We've been changing. Here's why.

[@exquisitemeat5845]

It's a shame that KZbin is a trashfire for creators because I highly prefer prerecorded, non-livestream environment videos. It's even worse that now Twitch's revenue is getting worse for creators as well, so ccs are definitely in a predicament. However, I think you making the choice is the correct one, because your life should obviously take precedent over my/our preferences. I for one will make an effort to catch the occasional stream

[@longliverocknroll5]

I worried about Twitch’s monetary system as soon as Amazon bought them. They paid great to start, but you can’t trust massive companies long-term. I see some more switching to Facebook and I would expect the same thing to happen once Facebook Gaming gets big enough. None of these platforms care about creator or user experience if they can rake in enough money.

[@MicaiahBaron]

@@longliverocknroll5 One advantage Twitch has is that direct donations aren't through Twitch, but are still easy to access and visible, while also only having a PayPal fee (no Amazon split). I'm not sure Amazon can take that away.

[@jayfeatherfan12312]

I prefer highly edited videos, when I'm watching a livestream, i often just wish certain parts could be edited out

[@longliverocknroll5]

@@MicaiahBaron They could try. They were banning accounts that were using multiple streaming platforms for a long time.

[@MicaiahBaron]

@@longliverocknroll5 If they do it without warning they'll be in serious trouble, since it's just creators putting a link to send people money independently. A lot of people make a large portion of their money through donations on external platforms, and the backlash wouldn't be worth it.

[@enesevanderwalt5900]

Stephen please don't ever feel like you are letting anyone down, because you are absolutely not. I think the best part of the twitch to KZbin format is having the banter of chat on Fridays and then watching the content more attentively when it hits Stephenplays. Please take care of yourself. Grandparents need that more than the young folk. Jk, but seriously thanks for the hard work you put in to entertain us On another note: love the new glasses! 😁

[@Anna2210]

Just a suggestion, but given the amount of feedback questions you have, it might be worth setting up a survey so your response data is a bit easier to use and go back to going forward. That way you can have fixed snapshots in time

[@relsre]

_YES_ second this, Stephen I 💯 recommend putting out a video to point us to say, a Google Forms survey. You can even view the survey results in graphs/charts for questions that are given in a multiple-choice / limited-choice format.

[@stuartdunlop8834]

Answers for you both: 1. Honestly, I feel like I've been dipping in and out of all of my content creators for a few years now. And part of that is just the sheer density of options on offer. You've been a part of it for years but I would be lying if I said I caught every video, but I enjoy Plays, Vlogs and Mal Makes in a random pattern. I will also bingewatch a new batch of Memorable Moments every month or so 2. Anything that shows your passion for a game and/or your first reactions to it appeals to me, so I'd be excited to see you react to your games and/or convert that into the content - that may be a little vague but I watch you to see what a game means to you. That, and your surreal sense of humour, which I love. 3. I would say that Stephen + Friends also brings out a really fun side of you guys - the social interplay and the banter between you and others really is engaging, and you both have a sharp wit and ability to improvise, which makes that work 100%. 4. If content were properly signposted and made clear, I would likely follow it anywhere. Even Tiktok, which I admit I've held back on since its inception. But I would say that watching/listening to you guys get truly invested in a game, a painting or an activity/group event is the highlight of these channels for me. I hope you guys keep finding your feet and cannot wait to see where you go - change can be a great thing, and you've definitely given me the confidence to make changes for myself as well (such as, getting into editing - which I never thought I'd ever do). Thank you to both of you, and here's to the memorable moments of the future.

[@pocketscarf]

Yeah, I'm one of those people that isn't the biggest fan of livestreams, at least when it comes to games. I personally find the constant interruptions many people do to read alerts or react to comments very tedious for me to watch live. That being said, I *totally* understand the appeal for creators and fans being able to interact with each other, and I'm glad people can enjoy that. I enjoy breakfast stream for those reasons. It's an opportunity to interact without it cutting into something else. It's honestly a shame that you've been struggling so much lately, because your variety approach is appreciated, and it's encouraged me to try games that I normally wouldn't have tried. I hope you find what works for you going forward without too much burden or stress, and I'm glad you have found alternatives like Twitch already.

[@wildstarfish3786]

what else would you even watch a live stream for?

[@oatznsquats]

I watch 100% of StevenVlog and probably 75% of StephenPlays. Longer series like BOTW burnt me out from watching and the Pokemon highlights aren't really my thing. I enjoy the traditional LP style like Kirby. I think the Twitch to KZbin LP style is a great way to go.

[@dstinnettmusic]

BOTW was a good balance. What bothers me with VODs is the distraction of chat, but that was a blind LP with chat mostly silent. When they did call chat in it was very specific. If they added in some questions for KZbin comments, that would honestly be the best. It would allow them to make the obvious businesses decision to move to twitch without abandoning the elderly folks like myself who refuse to learn a new video platform

[@jamgrieve]

I totally stopped watching BotW. It just got too repetitive. There wasn't enough variety to keep me interested the whole way through. Maybe it was better on Twitch? I don't watch the live streams.

[@Ryan619107]

I definitely feel the same way. Highlight reels just don't quite capture the same feel of "playing" a game that an LP does, and the moments are entirely devoid of context. LPs may be longer, but I enjoy them more.

[@ashtonimagine7924]

I get that it's a mighty natural evolution of the LP, but my biggest problem is dedication. I'm a busy dude, mostly doing jack nothing, so I can't just dedicate some time to watch this one guy make more progress in a game. I'd love to see it on my own time. I am so not with the times

[@ashtonimagine7924]

Following note: this comment section is so wholesome makes my heart fuzzy

[@torg3481]

My perspective: I love the games that you guys play, the energy you bring, and the overall enjoyment. However, on the cynical side, one does have to play nice with the algorithm. Breath of the Wild, I think, would have had a much greater audience on par with your Twilight Princess LP, had you done the LP soon after it came out, instead of three years later. It's demeaning to have to pander to the audience, but it does work.

[@Surfer669]

Now that there's a new team member i think a video recapping who everyone is will help new viewers. Even obvious questions like who is Stephen, who is Mal, Who is Dan, who is Chaz, & who is Millie? How did everyone know each other? What skillsets will we see for the channels?

[@AnorakDovahkiin]

Just to help: They hired Emmy, who has been in many Stephen&Friends videos in the last

[@Smile936]

I was going to direct you to the StephenWiki hoping there was a convenient list of who’s who but there wasn’t (or I’m bad at it). So here’s just Emmy’s blurb from the wiki: “Emmy is a friend of Stephen and Mal who they met because she was an admin on the StephenCraft Minecraft server. She first appeared on Day 1012. Emmy has appeared on many episodes of Stephen & Friends. She also streams herself playing video games on Twitch.”

[@BigFearedBalloon]

Ah StephenCraft. Had so much fun with that server, being the one I spent the most time on in my years of Minecraft and was so sad when it went away.

[@zeleros4027]

To add my 2 cents: There are a lot of things you discussed that make a lot of sense. In terms of analytics and behind the scenes stuff, of course we'd never know that kind of info. It makes sense that having such a large variety would split the viewer base. In terms of the algorithm I can understand changing things up. Personally, I don't like the swap over to twitch. I hate having to catch it live, having to get there at specific times and such. I vastly prefer the ability to watch the content when I can get to it, and even pause and come back later if I need. Some people like the increased interaction of a livestream, but I don't like the slower nature of it. For something like Breakfast Stream, where the content is specifically about chatting and reading chats and stuff, its fine because that's what I am there for. But when I want to watch gameplay or be entertained from the video, a stream has way too much downtime. If I am interrupted by a work call or have to run out for a bit, I am now going to miss the fun stuff because I cant pause. Yes there is the VOD, but I don't necessarily want to scrub through hours and hours of a video just to get to the good stuff. The normal lets play content is just the good stuff, and it provides way more in my opinion. I use lets plays like yours as essentially a form of television, except better because I can control when the show is on. One thing I do think is important though is that you have changed things over the years, even if you haven't realized it. I primarily watch the vlog, but will watch the lets plays when the game is something I can get behind. But the vlog is a great example of how things have changed for your content. It is one of your primary qualities as a person, your obsession with quality. But not necessarily the quality of the work, but the quality of the equipment. At one point in time the vlog camera was just the flip, easy and simple. But now when the moments pop up and I see the gigantic contraption that is the vlog camera, its shocking. When you are at Lunch Bunch with a huge camera, tons of peripherals and a pistol grip, I can't imagine the confusion people must have when they see it at the restaurant! But that's the thing, we aren't watching you for the 4k resolution and the crazy camera quality...We are watching for you. I recently met somebody around where I live that watched you, and neither of us had met somebody else who watched the vlog, so of course we were excited! We recanted some of our favorite moments, but also some of the more emotional. Both of us recalled Sagan and how important he was to us, a Cat we had never meant had made such an impact in both of our lives and his loss was heart wrenching. We recalled the vlog "Mal Resigned" and how emotional it was to see Mal under such distress. Of course our families cannot understand why we have such investment, but thats because of you Stephen. You and Mal have created a community that is so kind to one another, that brings out the best in each other. The reason the vlog is so amazing to us is because the both of you share your lives with us. A life that many of us, me included, want for ourselves. A peaceful and kind life with friends and family that care for one another, and you are gracious enough to allow us into that life. That is what makes Stephenvlog and Stephenplays what it is. I am not saying you are making things worse by getting better equipment, but this is something that I have seen so many channels lose sight of over the years. Many people will call it nostalgia, but its not. What made the videos and times so great 10 years ago is that they were great on there own. They didn't need a greenscreen, or a 4k camera, they didn't need anything fancy, because we were there for the person. I guess what I am getting at is that I just don't want you to get wrapped up in it all. Change is inevitable, but don't loose sight amidst all the change. Don't get carried away. Don't feel that you specifically need to make short or long form videos. Don't feel that you need to make any specific thing to hit an algorithm. You have created a community that is supportive and amazing because of what you are, not what you do. Always remember, we are watching for you.

[@sprenzy7936]

as someone who is getting into content creation, you really have to play the game to grow. your thumbnail, title, and content must be on point otherwise you will never grow any more. i feel like this is the thing with people like Stephen and even chuggaaconroy, these two are really like nostalgia that's why i continue to watch them but that is also why they stephen vlog only averages 1-2k views per vod addressing your concern with live streaming and how you dont like to sift thru hours and hours of content to watch the good bits. this is another thing you have to do if you really want to grow. i dont really like twitch streams because of your reasons but i dont dislike watching past streams from vod channel. even if you do not like the vod channel but some of the biggest and fastest growing channel started making clips and vods now i was with you how you dont like the vod channel, similarly i do not really care for clips, but i ended up. watching like almost all of it becasue it just starts popping up one after another. now think what if there wasnt clip channel, then they wouldnt get any views or any other exposure. so when i start recording it just makes sense to have a channel, then vods then clips. another thing is unless you are og goat, then videos with part 1 - 70 isnt going to work anymore, even og channels you'll see 1 million views then around the middle it averages out 500k views maybe 100k views then nearing the last 2 videos , the viewcount shoots back up. so its best to process the hell outta your videos making it as coherent as possible while being entertaining. these days people's attention span is so bad that you have to catch them within 3 seconds and they are gone. its funny becasue people make fun of this phenomenon called short attention span like people are watching tiktok videos that are already 5 seconds and they are swiping up every 2 seconds but i would call that like determining whether you would like that or not. i subconsciously give 5-10 seconds and in those seconds im already looking for the purpose of this video, and im going down to the comments and reading it then i look at the recommended videos on the side bar or i search something else so already i have like 1-3 other tabs opened and if 10 seconds is not enough to prove to me that this video is worth watching then i would rather hop on another video than waste any more of my time. but it is also good to exercise patience, stop giving yourself information overload and dopamine and start getting some delayed dopamine and chill out. i love to chill to streams which is why vod channel is good becasue i can just come back later and chill, if i dont like something then i will skip over it just my 2cents for ya

[@dev655con]

I've been watching y'all for 9 years, and I'm not leaving, even if i dislike the exact format, but here's answers to your questions. 1.) As for what channels i watch regularly, i watch a majority of the Plays videos, most of the Vlogs, and will probably start watching the VODs more instead of the Highlight Series. I am also following on TikTok and the Shorts channel and have been enjoying them a lot. Honestly, i don't watch MalMakes frequently. 2.) As for series on Stephenplays i watch, it's most things. I always watch Stephen&Friends as well as Memorable Moments, even if it's from a series i didn't watch. I've watched probably 70-80% of the LP series you've put out, and there are some I've watched multiple times over. Ones that stand out to me are the Assassin's Creed series, Skyrim, Outlaws, Red Dead 2, Brawl, Star Allies, and Twilight Princess. 3.) The question of longer or shorter content is a bit more complicated for me, because it's both. For one off stuff that isn't part of a series? i prefer shorter content anywhere from 5-20 minutes. If it's something long form like an LP i prefer long form content 25-45 minutes long as i watch KZbin videos instead of television. 4.) And now for the highlight style of videos. There's no good way to put this. I don't like them. I wanted to watch Skyrim but had to go to the VOD channel to do so because i couldn't stand the jumpy? editing style. Pokémon it's less jarring because to me it feels more like a shorter version of the LP videos, but I'll probably still end up watching in on the VOD channel instead going forward. Tying into my last answer, i feel highlights work best when the highlight is for an individual thing as opposed to a full series, for example the Triangle Strategy and Brain Age ones. those were really enjoyable for me. 5.) A few extra notes. I've mentioned this on Twitter once or twice before, but i do miss Solo LPs. I love Mal and the... decisions she makes while playing games, but i also miss the more intimate feeling of it just being you playing a game, and when i say that i truly mean JUST you playing a game, Skyrim was fun, but it didn't feel the same because of the Chat interaction. As someone who doesn't care for streams that much the series that have even rare or occasional chat interaction are difficult for me to enjoy to the same degree that i used to. I'm still gonna watch your content regardless, because you're one of my favorite creators on the platform, but it isn't the same for me.

