Now Ye're Talking - to a video game journalist

dannyodwyer

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Howdy Danny, appreciate the very fine work you've been doing

I've personally felt that YouTube and the culture that surrounds it has a tendency to steer creators towards quantity over quality. I think it's great to see people like yourself or Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit focusing on the latter, but do you personally feel much pressure - either personally or from external forces - to make tight turnarounds to keep everything ticking over? Or, indeed, do you feel pressure can be a motivating and positive factor?

I love the care you've put into your documentaries, but I think the first time I really encountered you was through your No Man's Sky 'video essay' thing a year and a bit ago - was a really great defence of the game. Any plans to move back into that sort of criticism alongside the more expansive documentary content?

Thanks so much. I feel the same way - I love Mark's work, and Chairman George and movie stuff like Every Frame a Painting and RLM. I'd LOVE to do more critique stuff alongside the docs - it's something I've been trying to figure out for months. The problem is we don't want to overload the channel with op-ed videos when folks just want to watch docs. So we're thinking of either testing out some of that on the channel, or creating a sister channel that contains more behind-the-scenes and op-ed videos. It's such a difficult decision, it's been bothering me for months. I feel like airing on the side of caution is the best idea, but we'll see what happens.

Did you pre order no mans sky?

dannyodwyer

BrownFinger wrote: »

Did you pre order no mans sky?

I don't pre-order. Why does anyone?

dannyodwyer

LanceStorm wrote: »

The Irish Cream Danny O' Dwyer!

Danny I was a huge fan of you purely from your appearances on Kinda Funny and loved the freshness of having yourself, Andrea, Andy, Joey & Cool Greg after a tough time for the KF boys and was sorry to see you leave but delighted for you at the same time.

Thanks so much mate, really appreciate it.

How helpful was it for you to do some (what I would imagine was great fun and non stressful) contract work for them while still spending your core time on Noclip?

It was a decision made for my mental health rather than anything. I needed to get out of the house and collaborate with people. The moment Greg suggested it I was all for it. It was a blast to work with them too. We do very different styles of work, but those folks are so hard working and good at what they do it's wonderful to be part of it. They are also some of the nicest people you're ever likely to meet - in an industry full of prima donnas they are some of the kindest and helpful people I've ever worked with. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Do you think you'll look to do anything similar with your new base in Maryland either locally or Skyping in?

No, I'm gonna build something here.

Do you think Gary Whitta can ever really replace you in our hearts and minds on KFGD?

You kidding me? Gary is an industry legend, the dude was editor of PCG back when I was still learning how to talk to girls. He wrote a ****ing Star Wars movie. He's way more talented than I am at speaking his mind - I think it's awesome.

Is Andy's hair pretentious?

He wakes up that way. Handsome bastard.

How many hours do you have spent on PUBG so far?

*checks Steam* 180 including the test server.

ED E

Lets get down to biznizz: How many titles in your steam account?

dannyodwyer

ED E wrote: »

Lets get down to biznizz: How many titles in your steam account?

415. Jesus I never checked that before.

degrassinoel

any chance of one of those awesome merch t-shirts for free? go on!

Also, it's nice to hear an actual Irish accent on youtube that isn't being bastardised into a faux-american one, fair dues. Hope you continue to do well with noclip!

Do you reckon PC gaming has gone downhill over the last few years?

ED E

dannyodwyer wrote: »

415. Jesus I never checked that before.

Thats honestly much lower than I anticipated (Im 407, other boards users are over 600)

vard

dannyodwyer wrote: »

I recently successfully self petitioned and self filed for a green card. I expect to be in the US in the new year. Amy advice for someone looking to break in to the games media industry? In either production or journalism, in Los Angeles?

Congratulations and best of luck with the move!

The games media is notoriously difficult to break into - especially now. There are simply not enough seats and too many people playing musical chairs. For anyone else wondering the "traditional'" online games press is mostly in San Francisco (IGN, GameSpot, PC Gamer, most of Polygon) but the cost of living up there is outrageous and only getting worse. Los Angeles has a lot going for it (as long as you have a car) and generally cheaper than the bay. It also has more variety when it comes to video jobs with YouTube and lots of production companies calling it home. There are some other places dotted around - Rooster Teeth is in Austin, Game Informer is in Minneapolis, Kotaku and Waypoint (VICE Gaming) are in NYC but yea generally it's in California.

