Gamer which has led to constant success. You need an idea that compelling, and to get lucky with timing and the algorithm.
Looks like I'm not your main demographic so you can ignore me 😅 I dont play a lot of Yakuza or Dragon Quest so I drop off when theres a lot of those in a row. I eat up your essays like the gambling one or the replay value one but those dont seem to get a ton of views, so I'll keep watching as much as I can but I wouldnt recommend playing to my interests 😁
I think if you're not enjoying making the content or feeling a sense of fulfillment from it or feel like you've wasted your time, you need to take a break or distance yourself from the creation process for awhile. Since this isn't your main job, I just think its not healthy to force yourself to do content, especially if you aren't enjoying it and are losing money from it. If you distance yourself a bit and then figure out that you do in fact miss doing the content and that you were glad you did it, then I would continue. Since it's reaching the point where your even considering what you did prior as a waste of life/time, then I think its time to step away for a bit. As a voice over guy, I get where your coming from on the burn out and exhaustive editing entirely. But even things that made me no money, I'm glad I did those things, and I really do hope you feel the same after stepping away for a bit. Obviously that's a personal choice though, and I think its better discuss this with family and friends if you haven't already. I know it might not help much, but just getting things off your chest can make a world of difference. But to answer your question, I think you make good stuff, regardless if its successful or not. I do think your at your best when you have a passionate opinion to make or are just really excited about the content (like with your old Dragon Quest VIII review). Really enjoyed the content over the years, hard to imagine its been that long.
Probably not the answer that anyone in here that wants to hear, but if you don't enjoy any part of the process of video making right now, then just it's time to quit or take a long break. It seems like you need to recharge. And if you find the spark to make content again, then awesome. What I want to see from you is for you to be happy, and it feels like you're not happy creating videos at the moment.
For what it's worth, your Dragon Quest videos really got me into that series. Whatever you decide to do, thank you for providing us some entertainment!
@@raliger Seconding the shit out of this.
Happy birthday, GC!
Normally I prefer to take the path of nonintervention via not making any specific requests simply because I don't want to lessen someone's artistic voice or spoil it with my own additions.
However, I can't deny such a heartfelt request for feedback!
I think you have a very pronounced strength in peeking through the message of a narrative and teasing apart its narrative beats and themes, especially as relating to real life and even sometimes your own life. I think one big draw to your Like A Dragon series in particular is drawing out the social themes and morals the stories present, thus treating the games with respect as opposed to the vast swathe of people out there who just think they're a silly goofy time.
I really did enjoy your Feature Creep and Character Ballad series, but in this algorithm-based world, I think there was something about the on-face presentation that wasn't as tuned for SEO as it might have been. And that's a really frustrating thing to say and to read I'm sure, but I think they could find an audience if it can just figure out what kind of thumbnails or titles or advertisements it needs to reach them. A struggle with a shift in content from retrospectives to a different style of content is the audience overlap won't be 100% and the systems don't necessarily know what to do with your videos or who to send them to because they're an aberration. Some people start another channel to post that kind of content just to freshen up the algorithm, and that isn't necessarily a bad idea to separate it if you wanted to give it a try, but ultimately I think the idea is solid and I'm in support of experimentation, just the systems in which we're forced to work are counterintuitive to dipping a toe into something.
Your research is thorough and solid on whatever topic you choose to cover, and that's always appreciated. I know "go with your passions/interests" isn't necessarily helpful advice, but creative fulfillment is ultimately important for these things. In times like these, looking to what other people are doing to see what strikes a chord with you and what inspires you is important. Not to copy the work necessarily, but to expand your internal metrics of what's even possible. Also in general, that feature RUclips added (if it's available to you, I don't know how it rolled out) that allows you to try out multiple thumbnails and titles and see what's most well-received seems like a useful tool in this hellscape of robots trying to predict what people want to see instead of just asking.
This breaks my heart, GC.
I’m right there with you, trying to make my own channel go off at great expense to my time/mental & physical health and feel like I’m pressing against a brick wall, wondering if I may have to one day give up something I love…
And this is the second time I’ve had to make that choice (failed Hollywood screenwriter)!!
One of the last scripts I ever wrote before I walked away for good was one I wrote just for me, no thought to it being marketable or even one I’d pitch to a studio.
And it was the most fun I had writing a script in years. It was a good note to end on.
If there’s that one video idea you’ve had that seems dumb or stupid or completely out of left field, damn the analytics, Go. For. It.
I hope that, whatever you decide to do, it brings you joy. Be well, friend
So, I showed up to the channel from the Unpacking video. Loved the diversity of videos around that time. You seemed to care about what you were making and it showed. Character Ballads are awesome too! Honestly anything you actually care about really tickles my brain juices. SuperEyepatchWolf has a video about making videos, and in it he basically just says...make what makes YOU happy. It will show, and it will translate to views. Dude puts out a hour and a half video on the fake story of Space Jam 2 (before there was a Space Jam 2) and it was one of my favorite videos ever made.
I don't want a SERIES from you, I just love watching you be passionate about something. Whatever that is, I just want to see you be passionate about the video again. You need to make yourself happy with it, when you're happy and loving it, so are we. Don't force yourself into a retrospective, just make something you actually WANT to. If you make a video about cooking something, gardening, a deep dive into the intricacies of cicada mating, as long as you care, I'll be here for it. Funny, serious, analytical, off the rails...whatever it is man. Screw the trends.
You know what? If this IS the end? I'll still be subbed. Just in case you come back. Because when you care, you're one of my favorite content creators.
Also, happy birthday dude. I hope the existential dread wanes for a while and you have an awesome day. You deserve it.
dunno if it's up your alley at all, but it'd be neat to see videos dedicated to breaking down character writing that you come across. the way you analyse theme has always stuck out to me in your retrospectives, and I'd love to see more of that
Your DQ retrospectives will always be some of the best DQ videos on this platform. Thank you for contributing so much to this niche fandom in the west. The legacy of your videos will always live on no matter what you decide to do moving forward.
I feel I've seen you grow for what feels like a decade now. Been supporting since my channel from back then, have continued to watch your videos on my new channels. Hope whatever you are putting your effort in is giving you the results you want soon. I've liked all of your content verticals... I wouldn't mind you "adjusting" your content to your current moment. Tell us about yourself, how you came into these games, how you started your journey and so on. No need to go hard on editing imho. Don't "force" output or you'll burn out even harder, I can seriously relate to that creatively. As for what kept me coming back? Your infectious energy and honestly deep dives into the shit that you liked. You can still do that, even if isn't game related. Also, given your last name, I felt very inspired by you thinking you were a latin american content creator doing extremely well way back then. Don't force anything, maybe do a Q&A with someone else so you can go back to back on less editing-intensive content you can later clip? In any case, take care and don't feel bad about "not ahving anything to show for it", you DO have. I can completely relate to this, having been "rich" 2 times and having to build myself up after big losses. Creative endeavors are entrepenurial by nature.
Couple of suggestions to spark the ole creative juices:
1. Creativity thrives in a framework. Give yourself a rule set to stay in and find creative ways to push the boundaries of your rules.
2. If retrospectives feel like 'home' for you. Suggest a short franchise to dig into and flex with, Chrono Trigger is something I'd person love to hear your thoughts on
3. From a chasing the analytics dragon perspective, you've picked some really historically niche series to make retrospectives on. You could try and either make YT Shorts of your older content, or make shorter vids of whatever is the most trending series in YT Gaming.
Regardless, your vids were a beacon of sunshine in a RUclips devoid of DQ content. That got me in the door. You as a creative voice is what keeps me coming back. Hope you don't call it quits just yet.
I found this channel through the Dragon Quest Retrospectives and thought they were so funny and creative...Time to Boat is now a measure of time I use for RPGs.
i've watched most of your LAD series videos (all the one's for games i've played), and also a handful of your video essays. i liked all of what i watched, but i think (normal video essay-wise) i most enjoyed the video on 'rejected' video essays, the gambling video, and the Yakuza is for Men video. i also liked showing up during the judgment streams (finding out the nichegamer interviewer was asking questions to the interpreter was so fucking funny). overall, i think i've most liked your critiques of games through a sociopolitical lens, your discussions of how a game (or series) fails to reach its potential or undermines itself, and your breakdowns of how a game very successfully accomplishes a thematic/character/story/whatever goal.
also, looking through your videos, it's occurring to me that for a lot of the ones i haven't watched, the titles and thumbnails are probably underselling them. from this video, and from other videos of yours that i've watched, i probably *should* have been interested in e.g. the Paper Luigi and Urdnot-Wrex videos, but their undescriptive titles/thumbnails didn't give me anything to anticipate. as another example (which a bit better), i was curious about the mario party video on the basis of its title's assertion, but not enough to watch it. now knowing it's about mario party as a social deduction game (a way in which i've come to appreciate it), i definitely intend to watch it. one i've had no interest in is the fishing one since nothing about how it's about fishing is articulated (although, as this video alluded to, i'm sure it has something interesting going on). generally, i think titles and thumbnails that have a combination of (often implicit) question and thesis tend to attract my curiosity better. no idea if other people work like me in this regard, but i figured this additional paragraph could be useful if so.
i'll try to watch some of those videos later today and maybe report back.
