Now that we are a little ways into 2016, and many people have already given up on their resolutions, I figured I would kinda lay out the ground work for what will be a big year for me and the "Jeff of All Games Family of Networks" (YouTube, Twitch, Podcast, Blog). I said before that this will be THE year that I realize my dream and write for a major video game publication, so I need a better gameplan.
First, some personal goals:
Games From 2015 That I Need To Get Back Into:
While trying to be the Jeff of
ALL games, and with my already busy schedule, it's hard for me to give every game its proper time since I am trying to play everything all the time. So here are some games that I spent some time with last year, but have a strong desire to go back to and really give it what it deserves:
-
Fallout 4
- Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Rocket League (my drug)
-
World of Warcraft (gotta get ready for the expansion)
-
Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn
- Mad Max (didn't get too much further than I did on the live stream)
-
Heroes of the Storm
-
SMITE
- Yo-Kai Watch (an absolute delight)
There are plenty more where that came from, and many that will end up on my YouTube channel in some form.
Games I'm Most Looking Forward To In 2016 (That Have a Scheduled Release Date):
Pretty self-explanatory here; these are games I can't wait to get my hands on that actually have a slated release date as of this writing:
-
XCOM 2
- Firewatch
- Project X Zone 2
- Street Fighter V
- Fire Emblem Fates
- Far Cry Primal
- Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
- Tom Clancy's The Division (I hope)
-
Hitman
- Ratchet & Clank (and the movie!)
-
Star Fox Zero
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Total War: Warhammer
- No Man's Sky (finally)
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Of course there are plenty more that I am looking forward to this year, but these games have actual release dates (that will probably change).
There will also be plenty of games that come out "under the radar" that will be amazing as well. The power of the industry!
GDC 2016:
Right now, I am planning on attending GDC (Game Developers Conference) this March in San Francisco, CA. Not only because of a supremely awesome friend of mine who lives there, but also so I can rub elbows with people from the industry and get my foot in the door. Nothing is definite here, because of $$, but if I do end up going, expect some new blog entries and a podcast to coincide with that.
Speaking of which...
Regular Podcasting!
2015 was the first year of being a podcaster, and I learned a lot about the tools of the trade. It also had me buy a new Snowball microphone, so I can make my videos and my podcasts sound better. While all that was great, I didn't do it often enough and I want to start building an audience. The plan going forward is to do a bi-weekly podcast. I think every week would be too much, especially since I am only one man and may not have enough content to make a quality product every week. I feel every two weeks, I would have enough content to make it worthwhile and to start reaching people. I plan on recording them Wednesday nights so they would be up and ready to go by Thursday mornings. Of course, if something comes up, I will have to work around that, and will update via Twitter.
A New Look For the Blog!
The blog is my baby, it's the main hub, it's the meeting place, a lot of my life has gone into what I write, and it's time I give this thing an overhaul. For instance, I want to make it easier to find older posts, I want to have easy ways to link into the other networks, I want it to look cleaner, I need this thing to pop more! So expect changes over the course of 2016.
YouTube Plans!
If you are a subscriber, thank you, if not, then you should, because I will be uploading more content on a more regular basis. I have already uploaded a few recent videos for my new series "Going Rogue" in which I play rogue-likes and rogue-lites to see just how good of a run I can get. Here are some of the other features and ideas coming in 2016 on the Jeff of All Games YouTube channel:
- More "Going Rogue"
- I will get back to ranking fighting games for "Rank 'em Up".
- I will get back to my Let's Play of
Massive Chalice.
- More Let's Plays...period
- A series dedicated to showing off Free-to-Play games, good and bad ones.
- Video Game History 101 with Professor Allgames
...and more!
Twitch Streaming!
I do enjoy live streaming, and my new equipment will help me do more of that, while I haven't had a chance to sit down and hash out a regular streaming schedule yet, you can expect more live streaming going forward, especially for heavy hitting games when they are released.
Extra Life 2016 Plans!
You all know how much I love being a part of Extra Life, raising money for local children through gaming. This will be my 4th year doing it, but, looking at the decline of donations from year one through year three, I feel I need to switch up my tactics. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every penny I have raised in 3 years, I am just noticing a downward trend and decreasing returns on investments. What I am thinking is to break up the day so I do 12 hours one day, and 12 hours the next, one day being newer releases, one day being older releases. I'm hoping this change of format, plus the hopeful audience exposure through my efforts to grow my brand, plus my efforts to get the word out, will increase donations and help me reach my goal.
Bottom Line:
I am one man, with one dream; to work as a video game journalist and professionally cover the industry that I love and have a true passion for. I am going to work extra hard in 2016 to make my dream a reality, and I feel like I have a good foundation for that here. Of course it all depends on reaching an audience. So, if you would be so kind:
- Subscribe to my
YouTube Channel
- Check out my
Podcast
- Get the word out about this guy from Des Moines who knows a little bit about the video game industry.
To those who like what I do, thank you so much. To those of you who are checking this stuff out for the first time, welcome, enjoy the show!
Here's to an awesome 2016!
- Jeff
