VIDEO TWOOOOOO (Patreon)

PEOPLE DIED, MY GAME ALMOST DID, CARS WERE STOLEN, COMPUTERS BROKE, EVERYTHING WAS AWFUL BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE I DID A VIDEO.

I stayed up til like 10 AM working on it, and I messed it up, so I deleted it and just now re-uploaded it.

I've already got a script for the next video done, and partial scripts for several more videos. I'm going to start recording it on Monday if I can, but I have a consulting gig I'm doing too, so I might push it back. Either way, I'm thinking about releasing it on the 26th.

Current internal debate: do I try to do one every other Wednesday, or do I try to publish as soon as I feel the video is done (which may be sooner)? We'll see. 

I need to figure out where to rehost Stomp itself, since I can't afford SquareSpace.

Hit me up with topics and games you'd like to see me cover.

...okay, now for the not-so-cool bit. Tonight, I was approached by some friends expressing concern about my patreon funding. I'm guessing that shot of my media center got some folks thinking I was making more money than I was letting on, implying I don't really need this patreon.

It's IMPORTANT to me that I am as transparent as possible; since I'm relying on you guys, I feel you should know where your money goes.

Okay, so:

1) I need this patreon, especially now that my roommate has moved out and my food benefits from the government has been more than halved. Living costs are right at around $1,000 a month ($590 rent, $350 utilities/Google Fi phone), not including food. So far, I've tried to use $100 from Patreon for game purchases, so I can cover interesting stuff for you guys. I haven't done as much interesting stuff as I wanted because of the real life problems I've been facing, but that's about to change in a big way. ;)

2) The living expense means I've canceled nearly every preorder I've made this fall. It benefits me to play newer games, because being able to write and talk about them is part of the way I keep a roof over my head, but thanks to my roommate leaving, there's really almost no leeway for games.

3) How do I acquire stuff? Well, the TV was a display model I got for like $200, and at the time, I was also working a part time job, freelancing, and consulting. My 360, PS3, and Wii were all purchased when I had no living expenses (living with my parents, yo) and was working. The modern consoles, I purchased with some extra school funds I'd received (one of the reasons I'm NOT buying a PS4 Pro? No school funds because I've graduated now).

4) All of my modern consoles have paid for themselves. I've done work for freelance writing and my consulting gig using those consoles. As a friend put it on twitter, asking me why I have these consoles is like asking a carpenter why he has tools. 'cause, uh, it's how you get work. I have received work because I own the consoles. That work has paid for the consoles. The problem with freelance, however, is that it isn't reliable; I had a gig this spring, then nothing until August, then nothing in September, and so on. Trust me, if I was consulting on games once a month or more, every month, I would not have this Patreon.

I don't like having a Patreon, because I don't like feeling like I'm depending on people. I like being the guy who helps people; I hate being the guy who needs help. I have this Patreon out of necessity--without you guys, I'd be homeless.

5) A bunch of the games I have, I've received as gifts (spare humble keys, etc) or press stuff. I bought Alien: Isolation for $1 on a crazy discount. I got Hitman, the $60 version, for $15 due to a price glitch. I wrote an article on Kotaku a few years back explaining how the my average cost was a mere $2.22 per game, thanks to indie bundles, pricing errors (browse reddit's gamedeals, follow @wario64 on twitter, and check out Cheap Ass Gamer), and taking advantage of things like Bing Rewards (it's not very good anymore, sadly). I get games every month through XBL and PSN, but I usually get those when they go on sale. With XBL, I'm getting 48 games a year at ~$30. That's a sweet deal. Trust me, I'm not spending $60+ every month on games.

So, hey, that's me trying to be as open as possible. If, for whatever reason, you're still skeptical, then please reach out to me. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Anywho, more videos to come, hopefully with waaaay better frequency than they have been. See ya soon.