I have a shit-ton of things going on right now (most presently, the awesomness that is Animazement), but I absolutely had to give an update on the video game documentary that I was recently filmed for.
First, it’s no longer going to be a feature film. Instead it will be an ongoing online series; a move that makes plenty of sense. The first episode is up and running and this is where you’ll see my handsome mug!
I won’t go into much more details this time, but here’s the clip!
Never heard of “Fast Karate”? It’s a hilarious podcast that discusses anime and video games, but very sarcastically. There’s a new show up twice a week–one for games, one for anime–and there’s over 300 episodes in the archive where you can search for your favorite games or anime shows. (I recommend the Bubblegum Crisis episodes.)
Our plan is to roll up at the con sporting our custom “Fast Karate” shirts and pass out buttons to anyone who wants them. The shirts will have our favorite quotes from the show on the front, like “All of a sudden…FROG NUNCHUCKS.” On the back will be a logo (that I designed).
So, hey… FREE STUFF, y’all! If you’re at Animazement this month, look for a guy wearing a shirt with either this site’s logo, or the logo below:
Fast Karate for the Gentleman: When the fate of the world depends on the speed of your karate.
Do you like video games? Do you enjoy playing on your Nintendos, your Xbox 2s, and your DSESPs? Can you write in complete sentences or make photoshops? Then you may have potential in the field of video game journalism!
GotGame.com is looking for folks to join their internship program at GotGameU! This semester-long course will give you the experience you need for becoming a professional in the following fields:
Writing
Graphic Arts
Marketing
Computer Science and Web Development
What do you pay? Nothing! The only thing you invest is the time you put into it.
What do you get? Plenty! Here are only a few of the benefits you’ll receive:
Earn college credit! Make Mom proud!
Access to the knowledge and experience of the senior writing staff!
I almost forgot to mention that my new column over at GotGame.com is up! It’s called Robot Punch! and will update every Friday afternoon.This column will cover console gaming, kung fu lasers, and just about any other kind of geeky otaku topics not covered on the main site.
There are already a couple articles in there, with an exciting interview scheduled to publish next week.
GotGame finally fixed it so you can see only articles posted by a specific author on their site. So if you’d like to see my work there without having to sift through everyone else’s stuff, you can look me up here.
I have about four more articles that they’re sitting on before publishing. For a while, it looked like I hadn’t contributed anything in two weeks, but they’re finally releasing the stuff I’d submitted. Hopefully, more of my work will appear over the next week or so. This excites me since some of those stored in the queue are ones I’m actually pretty proud of.
I never like it when people make apologies for delayed content. Things happen. If the content is good, then it’s worth waiting for. So rather than make weak excuses for why my posts have slowed down a bit, I’ll instead offer a heads-up.
Over the next couple months, I’ll be writing articles for GotGame.com. I’ve been accepted into their summer internship program and I’ll be working with them over the next couple months. In fact, my first article is due up this week! Thus my attention will be divided between that and continuing to write articles here.
I’ll try to post my usual quick bits on news articles that I see through the week, but I’m much more eager to direct my energy toward deeper articles (quality over quantity and all that jazz). News articles are fairly easy to comment on, but researching the heady stuff is kinda killer.
The good news is that I’m allowed to post the articles that I write for GotGame here as well, at least in their pre-published form. Think of them as my “director’s cut” before my editors dig their claws into them. I already have about two ready and outlining a third, so being ahead of schedule (assuming they jive with whatever I’m assigned) on that end will hopefully also free me up for here.
My buddy Chuck (aka Comtar) wrote a super-long post in his LiveJournal, the highlight being the last part concerning reviews of Metal Gear Solid 4. Chuck’s been a close friend for years, has loads of video game experience, and is a pretty sharp guy… Which is why I often ask him to write for my site here! Another reason being that he and I differ in many of our opinions, which is good for diversity, I think. For the interested, my own comments can be found on the entry as well, throwing in way more than my own two cents.
The New York Times recently posted an article about the stressful nature of professional blogging. Right away, I understood the feeling. It looks like the easiest thing in the world to most people, but the truth is that there’s a lot of pressure involved.
First of all, you have to write. And by that, I mean you have to write…all the time. When I started up this site, I wanted to use it to get myself in the habit of writing content on a regular basis. I looked at how many news sites and blogs operate and set my standards a bit lower; that being a minimum of two paragraphs a day, five days a week. Even with that seemingly easy goal, I’ve found it challenging. Sometimes there’s no real news to discuss, or at least news I feel worth discussing. I’d like to write more full-sized articles, but I usually put so much energy toward posting regularly, my energies are too exhausted to put my heart into something big. And unfortunately, at least for now, quantity wins over quality if you want to make it in this business.