[@Lucifer8881]

just saying, it took me about 2 minutes of thinking to remember you're not Jeff (BodaciousCowboy)

[@dev655con]

@@Lucifer8881 🤣🤣🤣 i am indeed, not Jeff.

[@Smile936]

I didn’t realise how much your number 5 resonates with me. Very well put!

[@16BitKamek]

I feel like changing memorable moments into something like a highlight reel for a particular series is a good idea like you said. From a lot of channels I watch like RTgame for example, their main content is highlight reels of their twitch streams, and then they have their vod channel. The highlights would be long enough content to get watch time, but not too long to drag on out for some people. Plus since it's the best parts, there's more entertaining parts as opposed to chill parts where nothing is happening. I still watch vods myself because I grew up with let's play style content and I love longer content, but looking at what works, that direction just makes sense to me.

[@metamayto]

With all the things you've mentioned, I find it increasingly insane that Emile has been able to do his thing for as long as he has.

[@johnpbulger7893]

Emile got incredibly lucky because he was able to Garner a much higher subscriber base back in 2011 before KZbin started suppressing lps. He's been able to coast on that since then. Most members of the trg group have significantly less veiwers and a lot of them can't do traditional lps anymore (josh for example) the only ones left are Emile Tom Masae Stephen/Mal and tim. And Emile is the only one who doesn't stream. Jon is the only member of the community with a growing veiwers base and that's because he focuses on twitch which is much more freindly with gaming content.

[@Lucifer8881]

Emile also mostly does the one video a day format, with occasional week + long breaks. And while he’s relaxed it a bit, doing things like XC and splatoon, he did mostly Nintendo games in the past. And his content typically was (XC nonwithstanding) in the 20-40 minute range. So he actually fits the algorithm well. And at this point, having literally 10x as many subscribers as Stephen does also helps

[@alexeidarling]

@@johnpbulger7893 Reese as well. In fact, I think that what works in her favour is that her KZbin content and Twitch content are very different. All her long form stuff is on KZbin, and Twitch is for one-offs and more VTuber type streams like free chats and reactions.

[@johnpbulger7893]

@@alexeidarling oh yeah I always forget Reese for some reason. Weird

[@iantaakalla8180]

Furthermore, Emile produces informative Let’s Plays, which is a niche not much can do and since Let’s Plays are effectively dead, will only be held by him. No one else has such a unique niche. whoisthisgit does not count because his are more musings on games than Let’s Plays.

[@storminmay]

First off, I agree with others that have said a formal survey would also be a great idea to have actual data snapshots to be able to collect, in addition to commenting here. Second, KZbin is so frustrating because it goes against how I consume content on the site. I personally don’t enjoy multiple-channel content, and I don’t mean StephenPlays vs. StephenVlog. I mean the vod channel, tiktok, Shorts channel, etc. I’ve rarely subscribed to “extra” channels that creators make because I’d rather everything be streamlined in one place and I can just skip the videos I don’t want to watch (and it doesn’t help that the subscription page STILL doesn’t work the way it should). However, that’s clearly not how KZbin works anymore so I completely understand where you’re coming from there. 1. I watch Plays, Vlog, and MalMakes. 2. I enjoy Memorable Moments, Stephen & Friends, First 20, and the solo gaming series. Someone else commented that the series with Mal are fun, but given that she’s also in Friends and streams, I miss it being just you focusing solely on a game. Sometimes having another person there (including chat) takes away from your immersion, which takes away from my immersion as a viewer. 3. Depends on the content. If it’s a Let’s Play, I prefer longer content because it’s more “episodic” but enjoy Memorable Moments because they’re snapshots. I don’t watch the vods and honestly joining streams is intimidating because while all of the extras do make your stream unique, there’s A LOT of inside jokes and references that I’m not in on and that I don’t get, in addition to being annoyed with alerts being read out and chat conversations interrupting the content. So I personally stick to the edited content. 4. I guess I kinda answered this above? 5. See above I appreciate all that you and the team do, and I know my opinion is one of many and that the way I consume content isn’t how most people consume content nowadays. I can’t stand tiktok because it’s too short and spammy, and I don’t binge-watch Netflix shows or Let’s Plays because I like breaks. (Yes, I miss the days of tv shows airing one episode a week! I’m old!) And as I mentioned above in a tangent, streams are just…intimidating. The few streamers I watch tend to not read every alert (it shows up on screen, anyway?) and don’t really pause or interact with chat much because they’re busy playing the game. But again, just like with KZbin, the way I consume content on Twitch isn’t how Twitch works. I always appreciate content breakdowns like this and the transparency you have with your audience. It’s so appreciated and given that this is your livelihood, y’all gotta do what you gotta do to make it work.

[@TangyMonkey2369]

I agree with the 2 and 3 answers to your questions. Well put

[@baka_yu9343]

I agree with you, I'd like to consume the media as you described it as well, but sadly, that's not how the platforms are working. I do miss the solo projects because the humour in them are usually different than when Stephen's interacting with others (be that Mal, Friends or Chat) and I enjoy that a lot. And as someone in Europe, the regular Friday streams are pretty much impossible for me to be at live since they start at 2am for me and the VODs are significantly less fun if you don't get to interact or be part of the in-jokes.

[@IAmMatt863]

I miss your solo story drive open world let's plays, you add unique commentary that gives a second story to follow and travels in smooth parallel to the game story

[@macfryling8421]

Considering college and finals specificly have been murdering my free time for the past few years, i havent gotten a chance to check out much of the content across all the channels. Considering i'll have a bit more free time going forward after next week I'll probably binge a bunch of sutff on the vod channel and a bunch of the stuff on the vlog. Hope your doing well Grandpa and Grandma!

[@acceldiamond8651]

Honestly, I have nothing but respect for the both of you. Having done all of this for years and then having the strength to bring about a change to your own creative process and more? Not everyone has the fortitude to do that, and I've had my own share of creative changes over the past few years of my own projects- it's tough, but sometimes necessary. As to what I enjoy watching on these channels? Well, I certainly love watching you play with Mal and your friends, I've been thinking of trying something similar to that of my own- showing my girlfriend a game that she has never played or seen before, games that I think she'll love- I've already done that off-screen, so maybe that could be something cool to do together, even if it remains a hobby on YT or Twitch. And from the Vlogs? Well, I'm always just as glad to see how you guys are doing, so in that sense I watch them from time to time. Nevertheless, I'll always be supporting you two, no matter the platform!

[@NintendoBlurb]

If you’re looking for suggestions I would highly recommend doing some collabs with new and old friends. That’s how I found you initially (through a collab video on chuggas channel) I know it’s hard schedule wise to do so but If you’re looking for new viewership I think that’s the way to go. Because unless you’re number 1 trending I don’t think many people are actually discovering new creators through the algorithm. Collabs are the main way I personally discover new content creators.

[@seandudley556]

I would also say yes to this! I think my most consistent favorite episodes (and ones that I check out) are the Stephen&Friend episodes.

[@DevinY1]

I agree. It's nice that they collab with their regular friends but I feel like they need to collab with their KZbin friends as well.

[@jm___360]

That's so truee, I found Stephen from Emile years ago, and without a doubt many others did too - but I believe collabs outside of the established 'group' between Stephen and Emile's friends could bring more to Stephen since most viewers already know the people in this circle of their youtuber and non-youtuber friends

[@grick7379]

1. I watch StephenPlays when there's a game that interests me, but often times I don't know you're doing it until it's too late because you're never in my recommended. I also watch Vlogs but only occasionally. 2. Pikmin was actually incredible, in my opinion. I know Pikmin 2 was a bit on the stressful side for you but I LOVED it. GTA online was probably the hardest I've laughed at your content, and I still revisit it because it's just that good. Skyrim was also a frequent visit for me, even though it went on for so very long. 3. I don't really have the time for the longest stuff anymore. Sitting down and seeing that a new Stephen & Friends uploaded is great, but I got a job now and work 50 hours a week. I don't have time to really catch up on things every night lol. Though, I will definitely tune in to twitch streams for 20 min as background noise. 4. Eh, about the same. I like Highlights when there's a major chunk of the game done (say, a major story boss or whatever is defeated) and there's some fun moments that aren't quite short enough to be MM that are scattered everywhere.

[@kusudama76]

Less stress is always good! Thank you for all of the entertainment you and Mal and the rest of the team has given us, and I'm looking to everything else you put out in 2022!

[@Laranesight]

Thank you for explaining this, and for prioritizing your health, including stress! I've been watching for about a decade, and sincerely appreciate the work you have put into entertaining everyone. I watch for your LPs, Memorable Moments, and Stephen and Friends. One by-gone thing I sorely, sorely miss is your solo LPs. I think it's been over two years since the last regular LP (Bioshock Infinite?) ended. While I enjoy watching you and Mal too, you behave a little differently in solo games: you come up with different stupid crap than you do when interacting with her, ha! I miss that side of your channel, but I am so hopeful the different options you're exploring will help you! ^.^

[@cciiaa]

I just find it so funny comparing this to the “I took a few liberties” dream. You asked Tom, a streamer, to take over morning Mario because you had too much going on to do it. He then changed up the content and stated that he took a few liberties. Almost like your subconscious was trying to tell you something needed to change Edit: I think the idea of memorable moments as shorts/TikToks is a really good one, especially since you have so much content already. I regularly watch the vlog, breakfast streams, and games like breath of the wild, red dead, gta, bioshock, etc. I really loved morning Mario and game builder garage, but I totally understand the need to cut them. Also, i for one will always stick around. Your content has always made me feel at home.

[@catblackburn7486]

Thanks as always for being transparent about everything. It's true, traditional LPs are unfortunately a dying breed, but I think the "episodic" format you've brought over to Twitch is a solid compromise. Watching people stream games while being interrupted once a minute to read an alert is frustrating to me, so having your alerts paused while you "record the episode" is a big plus. That said, I do enjoy the live format of Twitch too (the chaos during the breaks is absolutely great!), but if I miss a stream, it's nice to know I can still catch the "LP" portion either here or on the VOD channel, or use it to refer my friends who always seem to be looking for new long-format channels to watch! Anyway, homework time! 1. I watch Plays, Vlogs, MalMakes, and lately I've been putting on VOD for background noise (and to catch older streams I have missed). 2. For Plays, my wife and I generally watch all the main LPs, and I usually watch MM (and previously, the morning series) during downtime at work. I've been enjoying Kirby and all the other co-op LPs immensely, and I've also been very interested in the less-popular passion project-type stuff you've shown us over the years (Outlaws comes to mind!). 3. The 20-30 minute format is preferred for most games, but I do enjoy the shorter highlight style of slower-paced games like Pokemon, Skyrim, and the Brain Age stream. I think it has a lot to do with pacing, mostly. The slower or more repetitive a game is, the better it works as a cut-down video for Plays with a full VOD available. 4. Others have already mentioned this, but I agree, it would definitely be worth considering doing a monthly or bi-weekly highlight reel style for MM as well. Tom has a series like that called TomFoolery where it's basically a series of Twitch clips and KZbin moments from various games rolled into a single video that works very nicely. 5. On that note, you could also apply this format to First 20. You've already got a bit of a Fortune Cookie style approach by having Twitch chat vote on which games to cover, and it could be an effective way to bridge the Twitch and KZbin audiences by turning the result into a highlight type video for Plays without sacrificing too much of the core First 20 experience. I know generally this series does very poorly, but I'd really hate to see it disappear. I've added so many games to my Steam Wishlist over the years BECAUSE of First 20, so this might be worth considering if you also want to keep it alive. Ultimately, I've been watching you and Mal since my wife introduced me back when the Chulip LP was airing, and you've always been a favorite channel to keep up with. I'm definitely not going anywhere just because of a few format changes! As long as you're enjoying what you're making, that's what shines through the brightest, and that's what keeps me coming back, always. I'm excited to see what will become of things, and again, I thank you for keeping us all in the loop as things change. - Space Vixen

[@koraofhyrule]

Stephen, I have been watching your channel since 2016 and Mals art channel since about 2018 - I just want to say while it’s a long shot you’ll see it, I will absolutely be continuing to support you and Mal on Twitch while also enjoying your KZbin content. I rewatch your LoZ letsplays often and try to watch your newer content when I’m off work! I’m 18 now, I started watching when I was pretty young and am now at a place in my own life where I can donate on patreon and buy your merch and I absolutely will be! I’m glad you’ve explained your move and the issues you’ve been having with KZbin views and moving to Twitch because I can now understand how to support you and Mal better. I love your content, and I am excited to enjoy your live streams as well. Thank you for the years of childhood memories you’ve given me and the many more I’ll make and have.

