Hello from JAPAN! - What's next for the channel?

[@RyanLangewisch]

I have no problem with channels doing kickstarter previews, but I have little to no interest in them personally and typically won't click on those videos. I would much rather hear someone share their opinion on a game that have a lot of personal experience with than provide an advertisement and early impressions for a new game. Totally get the challenge though (my brother and I have asked ourselves similar questions with our own Rolls in the Family channel), and I think your decision should be driven mostly by the content that you are most interested in creating.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Woah. Just took a look at a few of your videos. It's amazing what you are doing on that channel! I have so many questions I want to ask you, but your email isn't listed in the about section of your channel page. Will you shoot me a message using my email? Just check out my about page. If you are wondering what I want to talk about, I'll get started here: It's clear from your videos that you have invested a lot to get your channel going: microphones, headphones, seems like a nice camera, great editing skills. You also have excellent content! Clearly you are taking this very seriously and are prepared to play "the long game". I'd love to hear more about what you are trying to do and what your goals are.

[@davidgarza9731]

👍🤩 What I enjoy about this channel is learning about games that aren’t always talked about by other channels. Plus I love your system for reviewing games. It’s been super useful. I’ve often noticed that when other creators use Paterson they use it to interact more with a portion of the audience whether it be granting them access to an exclusive discord or an idea could be a BGA Game night with the Patreons Side note: revenue (for the better youtubers) tends to be secondary to content the creator wants to create and enjoys creating 🙂

[@theperfectboardgame]

As these comments come in, it seems clear that I should probably figure out the Patreon route. I like the ideas you have shared here. Also, it is tremendously encouraging to hear that my effort to share lesser-known games is appreciated.

[@cobosmay]

It's good to have you back! I'm glad you enjoyed your summer. I spent mine in Texas and finally could get some nice deals on boardgames! Regarding your questions: 1) I don't mind having Kickstarter reviews. I will watch them entirely if the game looks appealable to me in the first half of the video. I don't usually do Patreon but I'll be happy to support you with your sponsored content. 2) About your webpage. I cannot access the survey. It says I need permission. 3) And I have no idea about Essen games. I mainly use this channel to get into new ones. It is different from the others since you show not-so-known boardgames, in comparison of the most common (mostly boring) ones.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you so much for your feedback. Man, I sure could monetize my channel if I had a dollar for every time I or some one else tried to share a Google doc only to find out that it was blocked by some sort of "requires permission" protection. I fixed it now, if you want to try again. It is tremendously affirming to hear that you watch my channel BECAUSE I try to cover lesser known games. I have been striving to do that, but it is quite another matter when someone else recognizes the effort and expresses appreciation for it!

[@christinebrown8586]

I love this channel because I learn about games I don't hear about elsewhere and because of how you systematically review them. Honestly I don't become a patreon member for any channel I follow. I just don't have the money to do so. You need to do what works for you 😊

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you so much! It really feels good to hear you tell me what about my work is valuable to you. It’s a type of payment in itself. I hope you keep watching and I hope you never feel pressure to become a Patron. I’m listening to others advice on what they like and don’t like and it’s helpful for me to understand how to talk about monetization without being so awkward about it.

[@read2shadow]

I really enjoy this channel both because through it I discovered your ranking system (an eye-opener, many thanks for that), and because I'll find 'underdog' games that aren't talked about on the boatload of sponsored channels. So, if, for financial reasons, you *need* to do sponsored videos ('cause those games aren't cheap), then power to you. Personally, I'm not interested in another channel like that. If I want to know about Kickstarters, I can go to BBG and there'll be at least 5 sponsored vids explaining the game and usually raving about how great it is. (And then, usually a couple of months after that game comes out, they'll be back: 'yeah, maybe it wasn't quite that streamlined or the replayablity kinda sucked...') Have a great time at Essen. Interested in Comet, Almost Innocent, Genpei and Cryptic Nature (but most of those don't sound like family games).

[@theperfectboardgame]

Wow. I am glad I asked if it meant I could hear a response like this. Like you, I also get tired of the culture of overhype, and now that I'm on the inside and I can see that it's not really great games but simply big marketing budgets, I like it much less. It makes me want to set a goal of avoiding any paid previews if it means I can stand out and provide greater value to the subscribers. It might mean I'd have to lean into the Patreon model if I'm going to make any money though... I dunno, just thinking out loud. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@danasimpson1275]

It is great to see back. Your content has a unique take and have been unspired vy games you recommend. It took a year to finally find Cryo which is such an underrated game. So thank 🙏 you. When it comes to content there are so few youtubers who discuss underrated or hidden gems. So much FOMO for the new games. And yet no one will ever keep up. Just be authentic and true to yourself on how you want the channel to evolve. You will never please everyone and try not compare to others. You have got an awesome channel and love your take ❤❤

[@theperfectboardgame]

Probably the best compliment someone can give me is to tell me they bought an "underrated" game I recommended and loved it. So glad you found and enjoyed Cryo!