I think it's perfectly acceptable in life to get burned out from things we used to love, and I personally wouldn't look back at your time spent on the channel as a failure. In life, there are a lot of dreams and plans that don't work out, but what is truly important is what you take away from the attempts. I think it's really cool what you have achieved so far with the channel, if I learned a friend or coworker had done something like this I'd be blown away. So I guess I'd say, whatever you decide to do just don't be hard on yourself and think of it all being for nothing just because it didn't turn out monetarily.
I'm sorry you haven't been enjoying creating recently. I wouldn't have found more of the dragon quest series without those early videos, and your video essays around 2022 were always saying something that wasn't really being talked about.
Your video about loving a game without playing it was beautiful, and I think it applies to pretty much any piece of media. I learned to love 40k through Rogue Trader, and I think it was just as valid of a way to experience the world.
I've enjoyed videos where creators are just sharing about a piece of media they love and why it's been important to them. Probably doesn't sound creatively fulfilling, but it's just nice to hear someone talk about the media they love in a kinder, non analytical view.
I hope you find a way for this channel to bring you joy, you brought that to a lot of peoples lives. Even if it doesn't feel like it in the grand scheme of RUclips metrics.
Hey GC, and happy birthday!
I've been watching your content for 6-7 years now (I found the DQ Retrospective at the right time and it really helped get me into the series. I've played most of them at by now!). Your Yakuza 3 and 4 videos stick out in my head a lot, both creatively and from the unique perspective you bring to story and literary analysis which I think has helped me approach thinking about these things better. Representing Latines and Hispanics in Games also stands out a lot; I think about your coverage of LiS2 pretty often.
I've been steadily catching up on Burnout Culture episodes lately and your tangent on Gundam Unicorn and your summary on like "The Dragon Quest series as a story of Yuji Horii's life" both really stand out. I'm not necessarily suggesting them as possible topics in the future, but I'd love to hear you talk about stuff like that in that way, if that makes sense.
I've enjoyed watching all of your videos and would definitely miss your stuff if you were to stop (though I assume you'd be sticking around the podcast), but I think it's important that you don't continue only for the sake of it to burn yourself out further, y'know? Do what you gotta do, and I'll be happy to follow you on that journey or let you go either way.
Hey GC
From one burn out of sorts to another, I can really only say I sincerely hope you take a god dang well deserved break.
Like at the end of the day what matters is finding what you want in life, in creative endeavors, in videos in whatever, and you mention not knowing the answer to that exactly but that's just it- sometimes you can't solve a problem by ramming into it over and over. Maybe a full on break is the way to find where your creative juices need to be put. Videos or not.
All I can say is that I wish the best for ya. I'm beyond thankful for all I've gotten to see from ya on account of me finding a lot of your analysis very entertaining in the real way- in the "Thinking on it after" way- you bring a nice perspective to things regardless of if you believe that or not- it's a perspective I put a lot of value in and appreciate :)
And I'm far behind on catching up through your more recent years worth of stuff, so perhaps my own perspective is blurred by a reality in which you taking a break wouldn't mean I miss out on creative works to enjoy= but honestly fuck that excuse- I could have nothing and I'd be saying the same. It isn't like my own mental switches will suddenly flip and I'll be marathoning tomorrow as much as I'd like to lmao
You deserve a break. What you've made is worthwhile. I think it's awesome that so many people have gotten to share these moments and thoughts with you and of fuckin' course it'd be so much better in some ways if some more did- but above all else, I would hope you take care of yourself in all this and that includes stepping back if all of 'this' just isn't doing it for you right now.
Keep kicking ass, man 👍 Find your fulfillment and all those other buzzwords.
The fact of the matter is life goes on, you can do fucking anything, you can turn around and do other shit whenever. It ain't a waste. It just ain't. This is all just some cool stuff you got to do, something unique and different and it's awesome. Ain't none of this a waste.
Also, I'm outspoken on loving the "emotional analysis" style reads I suppose? I've had a damn blast in all your shit though so hard to say.
I just find it really entertaining to see a video on a game I'm familiar with from someone seeking to find a deeper emotional core to propagate their story of the game from, and getting to hear it.
Y5 best Yakuza from someone who stopped after 6 lmao.
I haven't seen the later vids after 6 because I haven't played the games yet but if you're feeling drained on it then as an outsider to that discussion I would genuinely say maybe step away entirely on that end. I know *I* really enjoyed getting to hear your thoughts on Y6 which did plenty for my post-game defrag (since I watched directly after finishing it myself, probably shouldn't have done that since it lead to my head being busy defragging and then I just rambled far too much there- but it was a hefty discussion of a game so maybe it'd have always been that way lol) and your talk on yakuza's struggle to handle women was a banger- but if you've been feeling less invested then honestly? Fuck it.
Videos or not, if the series is feeling more rushed as it's become such a major flagship for them then you don't owe them the time of day to play let alone write about em. I know half the reason I haven't played more is because my defrag of 6 left me feeling disinterested- I can't imagine pushing ever deeper and now experiencing a series milking itself for fast releases and still making it a point to play and write about em- that's rough damn stuff.
Anyways anyways, traditional too long comment aside:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY :D
Now take a break, unless you have some lightbulb moment. Much love and appreciation, GC~
Happy birthday! I've been watching your stuff for at least 4 years now, and the stuff I enjoyed was mostly the stuff outside of your retrospectives, such as the feature creep about cooking, gambling, etc etc. But at the end of the day, if you're not enjoying any part of what you're doing, it may be good to take a good long break. I can sympathize with burnout; I'm not a youtuber but I do draw comics for a living and that comes with a totally different kind of challenge, but at the end of the day the stuff that I force myself through burnout to produce just isn't any good for anyone. My advice would be to try to recharge, and try to find something to be passionate about, whether it's making videos or not. Whatever you decide, I'm rootin' for you dude!
I've appreciated how naturally and unapologetically you've been through your work, especially the DQ vids and a lot of the Yakuza stuff. You were a guy giving their take, nothing more, nothing less and that's what made the work so engaging regardless of if I agreed or disagreed with your points. Like others have said, take the time you need to breathe, and refresh. Play some new games, don't play any, whatever makes you feel like you're getting that energy back. Being a writer myself, one thing I've learned is that the creative spark will always come back, but trying to force the spark will only make it take longer and longer. Whatever lies ahead for you, I hope you push through to get where you need to be. Been a fan of your content since around the time you dropped the DQ 11 retrospective and I've stuck around this long, so best believe I'll be around when you're back to 100%.
I can understand the feeling of not having your channel grow as you expected, I also have this channel since 2012 and only now got to 6k subs. On the topic of what I liked and made me follow your creations, it's definitely the sense of humor. From the start, having a skit with a costume and rhyming was cool, but you having fun was the total package. It seems people nowadays aren't into watching fun videos like they used to, since most people have serious concerns about their futures and that includes having some form of stability, financial or otherwise. Which brings me to the point of looking into making some form of external monetization, like Patreon and having an editor to help with the process. Also having a Discord with the audience may help with the creation process.
I literally just subscribed earlier today because of your Dragon Quest 6 retrospective, so I don't have much perspective outside this video, but if RUclips isn't working out, there's really no shame in putting your efforts elsewhere. You've built up a sizeable portfolio of analysis and editing, and I think those are definitely transferable skills. If you want to keep up the channel, why not go a bit meta? Videos where you take viewers on whatever process you're going through in whatever you're working on could be interesting, and you get other things done at the same time. I've never had it in me to put my thoughts into an essay or video, so frankly I'm a bit envious of what you HAVE done so far, and I think forcing yourself to continue doing types of videos you don't want to do won't be productive for anyone. TLDR: Not an original comment, but make what you want to make, when or if you want to make it, even if it's radically different from the rest of your catalogue.