[@hylamu]

Preliminary thought - I really like deep dive videos that have "shop talk" like this because I feel like if people understand the forces that are pushing and pulling, it makes change easier to understand, and even welcome. Very very well done explaining everything clearly, with grace, and with your usual authenticity. On to the questions: 1) I watch StephenVlog with probably the most regularity (i.e. I make an effort to watch every video, though I get behind sometimes when I am busy), but I do watch some series on Plays, and Paintings that catch my eye on MalMakes. You were spot on in your assessment of some of your viewer base - I am absolutely a person who started watching as a Freshman in High School, and now have a career, and less free time on my hands. But your work is a source of comfort and quality, and so I have always come back to it. I have watched a thing or two on the VOD channel, and I tend not to watch on Twitch (though if Breakfast Stream didn't overlap with my work hours, I would probably listen to it more, loved watching it when it was new - though this is not a nudge to change the schedule on that, just a personal lamentation). 2) On StephenPlays, I watch pretty much every Stephen and Friends Episodes, many Memorable Moments (short is good here, I will watch moments from games I won't otherwise watch series on because I know the point is the humor of the moment), and occasional episodic series. The last series I was really invested in was probably Galaxy, to the point that I was watching them on release consistently, which is seldom true for my KZbin consumption habits. Other series I have really liked include: Chulip (May be my favorite series you've every done because it was both complete (a rarity for the game), hilarious, and incredibly honest), Donkey Kong Country 1-3 (I occasionally go back to these and watch them over again), GTA V (not my style of game at all, but one that I knew that Stephen would handle well, and I wanted to see it), Pokemon Leaf Green (My introduction to StephenPlays), Pikmin 2 (specifically 2 for some reason, I love the game, but I know how hard it is too, and seeing how people handle it is really fascinating), Mario Kart Stephen VS Mal (Loved the concept of this, going across the generations of the game), Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Both the main series and the addendum were excellent), and I will close with some of my favorite Stephen and Friends sub-series: Broken Picturephone, 1KBWC, GTAV Online, any Real Life Tabletop Stuff, and any time you go off the wall/conceptual (ex: Skyrim Monopoly, Dog). Some overarching thoughts: I think I am more often drawn to Stephen + Mal series because you claim something that most other content creators don't, two distinct voices and approaches, competitive, but never mean, and free from sensationalizing (though Stephen can certainly go broad as a performer, it feels earned). The fact that Stephen and Mal surround themselves with good and funny people also makes the Stephen and Friends Series, as well as Mario Party and Super Mario 3D World such a delight. My only caveat in my personal viewing behavior, and probably a big reason I don't watch everything y'all make, is that I do not watch videos/series/streams on new games I might like to play myself. I do not have time to get to new games often, and when I do get to them, I want to go into the experience as unspoiled as possible. In the context of present series, it means I am not watching Kirby even though I would probably love watching y'all play it. I mention this not wanting that to change because I love getting to consume a series in full after I have had a chance to play a game - to compare notes. But my predilection is definitely towards "retro" games. 3) Long-form VS Short-Form: Cop-out answer - it depends. I like long episodes a lot, and the classic LP style, but shorter videos work well for some things. I think I gravitate more towards classic Memorable Moments over a memorable moment compilation (and not for nothing, but more than once a moment has spurred me to give a chance to a series, or revisit one). I also really appreciate that vlog lengths have been shorter this year - makes it easier to stay caught up, and work through the backlog I have from 2021 vlogs where I was behind watching. However, I also love the longer vlogs for travel, important topics, or when you are trying different formats/ideas (reviews, deep dives, etc.). The thing that I care about most across both vlog and gaming content is that the story feels cohesive and I can enjoy what's being presented to me - I think episodic gaming series sing at 25-30 minutes (TV consumption makes that increment of time very comfortable) and vlogs and other content styles can be adjusted based on importance of what is happening in a given video. That said, the extrema are difficult for me - TikTok feels too short, and streams are too much of a time commitment for me most of the time to watch live - but I do enjoy them when I can make it. 4) Lumping together both Highlights Questions: Highlights can work, but for me it doesn't always. I find the highlight style a bit frenetic because you are moving from joke/plot beat very quickly, and I find I want some of the lull, and to see what happens in those in-between moments for coherence. Where it works well: distilling one-off streams into something that sparks interest - Example: Big Brain Academy - I watched the highlights, I felt like I got the gist of what was happening and the video was funny, and it made me want to watch what I missed. It is also a game I might not have engaged with a full VOD on otherwise. Where it doesn't work for me: Episodic series - Example: Pokemon Let's Go. I watched the first episode of the Let's Go series, and found that while I could fill in the blanks because I knew the game, I felt like I was missing parts of the experience because there were Pokemon being caught and nicknames and quirks being doled out that were not shown - throwing off the coherence. I then watched the full first VOD (in several sittings), and enjoyed it much more because I got to see everything, even if some of the Pokemon/missing moments weren't important. Having that line from point A to B without worrying about the fun I might be missing is important for me in episodic series (knowing of course that some cuts are still to be expected for time, failed attempts, grinding, etc.). I really appreciate the thought that is put into handling the cuts on Lets Go, but it ultimately is not a fit for me. On balance, I would like fewer highlights style videos, but am welcome to seeing how else they can be deployed. I close with this: as a longtime viewer who has seen previous evolutions and changes that you and others have made, the biggest thing for me is that you continue to retain your voice as a creator in the process, and EVERYTHING you are doing right now still has that. It still feels like there is a lot of care being put into everything, as well as your personal styles and charms in the presentation. Change is inevitable, and in many cases good; I will enjoy seeing where the experimentation will take you throughout the rest of the year, and what opportunities for hijinks you will find within it. I hope the thoughts I have offered are useful, whether or not they spur any changes - and I hope that I have couched feedback to have not come off as negative because I admire so much what you all do. Best Regards~

[@relsre]

This is very thoughtful and well-written feedback, I hope Stephen will take it in stride. Just want to add another anedoctal data point for 2) ✋ ...Yep, I'm another person who prefers LPs on older games as opposed to newer ones, as I'm afraid the latter often will spoil my own future experience of the game. I like the analogy of LPs to 'comparing notes', because that's exactly what I'd prefer to do -- seeing the ups and downs, the fascination and frustration when Stephen plays a game, and then remembering how I felt the same, when I went through the same. 😌 This is not to say I won't watch new game LPs, but it's likely that _if_ I were to watch it, I will it months or years after it is published on the channel. Not sure how viewing behaviour like such will affect the channel's reception on KZbin, but I assume it will in some capacity, if a significant number of people do watch StephenPlays videos in such a way. Again, I am just one person, perhaps just one of a few who do this, so Stephen if you are reading, definitely take it with a grain of salt.

[@bruisedpomegranate]

Here's my feedback to the questions at the end of the video: - I watch StephenPlays regularly, and StephenVods on occasion - honestly other peoples' twitch vod uploads take up too much of my time. - On StephenPlays, I’ve always enjoyed the Stephen and Friends videos, and often enjoy the co-op lets plays you do with Mal, just any of the content you do with more than one person. - I tend to prefer long form content, short-form content is way too short for me. - The highlights style is great but the editing is less smooth and I think the traditional format works better for lets play videos. I would prefer highlight reels in a sort of ‘recap of a week of content’ style, kinda like how TomFawkes does his highlight reels, as opposed to the style used for Pokemon Let’s Go.

[@seandudley556]

I personally think that Stephen needs to give an editor from outside the StephenCorp family a chance to do some of the highlights style. I love Dan’s editing generally since it is fairly invisible, but that style doesn’t work as well. Dan is so expertly taught in editing from college. I’d love to see some Stephen plays content that feels more flashy.

[@GlassJoe1337]

I think it's a combination of LP and streaming changing plus the fact there's more options compared to 5-10 years ago. People have grew up with LP or streaming content. Now they're able to stream or do LPs themselves. It could be over saturated in content. People can only watch so much content. Moving to twitch might bring in another group of people who don't normally watch LPs or vlogs.

[@Kelly.8]

I've been waiting for this video to come out! I've been interested in everything you have learned and the exact reasons for the changes on StephenPlays. Your Partner Manager sounds wonderful. I really do hope things look up for Plays! 1. I watch every Plays/Vlogs/MalMakes/Shorts videos. On the VOD channel, I watch Breakfast Stream and any streams I may have missed or haven't seen prior on Plays or Twitch (eg. I don't watch the BOTW VODs). 2. I watch everything on StephenPlays. I know viewership is important, so if I've already seen some content (eg. episodically recorded series on Twitch such as Kirby, It Takes Two), I add it to Watch Later and have it on in the background while I study. The series I watch most is probably Stephen & Friends and old favourites (Chulip, Cat World, etc.). MM are short, so those I watch almost immediately. 3. I don't have a preference between short or long form content. I enjoy both forms and I think it is adjustable based on the context of the video (eg. the longer Pokemon video when you did the Round 1 battle between Stephen and Mal). I've seen other creators post about how well a video does in the first "x" amount of time compared to other videos. You didn't mention if the performance of the video in the first day or so is important, but if that information is of interest, short form content (

[@nii5203]

From a long-time watcher who doesn't often comment, I have preferred prerecorded letsplays, whether it's Stephen individually or both Stephan and Mal. But I totally understand why cutting down twitch content works. They are basically live recording sections. My first piece of feedback; up until the last few years, the channel stuck to 2 solo lets plays and one with Stephen and Mal. With that type of schedule, you had 3 episodes come out in sequence or alternating. This type of schedule worked for the KZbin landscape then. As of now, this schedule is still kind of echoed with Kirby and Pokemon (release 3 in-a-row every week). That's fine depending on the game, but we live in a time where attention spans are shorter, and relevancy is essential. When you spread out playing a game and releasing videos for that game for many months, you lose the initial pull that game had. Although, initial launches don't impact the excitement surrounding older games, well because they came out years ago anyway. Similarly, Nintendo games tend to have less of that "hype" surrounding them. But for launch-type games or games with a lot of excitement, you have to use that relevancy to your advantage. The best example I can think of where you demonstrated this was the release of Fallout 4. If memory serves, you played on launch or right around launch. I know this project was a passion project, and there were some development issues, so by the end, the last episode was released in 2020. Regardless my point is that you can play large chunks of a game to capitalize on that relevancy. Stretching out release for several months to years kills the life of those types of games. The playthrough can be prerecorded videos, live-streamed for 45 minutes at a time and uploaded directly with little to no change, or live-streamed for hours and cut down to 45 minutes. (*side note: your streams don't have to be long, I notice you guys always stream long periods once to twice a week, but you can also stream daily to get a lets play done for shorter periods like 1 hour). My thoughts on this are: "what if you tackled The Last of Us 2 right when it came out?" or "what if he had dabbled in Elden Ring when it was first released?" I know one of the core elements of Stephenplays is to complete a game from start to finish. Still, Elden Ring would have been a great example of a game where you could release a week of content daily gameplay and you being goofy and trying things out. You wouldn't have to finish the game. Or, in the case of the Last of Us 2, releasing the full letsplay in a shorter time period than 10 months. Obviously, my advice reallyyyyyyy depends on what game it is and what type of game it is. Spanning out Kirby over several months or dumping out the entire game in 2 weeks will not impact the pull of that series- because the Kirby franchise doesn't have that type of pull, to begin with. To reiterate my overall point, try to release games within a shorter window than a few months and capitalize on that relevancy. My second piece of feedback. The channel feed can be overwhelming, so it's excellent you have cut back a bit on the content! To be honest, I checked out from watching Stephenplays because there was so much to look at and consume. I occasionally watch memorable moments because each thumbnail is recognizably different, and I knew they were short. I think you need to pick out to do one to two projects simultaneously and really hone in on those two. They could be different combinations; maybe one is just solo Stephen, playing as his prerecorded letsplay for 45-minute episodes. Then there is the live stream stuff (cut down) released weekly as a highlight video. Memorable moments can still be a thing, whether monthly compilation videos (less than 15 minutes!) or cut altogether to be on shorts only. Basically, just hone in a bit. Although your content has always been excellent, what if you could spend more time on fewer projects? Quality over quantity? Focus on one to two games and Saturday stuff. Or maybe sporadically upload bonus content! Having surprise uploads with a captivating thumbnail will quickly draw me in, at least. My main point is to focus in! Lastly, *consider your audience*; you have a very particular audience!!!!!!!!!!!! People here like Nintendo stuff but also dabble into other systems. I'm assuming your analytics reflect a higher age than other channels. Do you want to pull new people to the audience? Or reinvigorate people who used to watch who have similar interests to your current audience to watch again. The people you have gathered here most likely do not watch the most popular Minecraft KZbinrs or most popular gaming channels like Markiplier or Dream. My advice is reflective of what I see these larger creators do. That means changing to pull in a new audience who will expect different things from you. Depending on who you want to attract to your channel, you will have to gear that content towards them. And that also may mean that some people might not like the changes you make even if it means you grow a bit. Other things I want to mention - Stop releasing Extra life vids to this channel; upload them to the vod channel in parts - First 20 streams and keeping them just as streams is a great idea - there is still an audience for prerecorded letsplays! I have loved watching you guys for a long time, and as I lurker, I don't comment that often. Thanks, Stephen and Mal, for all you have done over the years!