[@BrandonBecker-ii7jk]

I too found Cryo via what you have done here. You are one of my favorite folks because it authentically shares the joy and interesting comparisons amongst games, design, and thinking. This is the channel I would be running if I had the guts to do what you’ve done. You’re first few points would be steps away from this mission and what helps you stand out. Paid stuff makes you become more similar to others who are promoting FOMO garbage. Patreon is great and I would support you pending you continue offering your unique quality content. I like to learn about overlooked games and go for quality.

[@Flip5ide]

Damn dude, I'm properly jealous of the house and living in Japan, that'd be a dream come true, enjoy!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you. We will be here for three years. I never want to take it for granted. This was an exceptional find and not at all "typical". Even some of my friends who have lived in Japan for years have said "HOW did you find that!?"

[@VariousIdeas-f2q]

Games aside, what an amazing home, in an amazing place. Id try to make that my permanent home. :) though i dont speak Japanese... i would learn. 😊

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you! I’ve been working with a tutor since moving here. It’s been great having a better handle on the language.

[@VariousIdeas-f2q]

@theperfectboardgame I'll bet it would! I guess that makes me curious if you've been able to find a local game group... playing in Japanese? Or English? I find it difficult to find a group in my own town let alone another country and language!

[@tiago_db_silva]

I don't mind sponsored content, it might help in knowing about new games, with these caveats: 1) It must be clear from the beginning; 2) It should NOT be a review (because it will always be tainted), it should be purely informational. I'll be going to Essen for the 1st time this year. Games that caught my eye from Essen: Kutna Hora, Barcelona, Sky Team, Ezra and Nehemiah, Match of the Century, Bonsai

[@theperfectboardgame]

You know, you think you know games, but I'm still always surprised by how many games I've never heard of. I will look into ALL of those. Thank you so much for the recommendation!

[@TibialPizza]

I personally enjoy kickstarters reviews when KZbinrs are allowed to give their honest opinion of the game .. similar to what @boardgameco is doing on his channel.

[@Flip5ide]

Totally happy for you to do sponsored videos, as long as you let us know, there is a problem I see where all the channels I follow release the same game videos all at once so that can be a little annoying, that said it's good to see different people's opinions on games, so it'd be nice if you covered older games and games you love as well as the cult of the new stuff. It's your channel and you got to do what feels right for you, don't make it a chore for yourself. As for patreon just say at the end of your videos if you'd like to support me you'd be super grateful but only if you can afford it, it's not a bad thing to make money off your content. Not sure if it's going to be at Essen but I'm really intrigued with Wondrous Creatures by Bad Comet

[@theperfectboardgame]

Funny you should mention Bad Comet! They actually reached out to ME to ask me if I would cover Amazonia. I believe I asked them if they'd like to just hand me a copy at the convention and they told me they wouldn't be there, so the game is in the mail. I am sure I can eventually get a copy of Wondrous Creatures, especially if they enjoy how I cover Amazonia.

[@NicholasLee0]

If you want to treat your channel as a business and thus a job, then definitely look to earn money some how. If it's just a fun hobby, then don't stress. Have fun, don't let it consume all your time.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it. To be honest, it is a business but I'm exploring monetization very cautiously. Channels that are too pushy about Patreon or too "in your face" with their sponsored content are obnoxious to me. I only want to monetize my channel in a way that makes sense to my viewers and try not to be too pushy about it. So I'm not in a huge rush and maybe I'll only have the income from KZbin ads. Seems like many people don't really mind the Patreon requests though, so I am setting that up.

[@brave_bowen2754]

Yo it's me Ben jealous that you are in Japan

[@theperfectboardgame]

Hey! Not going to lie... it's awesome here. Beautiful home, beautiful weather. I think I can tolerate three years of this!

[@hansaugustsson7288]

I guess you should stay in control of what games you cover, not sell that selectivity, to avoid wearing yourself down. You could offer patreons earlier access to non-sponsored content. Increasing the scope of your search-by-characteristics function would be great, probably very attractive.

[@theperfectboardgame]

You are right about the factor of burnout. It isn't fun to play games because you feel you "have to", no matter what game it is.

[@chillionaire7114]

I'm very torn on the KS approach. 1. That's not what I would come to your channel for, because the "paid" content usually comes with a degree of "you need to remain positive". 2. However, those deals can be a great way for people to discover your channel, as they do KZbin searches for "xyz game", so anything that helps extend your reach would be good for the channel as a whole. 3. That said, as someone that does often back KS games, it is VERY hard to find unbiased opinions on the games pre-launch, even though many KS games do have board game arena versions available during the campaign. If you felt it was worth your time, unpaid opinions on the BGA versions of games make that he a way of increasing KZbin search hits, while also providing unbiased opinions? I don't know - I know next to nothing when it comes to KZbin businesses, but definitely appreciate the videos you put out.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you so much. I value your opinion. I'd like to make some money some day, but I think the absolute best way to do that is to just keep producing content people want to watch. Paid or not, it is ultimately the surest way to success... plus it is fun and gratifying! Yeah, reviews based on digital implementations is something I have tried before, especially back before producers were sending me copies.