I really really enjoyed your Feature Creep videos and the other miscellaneous stuff. Not actually a big fan of the retrospectives, although I understand that they bring the most consistent numbers because that's were youve built you're audience. That being said, I watch and enjoy every video because I like how you mingle the analytical mindset with the passion. My mom changed jobs a few years ago, is now a real estate agent and everyone who knows her is like "Yes, in retrospective it's obvious that that's the perfect job for her" because she really loves houses and in every house, no matter how ugly, she always finds something to love and then can convey that and infect other people with that passion and I feel like that's you with videogames. You always find that one awesome thing and you can always convince me that it's awesome.
So the best tip I can give you is follow that passion. And if it isn't there right now and you're just burnt out, maybe take a step back and give it time to return instead of forcing yourself to make content you're not actually enjoying. I will gladly wait.
If you care about growing the channel I think collaborating with other gaming essay channels would be a good idea (I personally found you because someone I already followed gave you a shout-out) and coming at it from that perspective (who would I want to work with and how could we make our respective perspectives and skill sets work in a collaboration?) might actually inspire you (paradoxically I had some of my best ideas in my professional life, when I was constrained in some way).
Whatever you decide to do I'll stick around for and I just wish you the very best!
Happy Birthday GC. I loved your Dragon Quest + Monster Series really got me back into playing the series. I watched a couple of the feature creep videos and your editorials. You are great at going deep into details and exploring features and narrative structures.
As an visual artist I can relate to the burnout. I would let yourself explore games that bring you joy; it will help you rediscover the reason you started to make video game essay content in the first place. That being said you don't have to create essays about them right away do live playthroughs. You can still talk and explore design choices, narrative tone about the game as things pop up.
Use live playthroughs when your explore games as a way to engage with your audience in-between creating your essays. Essays take time to write so engaging with your audience in other ways in practice should help your channel grow.
Be proud of what you have done so far.
Been here since i found the dq7 video like 8 years ago, and ive loved ur content since. I will say retrospectives on games like yakuza, where the issues and content of the games dont vary alot, can be really draining. I got fatigue by the time the yakuza 6 video came out. I absolutely love it when ur a bit less “clinical” and more focused on being comedic.
Idk i love ur content and its been a genuine comfort as ive gone through alot of changes in my life. I love the vibe of earlier content like the dq retrospective. The video on one piece was really fun and very in line with those as well.
I hope you figure out whats best for you. You’ve provided alot of support my way even if just through youtube content, so i hope this helps a little. ❤
My initial response is that if you want to continue making content that you make content that you feel honest about. If it's something you enjoy, or something you don't enjoy. It's important to keep the honesty in what you're saying. I found your content when you started the Dragon Questrospective. Being a long time fan of the series before that I was able to feel what you were saying. The skits and theatrics you did kept me hooked for the next upload. It was fun. Even as your opinion on the Like a Dragon series changed over time, and while you got some undeserved hate. You were being honest with what you were saying. Even if I didn't agree with your view points it was still fun to watch. I think the key to your content is the fun you put into it. That fun and honesty will keep me coming back. Find something to love or hate and make the content how you do. If I were to recommend a series to try and see if you feel the creative spark is The Legend of Heroes. Namely the Trails series. They are mostly cozy rpgs but they go places. Unfortunately they can be very long, but it's a very good time. There is a lot to unpack. Finally Happy Birthday. I do hope that you find your creative spark and find the things that you want to talk about.
Happy birthday! I loved your videos for awhile now and while I’m bummed you're burnt out, above all else, please do what you need to do, even if it means taking a break from creating videos for awhile.
That said, in terms of what I'd like to see, I'm a fan of both the video essays as well as the retrospectives.
With the retrospectives, despite taking longer to do, are appealing in terms of being a long-running series of games that are seemingly appear similar from the outside, but digging deeper, there's much more depth and nuance to be found, always with a new angle to explore a series from. That said, it's probably smart to juggle these with other, smaller video types as not to put all the eggs in one basket (or burning out).
With the topic videos and video essays, these have a lot of potential. In particular, I’m a big fan of the strategy guide video, the mods video, and the “yakuza is for men” video. Maybe occasionally instead of doing a wide berth of games, maybe scale down to just one game? Not quite as a 'review' of that game, but as an exploration of a specific theme or topic. (The Ballad videos get somewhat close to this, but something a slightly more expanded if that makes sense). The comment you made on the Burnout podcast about DQ games' plots possibly being tied to Yuji Horii's personal circumstances with the development of each was also an incredibly interesting idea.
An emotional core is #1. I want to know what people care about and why. Every other interesting thing often flows from that place of internal truth. Why does the work affect you, how does it achieve that, what does that mean, etc.
First of, happy birthday GC! I know the past couple years have been rough. But I sincerely hope 2025 treats you better because you deserve it. ❤
Second of, I admire your bravery for putting this out. It's hard to show your vulnerable side, especially to people on the internet, some of whom wouldn't hesitate to kick you when you're already down. I've been following you since 2021 and I've witnessed your struggle, at least partly through streams. I know you put a lot of yourself in the creative process and I'm so sorry that it didn't pay off like you had hoped. Unfortunately I wouldn't be of much help here. I'd tell you to keep following your heart and not care about the algorithm. But that wouldn't necessarily help steer the channel in the direction you want. I like all the content you make. Then again, maybe I'm easy to satisfy lol. So I'll let others make suggestions and hopefully some of them will spark your interest. Ultimately, whatever you decide to do, I'll support you. Say awesome 🎉
You have all the talent to do whatever you want to in the space. My only suggestion would be to try doing some live streams solo or with some other fans from the games in that community that you like. Whatever you do just keep on grinding and don’t give up. Appreciate your content hope you keep going.
I really have enjoyed the retrospectives and character ballads the most. That said, do what interests you! I think the best videos in general are made by those who have a real passion for their subject. I hope things get better for you soon!
I've always loved the passion and positivity - I hope to see more of you, but I wouldn't ask anything that's a sacrifice instead of a personal passion project. 🙏🏽
Our economy doesn't value art, even if we're always shown the exceptions - people always will though. Just know most of those numbers appreciate the piece of yourself you've given!
No matter what you do, live your life however you're most happy. We may only have the one. ❤️
I discovered you about a year ago when I found your DQ11 retrospective. Honestly I was drawn in by this witty twink that could combine sassy jokes with incredibly insightful analysis of the game. (lol) It was a brand I thought was unique in the JRPG space and I was excited to watch more! But seeing more recent content, it’s clear you’re not that guy now. This isn’t bad - we all grow and change, but as a brand it’s difficult when a channel changes in terms of type of content, release schedules, etc all at once. Building an audience usually comes from consistency in selling what makes you unique from others. I say this as a marketing executive for an insurance company.
This video seems to suggest the issues you’re feeling are a bit deeper. Your wording sounds like you have no choice but to make content, and forced content is never good. What motivates you to continue trying? What would success look like if you continued to make videos? You mention that you want to make jokes in videos again - why can’t you? Defining the barriers stopping you from being happy with how things are going is always a good first step. I’m not sure any of us replying to you can offer a fix, but I really hope you find a solution that makes you happy, whether that be on or off of RUclips.
I wasn't really a huge fan of Dragon Quest until i watched your retrospective. That was my introduction to your channel. I really enjoyed the humor, analytical observations, and emotional connection with those games, characters and stories. Now i love every game in that series and I've played most of them. The same goes for the yakuza series. I wish i knew how to better help spark that muse for enjoying making videos again. All i know is that I'm going to be watching whatever you make, whenever you make it, even if that takes you another year to feel motivated to do, and have a happy birthday my guy.
I can't answer whether or not it's correct for you to continue doing content creation. That's something that's deeply personal and I would encourage you to take some time, introspect, and see where you arrive with that.
That said, when I think of your content and what I remember most, it was both your videos about gambling addictions in games and interrogating how games represent latinx cultures from the perspective of someone who lives one of them. I like those two videos in particular because they're rooted in your own personal perspective. They showcase the unique viewpoint you come from and how it colors the way you interact with media.
And I think it's why they're such strong videos.
It doesn't always have to be this analytical dissection of a game, it can just be you talking from the heart like this video. It can just be you or with someone talking about your memories of discovering video games. You can talk about games that left an imprint on you and the joy of just playing them. Just something simple for now instead of a big project that's going to eat you up.
This is a tough one to answer. I came in because of your Dragon Quest retrospectives, and I honestly enjoyed them a great deal. Some of your other videos, like the one about not having to finish games, replay value and even the game feature overview ones (I loved the fishing video by the way) piqued my interest a fair bit. I'll admit I'm not a big Yakuza fan so I've skipped most of those videos, and while I've watched the Dragon Quest Monsters videos, I can definitely see what you see in them as they progressed on. I think the thing I want to see you do is do what you want to do and find enjoyment in it. I know that sounds weird to say, but I think that's what I can say about all of my favorite content creators. The ones I stick with are the ones where I can tell they're having fun and enjoying what they're doing. There have been more than a few over the years where I've drifted away because that feeling of their enjoyment left the videos as they tried, often way too hard, to please the algorithm at the cost of their own personal enjoyment in the content or the process.