[@Sparkjolteon]

I'm subscribed to the Plays and follow you on Twitch. I'm not actually a live Twitch viewer though, instead opting to wach the VODs (on twitch, still, because I'm impatient lmao). Series-wise, I've followed every Friday stream game so far because I find that the Mal/Stephen dynamic just adds a lot of entertainment value no matter the game. With a solo series, it's a lot harder for me to keep invested if it's a game I don't care about (which is why First20 is a more sporadic series for me - I enjoy it when it does hook me, but I need some kind of interest on the game), but you two are just immediately entertaining when around one another. On KZbin specifically, I mostly watch the Friends videos, occasionally peeping some Memorable Moments when they catch my eye and rewatching some old series every once in a while. I haven't actually looked at any of the highlights (since I'm keeping up with Pokemon on the VODs), but I think if I ever rewatch a highlighted series later on I'll probably really appreciate them, based off the way I am with other channels.

[@DNP_10]

I absolutely love the Stephen and Friends series. Have watched pretty much every episode of it (with the exception of any Animal Crossing, Pokemon, or the Pixelmon Minecraft Mod episodes) and it is the one series that you upload here on StephenPlays regularly live that I watch. Also, I’ve watched the entire GTA Online series. Other series in the past that I’ve watched and really liked were The Shapeshifting Detective, Until Dawn, A Way Out, and It Takes Two (though I watched the Twitch Vods for It Takes Two because I didn’t want to wait for the KZbin release of that series lol). I’ve also watched the Portal and Portal 2 series, though I’m aware those are from the first year or so of this channel and don’t necessarily hold up as well or aren’t as indicative of this channel. I’m not as big a fan of the highlights style videos, but I do understand that those may work for some people. Though I’ve watched the Vlog more than Plays, I still love seeing you as a part of TRG events and such, and I do plan to watch more of StephenPlays.

[@HearThatNoah]

As someone who loved the memorable moments I feel like they would work really well on a “clip channel” I know that those have mainly been used for livestreams however lots of clips are just funny short moments that don’t matter whether or not they were live. Some examples being “Ludwin Clips” “Big Guy” or any other big streamers clip channel. Also while in the past I’ve enjoyed let’s play content i haven’t as much recently, like I watched chugga for years but I can’t tell you the last time I watched a whole series of his. I don’t always watch the vlog but if some video catches my eye or I’m interested about the content. I feel bad for saying this but sometimes I only watch when you guys are dealing with medical stuff, like I want to see you guys healthy so when you’re not I get concerned. I remember back when Sagan passed that video was the first one I saw in like a year or two and I was shocked and sad. Lastly I do have to say I rarely if ever watch the plays content, morning Mario was cool when I had to wake up at 6 for school everyday but since that isn’t the case anymore I just don’t watch the morning content. Breakfast stream though is something I try to catch since it just feels like I’m eating breakfast with a cool community. Anyways I know this was long but I hope my input can help in some way, I will always wish you the best and hope that your channel can grow back to some of its former glory.

[@evankaiser3013]

We're here for it Stephen, all of it! Been a big fan for a long time. I only hope these changes help out, I know these are some testing grounds. I mainly watch the Stephenplays channel, but I dabble on the vlog channel if there's an interesting title or person featured. As for the LP's I think stream highlights and streaming on general is a good idea, as well as the division of channels! Best of luck to you and Mal, as well as the rest of the team/friends! P.S. Remember to let yourself rest when things get overwhelming! We love the content, but we care more about your health and wellness!

[@1PressL2P]

Here's my answers: 1) I mainly stick mostly to Plays and Vlog - Mostly Plays though. 2) I usually stick to the "LPs" on the channel - currently watching Pokemon (Twitch VODs - not highlights though). Not a Kirby guy so not watching that (sorry Stephen xD). Before Pokemon I was watching BotW VODs, Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario Galaxy. I'm a fan of the traditional LP format and like videos around 20-30 mins long -When watching VODs, I'd watch one or 2 gameplay sessions as "separate videos". 3) I actually prefer the full length content over the highlight videos. I like watching series like a traditional LP. I know Dan does a great job with the highlights but I do like the downtime in something like Pokemon :) It's a bit weird for me saying that as I'm a TRG highlight channel myself xD

[@maxechilsemptyspace7184]

I've been a big fan for some number of years (I don't know how long tbh), and I've really enjoyed longer form content in the past. I still do actually, but I no longer have the time in my own life to watch everything that I want to watch. It's a bit sad because I really enjoy both yours and Mal's sense of humor, and I've tried to keep this within the realm of things that I watch. Unfortunately, my life has changed A LOT in the past years (and I'm still single and in college, so this trend of rapid change isn't going to stop anytime soon), such that time spent watching KZbin has been dwindling and is no longer something I recognize as something I should be doing with my time. I'll probably always watch some form of Stephen & Mal content for the foreseeable future (perhaps shorts/highlights will be what I'm forced into). As for the homework: one of my favorite StephenPlays series right now is the Stephen & Friends, specifically Broken Picturephone. I also watch the vlog channel occasionally, but there's not really much rhyme or reason behind when I will/won't.

[@BurningNight314]

On this channel, my favorite thing to watch is the Stephen and Friends series. I'll watch every episode of that as soon as it comes out. I think the group is really fun and it's a big strength of yours. By contrast, I've never been a big fan of the solo stuff, having atleast one other person to bounce jokes off of really helps keep the video flowing and entertaining throughout.

[@FScribbleD]

Channel-wise, I watch mostly only - StephenPlays - MalMakes (The time-lapses, not the full versions) - StephenPlaysShorts It's not that I don't like watching live streams. It's just that, they almost always occur at times that I simply can not attend. I'm always either at work, or I'm doing things with my family, and I can't just drop everything I'm doing for work or family and watch you guys play games for four hours. Even ExtraLife (a personal favorite of mine), I've found harder and harder to experience every year because... I just can't sacrifice an entire weekend to it anymore. Props to the people that can, but the traditional on-demand style of the KZbin videos is the only thing keeping me going at this point. On StephenPlays, I try to ultimately watch almost everything you upload... eventually. The super short stuff (MemMoms, MM, GBG) I usually watch immediately, while the more standard LP content gets saved into my Watch Later backlog, which I'm currently two-years behind on (For context, I just last night watched you guys clear Vah Ruta in BotW). There are a few things I skip over every now and then. I had to drop The Walking Dead because it was just giving me levels of anxiety I just didn't need at the time. Things like Assassin's Creed and Uncharted I don't watch because I know nothing about those series and it would feel wrong to jump in part-way through at this point (thought RDR2 and RE6 were notable exceptions to that). Otherwise, I've mostly enjoyed everything you've done on Plays since I first started watching seriously. In terms of content length, I generally put it onto three major categories: - Bite-size content, usually no longer than ten minutes. I usually watch these while eating breakfast. Perfect little nibbles to fill in small gaps in my schedule - Medium-length content, usually longer than ten minutes but less than 30. Personally, I would consider these to be the perfect length for a video. I don't have to set aside specific time in my schedule or stay up late to watch videos of this length, but still long enough to be satisfying - Long-form content, usually longer than 30 minutes. Once videos start requiring a commitment of most of an hour - if not more, that's when it starts to lose me. I'll still watch them, sure, but it becomes more of a chore. It creates difficult scenarios where I have some time to watch a video, but not an entire hour, and then I have to keep pushing it off until I finally have a window large enough to watch the whole thing. When I have 1800+ videos in my backlog (and constantly growing) to get through, knowing most of them are nearing an hour in length these days is... discouraging. I've had to start watching everything at 1.5x speed just to keep my head above water. I guess what I'm trying to say with all that is that I much prefer the short- to medium-form content over the long-form. I don't mind the occasional long-form video though, and often wish some videos were longer (Let's be honest, Broken Picturephone is never long enough). I've generally lumped the highlights stuff in the bit-size category, so I suppose you could say I enjoy them for the ease of consumption. It'll be a few years before I'll be able to see how I feel about how Pokemon Let's Go was done, but I think it sounds like a great idea. More medium-length content is always welcome. I'd rather have "highlight"-style LP that removes all the filler and generally respects my time as a viewer than daily hour-long epics. In terms of actual highlight videos for streams, I think they're entertaining, but I wouldn't really care if they weren't there.

[@Heart0fDorkness]

I've been watching StephenPlays and StephenVlog since 2011. At the time, I was into long-term, completionist-style let's plays, which is what drew me to your channel in the first place. Your Minecraft and Skyrim LP's were right up my alley, and I also caught every one of your Twilight Princess and GTAV videos. (Side note: Back in those days I was a regular commenter and way more engaged with the community. These days, I only comment sporadically. But that's how I am across all of social media, not just youtube.) Over the past couple of years, the content I consume has changed... a lot. Part of that is due to taste, part of it is due to lifestyle. I've been in grad school the past couple of years, so work/life balance has been nonexistent at times. Now, my youtube subscriptions lean heavily toward podcast-style videos and video essays that I can put on in the background while I'm working or out on a walk. I still consume gaming content, but it's mostly highly edited, comedic videos. (I'd say Call Me Kevin is the gaming youtuber I watch most consistently these days.) I've been loving your "snappier" livestream edits, especially the new Skyrim videos. I also regularly watch Stephen and Friends. GTA Online is and always will be one of my favorite recurring series on the channel. As far as your other channels, I try to catch all of Mal's painting videos because they're so relaxing. :) I was consistently watching the vlog around the time of her surgery, but sadly, I dropped off when this semester got hectic. Thankfully I graduate next week so hopefully I can go back to watching your content on a more regular basis again soon! I wish I could say I was as regular a viewer as I was 10+ years ago, but as long as you're still making content I'll still stay subscribed. You've built a wholesome, positive community and I hope it stays that way no matter what direction the algorithm takes you.

[@PicoRiveraCalifornia]

52:51 for the recap. 56:32 for the "homework". Highly recommend you watch the whole video.

[@whatnameisstilaround]

Hi Stephen I rarely comment on your videos or any videos for that matter but just wanted to say I've been watching since 2013. Twilight Princess is one of my favorite lps of yours and while it's hard to accept change, sometimes it's truly necessary. I've really enjoyed the live streams even though I usually only catch them on demand. I'm currently working my way through the pokemon streams and I plan to watch kirby once I play the game for myself. I mostly watch nintendo stuff but I've enjoyed some others as well like gta, chulip, and the narrative games where you guys make choices like walking dead, until dawn etc. Oh and the sims 3 was absolutely hilarious. I hope you're able to do something like that again. Anyways, good luck with all the changes and I'll keep watching the vods at the very least.

[@TsunamiKitten56]

Excited to watch this video later, but super excited to see what's coming up for the channel this year and YAY Welcome to the Georg Corporation, Emmy!

[@unrealshadows2585]

1) I regularly watch StephenPlays and I'll check out the vlog channel from time to time. I usually don't take much interest in side channels like the vod channel for example. I primarily stick around the main lp channel. I also don't watch the twitch channel often since I'm not real big of a livestream person, but I'm glad others enjoy it. I'll usually come around to watch Extra Life though since that's always a highlight. 2) I began watching this channel back when you originally uploaded the Pikmin 2 lp. Ever since I have watched nearly every lp with a few exceptions here and there including some older content that predated that lp. I absolutely love the traditional format, but I understand the need for some changes. I tend to avoid watching games that I haven't played before when it comes to a series. This is primarily to experience it on my own first, but afterwards I might come back to watch your series on it. An example of this would be the newest Kirby game. I have the full intention of playing it in the future, but due to that I won't be watching the Kirby series just yet. I haven't played Let's Go either, but I've been watching that since I've played the original games. Stephen and Friends took me by surprise as possibly my favorite content on the channel. My favorite being either Broken Picture Phone or 1,000 Blank White Cards. It's always fun to see everyone having a good time together. I don't watch MM's or First 20's. MM's I might sometimes watch if the title or thumbnail seems kind of funny to me. First 20's don't usually hold my interest as I generally prefer watching games played through as opposed to just seeing a snippet of the game. 3) I personally prefer longform content. I really enjoy watching someone play a game from start to finish to see their thoughts and reactions. Shorter content doesn't interest me quite as much as longform content mostly due to me wanting to find a more long term distraction from my own life. 4) I'll be perfectly honest, I'm not very into the highlight style of content. As mentioned above, I like seeing someone play something from start to finish to see thoughts and reactions. While the highlights might show the more important parts, I don't feel as directly involved as a viewer as silly as that may sound. I generally prefer seeing most things onscreen with cuts where appropriate. I sometimes feel like I'm missing out when watching the stream highlights. Generally I think the highlight style sort of depends on the game that's being played. Personally I think it seems to fit more with games that are either more multiplayer focused or sandboxy in some ways. For a game with either more linearity or single player focus I find it to be a little more jarring. I hope my responses to these questions are helpful. I absolutely love your channel. Your channel is my favorite that exists on the platform. Always wondered why you weren't getting more views considering how high quality your channel has always been. I hope things go well with all the new changes you are going to be trying. I would also suggest trying to put out surveys to see what others think as well. Might be easier to gauge what the general audience might think about things. Thanks for all your hard work and years of content!