I've done a few videos about this that may help (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcFT-77hSPc) but generally you need a portfilio of really good work, you need to get it in front of people's eyes, and you need a plan B. The odds are against you, and you need cash to survive - so don't put all your eggs in the video game basket.

Like any of us who have broken in, you also need a lot of luck. So, best of luck mate.

Thanks so much for the great answer!

I'm in a media related field, so hopefully I'll be able to make it relevant in some ways. No doubt it will be a challenge with the competition!

Really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Hope to bump in to you at e3 or something so I can thank you in person. And leave you awkwardly smiling, wondering, Da **** is this guy??

Noel82

Seen your vid on the original UT, any thoughts on UT4 being in pre alpha pushing 4 years now?

So far it's been badly received by the community like UT3 was. For whatever reason, the new games became much clunkier and less "arcadey". The movement and weapon physics imo have really suffered in the newer iterations.

Shiminay

Hi Danny, thanks for taking the time to do this AMA. I loved the chat with Mick Gordon in particular cause I think the Doom Soundtrack was the best heavy metal album of 2016

Given the staggering emotional immaturity and frankly, disgusting levels of bigotry in what seems to be a significant enough number of self-identifying "Gamers" (and I think we can all acknowledge that as with all things on the internet, it's a vocal and vested minority of the greater whole), are there topics you wouldn't like to tackle? Do you think the term "gamer" makes sense as a label anymore?

Gaming media more than other fields seems to rally around the cult of personality as much as (if not more so than) the quality of content people's preferred creators produce. It's clear you're pushing hard to put quality first and foremost of your work, but as mentioned earlier, that seems contrary to doing well on massive platforms like YouTube where the signal to noise ratio is astronomical. Have you any thoughts on why this is and do you see it as being more of a bubble given the relatively short time that computer games have been a "thing" in pop culture.

I recall you were on the Co-Optional Podcast in the past, it's one I watch every week. Are there any particular favourites of yours and/or any you've not been on yet that you'd love to (even beyond the gaming space)?

Do you play any instruments or have any skills or talents we don't know about?

Thanks for your time

Cina

Hey Danny, I'd just like to say that I've watched every "The Point" video (The history of Nazi's in video games being a personal favourite) and now Noclip and you are by far the best gaming journalist out there, keep making the good stuff!

Aside from you though I don't really know many other good YouTube video makers on gaming. Any suggestions? Don't worry, I'll still watch your stuff first and foremost!

CruelCoin

How do you view Previews currently? Are they trustworthy?

The way the market is currently, it seems as though those who give negative previews are blacklisted by that games' publisher.
This has led to there not being any negative previews, which has burned consumers more than once with well-hyped games (X-Rebirth, No Mans Sky).
I used to be an avid reader of PCGamer for example, but after being burned by the aforementioned two games thanks to PCGamer and others giving decent previews on games that they must have known were dog****, there is now fully half the magazine I don't feel I can trust anymore.

Follow on question: Do you see this situation changing?

CruelCoin

dannyodwyer wrote: »

415. Jesus I never checked that before.

368. Steam has cut their back catalogue in recent years and that used to be higher.

I blame Humble Bundle.

Vojera

If you could choose one video to recommend to a newcomer to your channel, what would it be?

CruelCoin

Do you think the introduction to Steam of the refund system is helpfull to the industry or not?

Now that we can get a no-quibble refund for less than 2 hours of play, do you feel game-makers are front-loading their "good-stuff" to try stop people refunding?

Giruilla

What do you think of Dunkey as a reviewer?

What did you think of his video about video game critics?

CruelCoin

Where did the rise of early access come from and why do you think it has become so popular?

Side question from that: will Star Citizen ever get launched in full and with the features promised in its funding goals?

VampiricPadraig

Not a question but a thank you for making the Final Fantasy XIV series of videos. I am a avid fan of Final Fantasy and a somewhat-active member of the FFXIV community and seeing it was just awesome!

Keep up with the great work.

Padraig.

Vojera

Do you think main stream media really appreciates or understands how much money the games industry is worth? It seems to me that there's still a perception that games are for teenagers, but we know that this isn't the case.

K.O.Kiki

Hi Danny, thanks for being a good sport and doing an AMA.

If you're still here:

What do you think of eSports (in general), eSports broadcast/reporting styles, and do you think there's any future in it for Irish players?

SeantheMan

FECK !!!
Way too late to this !!