I can kinda speak to this in my own past as a hobbyist illustrator. There was a time when I used to love drawing and would just do whatever for my own enjoyment. As soon as I made an attempt to expand and do work aimed at a specific audience, the cracks started to show in my work. I pushed through it for a while, but the pressure of trying to please everyone else ultimately ate away at my own enjoyment in the process because I wasn't making pieces for myself anymore. Eventually, I broke down and just stopped drawing altogether, and lost even more time I could have spent having fun to my own frustration at the process and an inability to come up with ideas that pleased me. It was like a weird mental block brought on by years of internal stress that I was ignoring.
I don't know if this is a typical problem for other creatives, and I wouldn't take it to the extreme that I did with art, but I do think that you might do well to take a brief hiatus to think about what you want to do that would fulfill you. I'm not going to say that you're going to be a huge success or rake in thousands of new subscribers by this suggestion, but I do think that the audience can tell when you're truly having fun and doing something that is meaningful to you, and will respond accordingly.
Hopefully this helps some, or that someone else here has something to say that clicks with you somehow. Other than that I can only wish you well, whatever you decide to do.
more pajama sam content
lol in all seriousness, i loved your dq videos and regardless to whatever you decide to do, thank you for the time/energy/effort you put into them.
i guess my question to you is… what do you currently feel passionate about? what are you doing to find moments of joy in your life? maybe that’s not even video games, but if you’re anything like me, you go through phases of different hyper fixations. if content creation isn’t fun, don’t do it!! but if you have something you’re feeling passionate about these days, i’m sure others would be interested in watching whatever content you want to create surrounding that interest.
GC, homie, you got this. I personally love any of your Dragon Quest content, you're honestly one of the only creators that makes DQ content that I enjoy. So I guess if I had a request, it'd be more Dragon Quest stuff -- as I'm sure you know, its an audience starved for content aside from the games.
I liked your DQ retrospective videos a lot. You are the one who convinced me to try out the series and I am grateful. You are a funny and charismatic guy, so I like to see your face in your videos.
Your Dragon Quest videos are how I found your channel not long after your upload of the Yakuza Kiwami video, and it's been a treat to see you tackle different games. Your retrospective vids have been a joy, you bring perspectives I don't often see, like with the themes of love and intimacy from the Yakuza 3 video. Questrospective, at least to my mind, feels like a cornerstone of your channel, and I feel it's where you really strut your stuff with your writing. The character ballads were also a good focused look at the characters you chose to discuss. I think some time away might do you some good, yes, but I ultimately hope you find that creative spark again.
My attention span has been terrible lately, so I've seen notifications from channels like yours and others that I'm subscribed to but I always push them away thinking "maybe I'll watch it later", and I feel like a lot of people might be going through the same thing, so it's mostly big stablished channels with enough subs to always reach between 200k and 1M that are actually surviving the tide of shorts, 1 minute videos, slop content... that's flooding platforms lately. I found myself watching the same videos on loop while eating, cooking, cleaning and more rather than trying to watch new and more "challenging" stuff (I said challenging in quotes because that includes deep analysis of media and just silly stuff... literally anything "new" feels terrifying right now)
Editing this because I finally finished the video (sorry lol) but, personally, my favorite videos are things like the Mario Party, the ballads and your video about latine representation in media (I'm half Spaniard, half Latino), as I've never played DQ or Yakuza, but I've watched your DQ monsters and Caravan videos because I knew about the main series but not about these spin offs, and they caught my attention.
GC, I've been feeling the exact -- and I mean *exact* -- same way as you. I've put a fair amount of stuff into production this year, got as far as voice overs and just said "... that's it. I think I'm done."
So from one video guy to another, here's at least my plan. I'm picking out a handful of topics that I would legitimately regret if I didn't cover them. Maybe if something happens after they're finished, I'll reevaluate. But I am fully prepared for them to be the last videos I make. Right now, I also have the dream of telling a story through a video game of my own making. And I think I've been procrastinating on that dream for too long. So it's not like I'm giving up that creative mind forever. I just plan on putting it somewhere else. So maybe stopping will also be your final answer?
But don't think the years you spent doing this were wasted. Maybe I would have been a millionaire if I didn't make dumb RUclips videos, but I never would have made a friend in GC Vazquez if I didn't. Your videos also pushed me forward and inspired me. If nothing else, I'm glad you made them!
Thank you so much. Truly and wholly.
I found the channel with your "STOP SENDING ME YOUR RPG MAKER GAMES" video lol, I'm a big fan of the engine so it was a fun video to watch.
Then I stuck around when i watched some of your Dragon Quest videos which were fun insight into a series I hadn't really played beyond the PS2 game (and now the recent DQXI).
But I never really followed the DQ Monster or Yakuza series vids, as Yakuza is a series forever on my backlog so I try to avoid spoiler stuff, and I don't really know anything about DQ Monsters.
Watched some of your vid essays (the drinking one especially I thought was good), enjoyed those too.
All that to say: I quite like your personality and video style, so when it's a video I see that's of a topic I've an interest in and am not avoiding I'll click and watch.
Sorry to hear about the burnout, I hope you can recover!
But if you do decide to walk away then know that I've enjoyed the you you've put out onto the web and I appreciate this sort of head's up notification of what might happen, it's always a bummer when a content creator just goes dark without ever saying why and is never seen again, so it's nice to know the why if that does happen (though I hope it doesn't!).
Thanks for all the vids and fun, I wish you luck in your self search!
When I started playing Dragon Quest 9 I didn't really enjoy the series as a whole. I liked that one game. But when I saw your video come up it was really inspiring. The way you analyze games is beautiful. Your videos have this feeling of hope and that really inspired me to do my own work better. I think the biggest thing I want to see more of stems from the videos you make. You make a lot of analysis on games, you have to play the games, if it's possible I'd love to watch you play the games! Your dragon quest series got me interested but the way you talk about things in your videos kept me around. I hope you find that joy again!
Honestly, I love the videos you make b/c you're passionate about them. If you have burnout, I know the feeling b/c I'm currently in that feeling since last year. The creative spark has fizzled out. I do have the need to make videos, but I just don't have it in me to MAKE THEM.
If you wanna get out of your creative rut, here's some ideas:
1. Exercise, or take a walk of some sort, whether in your neighborhood or anywhere. The walking could run some creative juices in your brain.
2. I'm sure you did Dragon Quest and Yakuza b/c you love the series. Is there another game series that you love? Maybe do some introspection of the games you like.
3. Maybe listen to some audiobooks on burnout. I listened to the "Steal like an Artist" series and it got me some ideas what to do. Or buy those book if you're more visual than audio.
4. Just play some games on your own time. You might find something during those play sessions. Who knows?
I found you through a concerted effort to find someone who took an in depth look at the Dragon Quest series. I saw a few people discussing the series, but your retrospective is the only one I vibed with. I admittedly don't know a thing about Yakuza and haven't checked out that retrospective. I generally like the blend of serious analysis with jokes peppered in to keep things from being overly serious, but also remember being particularly fond of the analysis of DQ11 (I go back and watch that video in particular every so often). I am not entirely sure as far as what a good series to look at (or if it even has to be a video game related thing), but I enjoy the way you break down a story, and think it would work if you thought enough of the story to have something to say.
Happy birthday GC, love your videos even if I don't agree with everything.
First thing is that you should always take your time, I might be an outlier here but I don't care how much time an artist takes to create something, as long as they enjoy it that's the most important. I'm using this as a launching point to say that a video idea should be exciting for you to begin with.
As for me, my favorite videos you've made are of course the DQXI videos, they we're (and still are) the best videos on the game on the platform to this day. Not having to finish a game and replay value I like to think back to a lot, especially the older I get and time is limited with adulthood.
Another favorite are the strategy guides and card games videos, they are aspect of gaming I don't think many explore in the way you did in those videos, and this leads to a video idea I'm interested in seeing is analyzing card based RPG and how they work as a card game in of themselves.
Ever since I beat both Baten Kaitos games (some of my favorite games of all time), this is a subject that is fascinating and worth a look.
in general it sounds like you're more burnt out of making long retrospectives and keeping up with LAG series, but most important is that you take your time and don't feel pressured about making videos.