[@lindenbug]

This was a really interesting deep dive. Everything you’re trying seems to make a lot of sense and I hope it goes well. I’m glad the youtube partner manager is going to keep helping for a while! Admittedly as a complete unprofessional, I do have a couple thoughts. Where/what I watch most: I love your twitch channel in part because it is so unique, innovative, and community-involved. But when I’m unable to catch the stream, watching the VOD channel makes more sense because youtube’s formatting is way better for that. That said I still love the classic lp format too and I still watch them, it’s just sometimes it’s redundant enough that I don’t have time to watch both. With all that in mind it seems like it would make sense to focus on developing them as different experiences, such as with Dan’s creative editing. I like the highlights! Even if I’ve seen the stream it’s a nice recap. Other content I love on this channel is Stephen and Friends and First20. First20 is actually one of the primary ways I find out about games that I want to play myself. It’s also where I often hope to find you trying a prominent new release that I’m already interested in. And there’s a mix of both when you’re knocking a bunch of them out in a First20 stream, right? Maybe it would help to think of that content as two separate groups. Popular new games vs the weird and wonderful indies. The former can be prioritized for releasing on youtube, while the latter might be released only if they’re a twitch audience favorite. You could even consider making First20 more of a twitch-centered thing (with a schedule and more input/interaction with chat) if it’s not doing well on youtube, and like I said pick and choose how much of it makes its way here. Also idk if this fits in with the direction you’re going playing to youtube’s analytics, but doing main lps two at a time like you are currently, with one new release and one older wishlist game, is a really cool balance.

[@Ghostkid825]

Answering some of your questions: I watch StephenPlays and StephenVlog regularly. I catch up on Breakfast Stream VODs, but otherwise, I'll rarely watch something on StephenVOD, since I catch almost all of the gaming streams. And I admit, I haven't been watching the Kirby videos on Plays since they're more or less the same as they are from the live streams, which I haven't missed. I HAVE been watching the Pokemon Let's Go videos, since they're different enough. The highlights style still feels unusual to me, but that's likely just because it's new. I do like traditional LP styles, but the snappier edits are nice too. I feel like that works best for one-off streams, like the Big Brain stream. I regularly watch all Plays content otherwise (Stephen & Friends, Memorable Moments, etc), and DID watch all Morning Mario & Game Garage content.

[@countbleck7994]

Thoughts + Answers to your questions: - I completely understand why morning content stopped. That being said, if you ever were inspired to bring it back (probably on a different channel, thanks algorithm) I would certainly start watching it again - I love your twitch content (I make it to almost all of the Friday streams, but Breakfast Stream is often a bit too early for me, so I don't always make it, but I do enjoy it when I'm there). Being at the Friday streams means I watch a lot of the LP content when it is being created, so I don't usually watch those on KZbin since I already feel like I've seen them. Even for the few parts of the twitch streams I don't see live, it is often difficult to figure out which LP videos correspond to the pieces I missed, and I don't always take the time to figure that out. - I like long form content - I prefer to be able to put on a video for a while (especially if I am doing other things at the same time) as opposed to having to change videos every 5 minutes. - I don't have an opinion on your highlight videos because I was at the streams and therefore didn't watch the highlights - I watch the occasional vlog and some of the paintings, but the one thing I watch every new installment of is Stephen + Friends. I haven't watched all of the older Stephen + Friends vids (I only started watching y'all like 2ish years ago) but I watch the new ones every Saturday.

[@bloojae2]

You are my favorite youtuber that I don't watch. It hurts to type that out, but as I get older I find myself gravitating to other content. I absolutely love everything you do and all that you stand for, but the videos I come back to are stephen and friends, a memorable moment every now and then, and a couple vlogs every few months like TRG Colosseum. In the past, I would more pick and choose which series to watch and keep up with. The ones I remember the most are Twilight Princess and Chulip, and recently I caught a couple livestreams for It Takes Two. I also really used to love First 20s. It was a lot of things for me; a way to experience a new game before potentially buying it, discovering something completely new that I might have heard a couple good things about, or watching you play something I've played before that I want to see your first impression of. The vlog channel is the main one I keep up with regularly, not so much now but in the past I would watch every vlog, and when I slowed down I still stuck with mail and Q&A's until they stopped. I've caught a few breakfast streams but unfortunately I'm not a morning person. I still follow your twitter and I like to be there whenever anything big or interesting looking happens, but now I don't have the time to keep up. Whether I like longer or shorter form content is a hard question to answer, but I think ultimately shorter. I was thinking of gaming channels I watch a lot nowadays and it ranges in length but ultimately the content is pretty compact. The two extremes were SmallAnt and Dunkey. Essentially I've strayed away from watching let's plays, but SmallAnt is the closest tie I have and his videos are usually 30 min to an hour long. The difference is he streams everything and his channel is hyper-cut highlights of the full journey in a game or challenge. The video might be long relatively but it covers so many hours of gameplay that if he has series then they are only about 3 videos max. This type of video is easy for me to keep up with, and because of the low frequency of his uploading, it doesn't get washed over by a sea of other videos. The thing that hit me the hardest about this video was how you uploading too much was getting in the way of your growth. It's so sad because I know how hard you work and that you care about so many details that no other content creator would ever bother with. All that being said, I think I gravitate towards more self contained videos despite the length, that's why I stick with Stephen and Friends. That's even mostly why I clicked on this one. I also was curious about the changes and wasn't sure if it was plays or vlog, but I care about whenever you're making changes or going through something big. I think I'm gonna check out the Let's Go series to see how a highlight style might take me back in (even though I kinda don't like the game). I'll also keep my eye out for any other content that comes out this year. This is an exciting thing to hear about and I wish you the best on this journey of experimentation. You really are my favorite youtuber, but I may not show it in my views or comments.

[@SliderGamer55]

The modern KZbin algorithm goes completely against how I watch a lot of creators. I flat out don't watch LPs or even most videos of specific games I haven't played, anymore (barring a handful of multiplayer games here or there), and most of the channels I watch aren't going to just focus on games I have played. Like the only LP channel I ALWAYS watch is Chuggaa (because all his LPs are games I have played), and even then I'm only watching Xenoblade 2 as of yesterday because I took a while to play Xenoblade 2 myself.

[@burghsportsfan17]

I found your channel during the pandemic when I took interest in let's plays in general and at the time Ocarina of Time in particular. I enjoyed that, Twilight Princess, and BOTW let's plays. I'm not saying do Zelda or anything but it was more I did this one so I'll do that one. I find I enjoy let's plays on general but nothing too specific, I recently took interest in final fantasy 7 LPs for example. Just keep learning and growing the channel and whatever will stick will stick

[@APocketMonster]

Yo Stephen o7 Before I start off, I'll always be around watching, just like I have since.. almost the channel began. I definitely prefer longer content. 20-40 minutes are my sweet spot. I like sitting down and relaxing after a long day to a few KZbin episodes. When videos are very cut up I tend not to watch as much. I'll admit that my viewership has been minimal here as I catch the streams live and usually do not watch VODs or related stuff if I have caught the streams live. With so much content on the channel being taken from the streams, I just naturally watch less here. I do still actively watch the VLOG and MalMakes channels, and am subbed to SVOD. I have no intention of ticktock or watching shorts. Used to be fine with YT shorts, but I just hate the UI for them, on mobile and desktop. Theyve turned into videos I just never click on anymore cuz of it. Guess I really am an old fashioned YT viewer lol. As for things I enjoy, top of the list is Stephen and Friends. I hope that series never goes away again. I enjoy the livestreams, despite Fridays honestly being a hard night to tune in much since it's so busy. I'd actually love another gaming stream day, especially if it brings back some solo content. I do miss the solo games from you on KZbin. Love Mal, always love seeing you two together, but it's just something I miss. Speaking of Mal, I'm guessing Okage isn't soon with how you're testing these things out this year? :P I don't really want to try to give input on how to do shorter content, and leave that to the people that do enjoy that form of videos. Anyways, I have a busy day so need to wrap up this long train of thoughts. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far, wanted to give this an good amount of thought. I'll always be around, whether it's just Friday streams, the VLOG, or the days we get some S&F or surprise return to YT only content. Wishing you both well!

[@appalonius8465]

I have been watching for a "long" time, around 6 years i've found out, and i just wanna say, thanks to everyone on this team; Stephen, Mal, Dan, Chaz, Emmy, all of the other "and friends", and this youtube associate, thank you for all the effort you put into this channel, it wouldn't be the same without each and every one of you. And for some of the questions; I usually watch Vlog and Plays, and wish to catch the live streams more. And i think the highlight format is really good for one-off streams, but not as good for a whole series like Skyrim:AE and Pokemon, because i personally like a whole series to be just that, "whole", not with a cut every 30-60 sec or so, and that's what exactly what the vod channel's for, but that's my stance on Plays. The 30 min stuff is great for my commutes, the really long stuff like the vods are great for working, and the short form stuff is just really fun, but i feel like i have to pay attention more cause it's so fast and heavily cut together, and i usually use youtube for background noise so that content just doesn't normally do it for me.

[@thomasstrickland]

Hi Stephen. My family has watched you since Summer 2010. It’s me, my wife, and two kids. Wife and I like your long content, especially those LP’s that are cinematic and you take seriously, I.e. What Remains of Edith Finch, Bird Story, etc. we also love your comedy stuff like LBP. My daughter loves your short stuff. I also watch Stephenvlog. My daughter likes Malmakes, she had learned so much about art from Mal. We have subscribed to shorts and VOD, but I honestly haven’t watched any yet.😅 Good luck, we will continue to root for you. I look forward to the future.

[@dynamokota]

I'm a tiny bit late, but I've watched the vlog since around 2013, but I don't think I started watching StephenPlays until maybe 2016 or so. It's sad to hear that the videos are slowly doing less good over time. I hope you can get viewership up without overly changing your content. *1.)* I'd say I mostly watch StephenVlog; Plays too depending on what you guys are playing and how interested I am in those games. Shorts is funny, and I haven't watched too much of StephenVOD, but I love that you guys have VODs on a separate channel; I think it's very smart, and there's some content I'd probably prefer watching that way. I watch Mal when I can; I always try to give timelapses a view and a like to show my support even if I'm not watching the entire painting videos. As far as Twitch goes, I'm not a huge Twitch watcher, idk why. I have a ton of free time, yet despite that, a lot of times, I can never get myself to sit down and watch you guys live very often. I definitely tried to tune in during BoTW as often as I could, since I wasn't sure when the videos would be cut for KZbin (and when they were, I was WAY too ahead to even have interest, though I think I'm going to start working through them). I preferred the style of videos _before_ you guys started streaming games, but I ABSOLUTELY understand that they're overall easier for you guys to produce, and I want you to do whatever puts less stress on you. Despite not being a huge Twitch watcher, I'm subscribed on Twitch via Prime, and I definitely try to support you guys as much as possible there. I also prefer watching games where both of you are basically playing a game blind (or in the case of Sunshine and Galaxy, where Mal was blind, while you personally didn't remember much of the game and were basically playing blind). *2.)* As far as my favorite StephenPlays series have been Pikmin 2 (I loved seeing your reactions to how BRUTUALLY HARD the game could be), Super Mario 64/Sunshine/Galaxy, Pikmin 3, and Mario Kart VS. I haven't been watching too much of Pokémon or Kirby, despite being a fan of those games. I have to get on that. *3.)* It entirely depends on the content. For regular LPs, I prefer 25-40 minute-long, episodic content, although short videos are definitely fine for things like Memorable Moments, highlights of one-off game streams, etc. *4.)* Like I said before, as far as the highlights, I prefer it with one-off games like Brain Academy, rather than the episodic-highlights style of Pokémon (I'm not a huge fan of Pokémon's style tbh).

[@dstinnettmusic]

Stephen, I don’t like live content because it feels less personal. I know that seems crazy from your perspective because people can interact with you directly….but it is the difference between sitting in your room listening to your favorite album from your favorite band vs seeing that band live. Like, in theory a live show is as personal as it gets. But…I feel a more intimate connection to the artist and music when I am alone with it. And that isn’t to say I don’t enjoy a good live show, I just know I wouldn’t have discovered or fallen in love with half the bands and musicians I enjoy without that quiet time with just the music and nobody else. It’s just a different experience and…I’m sad the let’s play is dying because there isn’t a replacement for it. Like…imagine a world where you couldn’t stream or buy recorded music unless it was a recorded live show. Those were your choices, either go to the concert or buy a recording of the concert. I’ve enjoyed your content so much, Stephen. I hope you don’t leave KZbin… I would never be so selfish as to be upset or mad that you made a business decision, but I’ll miss ya. :/

[@Jamie-bu9cq]

I agree with you. LPs are higher quality content, I think. It's a shame the YT/Twitch model isn't encouraging that.

