Not a fun video, but it's necessary. A proper one on What Remains of Edith Finch will be soon, and Prey will be a big one later in the month. Here are some links for patreon and discord, because I talk about them in the video: www.patreon.com/JosephAnderson discord.gg/8gSBsYC Games I show in this video, because people usually ask: Hollow Knight No Man's Sky Dark Souls The Witness Prey Darkest Dungeon The Last of Us Fallout 4 Breath of the Wild (not really: Skyrim) The Last Guardian System Shock 2 Factorio Witcher 2 Witcher 3 What Remains of Edith Finch The Surge SOMA Nier: Automata Oxygen Not Included
Don't release video's once a week or in 10 minute chunks. Just release them in 30 minute parts one after another so you get the same watch time and twice the ads without us having to wait.
Joseph Anderson You mentioned Hollow Knight, by any chance can you review it? I've been playing it, and loving my experiance. I just would like you opinion on it, and. that video could also bring some more awareness to a sleeping gem.
Also firstly, well disclosed keys aren't a problem. If you make it absolutely clear at the begninning of a video no one will hold it against you.(Obviously it's not preferred but if it gives us more content I don't care) Secondly plugging your own book here or there isn't wrong and people don't mind. Your selfawareness and integrity is really fresh to see and I hope to see more content from you. :) P.S you should give us a referral link for your books or something so you can tell how many buys the channel can get ya :p
Mate, you do great work, some of the best longform critique on RU-vid. It seems as if you are scared your audience will get upset and abandon you if you push them even a little when it comes to monetization. Trust me, they won't. The kind of audience that sticks around for long form content like this is on average older, with a longer attention span and more disposable income than what a let's play channel is going to see and they are not going to be upset by you trying to make a fair living for you and your kids. You suggest putting more links at the end of your videos for your books, you know almost nobody makes it that far and those that do immedietly tune out before any post-roll content or endslate. Don't be afraid to frontload this stuff. You wrote fucking books, you deserve to put those out front and center and say 'hey, look at these'. Make some short, humorous ads for them, the audience will appreciate it. We've got to the point where people look forward to new Squarespace ads on the podcast because we write a new, weird ad every time. Don't be scared to midroll either. People are accepting of midroll ads in long form content as long as you place it appropriately and don't overdo it. Along with RU-vid Red this can double or even triple the income a longform video makes, as long as you can keep people interested. Taking a sponsor that's non-gaming related so that no issues of bias creep in is totally acceptable. Doing that removes the temptation to eventually take gaming sponsors. Streaming is a good option to make use of some of that recording and playing time that would otherwise go unnoticed and unused on the channel. If you're playing it anyway, why not stream it? It can give you a sounding board for some of your ideas and the audience may bring up something you hadn't previously considered. On the flip side they might be talking out of their arse but learning to filter the useful from the useless is a skill worth learning. In the meantime you're earning some extra revenue and making use of footage that would otherwise go unmonetised. Ultimately what I'm advising you is this. Your audience appreciates what you do and is willing to support you. You don't have to be so timid about making a living. People aren't going to suddenly up and leave as long as you don't take the piss and in terms of competition for this kind of content, there isn't much of it and what there is, more often than not, isn't as good as yours anyway. Accept that you're worthy of support and take what you deserve. Keep up the good work.
TotalBiscuit, The Cynical Brit Hey TB, great to see you here! If you enjoy Anderson's videos, I also recommend new YTer Chris Davis, who has made 5 videos right now, but are of high quality! Do mention them so they can get exposure!
Holy shit, what a great surprise to see TB here. But he is right, Joseph. After watching your videos I always want something more end keep looking for channels like yours but they are nowhere to be found. You are unique. And I love you TB, wish* you the best.
"Witcher would probably be 4 hours total" "I often underestimate how long will videos be" "... if Witcher series spiraled out of the range of my estimates" **First Witcher video is over 4 hours* **Second Witcher video is going to be 5 hours* **Third Witcher video will be longest of all*
Your videos are amazing. Truly a gem amongst the clickbait, rushed videos you normally see in the gaming category. I appreciate your in depth analysis and thoughts in every single one of your videos and I have watched all of them probably two or three times by now. Keep it up!