There was just a small locked post at top of general games thread.

So disappointed it wasn't bigger or any discussion allowed.

Your docs are awesome Danny, love all the stuff you've done so far.
Representing Ireland excellently !
No point askin any questions now as I'm too late.

If you are ever in South Korea covering E-Sports or PCBang culture or whatever, and need someone to show ye around just give me a PM !

Boards.ie: Mark

SeantheMan wrote: »

FECK !!!
Way too late to this !!

There was just a small locked post at top of general games thread.

So disappointed it wasn't bigger or any discussion allowed.

Your docs are awesome Danny, love all the stuff you've done so far.
Representing Ireland excellently !
No point askin any questions now as I'm too late.

If you are ever in South Korea covering E-Sports or PCBang culture or whatever, and need someone to show ye around just give me a PM !

I know he was busy yesterday, but hopefully he'll be able to pop back on. Always worth leaving a question just in case.

The post in General Games was just a heads-up, though maybe I'll leave future ones open so people can post a reaction, which bumps it to front page again
. I don't think there'd be any issue in starting a thread in General Gaming to discuss anything mentioned here / the work of NoClip.

TheMackAttack

Hey Danny, I'm a big fan of your work and like yourself hail from Waterford. I've had a national award-winning video game website but due to other commitments had to step aside. I'm looking to get back into it and was wondering what is the best platform in the current climate to post your work, for example taking the video route, podcasts, articles etc.

Thanks

5rtytry56

When you receive it, how do you handle criticism from a game developer of a bad review you gave of a game.

Saruhashi

dannyodwyer wrote: »

So in short, Gamergate is a bunch of angry man-babies making up a load of bull**** to justify their hatred of women and text-based story games. I should mention that the person in question is somebody I consider a friend. I also met the guy who "leaked the story" about her and he was a creepy piece of ****. It's a real "jilted lover makes up a story to make him feel better" sort of thing.

So you make great documentaries and have an awesome Youtube channel but you're also a bit dishonest sometimes, when it suits.

Good to know, I suppose.

I mean, why comment at all if you aren't going to tell the truth? Or at least represent things fairly?

You are right about the people who were doing the Gamergate harassment and everything that went with that. These are not good people.

I'm not sure all of them were like that but I don't know enough to comment so I won't.

However, you are WAY out of line on the guy who made the blog post that started it all off.

Dude, the guy who posted this "jilted lover makes up a story to make him feel better" blog was CLEARLY in an abusive relationship and here you are defending his abuser and calling him a creepy piece of ****.

It's one of the most appalling things I've seen in the industry. ZQ was highly abusive towards her partner. The evidence is right there in his blog. When her partner exposed this game journalists jumped to her defense.

It's such a cliche to say it but flip the genders in that situation and the developer would have been, rightfully, hounded out of the industry.

Instead you are giving her a free pass on some absolutely disgraceful behavior so you can get a pat on the back and a cookie? Embarrassing.

beauf

OP fascinating insight into your work and the industry. Years ago when Edge started and I was on the fringes of the game industry I used to follow it, but have long since stop being interested in it.

The whole Gamergate thing was news to me, I think it highlights there's a lot of dysfunctional and immature people in that sector.

dannyodwyer

Noel82 wrote: »

Seen your vid on the original UT, any thoughts on UT4 being in pre alpha pushing 4 years now?

So far it's been badly received by the community like UT3 was. For whatever reason, the new games became much clunkier and less "arcadey". The movement and weapon physics imo have really suffered in the newer iterations.

I actually really enjoyed it when I first played it a few years ago. I've dabbled since, but the real power of UT99 was that it was a breakthrough concept. A game focused around multiplayer bots had never been done before. The vast majority of people who played that game didn't go online with it. Trying to replicate the fun freedom of that game in the modern competitive setting is tough. And I'm not sure it's translating what makes it special to the younger generation enough.

Now that Fortnite's PUGB mode is going so well I doubt Epic see it as much of a focus, but I hope it grows some more in 2018. Thanks for mentioning it, I'll probably give it another go this weekend.

dannyodwyer

Saruhashi wrote: »

So you make great documentaries and have an awesome Youtube channel but you're also a bit dishonest sometimes, when it suits.

Good to know, I suppose.

I mean, why comment at all if you aren't going to tell the truth? Or at least represent things fairly?