[@ezekielpetters9124]

Music might be getting affected by something similar to the way LPs are being affected, but not in the way you described. I've seen a lot of declarations that the album format is dying. That modern music listeners often only care about picking and choosing their favorite songs and that it's the singles that tend to grab attention, so musicians might as well change their ways. If true, that is upsetting to me because it feels like we've suddenly just lost touch of what made the album format blow up in the first place. These declarations basically just toss an old friend into the trash. However, I also believe that change could happen at any moment. Remember when glam metal seemed unstoppable, but then game grunge out of nowhere? Who knows, maybe the KZbinr who causes a big revival of Let's Plays is working on a video right now!

[@warlordroku9460]

I haven't been around for very long, just discovered StephenPlays a week ago when I was randomly looking up help with Posiedon Energy Plant in Fallout 4. Since then, I've been hooked and have been listening to all the Fallout 4 while I work for tips when I get home and play myself. I find your voice and humor cathartic and quickly has become my favorite LP channel. After seeing this video, I have learned of all the other channels (now subscribed to all as you were speaking) and that I need to go back through your catalogue and watch all videos to get your watch time up. Keep up the fantastic work and I'm sure no matter what changes come down the pike to keep the channels alive, your audience will only grow from this point forward

[@dylanvscomics8138]

StephenPlays is literally the only channel that I've been consistently watching for the past 5 years, but even then I've never been able to watch every video because some of it simply doesn't interest me. Let's hope this "Year of Experiments" turns out well for the channel.

[@dimensiondetective]

Although it is longer than I expected, here are my answers to your homework questions: Q1 Channels: I primarily watch Plays and Vlog but I am subscribed to the VOD channel and MalMakes as well for when videos appear that relate to specific games I know and love. Q2 Series: This is the one I have the most to say about. Since we are in an era where most games are more readily available than ever, I’ve chosen to only watch series about either games I’ve already played myself or games where I won’t get spoiled by watching them (e.g. multiplayer). For specific series, I always look forward to Memorable Moments and (after seeing you in Tom Fawkes’ Custom Smash) the first two series on your channel I watched was Smash Bros World of Light and Link’s Awakening on Switch. These happened to be great choices because you’re one of the unfortunatly few channels that regularly play games Co-op, sometimes via very interesting means that are great to see. Also loved Breath of the Wild and Mario Galaxy and will probably watch more of past series as I get through my backlog of must play games. Q3 Time preference: I primarily like to watch the Let’s Play format, episodic videos that are around 30 mins (give or take 10) but will also watch the hour long videos when I find the right time to do so. I watch shorter videos when curious, but will always prefer the episodic format as its one more thing to look forward to on a regular basis. Q4 & 5 Highlights: I usually enjoy the highlight style equally to the less edited style. I’d say it works best for either mutiplayer games where you can perhaps see perspectives of multiple people, or collections of multiple games at the same time. One potential idea would be to see highlights for your charity events, allowing people to see many of the best moments for games they wouldn’t normally think of watching. Hope the feedback is at least interesting and look forward to the future.

[@abghen2323]

Small note before I've gotten into the video, Stephen's glasses look very nice and make him look younger

[@IfItsNotFun]

What channels of ours do you watch regularly? • StephenVlog, MalMakes and StephenPlays What series do you watch on Stephen plays? (pokemon, Kirby, Stephen & friends, memorable moments, past stuff?) • Currently Stephen and friends, but I do watch your series. The problem is I don’t always have the focus for videos and if I get behind on a currently releasing series, it can be daunting to try to catch up. However it also depends heavily on the game, because there have been times when I looked back on some old series of yours that I missed at the time, because I wanted to see your reactions to the game (Bioshock series, World of Light, Kirby Star Allies, Portal 2 as examples. I’d like to watch Kirby and the Forgotten Land because I love seeing your love of Kirby but I’m not caught up on it so odds are I will end up watching it all at a later date. I also sometimes miss series because they’re being streamed and I don’t want to re-watch things I’ve already seen live (although maybe having it be edited will make it a lot more palatable). I also liked the morning content but If it’s gone, it’s gone. I didn’t always catch every morning anyways, so if you do ever decide to try something similar again, maybe have it every other day, or do a weekly thing instead. Longer or shorter content? • It depends, but I think anything over 5-10 minutes becomes diminishing returns in terms of lengths. What I mean by that is, if a video lasts 20 minutes or an hour, my odds of investing time into it is the same (so I guess I’d consider short content 5-10 minutes). I don’t mind long content if I’m invested in the content, but shorter content can be inherently more digestible. Honestly it just depends on the video, it’s hard to say one way or another. Are highlights easier to digest? • Yes. I’m still heavily drawn to the game choice, but obviously having slightly shorter videos or more heavily edited ones can make it more easy for me to try an unknown game or a game I wasn’t interested in. When does it work best to implement the highlights style? • Whenever a game has a lot of fluff, I guess, or repetitive time. I remember watching through your BioShock Infinite LP and I watched straight through the first half, but at some point I was getting bored and just skipping through a lot of the gameplay portions because it was just you fighting enemies again and again. I was more interested in seeing you react to the twist and turns of the story or get something new, and I didn’t want to have to slog through you fighting through similar enemies for the 50th time. Same thing with World of Light, where I wanted to see you and Mal’s reaction to some of the more interesting battles and areas, but obviously that game mode is repetitive so I didn’t necessarily want to see every battle. Of course, I also watched some of these after the fact because I had trouble keeping up with the videos when they were being released. Maybe if I had watched them on release it would be a different story. I still watch you of course and enjoy your content, but things can always be improved and so it’s exciting to see things change. I have been watching KZbin since the start and have been watching let’s plays for just as long (I remember watching some of Josh Jepson’s earliest let’s play back in the day), so I have a strong fondness for that old style, but maybe it’s time for something new. Thanks for being so open with us, and I hope you appreciate our feedback!

[@yoshithekid18]

I watch stephenplays, the vlog, and I do enjoy the vods since I don’t always get the chance to watch it live

[@CalaCrisp88]

First off, we really appreciate you guys being open and transparent to us about what changes are going on! Wishing you success, always, in whatever way you create content in the future. As for your questions at the end, I can give some feedback from my own POV. I do like long form content, the majority of the stuff I consume is long form content. But, because there is just so much of it, I watch most videos sped up. Which afaik, does hurt analytics, unfortunately. It's just an issue of the sheer volume of content that exists on KZbin, and the amount that I consume. I think I watch almost all the content you two put out. I've been watching every Vlog and MalMakes video, in recent years at least. (Often sped up if it's on the longer side though.) I also try to tune in on Twitch, and watch the VODs (on 2x) if I can't make it live. On Plays, however, I have been watching fewer videos since you started streaming more on Twitch, since some of the content is duplicated from there. I like the gameplay mixed with breaks format in your streams, but I don't have the time to watch all of the content a second time here. When there's some particularly fun highlights during the game on stream, I'll usually come rewatch those episodes on KZbin, and sometimes I'll just feel like watching a video or two here anyway, but I can't make the same *commitment* to watching all Plays content like I have in the past. I know Dan adds some editing flair to the videos, and it's always a joy to see when it happens, but it's not quite... unique enough? transformative enough? to get me to rewatch everything, consistently. If it's something purely on demand like Galaxy was though, then I will 100% check it out. (Can't promise I'll be interested in any given game but I'll certainly give it a try for a while.) Not sure of any solutions for all this, but hopefully just hearing about a viewer's thought process is helpful. Anyway, I love the content y'all make for us. If you're still doing this in 10 years, we will be right there with you. Best of luck!

[@JoeJoejoejeojeoejoeoeoeoeoeoeo]

Some honest feedback, I love your let's plays (live or not) and I think you do the best and most thorough playthroughs around, but I personally only watch your solo stuff, which there seems to be a lot less of these days

[@Nick9n]

I think an important thing to note about highlights for me is where if I've seen you play something on twitch, I dont then watch the episodic content on KZbin, but when you release a highlight reel I *will* watch again because it has added value, especially with all the funny things Dan adds to those videos.

[@cosmicdeity7468]

For myself, I can’t ever get time to watch a let’s play as it comes out. I’m thankful that certain playlists stay so I can get into it when I do have time. But I get how that affect viewership of videos

[@Roysanberry]

Been a fan since y'all released Pokemon Leaf Green. I mainly watch the Plays channel and will dip into the Vlog channel to binge or just look at the video titles to see if anything big has happened. I enjoy the highlight format, I think it works very well with VODs as I am not one to watch livestreams and I prefer 20-30 minute content. I am not really a fan of short burst content and very rarely watch Memorable Moments, with the exception of my favorite moment, being the Zelda joke from the beginning of Twilight Princess. I re-watch that one sometimes I love it. I do not have a lot to add I think you're being very proactive and as a fan I am excited to see what happens. I hope you see a lot of growth this year and you succeed gathering momentum for the channel.

[@Monke_The_2nd]

Sees the hour long video *gets out the popcorn* 🍿

[@TrinityBlader]

i love your channel. it was the first channel i ever subscribed to. over the years, you added more and more content to the channel and i wasn't able to keep up with it all. in a way, i'm glad to hear that there will be less content. i want to watch more of you, but sometimes i just don't have the time. its the reason i don't watch twitch much. it sucks that the algorithm is killing this channel. as for what i watch. i watch you. i've watched things that i didn't think i would be interested in. i watched BOTW, a game i dind't have much interest in, but you made it fun. i hope things work out for you. i'll do my part to see that it does.

[@rachelwatson3339]

Do what you think is right stephen this is your content. Your health and family will always come first and im sad that alot of the time people dont understand that content creators are normal people too and need breaks and change. I follow the vlog and lets plays i did enjoy breakfast stream for a time but im central so i would have to join at 7 and i like sleep. So I just want you to do what you think is right for you and this channel as your business.

[@maximilianpaws6900]

Good for you, Stephen. Taking care of yourself is so important! I hope these changes are fruitful for the channel as well. I don't watch the Twitch streams, so I am grateful that you didn't abandon youtube when you went to Twitch. I follow all of your KZbin channels, but I don't watch every single video. The way KZbin works now is very frustrating, because I used to watch every video, but I don't have time anymore. It's crazy to think only watching some of the content would hurt the channel. My favorite StephenPlays videos are always Stephen & Friends and First20. I always get so excited to see a new Broken Picturephone or Golf With Your Friends! I found your channel while Skyrim was airing, and that is still my favorite series. Stephen & Mal series are also great! What Remains of Edith Finch and The Walking Dead were some of my favorites. I'm excited to see what you come out with next! Here's to many more years of playing games with my internet grandparents (:

[@jumpitydude]

Maybe you could try a board game channel? I know you enjoy them and I'm sure plenty of people would be interested.

[@VidEditorLogan]

I watch every new Vlog as they come out, and that's what I watch the most. As for Plays, I mainly watch Stephen & Friends and Memorable Moments, and generally watch every stream live on Twitch. I think the length of videos and the application of the highlight format are perfectly fine as is, so no problem there. A change I would like to see is your idea of making compilations of an entire series' MMs, but I think the old format should stick around in the form of Shorts/TikTok. Another idea I think would be interesting would be making S&F its own channel, I think it has a good shot at reaching a wider audience on its own. Thanks for explaining all of this stuff to us, it's interesting to learn about this behind-the-scenes stuff, and I hope you guys have greater success in the future! 🙏

[@rangertalksdogsgames7996]

Fans of Stephenplays: Step 1: Make a Playlist of all different kinds of Stephen's content Step 2: leave the Playlist on loop while you leave the house Step 3: ??? Step 4: Profit

[@enesevanderwalt5900]

Step 3 feel good about helping granpa earn cash. Step 4 Stephen profits financially and we profit in fuzzy feels

[@siennafox]

Definitely an old school LP watcher right here, but it's not just the games I like to watch but really the personality that you all add to the mix. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy live content as well, I'm just one of those people who likes to be able to rewind pieces that I miss :) Plus I've been a youtube watcher since early college, which is just a few years shy of 20 years ago for me, so it's a familiar platform. As for your questions: Which channels? Mostly StephenPlays and StephenVOD. Just subscribed to Shorts though and am looking forward to those! I just finished watching the VODs of your Skyrim anniversary playthrough and LOVE the chapters. It's fun to see you (and Chaz's!) interaction with chat, but since I'm not usually able to join livestreams and I watch videos usually in the background while I work it's nice to have 'uninterrupted' playthroughs. For me, longer videos like VODs are nice because I do usually play your videos and my other youtube subscriptions on a separate screen while I work during the day, so I'm usually listening and stop to watch very dramatic or important parts as a mental break from work (I'm an analyst). Shorter videos don't work as well for this because usually the 'dead' time is cut out. On the flipside when I watch during my free time in evenings or weekends, the shorter videos like the highlights can be a bit more digestible! I realize that may not be much help :P Plus on the evenings and weekends the shorter videos work well because my husband always wants me to play games with him so I get less free time :3 I do want to let you know that the Skyrim highlights video is what made me want to watch the Skyrim VODs, because they piqued my interest so much! I plan to go back and watch your Pokemon and Kirby playthroughs, it was just a timing thing on the Kirby one because I literally had just watched Tom play through it and needed a little break. Your content with Mal is so different that I know I'll enjoy it a different way even though I'm watching the same game! Just didn't want to watch them at the same time, if you know what I mean. Game-wise I love the variety you bring to the table. Love Stephen & Friends (sometimes the jankier the game the better IMO because you all are a riot together) and basically am willing to take a shot watching anything you post. I do miss Morning Mario/Game Garage because it was a nice first video to watch when I popped on for work in the morning, but I completely understand that it was not good for you to keep that up, and I respect you for taking care of yourself! You and Mal and everyone else on your team need to take care of yourselves first and foremost, because I'd like to keep watching you for a long time to come! I'm also excited to see what Emmy brings to the table - one of my favorite Stephen & Friends friend because of the humor! Anyway, this is now almost as long as your update video. I wanted to chime in and let you know that I may be a shadow viewer but I love you and Mal and all of your content. Wish I could be a bigger part of chat and the community. Keep taking care of yourselves and I look forward to everything you try out!