Just being genuine and honest about the process always seems to pay off. Making longer and "more boring" content attracts older audiences that are mature enough to look at the situation for what it is, and make decisions accordingly. I've tried to be as transparent as possible regarding my own Patreon and it literally changed my life.
I think how honest and humble this video is itself an example of what people love about your content. While it is true that some may not care about the Witcher, they can't possibly reason that you've been meandering around for months, because you would've produced a high quality piece of content that's completely unique in length, execution, and craft. Your work is great, and it's only inspiring more content it. It's not your job to keep everyone pleased, it's your job to continue what you've been doing for years. I eagerly await this Witcher video. Take all the time it needs. Best of luck!
Hey man. Just wanted to say that this was a fascinating insight into your entire process, and your approach to monetization. I know these won't be regular, but they definitely have an audience -- lots of us want to know how the sausage is made. I'm sure it's probably inspirational for up-and-coming channels too, so great job! Keep up the good work, and all the best to your family!
Most people subscribed to your channel understand and respect the amount of work that goes into every single one of your videos. Us getting more insight into your work situation is just gravy, and if there were some few people who indeed do hate (I mean, that is a very strong word) this video, then I can almost assuredly assure you that they do not represent the average subscriber. Also, when it comes to getting more revenue, please do do (hehe) a 10-15 sec ad read on your books at the beginning of each video - I mean, they're your freaking books, and I know I won't mind it at all. In fact, when I first found out you were an author, it just gave your analyses and thoughts regarding games extra weight. I think it's a great selling point (although I can definitely empathize with how hard it is to promote yourself and your own content). Lastly, couldn't you also get your videos sponsored by other companies and do ad reads for them? I know some videos simply state that "this video was sponsored by X, please check out their website if you're interested in Y. Thanks X". What I'm trying to say is, please, for the love of giblets, if you can, promote yourself or run extra in-video ads, we won't run away, and we'll love your content all the same. We understand you need to make a living, and that you can't primarily count on RU-vid revenue alone. I wish you all the best, and thoroughly enjoy your videos.
Joseph Anderson I found it fascinating and I really appreciate how much time you put into these videos, making a video like this will hopefully spread that insight and perspective to less patient users
To think the estimation for all Witcher games was 4 hours. And now to see the result. However bad that estimation was, I have really enjoyed the Witcher 1 and 2 videos, twice each. And I'm super excited about the Witcher 3 video. The project has obviously become a lot bigger than you imagined, but I want you to know that you work is highly valued and appreciated. I understand your challenges and applaud your perseverance. Well done on your channel, and all the best for yourself and future endeavours.
Thanks very much for the detailed explanations. I honestly believe you shouldn't ever try to make a 4 hour Witcher video. Even as a person who loves long videos, this is far longer than needed. Break the project up. Three videos - Witcher Books, Witcher 1 & 2, The Witcher 3. Something like that. That would avoid such a long drought, and be much more manageable for the viewer. I realise you're set on doing other content first, but I do hope you can eventually get to The Witcher, and I think the above solution would make it much more palatable for both you and the viewer.
It would also mean that you created the video on each part having only played/read up to that point - the same as for many original players. You would discuss Witcher 1 & 2 before playing 3. That gives you more like a perspective of original players, vs playing them all then discussing them all at once. It also loses something of an overall understanding, but you could always make a shorter, fourth video, "Final thoughts" - 30 mins tops. Just an idea, I know there are problems every way. But I do believe 4 hours shouldn't ever be the target, it just doesn't need to be one gargantuan monolithic video, especially for a subject that already naturally divides into three, four or more pieces.
I'm with you on this one. I also don't think it's essential to play all the games and read the books back to back, either. I would go Witcher 1, Witcher 2, Witcher books (since that's when his amnesia is cured), Witcher 3, DLC, final thoughts, and intersperse other projects along with that. I've done a complete books + games marathon in that order recently myself, and as much as I have loved this series since 2007 it was honestly quite gruelling. I can only imagine how much more gruelling it would have been if I had been experiencing all that content for the first time. It's a sisyphean task, and I'm not sure what it would really add to the experience. Besides, years separated the releases of the games and books ANYWAY, so if anything it's more authentic to take some breathing space between each game/book.