My favourite video you ever did was 'Representing Latines and Hispanics In Games'. I like it when you take your own personal experiences and view games through that lens. That said? I agree with those below. If you're burned out, it's time to step aside. I can say that this is a lesson I wish I'd heeded, where exciting projects kept coming up and I kept taking them, ignoring the burnout signs. And I just died. Blew a contract, never wrote again, when if I'd been smart and just stepped back, I might still be doing it. Listen to your heart, listen to your instincts. If it's time to say goodbye, it's time to say goodbye.
I'll be honest, after your year hiatus, I don't know if I just quit paying attention to your channel, or stopped getting it recommended in my feeds or what, but I haven't watched much in a long time. But from I watched a few years ago, I enjoyed the videos you have passion for.
So if you've lost your passion, you need to find what you love. I can't recommend another hiatus, because like you mentioned, it wrecks the algorithm recommendations.
I mentioned it a few years ago, but I'd love your take on a Final Fantasy series retrospective. I know you don't have the same nostalgia for it as Dragon Warrior/Quest. But at minimum, with it being such a huge franchise, it may help bring in more views.
Now I'm going to try and catch up on some of your videos I missed.
Firstly, happy birthday! I don't know how this specific individual day is actually going for you (good I hope!) but I'm really sorry to hear you've been having a rough time of things lately...
As for myself... I'm not really sure how, like... actionable? my feedback would be, but in terms of what I like about your stuff, I think you have a really good ability to sorta... look at things in a broader context than just a vacuum. Things like the social commentary and theme analysis in the LAD series, for example, or discussion of the sort of broader metanarrative of the Dragon Quest series as a whole in that series. From those two examples, it's pretty obvious that I do really enjoy your retrospectives, but I don't just enjoy them purely "because they're retrospectives". I think you have a really thoughtful, compassionate, sincere way of looking at and talking about stuff you clearly care about a lot, and I'm always happy to hear your thoughts on things, since I know they're coming from a genuine, well-considered place.
That said, I have liked your other series and your one-off videos, too! I think that same way of looking at things shines through in them in a different sort of way, and it's perhaps even clearer in those videos that you're coming from a place of caring about the real-life people who PLAY (and make) games, not just the games themselves.
I don't really know that I have any singular specific suggestion that this is all building towards or anything. At the end of the day, what I want the most is for you to live your own life in a way that's authentic and fulfilling for you. If that involves making more videos, I'd love to see them! If it doesn't, well, I'll miss seeing new stuff from you, but your own happiness and well-being as a real-life person is most important of all.
Take it easy and take care of yourself, y'know? I hope this comment can be of some help, even if it's a little rambly and aimless!
Hey GC I follw you from.. god I don't know when... from when you were in the middle of your DQ Retrospective and always admired you because you have that "one" thing. You know how to comunicate, you have passion, you are talented and creative! And you may not see it now because of the burn out. RUclips is very frustrating because there are no rules. The control locus is always out so it always looks like you don't have anything on your hand to be in a better position. Please do not listen to that voice that is telling you you don't have any creativity left. Creativity is not something you can ran out of... but it's something you have to take care of. Take time to enjoy what you are doing and if youtube is something you don't enjoy now, I will be the first to be sad but, maybe take a break... and focus on doing things you enjoy. Many many thanks for being honest GC
Hey, I've been subbed to your channel and have been watching your stuff for the past 7 years at this point, and I really think your videos started to shine with the Yakuza retrospectives. I know I'm not speaking for everyone here though, but I tend to usually like watching "one-off" or "episodic" types of video essays, rather than an entire series with multiple parts, because that requires a time investment that I, or other viewers may not have.
There's so much other content on RUclips to watch, and as ""content creators"", I feel like we have to take that into account to some extent. However, that part in this video in where you talked about being on the platform for over a decade and not having much to show for it was pretty disheartening to hear, especially from my perspective, I run a channel that I'd still consider to be (relatively) new and really tiny; that's at like 600 subs. And although I feel like I finally found my footing in the types of videos that I want to make and my channel's still actively growing, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about the RUclips algorithm just casually deciding to snuff my entire channel without any second thoughts.
I don't know. I'm probably not the guy to ask for advice at all, but personally my way of making videos is to create the exact video I had envisioned in my mind, and avoid looking at the analytics screen at all costs. Forgive me if this sounds too pretentious, but whenever I make a video on my channel, there's this almost strict "artistic vision" that I find myself following no matter what, whether that's the wonky pacing, or the editing choices, it's almost always intentional. I'll do it even if that vision that I have could ultimately alienate me from my viewers, and "contemporaries". Sorry if all of that was hard to follow.
Also Happy Birthday!
I did like Feature creep. It inspired me to make a project in uni last year to be about problem gambling in online spaces.
I also think bits of comedy help a lot. I do like the yakuza reviews but there was a turn around where there was a bit too much negative without the brevity of humour, but I still appreciate your intense criticism.
I feel deep readings of media you like is always a good focus. Like if you want to do a deep read of the lilo and stitch cartoon go ahead. We want a close reading and deep thinks on your hyper fixations. Also if you need to maybe make short form less than ten minute videos if you feel overwhelmed. I don't comment all the time but I love you man. I am up for a back and forth talking shit out to get the ideas flowing is probably what you need, isolation is a key part of burn out I think.
Hey GC. Big fan. I hope this comment doesn’t get too long, but if it does then I hope it remains interesting enough to finish. On the off chance that any of this reads as judgemental or negative (which I do NOT anticipate), I just want to reinforce that all this is said with 100% love and no judgement. Tone is just hard to convey through text, so I wanna play it safe, because this is clearly a very sensitive issue.
First of all, I never watch videos like this - much less watch them all the way through - but I watched yours from start to finish, for whatever that says about my personal enthusiasm for your content. Now, I’m going to answer the questions you posed directly here, but tbh I think that the information you requested is a little bit at odds with what you want to accomplish deep down. Speaking as a “””””content creator””””” myself (teeny tiny channel), I can really empathize with your plight. I’ve had the experience of the 1 or 2 videos that blew up out of nowhere, only to be followed up with entire strings of videos that never even broke 5k lifetime views. For gaming channels, a lot of times it feels like unless your name is Dunkey, the algorithm just likes taunting you, and it can be really disheartening. She’s a toxic, fickle mistress, who gives you just enough high to make you think you can reach it again, only to hold out on you 99% of the time. It just kind of sucks.
Now it seems to me that what you really want is conventional success, by niche gaming RUclips standards. I think your content is good enough for it and I think you deserve it just as much as plenty of others who have achieved it, if not more. But I’m just one guy.
The reason I think your questions are at odds with your goal, is because I imagine that the majority of the people who are even going to hear them are already your diehards - the people who are showing up regardless. If you’re content to reduce RUclips completely to hobby status (likely not what you want to hear), then I and I’m sure plenty of others will be glad to offer requests, but if what you really want are numbers and mass engagement (a 100% respectable and understandable goal), then I really don’t think our opinions matter anyway.
My most brutally honest advice would be to just cut back for now. Forget the algorithms. Forget about RUclips as a source of potentially sustainable income. Do it as a hobby, or for the art. Make what you want to make when you want to make it - as often or rare as that is. Just make what gives you the spark of inspiration. There’s always a non-zero chance that you take off anyway, but if you don’t think of that as the benchmark for your success, then I think you’ll at least enjoy the process again.
Now to answer the questions you actually asked: I predominantly watch your Dragon Quest content. That’s how I found you, that’s what I think of as your “brand” in my head. I’ve seen and enjoyed a few others, but I don’t necessarily watch every single thing you put out on principle. Please keep in mind though that that’s not a reflection on you - that’s how I am with EVERY channel I’m subscribed to. My time is limited, and while I have a wide spread of gaming franchise tastes, I don’t like EVERYthing. Yakuza for example just isn’t a franchise I’m into, so I ignore all of those videos.
So what would I like to see more of? Honestly, that’s a little tricky. Your recent DQM content has been my most hyped GC content in a while, but understandably the DQ well runneth dry at the moment. I suppose I’d enjoy seeing your take on more of the spin-offs (Heroes, Swords, and Rocket Slime in particular come to mind), but only if they’re actually of any interest to you.
The bottom line is I want you to be happy and fulfilled in what you create, regardless of the mindset you need to get there. I’d kind of rather you just “retire” and make something once in a while when you really have the spark on inspiration, than force yourself to churn out content - even quality content - in a desperate bid to achieve a standard that is so notoriously fickle and arbitrary to reach.
But again, this has all been just one guy’s take. I sincerely hope you find an answer that’s satisfying to YOU. Stay positive my friend.
You being such a big DQ fan, I’d be curious to see your opinions on the Shin Megami Tensei games, or even the Persona games
if Im not mistaken, I remember that once you considered making a video about fable2 morality system, and you had a lot to talk about it. Could be worth a try.
