Lets build something better.

YouTube is becoming increasingly focused on algorithms. As this continues, it becomes increasingly difficult for niche channels to survive in the long term.

Hi! This is my blog. Consider this a sort of 'Hello world' post. I'll call this my introduction just to have something on the page. I have a post scheduled to go up tomorrow, and that will be the first "Regular" post.

If you've somehow found this blog without knowing who I am, how did you find me? Second, thanks?! Regardless, I'm Gregory, a visually impaired oddball on the internet who has been making videos on YouTube and streaming video games on Twitch for close to eleven years.

It started back in 2013 as a social outlet. At the time, I had been working night shifts at McDonald's and needed a way to interact with people. My girlfriend at the time worked afternoons at a coffee shop, so my opportunities to engage with others were limited to work and the grocery store. Streaming became a way for me to talk with friends online without having to play games like League, which negatively impacted my mood. It helped me regain an interest in single-player games. Streaming helped me focus and delve deeply into games I had loved in the past.

Although it did not amount to much until I had been doing it for two years, streaming eventually became a dependable source of income. By late 2016, it became the majority of my income. I've been at it full time ever since.

I didn't get any lucky breaks until 2022. As numbers got worse, I gave in and made the jump into proper roguelikes, most notably Dwarf Fortress. By this point, I had assumed that my channels were going to fade into nothing. But luck was on my side when, after streaming Dwarf Fortress for the better part of a year, Kitfox Games and Bay12 announced it was coming to Steam. The DFNews series kept me afloat until December 6th, 2022.

When it released on Steam, I gained enough momentum to finally achieve relative stability after a decade of experimenting on the internet. It's not a stable gig; it's the most volatile thing out there.

My primary goal for 2022-23 was to find a work-life balance that would lift me out of the ditches. 2023 was a tough year for me family-wise, with some major losses. But I made it through, and I am improving because of it.

The main goal for 2024 is to depend less on massive platforms (e.g., YouTube, Twitch, Patreon, Adobe, etc). I aim to move into FOSS and open-source alternatives, building a stable foundation for the audience I have been fortunate enough to foster and maintain. Hopefully, this is part of that process and will form the backbone of my content going forward.

My secondary goal for 2024 is simply to be a better person. I've had some mental bumps over the years. I'm not always the calmest person, but it's something I worked on heavily last year and intend to continue improving as time goes on.

You've made it to the end! Thanks for reading this first... strange... blog post! Regular posts will occur on Mondays, and once a month, I'll do a round-up of upcoming titles I'm interested in. Maybe old things I plan to revisit as well ;)

Till next time,

Gregory "BlindiRL"