I can split them up but I still have to make them all together. Or very close together. It might be better that way: four 1 hour long videos, sort of like I did for Bloodborne and Dark Souls 2. But I need the uninterrupted time regardless to focus on playing them and writing the script.
Frankly, each of the 3 games, along with the books, has enough content to warrant their own videos. What's more, each game plays very differently and has a different tone to its story. With Mass Effect, you could argue that even though it's also a trilogy, the games play quite similarly, and the games can be binged together fairly well if you had the time because they are shorter. Even then, I'd still say that given Anderson's process, it'd be better for him to split that series up into separate videos for each game. That's just for Mass Effect, though. The Witcher is a whole different beast in this regard. The Dark Souls games were split up into separate videos and critiques for each game in the series. Bloodborne was just over 2 hours in total. The Witcher games are really no different in that regard. This looks like a classic writer's case of trying to do too much at once. Believe me, there's plenty to talk about for each game. If it were up to me, I would experiment with the rotation between big games and small games, and if that rotation works out, incorporate the Witcher games, individually, into the big games section. Whether you want to have other big games between entries for The Witcher would be up to you, but take 2 years to get around to The Witcher 3 if you have to. Nobody who's played that game would fault you for it. It's a lot to take in, and if you want to do it justice, you should take the time you need to do it. Split it up into manageable bits. Turn one book into three. Lord knows that that story deserves it. And as an aside, that 150 hours for two runs of The Witcher 3 is a bit of a joke. If you did nothing but the main story, sure, that's a decent time for two runs. But if you did most side quests (and they are a HUGE part of The Witcher 3), 150 hours might get you one run of the game. It's a pretty damn big game.
Joseph Anderson Yh if you have them 4 videos 1 hour each people can watch first two now than the last 2 later and feel like they have time that's better for you since it will be 4 diff videos and for us since it will be easier to complete it
You broke $3K on Patreon! Joseph, I've been watching you since nearly Day 1. You deserve all the success you're finding and more. I absolutely cannot wait for your next projects. Best of luck, man.
Okay Joey, help me out here. What is the absolute best way I can support you, your channel, and the work you do? - Buy your books? - Donate straight to your patreon? - Leave your channel on autoplay while I sleep? - Print posters with a url to your channel and hang them all around town? If you think I'm bluffing than you have no idea how much of an absolute occasion it is everytime you upload a video. When I see that magical little thumbnail in my sub box I instantly drop everything I'm doing, tell every friend, gather up the friends that care, watch, and go through separation anxiety when it's over. I'd seriously buy your videos on blu-ray. So I need em Joey, I need em bigger, longer, and faster. But I know you're only one man which is why I need to know exactly where best to channel my support. For at least 1-2 hours every month or so, you make life alot more exciting, which is more than I can say about the majority of other media I'm subject to. So thank you Joseph, your work and the effect you've had on your viewers is truly timeless. Please, never stop! And if you do stop, we'll all collectively get Matthewmatosis to come to your house and beat you up.
hydrostatic3000 I got the biggest grin on my face til the very final sentence. hardcore shayt. edit: I do feel that way, too. my oh my the laugh I had with the 4th option... :')
I never knew that you survive just off of youtube. The ammont of time and effort put into each on of your videos is abosultely crazy. Your policies are very welcoming to viewers (maybe to the point it may negitivly affect you). None the less you're a great role moddel for all and everyone should stive for qualities of your own.
"Most won't put up with it for five months if the Witcher series spiraled out of the range of my estimates." It's been, what, three years? And we've put up with it just fine, and it's been well worth the wait I think. I'd rather you spend years making an excellent video as opposed to rushing an underdeveloped one.
it's been a long wait, but damn was I happy to see part 1 of this critique in my sub box today. been following this channel for so many years, keep doing what u do
It would be interesting to see Joseph's off the cuff commentary about the game he is playing and how it compares to the his longer form videos once he actually has time to give more time to process it. Projared two channel approach, where his play episodes and review episodes generally don't match each other's commentary completely, but do complement each other's both in terms of humour and analysis.
not only this but I would also love to see his thought process and just in general commentary while he is "play testing" the game before an actual review.