I have to say, looking at your data, you are doing tremendously well considering your subscriber count and viewing numbers. You get a good percentage of viewers that show up to your videos. Sure, some videos didnt hit the mark since it wasnt pushed by the YT algorithm, like the gambling video, but in general, you reach your subscribers and viewers a lot.
Im also a subscriber and feel you have a lot of hidden potential in writing, especially about the topics you are passionate about. Dragon Quest and video gaming in general are you strong suit.
Maybe branching out to other JPRG series and making shorter videos could work. For example making shorter video essays about indie games like Sea of Stars or Chained Echoes. Or you could go back to the classics and talk about Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana or even Final Fantasy.
Off topic: I work a lot with people who are burnt out and one general tip i can give you is the following: If you really want to continue with content making, then dont abandon or take a long break from it. Thats one of the worst things you could do. BUT take a step back and look around content creating, what others do, what video games you are interested in and if you still feel the motivation, go back right away. The farther you go away from the field you are burnt out of, the more likely it is you never turn back.
Hey GC, been watching since I think the end of 2021, so I was comparatively late, but I've watched through almost every upload. I've personally loved all your videos I've seen, with my favorites being in your Feature Creeps and Character Ballads, as well as your videos on social subjects like the one on Latines and Hispanics in games, and the more "out there" (comparatively) like the one about reading guides as playing games. My favorite aspect of your work has been when your analysis centered on emotion and growth- be it the characters in the game(s) or your own- as well as how you've used the theme(s) of the game (or games) being discussed to ground that analysis- like in your Unpacking video (another favorite). I think that you have a great voice (sonically and words-wise lol), perspective, convictions, and sense of humor that consistently resonates with me. Many of your videos have truly moved me and I find you're one of a very unfortunately small group of people online that looks at this medium in these ways.
That all said, as a fellow creative of about the same age I think, I can very much understand the feeling of wasted time on top of burnout. It's an awful feeling, to be sure, and sometimes a break or even quitting IS what's needed. Hurting yourself to create by forcing a march through the burnout will only cause even worse problems for yourself. And, if you decide to step away from this altogether, I know I'd understand. I can't lie- I'd be bummed out and miss hearing your perspective as I sincerely respect it, but I could never hold it against anyone to do what's right for oneself and their health. I do hope that if you keep making videos, you can find that spark and drive again and that they come from a place of joy once more.
Happy Birthday!!!
If you see this I'm writing it as I am watching. But I suggest first off just make videos about things you are excited about full stop. Stop worrying about what people want make what excites you! Then the rest will come! Im using a friend as an example he started a channel just a couple months ago only talking about stuff that he finds interesting and he already has a few 10,000+ views and like 500 subscribers while he isn't blowing up he enjoys making the content on topics he likes and he makes a video a month with a full time job and family. I love the content you make and have been around here for years. I haven't felt the energy you had in some of those early videos. So please just make stuff that excites you! Thats what I want! MAKE WHAT EXCITES YOU and I will be here watching! And to answer your questions at the end YES to all!
We also have talked on twitter before I will happily bounce ideas with you! I have ideas but no great way to execute them. Also still waiting on a Last Remnant video.
I’m a subscriber but I guess kind of a casual fan of yours. My typical RUclips video wheelhouse is deeper dive reviews like from Majuular, AboveUp, Basement Brothers, Dungeon Chill, PrettyCody, TheGamingBritShow, historical videos like those from Classic Gaming Quarterly, Bowl of Lentils, and some harder to box in channels like, Nerrel, Big Yellow, hazel, Any Austin, and ThorHighHeels. I know that’s a massively wide spread and I’m not suggesting you do videos like those, especially if they’re not something you enjoy.
I did want to say though, and I promise I’m not being a hater or trying to be negative here, but you don’t owe anything to this channel or this audience and you certainly don’t owe anything to this anti-creative platform. If you’re not enjoying any part of the video making process and it’s a drain on your time and livelihood, don’t feel like you need anyone’s permission to stop. And if in 6 months or a year you feel really pumped up about a video idea, you’re not locked out of putting something out once or twice a year, especially if you’re not financially dependent on this channel’s success. It can be just a little side thing for fun that doesn’t matter.
I’m sorry it’s been a rough go. I think the main thing you need to pursue is what you yourself enjoy. Don’t make yourself miserable for this website.
I’m not advocating for you to quit but if that’s what you decide to do, don’t feel like you’ve failed. You’ve made great videos. That’s more than most other people in the entire world can say.
Yo! I would just want you to be happy as others as expressed. The good thing is, nothing's wrong with you and you don't owe anyone on the Internet anything. It sounds like to me capitalism is getting to you. Maybe take a look at some optimistic nihilism information that's out there, not that I believe life doesn't have meaning, but, it could help with finding more meaning where there currently is a gap. You got this GC. You didn't waste anything. Your subscriber amount does not equate to your value. You know your value, you are worth a lot to a lot of people that know you in your life outside of RUclips if I had to guess. You got this.
First off, I loved the DQM series. I've never played any of those games, but I love the DQ franchise, so it was nice to learn more about them, so thank you!
I write a review for every game that I play and post them to a blog that I don't share with anyone, and I've been doing it for almost a decade now. I 100% understand the feeling of burnout, and I'm not trying to build or maintain an audience, so I can't imagine how much worse it could be for you and I'm really sorry that has become an issue.
However, this scriptless video turned out great, IMO, so I wouldn't mind seeing a full pivot from your channel, if you still wanted to put stuff up on RUclips. Like seriously, I'd gladly watch videos that are just you chatting about whatever you're playing and enjoying. It doesn't have to be clean, clever, well-edited, etc. I'm just happy to have more to watch from a creator that I enjoy. Have you ever played Outer Wilds? I'd love to hear your unfiltered take on it!
Whatever you decide to do, though, just know I'm grateful for the videos you've made so far! Take care of yourself. Your health and peace of mind is more important than feeding the content machine.
Edit: Oh! Happy Birthday!
first off, happy birthday. secondly, if it's not sparking happiness, and quitting is the alternative anyways, just make the content you want to, disregarding what the youtube overlords and algo care about. comedians can't make jokes in a vaccum, they have to go out and have life experiences to have things to talk about, and same thing i imagine goes for content creators as well. watch more movies, go to conventions, read books, go out and find something to want to ramble about on the internet, and i guarantee, we'll be here waiting for you.
Happy Birthday 🎉🎊 🎁 🎂🎈🎊🎉
Happy birthday!
I found your channel from the yakuza/dq videos. I like the way you look at stories/mechanics and the videos where you relate personal xp to broader gaming discussions like gambling or reading game guides. afaik burnout is primarily the disconnect between effort in and rewards/value out, so if you're not feeling like making videos is rewarding it could be good to take a break and think about what you want out of it before trying to grind your way through. I think the algorithm/metrics side of it seems random so you should make whatever kind of videos you want about whatever is interesting to you. It might be a good time to try a variety of input whether that's different genres/types of games or shifting media to books/movies/music idk if it'd lead to video ideas/topics, but if most of your engagement has been with the purpose of creation you might be turning all your leisure time into work time which would feed into the burnout. I like your videos and wish you the best whatever you end up doing.
hey brother GC been following your for a long while now.. I’ve been meaning to comment on your videos many many times but have a hard time saying what I want without turning the comments into a long winded mess, so I never pull thru. I have watched most of your videos plenty of times and I do think you excel at this man! I also watched your Caravan Heart essay for like the third time, and then clicked on your Fishing in Games video just to take a peek.. and it was pretty refreshing to watch..! it’s not the kind of content I would normally watch, since I usually stick to retrospectives. I also enjoy your tone and your crafty jokes, which have made me chuckle out loud plenty BUT I do enjoy some of the videos where your demeanor is a bit serious. While in outings I feel more comfortable around people who are not sliming or making jokes every minute, as it can feel a bit less genuine, just my hot take. OK time to cut this shorter… MY favorite of your vids is Dragon Quest XI - I refused to watch it before beating it so it took a lot of effort to ignore you for a bit, but once I was done with the game I plugged in AND had to stop once you started talking about the post content because I really had no idea. So I put you on time out AND then came back to finish hearing your beautiful thoughts on the game. Anyways brother I hope you can find your way wherever it is and somehow I can still be part of it.
My favorite video of yours is definitely the one on text LPs and your experience "reading" through Majora's Mask. I think my favorite videos of yours are the ones that are more focused on your personal experience with media than the more analytical critique (although I still really enjoy those.)