[@DjoingDalton]

"It sucks wearing the same clothes over and over again."

[@kalonroy2]

I usually don't comment on videos, but I'll gladly offer my viewing habits if it helps. I've been ghosting on your channel since the early vlog days, first stumbling upon your channel through the "My Wife Poisoned Me" video. At the time, I believe I was in high school (I'm 28 now). I ended up binging the Lets Plays that interested me at the time, mostly Nintendo stuff, and I have fond memories of experiencing Earthbound through your eyes (I had never seen the game before - I'm a fan as a result) as well as stepping outside my comfort zone and watching the Naughty Dog games the same way. I skipped the longer series like Fallout and Skyrim since missing one meant jumping back in was hard, and I already wasn't that invested in those games to begin with. I also binged your vlogs during down times, after I had watched everything else that caught my eye in my subscription feed. First 20 was also hit and miss, although some stick out like your first experience of Battleblock Theater. I would also occasionally watch the Memorable Moment videos, but they often got lost in my subscription feed. Over the years, I stopped watching vlogs, never got into the morning content or breakfast streams, and Memorable Moments became odd picks. This is mainly because as I've gotten older, getting into something new has taken more energy and out of the content I do enjoy and seek out, there is more competition (you competed with Chugga, Game Grumps, Haydunn, etc.). What kept me coming back as life transitions meant less and less free time is your reactions to new content, and your revisits to old games like Ocarina of Time. Everything else fell to the side unfortunately, and not due to the lack of quality (more so a lack of personal interest and time). I watched all of your Breathe of the Wild playthrough for example, as seeing your reactions to the environment kept me hooked. Seeing you both on the video has also VASTLY helped keep my interest when compared to your old series. I'm also watching your Pokemon videos every time they come out. I love seeing you compete with Mal, and the shorter video length works well and makes it a first pick for me when scrolling through my subscription. The Pokemon names and unique traits is also a much welcome addition to add variety. I also follow you on Twitch, but I have a hard time moving away from KZbin as a whole. I don't think I've ever attended a live stream that wasn't around Extra Life - again this is for personal taste reasons. If I was to view your channel more, it would be to see your reactions to content I enjoy. 80% of my time now goes to watching reaction channels. I also ADORE your, well basically video essays, breaking down what you like about old series and new content alike, such as your recent Dragon Ball Super thoughts and your Nintendo Direct thoughts. The sooner to these series coming out that you present your opinion on, the better. I've been enjoying your content for over a decade, so thanks for the entertainment!

[@Fuzzleberry]

I find it outstanding how AWFUL youtube is at getting people to watch content they don't obsess over. If like me you only watch the Stephen and friends videos, youtube is far more likely to hide those videos from you and try to pry you off of the channel than to help you watch the content that you enjoy or may like. I simply don't understand why youtubers STILL Need to battle the algorithm just to get the people that are subscribed to even be able to see their content, The fact that youtube officially recommends you to make a whole new channel for every little thing is ridiculous and feels more like a work around than something official. The algorithm and youtube is more interested in telling YOU what you want to watch and hiding everything else than it is helping you watch the stuff you've told them you like and keeping you up to date with youtubers you may have fallen away from. KZbin is the top video site simply due to the lack of good competition and nothing has forced them to do better. Stephen I hope everything works out fantastic for you on the stupid stupid site. For the homework, I watch the vlog channel on and off from time to time and a stephen plays has 1 or 2 series I watch. I like the high energy and chaotic stuff of the Stephen and friends series which I love and that's why I'm not the biggest fan of the LP stuff, there is a lot of low energy moments and that's fine but that's why I don't watch those very much. If I could recommend you trying something, have you thought about making a highlight video of all the funny bits from each LP after its finished? I've seen it work for other youtubers so it might work here, Ray narvaez jr's highlights are the ones that comes to mind first as a good example.

[@MrLegendofLP]

I don’t understand why KZbin hasn’t implemented a built-in “series” system, to fix this exact problem. It would be another change to the algorithm, but if KZbin tracked watch time like it does now, but sorts them by series as tagged by the uploader, it would be able to see that specific series are getting consistent views by you, so it will continue pushing that content to your subscribers even if they don’t watch anything else.

[@zachhall8397]

So that is why I can never seem to keep getting recommendations for your channel?! I've been watching on and off on Stephen Plays and Vlog for 8 years and subscribed for a similar amount of time so I assumed the videos were being recommended I just didn't see them. I didn't think KZbin just docked your channels all together! I'm excited for the future of the channel and thankful for how you've handled all of this. I will say I like highlights videos, they are easier on my adhd brain. That being said I come to watch you all more than any particular kind of content. Keep doing what makes you happy. Thank you Stephen, Mal, Dan, Chaz and Emmy!

[@t_baus]

You know it’s sad when your “employer” punishes you for loving your job and working way more than you have to willingly.

[@andoholloway5343]

Homework: Vlog is the only channel that I actively watch every single video that is released, and will continue to do so. In terms of Plays, I am your standard traditional stick-in-the-mud old timer who wants everything to be the way it was 10 years ago, and just can't get on board with the Highlights stuff. 20-30 minute episodes are perfect for me, and have been enjoying Kirby immensely. I loved the days of watching Uncharted, Last Of Us, Red Dead etc, and I genuinely hope that kind of content sticks around. EITHER WAY, I respect everything you do and will continue to support how I can, whether that's on Patreon or Twitch or whatever. Big love

[@dracish123456789]

I enjoy the let's play content I stopped watching the new skyrim as it felt like stream highlights

[@KaiLaharl]

Thank you for sharing this video with us. I had noticed some changes, and thank you for clarifying why these changes have been happening. In response to your questions: 1) Ive really enjoyed your and Mal's playthrough of Kirby: Fallout edition. I am subscribed to StephenVlog, Vod, and Plays. Often I will watch the Vlogs, or an episode of Plays over lunch. I tend to save your Vods for the weekend or in the evening. I also tend to watch them blocks (ie I will watch them for about a half hour or one section of gameplay then take a break). 2) Ive noticed the change to Memorable moments. I was able to tell the difference before you made the change, but with the change now I can identify MMs at a half glance. 3) A series that I keep coming back to: your original skyrim LP, your and Mal's Twilight Princess and OoT LPs, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Sunshine, Bioshock Infinite, and Mario Maker (I still laugh at the Gamba Factory). If I have friends visiting well watch GTA online or Stephen and Friends. I hope to continue your connent for years tio come and that everyone on team stephen has a healthy 2022.

[@Arion661]

Only thing to improve this video, imo, would be if you wore a white T-shirt haha

[@Arion661]

I've felt that things were different recently, and I had wondered if Twitch brought in more money than KZbin. This video did confirm some of the vague suspicions I had, and explained a lot

[@Arion661]

Other KZbinrs I watch mostly have converted to short, condensed content. It's mainstream to have smaller chunks of easily/quickly digestible content. Like TikTok

[@Arion661]

What you're discussing fits mostly with how I've interacted with your channel recently. I used to have a lot of time and interest in LPs in highschool, which is when I first found TRG and you guys. Over time I kinda stopped watching certain things. Nowadays I only watch most Stephen and Friends, and only Breakfast Stream because it happens at a convenient time. Usually I watch your game vods when I don't have things to watch, and since I'm already watching the vods I don't watch the edited stuff on KZbin since it overlaps.

[@Arion661]

Regarding the homework: I mostly watch LPs of games I don't really see myself playing, or games I've played before. The Uncharted series, for example. Or Zelda, or Last of Us. I mainly binge the vlogs whenever a month is complete, unless I'm all caught up, in which case I'd watch the most recent one. I tap on the Shorts whenever they're recommended to me but I don't seek it out, usually

[@Arion661]

The highlights stuff is definitely easier to digest and it's funnier, since it's more compact. You guys should probably do it as the main thing on the main channel since it's the mainstream format these days. Personally though, since I have more downtime at work, I tend to try to watch vods and stuff. I'm still very slowly working my way through the full BoTW vods myself

[@Alfonso162008]

Oh wow, these are too many things to throw at once lol, but it was really interesting, and a great insight into how all of this works, so first of all, thank you for that. In second place, I'd like to say that I had noticed some of the changes you mentioned when I saw that the Skyrim videos were highlights, but I thought that these changes were something that you and Mal had decided to do on your own, I would've had no idea that you were working with someone from youtube itself (I didn't even know that was a thing). Lastly, I'm gonna respond to your questions at the end (to the best of my abilities cause I already forgot the order in which you asked them and if I forgot some of your questions, so just bear with me 😂): - Regarding the highlight videos question, that's something that just doesn't vibe with me very much. I like the traditional lp style, whether you guys recording episodes offline or on Twitch. It's not so much that I'm not a fan of highlights in general, but it really depends on the type of content in the video (for example, I'm not against a Memorable Moments highlights video), and also the style of the person I'm watching (I'm used to watching traditional-style let's plays from you, so a highlight-style lp is not gonna interest me so much). - Kinda related to the above answer, but referring to the palatability of highlight videos, the answer is pretty much no, I'm used to watching longer form content, and I prefer that over a stream highlights video. As you mentioned at the start of this video, I'm one of those that doesn't have all that time to watch everything like he used to, but despite that, I prefer to dedicate my time to watch something (I mean, on a reasonable basis, obviously. I'm not gonna watch a 2-hour video during the working week, but you know what I mean. I prefer longer form content from you guys). - I think you asked about which channels and type of content we watch from you, so I'll answer: I watch both StephenPlays and StephenVlog on youtube, and I'm subbed to StephenVOD, but honestly, I haven't had the time to watch almost anything from there, apart from some of the Breakfast Streams. I also follow your streams on Twitch (channel? Are they also considered channels on Twitch? Whatever, I follow you over there). Regarding which videos, I absolutely love Stephen & Friends (pretty much all of the videos). I also prefer Kirby over Pokemon (like I've said, the highlights format ain't for me, but also, I'm not such a fan of the Pokemon games in general, at least for watching on KZbin), and I've seen very few First20 videos (but I did watch several First20 streams on Twitch, whenever I could). I really liked Morning Mario, and it was a bummer to hear about its ending, but I can totally understand why you did it, so that's fine by me. Health always comes first, and I don't want you to burnout, or get sick for sticking with such a rigid schedule. I don't remember if you've asked another thing or not, so I'ma be wrapping up over here, it's been like half an hour or more since I started typing this long ass comment 😂. I just wanna add that whatever you decide to do, know that you have our support. Thank you for explaining all of these changes, and for giving us a context as to why. We want you to keep growing, and to be successful, so you'll have our backs during this process.

[@peterhedberg9528]

I believe overexposure might also been a reason to the downwards trend. You just did too much content.

[@Jamie-bu9cq]

Agreed -- something like Morning Mario should have its own channel. People don't want to sub if they're getting their feed deluged (maybe).

[@minkeyandzomble6206]

You guys are my go too people for calmer let's plays. And I will continue to support your efforts regardless of format. If on twitch I may miss them as they happen but I will watch whatever you can upload

[@segaspamer64]

So, what im getting is you guys are going to step away from let's play type content to live streaming content... welp, if that's what you feel you have to do to stay afloat okay. But i think i speak for alot of viewers in saying that this is going forward is going to drive me off and likely lead to me unsubscribing.

[@bc2014]

I think as Stephen explained it is a necessity for the channel to survive - if they weren't on Twitch at this point, it would be a big struggle to continue. But I think Stephen and the team have done a great job of making that Twitch content feel like a traditional LP that can be enjoyed on KZbin and as he said, it doesn't mean that traditional LPs are completely on with Galaxy being one of them last year.

[@MrLegendofLP]

So, what I’m getting is you completely missed the part of the video where Stephen explained that his Live Stream VODs have chapters that break them up like traditional Let’s Play content.