I remember being excited for The Witcher 3 video literally years ago, we are coming up on 4 years and I don't even remember which points I was excited for you to bring up LMAO
it didn't hit me until 10 minutes into the video why you were using skyrim footage when you'd never done a video for that or why you were hacking at trees ... i'm SUPER dumb
Very much looking forward to future content, and seriously, take whatever time you need. You've quickly become one of my favorite channels and have even inspired me to take a stab at producing analytical content. Thanks for everything, and keep up the excellent work!
Great informational video, it's refreshing to see somebody being so open about their work flow and thought process on RU-vid. In regards to you underestimating how long exactly certain tasks will take, I think 150 hours for two playthroughs of Wild Hunt is a very low estimate. I can only speak from my own experience but doing a single complete playthrough with all sidequests and DLC took me around 200 hours.
Why don't you set up a second channel, or possibly use this channel, and just upload the raw footage of all the 100's of hours you spend playing games as Let's Plays? That would provide quality content that could serve as a precursor to the large, 3-month project video at the end-- returning viewers would have direct knowledge of your gameplay experiences and thus better understand your points in the final product-- while providing consistent content (and revenue) in the meantime. It would be less intensive than streaming: providing room for error, editing, and quality control, while also being free of obligation in that there would be no "cancelled streams" or whatever in the event that something interferes with you irl. My vision for this is that you do it in a similar way to how Gopher does his videos, where he cuts out a lot of timewasting walking or crafting or whatever. I imagine you take notes while you play games? The video playthroughs would help you to process the information better-- if you record and then upload content over the course of, say, a week, then you would review your playthroughs as you went along, probably simplifying your scriptwriting process. The only major problems I can foresee are that A. It may compromise your vision for the channel, as you imply in this video, and B. It might eat up a lot of time that would otherwise go to the final project video if you get too engulfed in the editing process.
A second channel would be good, do something similar to Jerma985, he has reserved his main channel for the videos he puts his time into and just has a second channel for clips from his streams and I think someone else edits them. I think it would be nice to either do streaming or just do a sort of lets play style videos that are lightly edited with not much thought put into them. It would keep us a little bit satisfied until the big 1-2 hour videos.
Brutal Jones He's literally the reason I started subscribing to people. Absolutely phenomenal stuff. I just made a Patreon account to help chip in as well.
Whatever you do we'll support you, just make sure you and your family stays healthy and that this doesn't become a burden for you, but I doubt that would happen to you.
Thank you for your devotion and brilliant content. I genuinely look forward to your videos and I'm looking forward to your future projects whenever they come out. We can wait. You cant rush genius.
Great videos, love your stuff. But, maybe for the witcher you should Separate the reviews into each individual game, then maybe a ultimate review of the series after. One wouldn't review the entire fallout series in one video. It's just be madness. Same thing should apply to the witcher. Clumping the series its entirety into one video doesn't make sense in terms of work to reward
2 years later, still waiting. His Twitter said it should come out soon though! I can't wait but holy shit, I feel like I've been waiting 3 and a half years lmao
Sooo... I don't really read books and I don't think I want to be a patreon (still at uni), but I wanna buy one of your books. Which of your books do you think is the best one, which one would you recommend to me as a start?
Hey Joseph, I'm really enjoying your content, and as TB said, don't stress it. You create material worth supporting. It's like of like Hardcore History. The fans understand the shows take a while, and the fact that they're longer is part of their charm. Just continue to be you.
Looking forward to the videos when they're finally out. I originally subscribed for the Witcher videos only but have since really come to like all of your content.
That moment when Joseph underlines his planed gameplay time for the games and you as someone what finished each game multiple times, realize he is way, way off his assumed time. Witcher 3 DLC? That's 40 hours .... ONCE. So like 60-80 hours twice. Witcher 3? That's 180 hours ... ONCE. So 360 twice and probably 500 hours thrice to see really everything. Witcher 2? 40 hours .... once. 2nd playthrough could drop down to 25-30 hours. So 65-70 hours. Witcher 1? 70 hours ... once. 2nd playthrough may be something like 40 hours. So basically 110 hours. All this NOT taking into consideration the vital IMO Full Combat Rebalance mods for both Witcher 1 and 2, taking another 2 playthroughs in consideration (one per game). So another 65 hours. Basically, just to play the games, Joseph said he'd need: 320 hours. In reality, he'd need something like: 830 hours to absolutely, 100% have the full grasp of these games. 830 hours before the rest of 370 hours or more he'd need for reading the books, writing, recording etc. Yeah, the whole Witcher franchise thing, done in-depth, is a 1200+ hours project. He'll be ready in 2020.