One convenience of this kind of job–and they mention this in the article–is that you can do the job from anywhere. So there’s no need to deal with as many office politics, you can set your own schedule, and you can work in your pajamas (or even naked!). The trade off is that no matter what time you get yourself up for work, you’re in for long hours. Professional blogging isn’t just about writing quick blips with a link, though that’s what a lot of sites get away with. To do the job well, there’s a lot of research required. Before you begin tapping away at your keyboard, you’re spending time scouring the web for things to write about. Once you find a target, you’re in for a lot of reading on a news item or subject material in order to be properly equipped to write a credible article. Depending on what you get paid per article, you may not actually be getting a decent wage for your time spent.
Not only that, but professional bloggers rarely get to choose the subject matter of their material. Usually they’re being paid to promote a product through their blog. This can be a challenge in the creative process as well if the product in question is especially uninspiring.
One thing that the article touches on is that bloggers often suffer from poor health, particularly weight gain and heart disease. I honestly don’t think that’s necessarily a symptom of the profession as much as it is the poor habits of the professionals. There’s no excuse for not setting aside at least an hour a day for healthy exercise and balanced diet. You can just as easily eat a salad at your desk as you can a Double Whopper. Proper fitness will also keep your mind healthy so the quality of your work will improve, requiring less hours to struggle with composition.
Another point mentioned is the pressure of scooping news stories as quickly as possible. The internet culture moves at the speed of light, and if you’re late catching a news story, you’re left hungry by those who got their first. No one sticks around to watch the last horse finish the race. The few who post on it first and best get their links as the reference to everyone else, thus more exposure. I can post about the same article that’s posted by Kotaku, but Kotaku has the resources to get their first. (Well, except for one time…but I ain’t going there.)
Competition comes into play because blogging is a job that just about anyone can do. If you have a decent grasp of the English language and a passion for a particular topic, then that’s all you need to blog. And since the advent of sites like LiveJournal, people across the world have been typing away with their own commentary on what they see on and off the web. Add the popular illusion that popular web icons are modern day rock stars, and you have a flood of geeks looking to make it big. Nevermind that the reality is that even the hottest professional writers live either in a small apartment with a few room mates or are homeless. Even a friend of mine who’s a professional reviewer (for some top publications) jokes that he’s a “bum“.
Overall, I can understand the meaning of this article. I am not, nor have I ever been, a professional blogger or writer, so I can’t claim to relate to it as much as my peers. However, I do recognize that it’s important to lift the curtain to reveal that online journalism is not at all as glamorous as the mass-populous has been lead to believe. It’s work–hard work, like any job. There are a few skilled professionals that can make a comfortable living from this gig, but everyone else has to run at a constant full speed just to keep in one place. Getting ahead can risk burn out…and one trip can leave you in the dust.
Well, I almost had an “OH SHIT!” moment. I was editing some of the supplemental material for the Alpha Counter archive when I noticed that the copy I’ve had on hand of the “Best Of” episodes only has the first 15 seconds of it. Not only that, but also the copy I had on my back-up disc. Luckily, I’m a back-up freak and remembered that I have copies of all the master recordings backed up on another disc. Just in case of situations like this…or if I wanted to re-edit every episode with ABBA for the background music.
My only concern is that the people whom I’ve distributed that episode to got gypped. But worry not! For soon you’ll be able to download the full episode again!
If you're new to Alpha Counter or Method to Madness, we've put together a nifty sampler of some of our best stuff! http://t.co/6ghHHnAi15 hrs ago
Ideally, I'd like to borrow someone's hotel room, but I may need to have to find somewhere public and hope there's minimal noise/distraction 15 hrs ago
I'm interviewing someone at Animazement, but need a quiet place w/ at least 1 electrical outlet. My need to scout out the convention center. 15 hrs ago
Who can I high-five for getting Unico in the Island of Magic on the Animazement video room schedule? 1 day ago
Oh, what the hell... We now have an Official Alpha Counter Facebook. If you like us, please Like us! https://t.co/Jkdh7wAO1 day ago
Hey, Method to Madness listeners: Out of curiosity, what's your favorite episodes of the podcast so far? For reference: http://t.co/Hi3DPOFp1 day ago
I had a dream that a fan offered to get the @AlphaCounter crew into a convention but we couldn't afford the travel expenses. #NIGHTMAREBOAT2 days ago
Maybe the reaction to my name is like a trigger word. It works in the same way as MK-Ultra sleeper cells, only benign. 4 days ago
Maybe my name is some unknown glitch in the English linguistic code. Like there's a percentage of folks just wired to have that reaction. 4 days ago
Is "Sean" registering in peoples' minds as a title? Like "Sir", "Doctor", or "MC"? Do some people not know "Sean" IS a name? 4 days ago
