Japanese Jazz Think Sessions
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My Switch 2 Reveal video is not performing quite like I thought it world. Perhaps it wasn't timely enough. Perhaps the SEO is off. Maybe people are sick of the discussion loop already.
I think it is more a mix of it being a video adaptation of my article. There's no talking head. It's actually defending/praising the console and Nintendo more than yelling at them. I think those are the factors.
Still proud of the video. I think there is value to be discovered in adapting my longer-form editorials. I just cranked out another yesterday about the loss of console price drops during generations. I just don't think my production pipeline is optimized for me to do this for every big piece. This one was certainly fueled by excitement and passion.
Yesterday, I had to pick up my kid after school. It is about a 30 minute drive. I've been listening to fewer podcasts in the car and more Japanese jazz.1 Less chatter in the silence is giving my brain more time to make connections and think of things. The drive yesterday was a fruitful session of thinking about my "Fate as a Game Winning" Mechanic essay idea.
I thought about the scope of it. Can it be done just discussing Outer Wilds. Then I had this simplified thought of "Fate as an Enabler." That sparked ideas and potential games to discuss with Outer Wilds.
This essay is one I won't let go until it is out there. I was thinking it'd be more of a touch-y, feel-y one, but now I think the right direction is more game mechanics/analysis. That doesn't mean it is devoid of emotion, but I think I was getting a bit too emotionally heady with the original concept.
No matter what, I do have the hook of the video all laid out in my mind. That's a lock.
I encourage you guys to make time for more thinking sessions. It's cool when you don't intentionally cram stuff in your brain and let it make its own connections.
Until next time...
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I have never heard someone play the piano like Hiromi before. ↩
This letter is one block from the newsletter Memory Card by Max Roberts. Thoughts? Send me an email at max@maxfrequency.net.
Max is the writer and producer behind Max Frequency. cultivate and curate curiosity—both for himself and for others—by delighting in the details and growing greatness from small beginnings.
He's written a rich history and dive on the making of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, celebrated the 15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the voice behind its hype, and examined how Zelda "stole" Fortnite's best mechanic.
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