But if you're feeling burnt out, you should probably take a break from RUclips for a while, maybe try out other hobbies or kinds of media you don't usually engage with. That's what usually helps me when I'm burnt out. If you still like making videos, you shouldn't stop, but I think you should just wait around and try other things until the feeling of "Man, I REALLY want to make a video" comes back. You don't owe anyone X amount of videos every Y amount of time, take your time.
I hope this helps, and happy birthday ❤
It's all apart of the story man, i've been a subscriber for 9 years now it's insane.... and have thouroughly enjoyed every video, even was a patron for awhile too when things were better for me haha xD but things will get better again, and things will improve a lot more for you, you just gotta keep going. i know you know that but sometimes it's good to hear something again for it to stick. the beatles being cut from their first record labels, jordan being cut from his HS basketball team, so many examples of greats that faced many failures before succeeding. the difficult thing isn't that your videos aren't good, they are fantastic, it's just youtube is a tight ass space now with so much competition that it's difficult to gauge. the thing is that youtube changes it's algorythm every few months so that no one can take advantage of it's formula therefore noone can benefit from it, and because of that, those really big channels? they usually grow quickly all within a certain short time frame that gets them viral, and that's enough to keep them going. basically, it's like.... it's much easier to make a ton of money, when you have a ton of money. if you're a millionaire, you can continue to make money a lot easier than starting from scratch. you started from scratch and have so many fans, niche, sure, but a loyal following.
another thing is that dragon quest is only recently begining to become big in the west, we all know it's japan's cultural icon... and western videos, aren't filtered, but a lot more difficult for the japanese side of youtube to see. so it's basically like someone in america making videos about kpop in 2014, yeah theres a small following in america, but if your videos were seen in korea /asia where it's really hot, you'd blow up. but here we are a decade later and it's huge everywhere. same thing with DQ.
instead of feeling like you've hit a roadblock, feel like this is an exciting oppertunity, that feeling of virality, of hitting that 1 mill, should continue being your fire to think of something. it's literally moments like this that people begin getting creative and truly make some incredible content. i know you don't want to do what everyone else is doing... but maybe it may pay off to be early on things that are popular, just for a moment. Maybe rebrand, to something catchier and shorter, basically make a one worded channel name instead of gc vazquez. it looks better and is more memoriable for the viewer.
and most of all, engagement: the audience obviously makes huge engagement for a channel but this video is amazing for engagement and getting the audience active as youtube really loves that. i'm so excited to see where things go as i absolutely love your channel, it's like sweet smaller channels that really have the good stuff that people adore, but those channels deserve to be big, so here's to virality, growth, good mental health, and stability in the new year GC.
I'm sorry, friend, but I exist only to betray you in your darkest hour.
Happy belated birthday, GC! Have absolutely loved your videos over the years! Totally understandable and would love to see you back if you ever wanted to!
Merry Christmas, when it comes to retrospectives I really like the patrician long form retrospective style.
Feel like it's such a cop out answer but it is the passion and genuine emotion you get when talking about stuff like Dragon Quest.
For real, you inspired me to go ahead and play all the dragon quest games (taking my time with it so I'm only up to DQ7 after like 3 or 4 years)
As for my favorite video of yours 100% it's the Latino representation in video games video. As a Latino myself it was really cool to see a video that yknow made me feel represented and seen, and in general think of certain aspects and tropes that I didn't really think about prior.
It takes me at least an hour to get to work, so I usually go for longer format videos.
Another thing are videogame updates. Although similiar channels are doing the same thing, its the person talking and how he/she delivers is what makes me watch.
Hope you're doing well man. You got this
Happy Birthday.
It may not be all that interesting of an answer, but honestly, I think that you should just try to focus on making content that you yourself want to make. And if you don't feel like making any content at all right now, well, then maybe a nice long break is what you need. Either way, what I most want to see from you is content that YOU are passionate about. Sorry if that isn't all that helpful.
You need a partner dawg. I understand that you’re not making money here, so paying someone is out. But, doing EVERYTHING by yourself is a lot. You need a partner.
In the end , 100 years from now. Your videos might not mean much in the grand scheme of the universe, or world as a whole. But right here, and now. You mean the world to a whole lot of people, and we'll be forever grateful to you.
Thank you for your continued efforts in these videos, and thanks for making us all feel comfort when some of us have so many reasons not to. your videos have so much heart in them, especially the DQ ones, theyve helped me discover the series, and how wholesome they are, helping me through tough times. Youll always have a special place in my heart GC
You are the content creator. Surprise me. You're burnout? Take a break. One year. Two. Don't care. Go and have FUN. Don't search for ideeas. When you're ready, they will find you. There are chanels with 1 video in a year. Who cares about them finds them. Relax. Go and have fun, don't think about video for a while. When you're ready, i will be here, waiting for you to surprise me. If you don't come back, have a nice life. You did already much more then all of those who just comment and never did 1 minute of a video. Cheers.
First, it's clear you're just not in the right headspace because you're focus is on the bigger picture of your channel "taking off". I think that a break would be good so you can let that creative energy come back.
Second, I'd love a style that balances story sentimentality and gameplay analysis sprinkled in with bits of humor here and there. Your Yakuza 5 video is one I come back to often because of how it focuses on the themes of the game without it being a 6 hour long beat for beat analysis. There's a lot of great advice about dreams that I think you could go back and attribute to how you're feeling now. Kiryu's section about feeling lost when searching for a dream and how going to back to what made you start chasing it in the first place, Saejima's section about how it's totally okay to have your dream change in life, Haruka's section about how difficult it can be to be in the midst of chasing it, Akiyama's section for helping someone else achieve their dream, and Shinada's section about chasing your dream for YOUR sake because it matters to YOU, etc. It's a video I often come back to when I'm feeling a lot of self-doubt in my life because it reminds me nobody is going to write the stories I want to write, or how I can just write for the sake of having fun, even if I don't release a story, so on and so on.
TLDR: The Yakuza 5 video strikes a good length of about 45 minutes that strikes a good balance of story sentimentality, gameplay analysis, and humor. I think a break would benefit you to take a step back and remind yourself that it's okay to create just for the sake of it.
Now I feel kind of bad coming here to check on a Dragon Quest III HD 2D video😂. As a person that started creating content this year for podcasts, I feel you man… the reasons I come to your videos is for deep reflections on story, mechanics and social commentary fir the games that I love. Like having an intellectual dialogue about games that I could not have with anyone else. If you are able to bring it over to any franchise you choose, you will be good.
Woot to pre-making an ungodly number of videos club!
Commenting for the AlgoGods
I liked your videos where you were creative or make jokes. I think my main thought on your channel is that the burn out is a sign but I am not sure of the answer it should mean to you.
There is a creator I will watch what he puts out and even rewatch his 4+ hour videos named Tim Rogers. His content always included why a video game pulled him in. I love his PAC-MAN video and rewatch it because there is no one who has talked about the game the way he has. No story, basic mechanics, and decades old but hearing him enjoy what it offers and him reasoning why it’s so great is compelling. I feel your early Yakuza video had that element.
I would love to see you in your videos more rather than analysis for analysis sake. I have been an analyst for 15 years and one thing I keep in mind is “how do I communicate my feelings/emotions on why what I am making is important”. I do data analysis and it is dry and few people truly understand it, but I see things that are interesting and just try to communicate that and found more success than checking boxes on “good” analysis and format because it is expected.
Every game you covered made me interested in the series regardless of the type of video. My advice is to scale down and talk about anything that has peaked your interest regardless of what media it is if it's even media related.
I'm sorry to hear you going through creative burnout. Perhaps a bit of time away to refresh for new ideas and perspectives. If you decide to stop, it has been a hell of a ride. Thank you so much.
DQ3 Only [Class Run] Run
DQM Nuzlockes
Can you beat DQM with only 1 Monster
ETC
I've enjoyed your stuff for a while, and legit just properly subscribed before watching this. I have poor timing lol
As somebody who has way less understanding of the whole situation than you do- politely, it sounds like you really need a break. If these videos aren't worth doing right now (financially, personally, or creatively), then it's okay to not do them for a bit. Spend your time other ways! Try to pursue whatever's making your happy right now, since that will probably pay back more than trying to force videos that exhaust you.
It's okay to not know where to take things, and it's normal for figuring that out to take time. I'd hate to see you rush that process for the sake of presumed obligation to your audience, or some other factor. You don't owe us anything- but if you do find a creative spark again, I'm sure many people would be happy to see more stuff from you in the future. :]
(Also happy belated birthday!)
The solution to burnout isn't "do more work". I totally agree with taking a break. Recover. Reevaluate what you are doing, and how you are doing it. When I got burnt out, I had a spike of depression. The solution was to reevaluate what I was doing, how I was doing it, and how it made me feel.
