9/28

1. I wouldn't stream Mario Maker because there's no point. I don't enjoy 100 Mario Challenge that much and I think it has enough exposure. Doesn't really fit what I want to stream.

2. I've thought a lot about how gaming's transformed social/personal relationships for a large amount of people. The Tony Hawk comment earlier today was just part of it. Before that game came out I had few friends and didn't really fit in with any group. Gaming wasn't really a thing at all where I lived and I was considered too nerdy for a lot of the kids. I didn't get bullied much but was pretty much an outcast. Once the PS1 rolled around, Tony Hawk brought in the skater kids and having that as a common ground with them opened up a large amount of middle school friendships. FF7 did kind of the same thing for a lot of people but instead brought people who wouldn't normally play those kinds of games over to what was originally considered "too nerdy" and broadened the group further. People rag on it but Call of Duty really did the same thing for a very large amount of kids and the fact that gaming isn't some nerdy outcast thing that people get shunned over makes me so happy. It was something that I enjoyed but kept me apart from the other kids aside from a select few.

It's that kind of common ground and bringing together that the GDQs have really hit on as well and aside from the charity, it's what made me want to be a part of it as strongly as I have. While I had very few friendships through school (with only two really still standing), I've gained a ton of friends through music gaming and speedgaming and I'd honestly call both groups family.

3. I don't know how people stream all the time. I'm physically and mentally exhausted by the end of the work day and it takes me a few hours just to unwind before wanting to play a game and the idea of setting up a stream and talking to people after that feels impossible. I really do want to try to stream more and like...actually have people in chat and stuff, but I also don't want to force it.

4. Going to AGDQ is kind of up in the air for me now. Mom needs back surgery to correct a failed surgery done years and years ago (and it's also like the 4th surgery in as many years) and it has a 6 week period afterwards where she's basically an invalid. Depending on when that gets set up, I'd probably have to look after her and that could overlap. I would really hate to miss AGDQ but I think family understands family.

5. I don't really know about speedrunning for me. I enjoy watching it, I've enjoyed what I've done and I have a few projects I'd like to look at, but even from the beginning it was more of just another way for me to explore gaming mechanics and impact. I've never looked at it as a primary way of playing games and I like my focus being much more fluid from day to day. While I understand the label of casual gaming, I don't particularly like it because even when I'm playing a normal game, I'm pretty active with understanding mechanics, design and what kind of intent there is in that design.

My biggest desire with streaming right now is actually thinking up some kind of design discussion/live streamed review type thing and while I have no skill in setting up my stream to look nicer on the technical side, I think I could hold up the conversational side of that if I could find the energy. I don't know if I'd do it as I'm playing a game or aftewards or what but I think it's an idea that hasn't really been touched on. Streaming a review would allow for Q&A and actual discussion/critique more like a sort of college forum situation and I think it'd be neat.

6. This got super long I'm sorry