hey man you should really consider promotional ads at the start of your videos, we viewers all love your in-depth content and would have no worries if you would take a couple minutes advertising a product to help with money, you deserve it all and I think I can say for a lot of us would recommend you do it
I for one enjoy your videos and look forward to when they come out. I would like them to come more often but I prefer the way you do things and I will wait.
really dude thank you for the vids. you have inspired me so much over the last couple months to look more into games. I'm looking forward to buying one of your books.
For Joseph's sake I decided to make a compilation of the best ideas I found, please upvote and share this with him if possible ((NOT MY OWN IDEAS, TAKEN FROM OTHER FANS)). Stream your gaming sessions as live critique, as chatting with fans might help the creative process, it would be steady content and people seem to enjoy donating to streamers. Second channel with Let's Plays, steady content, secondary source of ad revenue and a different format to catch more/different people. B-roll style ads, or just longer promotional ads for products you support/gaming/writing related stuff. Maybe split the witcher games for each of their own videos like you did with DS since taking on all of it at the same time seems to cause you a lot of issues. Regards, a fan who tries to care as much as the rest of your awesome community.
Sorry for the straightforward and probably quite brash language, I wrote it using a Steam controller lol. Of course I meant the best ideas in my opinion
It was xD Took me forever. Imo streaming and splitting The Witcher games into each their own video(s) were the best ideas on that list, I simply took as many ideas as I could find, to help as much as possible in the case that he actually saw my comment :)
I just found your channel this afternoon and I binged your Bloodborne videos, and watched the entirety of the Uncharted & TLOU video; it was mostly because I'm procrastinating school work, but also because they were amazing. It's also cool hearing you occasionally talk about your kids; it's funny how you sometimes forget a voice is more than a voice, I guess. Although, I've never listened to one voice for such a long time and I'm worried I won't be able to stop hearing it in my sleep. In any case, keep it up man. I love your content and I really appreciate the amount of time you put into this stuff. :)
i really appreciate your thouroughness with the Witcher videos, I hope you can get the video out, because I'm so excited to see it. I like to listen to these videos when I fall asleep, so them being longer and thus taking longer to make is not a problem for me. thank you.
No. Just a realist. If the source material is a video game and we are critiquing a book, chances are reasonable (though not certain) that the book is as good or better. In this case we have awesome books against one of the top best games ever made. Obviously, the games are inferior.
There is more to books than storytelling. Games are not an equal art form YET. The mediums are different but they can be compared, its part of how new art forms advance. Having more or less things in a piece of art doesnt make it lesser or better per say.
+Alexander Yordanov Imo games are already equal to high art, it has advanced at a much quicker pace due to it being a high-end technological development. I think it is equal to a novel in terms of potential story depth, we have games like visual novels but even a more standard game can present an awful lot. I think games don't often come close to novels because it's such a young art form but I think it can and has already. As time goes on it will continue to do so as well as show more of it's unique artistic capabilities.
Estimation 120h for W1 and W2, 150h for W3, 50h for DLC, 50h for books Reality 100h W1, 100h W2, 500h for W3+ expansions, 100h+ for books So pretty close to twice what was estimated.
I'm a new subscriber and have been bingeing your videos in that and the background while working. Really enjoyed them - especially Soma and Edith Finch - I didn't play those games and never would have experienced them if not for those videos. I also really liked this video - I loved getting a behind the scenes look. Would love to hear more about your process and more story related videos. Thanks for your time!
"I see X, I click" "never clicked so fast" "the last time I was this early, X" etc. C'mon guys, be a bit more creative. I've seen these like a thousand times already.
God, I appreciate your attitude and personality. Wish you the best of luck! I'm definitely considering pledging to you in the near future when I get a stable income. You're exactly what this platform needs.
Hey joe, i enjoy all your content and am looking at buying one of your books. Are they available in Australian book stores? or will i have to buy them online?
Hey two questions First do you have or intent to make audio versions of your books? I use audible but I'm open to a new service. Second, I don't see the breath of the wild video. Do you have an archive of videos that aren't on here for some reason?