I will say, a lot of "successful" youtube channels, don't farm content for a year, and then trickle it out. You should probably rethink this. Maybe take a youtube business class? Maybe take a video editing/workflow course? It's probably better to make one or two videos at a time, and release them when you are 80% satisfied with them.
Easy advice:
- Chase your passions
- Minimize effort/activation energy
- Outsource things you don't like
- Keep the things you enjoy
Consistency is key to feeding youtube's algorithm, but some people are successful even without that. Channels like technology connections or hbomberguy don't have regular release cadence or 15 minute videos. Stop chasing ideas on how you think things should work, and just do what you enjoy doing. Figure out how to make it easy for yourself.
The plural of "series" is "series".
"I kinda have some ideas for a couple of videos, but I don't even know if I should make them"
Do that if you want (I'd watch), but if you hate the process and it isn't your job... well, I don't see the point. You could try written material if that's not the part that gets you.
Also, happy belated birthday. I turned 30 yesterday and sometimes I get this feeling that I've wasted my youth, but what's done is done and those what-ifs probably weren't gonna go that way anyway.
I will say this, I am guilty of only watching your Yakuza/Like A Dragon videos, Dragon Quest, and a few select videos. I do love your content though and the way you articulate your opinions and how you clearly do care about the series you cover even with the games in the series you don't like. There were takes I disagreed with and other takes that I agreed with, and there were videos that helped me reevaluate my feelings on games like Yakuza 6. My personal favorite video of yours is honestly the video that talked about Hispanic and Latino culture in video games and how you felt represented as a whole. I am guilty of not watching all of your videos, including the You Don't Need To Finish Games, and part of my reason is because I tend to not watch videos of games I haven't played yet, and certain games like Like A Dragon I have been replaying in release order and as a result haven't played the newer games that came out.
I will say this. If you aren't enjoying what you're doing a step back might do you good. But it might be a good idea to focus on what you want to do for a video, and if it takes off, great, and if it doesn't, you just keep moving forward. I will try to watch your other videos going forward since I do genuinely love what you do and I think you are a genuinely talented writer and a smart man who can make succinct points. I would say maybe go back to a childhood favorite and play through it and see if it helps with anything. Or maybe try something new you never would have thought to try. I recently played through Team ICO's games and started with Ys series because I needed to stop playing the games I was playing and needed something new because of a personal traumatic experience that really put me through the ringer, and when that happened, I had your streams to help put me back together for a bit until I got so busy I couldn't get back to them. I don't really know what to say. I will say do what feels right to you. If you need to step away from video making, it will be sad to see you go, but you ultimately have to do what is best for you. If you want a suggestion for series to cover that you might enjoy, I think Team ICO games are up your alley. Maybe Ys. But my recency bias is showing. Anyway, I am sure you will find your way. You're good at what you do, and I am sure you will do what is best for you in the long run.
Sidenote: I loved seeing the funny bits in your videos. My personal favorites are probably the Yakuza 0 where you realize the Millennium Tower isn't there. "What rooftop are we going to end the game on?!" makes me laugh a ton. Another one I loved was seeing you sing the Karaoke songs from the games. You are a genuinely good singer and I enjoyed your covers of them.
You just need to figure out a “junk food” type of content to supplement the bigger projects - shorter things (which includes shorts) that take very little time to make, and you can schedule a boatload of them daily to cover you between the bigger vids. Both can co-exist, but it’s that balance of making artistic content vs making junk-food content that just panders to the algorithm without detracting from the creative integrity of the bigger stuff
If you want to keep going, i think you should truly look at doing series or videos that truly bring you joy. If you make content that brings you happiness it will bleed into the videos and then the viewers. One of my favourite creators was in the same spot as you, and started to upload completley different content that while strange compared to what i was used to, the joy and passion in his new content was so amazing and infectious.
I love your video essays and your retrospectives. I like your humour and your deep dives on characters and stories. I think if you continue, maybe take a break, and come back to it because you want to create joy. It’s very niche and might not bring in the viewers, but I absolutley adore your dragon quest retrospectives. I feel like your humour really shines through and so does your joy for creation. I hope some of this helps!
I'm sorry GC. Creativity is a slippery thing. I pursued art for a long, long time and became a published artist for some children's books...which completely killed the dream for me, ironically. For me, when I realized I wasn't enjoying the creative process anymore, it was time to let it go. That's a question only you can answer, but at least give yourself permission to do so if you need to.
Now, my out-of-pocket answer to your "What should I do?" questions is...Final Fantasy XIV. There is a long history of streamers trying the game and really digging deep into the story, and the audience loves to show up for them. Often in a very big way. Because we're emotional vampires that want to re-live the experience. Not only that, I truly think you would enjoy the story and experience. It also has years worth of content if you take your time with it and if that's a concern of yours. The downside is...that same audience often dips when you complete the main story. Anyway, just something to consider if you hadn't already form a big FFXIV (and DQ) fan.
Ever thought about hosting a podcast? Maybe interviewing and having conversations with others is something you would like instead?
That suck man, i only watch your dragon quest videos cause thats only what interest me, my recomendations would be do what makes you happy and if making videos it not it just stop, life is only one my friend, you could expand more into a retro jrpg channel or cover more new ones, maybe follow some trends, i really dont know, maybe just do it as a hobby only with a game that you really really like, i believe that you are a Spanish speaker so maybe change your target audience lenguage with a second channel, hope some of this advices help but my first one would be the most impirtant to me, if you dont like it any more or at least dont line it like you used to be just stop an focus in more important things in your life, mental health is important. Sorry if you dont understand something i writte English is not my mother tonge.
I guess, for any video, for me, there needs to be a central thesis, and it can't just be about the game itself - it needs to connect the game to something in meatspace. Otherwise, the video is just content.
I mean, all I can say is that if you’ve already done everything you can for dragons quest then why don’t you go the route of Final Fantasy or persona or SMT? RPG’s seem to be your genre outside of Yakuza so why not embrace that?
There’s another channel I sub too called resonant arc. They cover games like a book club. As if you’re playing the games with them and discussing them. You should check out that channel and their format. It could give you some ideas too.
I def agree with smt route specially ones with little info or not talked about much. Any obscure or japan only rpg. Love your content GC so I'm sure it will work out with what you go with.
You should make videos about what you like. Even if you talk about stuff that i may disagree, i like to see differents opinions about a topic.
I like that you cover dragon quest, it's not popular in America as much so it's nice to see a person with your production values give his opinions.
I liked your humour too, but as you said, you didn't feel like writing jokes anymore so 🤷
I strongly recommend you take some time off, enjoy life, and come back when you have ideas and you are enjoying making videos for their own sake. It has worked for Ceave Gaming, and I know you don’t have his fanbase but it’s probably the best thing for you as a person.
Personally, I am here for stuff that isn’t Yakuza or DragonQuest. I’ve never played those series and feel guilty when I don’t watch them and kill their algorithmic momentum. I like your video essays, the Paper Luigi thing, Feature Creep - all good.
The other thing I would emphasise is that a large part of this is, unfortunately, luck. Razbuten got lucky with Gaming for a Non-Gamer which has led to constant success. You need an idea that compelling, and to get lucky with timing and the algorithm.
Looks like I'm not your main demographic so you can ignore me 😅 I dont play a lot of Yakuza or Dragon Quest so I drop off when theres a lot of those in a row. I eat up your essays like the gambling one or the replay value one but those dont seem to get a ton of views, so I'll keep watching as much as I can but I wouldnt recommend playing to my interests 😁
I think if you're not enjoying making the content or feeling a sense of fulfillment from it or feel like you've wasted your time, you need to take a break or distance yourself from the creation process for awhile. Since this isn't your main job, I just think its not healthy to force yourself to do content, especially if you aren't enjoying it and are losing money from it.
If you distance yourself a bit and then figure out that you do in fact miss doing the content and that you were glad you did it, then I would continue. Since it's reaching the point where your even considering what you did prior as a waste of life/time, then I think its time to step away for a bit. As a voice over guy, I get where your coming from on the burn out and exhaustive editing entirely. But even things that made me no money, I'm glad I did those things, and I really do hope you feel the same after stepping away for a bit.
Obviously that's a personal choice though, and I think its better discuss this with family and friends if you haven't already. I know it might not help much, but just getting things off your chest can make a world of difference.
But to answer your question, I think you make good stuff, regardless if its successful or not. I do think your at your best when you have a passionate opinion to make or are just really excited about the content (like with your old Dragon Quest VIII review). Really enjoyed the content over the years, hard to imagine its been that long.