You are right about the people who were doing the Gamergate harassment and everything that went with that. These are not good people.

I'm not sure all of them were like that but I don't know enough to comment so I won't.

However, you are WAY out of line on the guy who made the blog post that started it all off.

Dude, the guy who posted this "jilted lover makes up a story to make him feel better" blog was CLEARLY in an abusive relationship and here you are defending his abuser and calling him a creepy piece of ****.

It's one of the most appalling things I've seen in the industry. ZQ was highly abusive towards her partner. The evidence is right there in his blog. When her partner exposed this game journalists jumped to her defense.

It's such a cliche to say it but flip the genders in that situation and the developer would have been, rightfully, hounded out of the industry.

Instead you are giving her a free pass on some absolutely disgraceful behavior so you can get a pat on the back and a cookie? Embarrassing.

Alright, my last reply on this topic - because as somebody who cares about journalistic integrity in games, it's infuriating to me that this is still a mature topic of discussion for some people.

Here's the thing, I'm not being dishonest. Read that again. I am telling the truth. I have no reason to lie whatsoever. I have no skin in this game. I'm trying to tell you as somebody who has literally met both of these people, was alongside the story as it happened and saw where it came from and can smell internet bull**** when it's this obvious what happened.

The only people who have skin in this game are GG people who need ZQ to be wrong. They cannot exist in a world where she was the victim, which is sad, because that it clearly the world we live in. This alone should be a red flag for anyone familiar with internet rumor control.

It is obvious what happened. She broke up with a dude and he made a hateful post that led to a bunch of people (there was already an organized hate campaign against her by then - I know because I saw it when I made that Games V Depression doc) using that as a vehicle to legitimize their hatred. Then they broke the law in many ways to make her life hell.

By now the GG story has changed so many times to make sense it's pathetic. Originally the issue was that she slept with a reviewer for a score. That was proved to be nonsense. Now it's about female on male harassment (the raw nerve de-jour for fragile men who thing they are victims in the current the climate of calling out misogynists). The logic has bent backwards so many times that now you're telling me a clearly dysfunctional guy who wrote a scathing piece about a woman that led to her being DOXed, feared for her life and had to go to court and get restraining orders is the actually the victim.

I'm not basing my understanding of the situation on internet message board gossip, I'm basing it on reason and first hand knowledge. Take it or leave it dude. Maybe you'll find that a lot of people you've discarded for not believing your fairy-tale, were actually kind, nice people. When you're ready to come back to the real world, we'll be waiting for you.

beauf wrote: »

The whole Gamergate thing was news to me, I think it highlights there's a lot of dysfunctional and immature people in that sector.

Yup. Every community has them sadly.

dannyodwyer

TheMackAttack wrote: »

Hey Danny, I'm a big fan of your work and like yourself hail from Waterford. I've had a national award-winning video game website but due to other commitments had to step aside. I'm looking to get back into it and was wondering what is the best platform in the current climate to post your work, for example taking the video route, podcasts, articles etc.

Thanks

Congrats on the work, that's a great achievement!

Websites are a no-no now because folks get most of their information from either social media or YouTube today. For anything you want to write, the obvious choice would be to start a YT channel and get your stuff out on as many social media platforms as possible, but like I said earlier, it's a game of musical chairs and it's harder than ever to break through the noise. If nothing else I'd say whatever you do, try and create something that is unique and enjoyable to you. If you're not unique it's going to be hard to stand out - and if you don't enjoy it, it will be too hard to put in the time to really make it stick.

Generally when it comes to writing I tell people to shy away from it now. Sites are hiring less and less dedicated writers and so only the cream of the crop have a chance to get jobs. I was never very good at writing anyway, so this was easy for me to drop, but I would warn people away from it. Podcasts are even harder to break through the noise, especially with how iTunes and their Podcast app have evolved.

The other route of course is Twitch, which has a barrier to entry over YouTube and is easier to monetize than TY too. Whether or not you're into that, I'm not sure, but once again if you do try and go down this route make sure you have a unique hook. Not everyone can go as all-in as Dr Disrespect, but there's a reason why he won Trending Gamer last night.

Hope this helps. I feel for anyone trying to break in right now. I used to think it was hard when I did 5 years ago, but it's only gotten harder. If you want to try the "traditional" online press then I'd suggest moving across the Irish Sea. If you want to try going solo on YT, Twitch - you can do that from Ireland no problem.

Best of luck mate.