Back in 2013, I started a YouTube channel. I had been watching let’s players play games and thought it looked fun so I wanted to do it to.
The problem was I didn’t make a YouTube channel the way I wanted to. I made a YouTube channel like the channels I liked to watch. The result was a lot of effort for something I didn’t really believe in and I eventually abandoned the effort after about 600 videos and a couple years.
Fast forward to 2024 and I decided I wanted to make another let’s play. Well, it wasn’t that simple. I saw a horror game called Decimate Drive. It reminded me of cold, dark winters in the Midwest, but specifically about a game I’d play with myself when I was taking out the trash on our country road. So, I decided to play and record the gameplay. And that was a lot of fun! So, then I decided to edit the footage. Which was also a lot of fun. So… I decided to post it. Not only that, but I decided to keep making videos.
The difference this time was I wasn’t making a channel the way I thought it should be made. I was just making content that I’d want to watch. Stuff I enjoyed about games I thought were interesting. On my own schedule and in my own way. It was as much about enjoying the process as it was creating the product.
I’ve been doing YouTube again regularly for over a year-and-a-half now. I’m still working out the YouTube work-life balance as I want to create a lot, but also still enjoy my free time. But that’s the thing, YouTube is just a hobby. I take it seriously, but it is just for fun. If it becomes successful, great. If it doesn’t, that’s fine as long as I enjoy it. And I intend to hang it up if the work ever outweighs the enjoyment I get from it.
Anyway, that’s my philosophy. Just having a good time with a creative outlet.