Super grateful for all the amazing videos and work you do, so made you my first and only Patreon subscription. I really hope you can eventually make the Witcher video work! But I enjoy everything you do so not too worried if it doesn't.
I love your videos becuase your so in depth, serious, and open, and I can, for the most part, just listen to it and not have it watch, which I think is great becuase I enjoy listening to someone who is that good at explaining as you are
I guess I'll make a parteon account then. Too bad you didn't make the Ico SOTC and Last Guardian video, but I'm really interested in The Witcher series since there hasn't been a good analysis on it yet. I hope these income problems will solve themselves soon, so you can focus more comfortably on your videos :)
I think Superbunnyhop did a pretty good summary analysis of the DLC (Hearts of Stone stands out). Only 10mins long so in no way a Joseph Anderson deep dive, but still enjoyable.
Love your videos so much man, keep it up, updates like this are nice and I like them. I view this as like an upcoming season of tv or some new movies, looking forward to it
i really love your long form content, its very relaxing to take a break from clicking around youtube spastically every 10 minutes to find something else to watch. thank you for sticking with this style of videos. keep up the good work!
@Joeseph Anderson I can honestly say that you and a videomaker named SovietWomble are the two most magnificent creators in RU-vid. Both of you stick to your level of quality on the expense of time consumption. I highly respect that and hope you both continue to do the same. I hope you get to read this and understand that there are plenty of us in the audience that appreciate your work. :) Much support from a new sub/viewer and I will make sure to mention you so other likeminded can find your content in future.
+Sardun in other words, he doesn't get the job done fast or doesn't have footage so the videos get pushed back. You should really watch his streams in addition to the videos. It's different kind of Soviet but very enjoyable.
I really appreciate videos like this. I'm happy to wait for the quality videos. The beauty of RU-vid is that there are plenty of other things to watch in the meantime, just take all the time you need.
wishing you all the best! really enjoying what you put out, however long it takes, longer waits for longer, more well thought out videos! say hi to the toddlers, all the best from sweden!
I'm sure this has been recommended to you before but the podcast cortex has youtuber cgp grey talk about his work flows and productivity. It's a great show and has lots of discussions relevant self employed creators.
I feel like you could do seperate videos on the each on the witcher games and then a fourth one summing up the whole experience. i don't know if this would be something you cound get behind but i wouldn't mind you doing this instead of one big video.
I remember when I first stumbled upon your amazing channel. The video was Fallout 4 1 year later and I watched all of it...in one sitting. I actually watched it multiple times because it was so well put together and not gonna lie your voice is amazing. Since then I've literally watched all of your videos and its crazy to see the quality jump from the first few videos to the projects you're doing now. I will always support your channel and I'm pretty sure many more people will as well! Thanks for all the amazing content.
Thank you for the update none the less. You're always really well worded and interesting to listen to and your videos are the reason I caved in and bought Dark Souls 1 and 3 over half a year ago now which has become one of my favorite game series.
>150 hours for TWO playthroughs of the Witcher 3 Hahaha, good joke man. But seriously, no. There is absolutely no way you can play through TW3 twice in this amount of time if you intend to pay any substantial amount of attention to the secondary quests and exploration. Also, you should read the books before playing the games.
Loving your content. Keep up producing more of the same and at the pace that suits you. I'll personally keep checking in regardless of how long it takes. Great work Jo!
Love you pal, I get genuinely excited when I get a notification from your channel and there is nothing I love more then heating up some leftovers and watching your vids at night. You can bet your bottom dollar I will buy some of your books. Is there a preferred source to purchase your books? I know that some marketplaces take bigger cuts.
Says he doesn't want to work exclusively on The Witcher because it would be a 3.5 month gap in uploads... 2.5 years later in Jan 2020 there's been 6 uploads ~1 hour long, with the monstrous GOW and Fallout 76 glitches being 3 hours and the last video, The Return of the Obra Dinn, being uploaded 6 months ago. Do the math, doubling Joseph's estimated doubling to get the actual result... the next video should be the Witcher at this rate. Finally!
It's very nice of you to be so opened. I really like your current format. You are one of the fiew channels I get genuinely excided about when I se a new upload.