[@bellarosamattina]

I love all of these ideas for changes! Can’t wait to see the future of this channel! Also, if I may make a suggestion for the channel banner, mainly for the phone users, could you add a list of current series like the schedule (don’t have to include days)? I don’t know if anyone else’s phone does this, but mine does not always list the current series first and if someone (like me) is several days behind then it’s hard to scroll through the uploads to determine what’s the current series. I mainly watch StephenPlays and the content I watch are the ones that I feel somewhat nostalgic to or a game I’m super excited for. I love it when you played and are still playing Skyrim and Fallout because I loved watching them and then going back through to listen to them as a podcast. I also love RPGs in general because I enjoy seeing what one person does which causes me to think “Ooh I like this and want to do this in my game” or “Ooh let me try this differently”. Length of video doesn’t matter to me because I can go back if I haven’t finished it, which is easier to do on KZbin compared to Twitch.

[@awcartermedia]

I've been following you for many years and I could tell over the last 5 years you stopped coming up in my feed as often. I am super happy to hear that you're making changes that are good for you. I'm hoping for good things to come for you and I have been enjoying your recent content!

[@hn5051]

Hi, Stephen! I'm a long-time viewer, started watching back in 2013 with your Twilight Princess LP. I was an avid watcher, would watch your videos daily, and even watched games that I had no interest in and found I'd enjoy them just because you were playing it. I didn't have time to watch this whole video, but I did watch the recap portion and just wanted to put my two cents in. Over the years, I've stepped away from previous content creators I watched, but you were one that I always came back to. Nowadays, I mostly watch Memorable Moments and your Stephen and Friends series. It's been almost a decade, and now I find I mostly enjoy watching collab videos. I love watching friends just hanging out and having fun, so those are an absolute blast. Longer videos like VODs I don't usually have time for, but sometimes I put them on as background noise. The issue is that I enjoy your content too much to use your videos as background noise as I'll get distracted, but the same time, I don't have time to sit through the entire video. Also, there's almost no reason for me to watch the VOD when I know you're going to upload it to this channel later (Such as what you're doing with Kirby and the Forgotten Land). I can say the majority of videos I watch are around 20 minutes in length. Anything more than that and I don't have the time for them. Other than that, I watch your Vlog channel, and used to also watch it daily. Now, I mostly watch whichever Vlogs catch my fancy (... And whichever vlogs have Kepler in the thumbnail). Never watched your Twitch streams because I could never catch them in time, and the Twitch VOD system wasn't the best. And... If you move to TikTok, I probably won't follow just because that'd be another account on another platform that I'd have to make. Though if you upload your TikToks to KZbin, then I'd watch them. Tldr; I will support you, whatever you decide! Maybe more collab videos? Highlights are fun too. Also cats!

[@Lycodrake]

You and Mal are some of my very first favorite KZbinrs and Let's Players and have been for several years. Feels like I've gotten to walk beside you and your friends for years now. I appreciate how candid you are in this video. Thank you for all the effort you, Mal, Dan, Chaz and so many others behind the scenes put into the channels. I watch StephenPlays and Vlogs, but not as much am able to get to Twitch regularly. Currently watching Kirby most out of the current Plays content. Loved the Magic: The Gathering content that you shared years back, though Magic Arena can be a lot to get into and try.

[@nettlewebs]

i’ve watched all of them as they’ve come up for the past decade, my favorite lp is probably chulip but i’m also loving the new pokémon, i haven’t been watching recently i believe because of the algorithm, i prefer the longer form content, i watch the vods as they come and rewatch lps as well

[@fairith90]

I highly appreciate the chapters on the VOD channel!

[@KazeNinja17]

My answers to your questions: I watch StephenPlays, StephenVlogs, MalMakes, the Twitch livestreams every Friday, and when I do miss a stream, I will catch up on the stream via StephenVODs. I typically try to watch every LP series you do with a few exceptions. I'm not a huge fan of Skyrim or Fallout 4 myself, so I never really watched them. Usually I prefer videos around 25-35 minutes long. The same length as a half-hour show. They're usually good to for watching as you're eating or working on something. Longer videos are good when I need something on in the background as I work. While, admittedly, I was disappointed by the highlights style of Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee I have come to really enjoy the videos.

[@eSyncNetwork]

I rarely comment but I've been watching your content for a long time and have definitely noticed the changes. Your work ethic is always something I have admired and the same goes for your transparency. One thing I'd like to see (and I suppose it goes against the philosophy of fresh and new) is for you to play games that you know well. There's a lot, almost too many, blind playthroughs of games to choose from on KZbin, and I think there's still a lot of appeal in playing games with history behind them. I value your content not only for the games you play, but for your stories and experiences with them that you recount. Like Outlaws, I'm not a fan of the genre at all but I gave it a chance and it was still really enjoyable not for the game per se but for what you brought to that and for sharing your experience with it, which actually made me appreciate the game more. Chulip was another one, because Mal's prior experience with the game combined with you going into it essentially blind made it unique and entertaining. That said, fresh experiences are entertaining in their own way too, there's just a lot more of that and I prefer playing a game myself first before watching anyone else play it. As an example, I've watched most of Chuggaaconroy's LPs but I completely skipped his Chrono Trigger LP until I beat it myself two years later and then went back and binged the whole thing. I'm not the best with livestreams, but that is simply because I don't live in the same timezone as you, so when you do Breakfast Stream, I'm often going to bed. If I catch a VOD, for any channel, I usually break up my watching of that VOD into multiple sessions. I will really only watch a VOD for a game I love or know quite well. If you ever played Xenoblade or its sequel (or both!!) for example, I'd watch it in a heartbeat. I watch almost everything on the vlog except for mail and the vlogs where you review a TV show or movie I haven't watched, but save LP content for when I have time. It honestly depends on the game, but I gravitate to more Nintendo stuff, not always though. Stephen and Friends is my favourite content on your channel because it's so unique. On MalMakes, I watch almost all the timelapse versions with the occassional full version once in a while. Remember RSS readers? I use one called InoReader to organise my subscriptions so I am guaranteed to see everything come through and so I can save them to watch at a later time without a mess of bookmarks in my browser. That's how I organise the content I consume - I don't always have time to watch it upon release but might get to watching a chunk of content a few days later. I like short form content if the game lends itself to that well, like the morning series. Short form content works if I still feel that there is progress made in that episode, but I often need more to feel like I've really watched something. It's a weird, wanting feeling but I'm hopeful that makes sense. Longer form content is approachable and I'm old fashioned in that I do prefer the traditional LP. I think the perfect time for this is roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Over 40 and I might need to split my session up unless I have a lot of time on my hands. Very long comment, I know, but I hope this is useful!

[@chasefogleman343]

I used to watch the vlog until I started college and I didn’t have time anymore, I’ve been watching select series on plays for nearly the whole span of the channel. I’m mostly interested in the Nintendo game LPs and Stephen & Friends content. I love that y’all have been around for so long because I’ve grown up watching your videos from elementary school to now college. Best wishes to y’all in the rest of 2022

[@SkyHakym]

Here's a question!: If a KZbin channel has successful 5 minute~ videos, and multiple 4 hour~ long VODs that are unsuccessful, the channel would be at a net loss / get recommended less because the vast majority of minutes of video on the channel are being unwatched, correct? In a theoretical case, what would happen if all VODS on the channel are deleted/privated? Would they not count towards the minutes of video on the channel? Since all that is left is the successful short videos, would KZbin recognize the change and recommend the channel more? Or is it stamped permanently by those long videos?

[@Epitaphfox]

To answer the end of video questions: I watch all of your channels but not really the vods due to not a lot of time/other content I watch on KZbin. Regarding the highlight style, I do enjoy it! I find it easier for some games to digest such as RPGs (Skyrim) but I also still enjoy standard format let's plays.

[@cutthroatcare]

Some other people have mentioned a survey, and personally, I would highly recommend that myself! Maybe see if your channel manager could help set one up? But for the HW stuff, to summarize best I can, I will say that, given I've been watching since GTAV came out on the channel, I personally think that your changing style of let's plays with some of the more dragging parts cut out is much more appealing. I watch Stephen and Friends religiously - you put it out and am on it, not to mention I tend to have your Stephen and Friends stuff playing in the background, replaying those old videos, maybe once or twice a week, for a few hours. Although I used to pretty consistently watch First 20 as well, when you started streaming a bunch in a row I found I liked that a lot better to watch as a single vod rather than the individual pieces. Your long form content has always appealed most to me, and while I don't catch every breakfast stream or vlog, I tend to go watch them in bursts, either catching the streams for a week solid, then falling back, or by binging the vlogs for a few hours in one big catch up. The short content like MM or GG, imo, isn't a big loss to what drew me into watching the channel. I can confidently say that I have grown most interested when it's you AND mal, versus when they were games mostly only played by one person. Your dialogue, your competitiveness, and how damn cute at being complete and utter couple goals you two are is my biggest draw to this channel these days. So in total, consider me a watcher of StephenPlays, Vods, Shorts, and I also keep an eye out for when you do collabs on Tom Fawkes's channel for stuff like Custom Smash. I've also been watching any episodes with you and Mal on TRG! If you do more collabs in the future, pls do maybe link them more? Possibly in a short as an announcement, or in your community tab? That would be my biggest change suggestion.

[@courtneybarnett5026]

I've been watching you guys since the Twilight Princess playthrough and honestly I've loved you guys for so so long, no matter how long I may take a break from youtube and you guys, I will always end up coming back in one way or another whether watching a new lp or going back to the ones I've loved from the start. You've always been a comfort channel for me. But to answer a few questions - As much as I've wanted to I've never managed to watch every single lp at a point, there's always been ones which have interested me more than others but that's what I had loved about you guys, it was that you were very unique and it felt like it was alright to drop in and out for the lps which I had particular interest in? But I can totally see why those changes need to happen! - I've from the start ADORED Stephen and Friends, I'll pretty much watch every video even if I might not have as much interest in the games you guys might be playing (I especially love the uniqueness of Broken Picturephone and 1kbwc). In terms of lps I've personally always been more of a Nintendo person anyways, but for me I just love seeing your guy's passion for playthroughs. I watch the 3D world playthrough multiple times a year as it's a comfort series, your Twilight Princess lp is how I got into you guys and Chulip and Mario Kart are particular favourites of mine; seeing more of those kinds are the ones that I love. Pikmin also stands on the same level as these - With short form and long form I personally flit between the two, definitely gonna follow the shorts on tiktok because that seems like something I'll have quick access to but I also love the longform, only just now I've been rewatching some of the longer Stephen and Friends episodes whilst I've studied! - All I can say really is I love you guys and whatever you guys need to do to thrive? I can totally understand! All I can say is something I think could be particularly good is potentially doing memorable moments compilations for specific games? I know when I've recommended you guys to some people I think to specific things like the pikmin playthrough or something but sometimes it's hard to find the moment? So getting one of those long compilations I feel is a good digestable way to just enjoy some of those best moments, like a highlights reel for the back-log of content? I also feel these would be a lot better for introducing you guys to new people, as instead of just watching one memorable moment or a whole series, we can watch a video of the best bits and if they wanna watch more they can? Regardless you guys are amazing, keep doing what's best for you all because we never wanna see you go away!

[@aaronman4772]

The internet content creation sphere is such a messy time trying to play nice with KZbin, and it’s been a great run you’ve gotten and will continue to do. Sure it may be a bit bumpy, but you’ve proven before and will continue to prove your resilience and ability to adapt and overcome. Best of luck on your experimentations. As for your questions: 1) I’m a Vlog and Plays watcher, occasionally Vod when it’s a breakfast stream I miss or something like that, and I like watching the Breakfast Streams on twitch. I’ve opened the TikTok every now and then, though haven’t joined TikTok. 2) I watch basically all the main LPs unless it’s a game I’m really not interested in or unless my schedule gets swamped. I’m fortunate enough to be able to work from home, so I throw on videos and such I miss in the background. Stephen and Friends is the biggest active viewing recurring series. 3) I kinda like medium form content, like the classic LPs or longer highlights. But like I said a lot of the things I watch now I watch in background while working, and keeping it in like the 10-30 minute range allows me to hear more people and games in that time frame. 4) I think the highlights way Pokémon and Skyrim are work best for those kind of games that, to be honest, have a lot of “dead air”. Time that isn’t spent on main story or main quests or important details or funny moments just wandering around. Games like Kirby I don’t think would work because those have moment to moment gameplay moments that are important, whereas Pokémon has like random battles that aren’t catching relevant or important battles like gyms or are just times spent walking around waiting for a new mon. I also think that while I love memorable moments, it might be best just to instead have at the end of a series have the memorable moments collected into one “Highlights of X” video, which then can be put on the StephenPlays shorts channel later. As for other random feedback, I think a formalized survey like others mention might be a good idea just to have some hard numbers on responses. Other than that, again best of luck to the year of experimentation. Here’s to another decade of internet grandparents!

[@vikurtz]

My homework response! I started following the Vlog back in mid-2021 and started watching StephenPlays shortly after. I don't really watch any of the other channels because I watch *too much content* already. For what I watch on Plays, I've watched... *most* of the series you've done since I started watching. I think there might have been one or two things I've skipped. I've also gone back and watched a few of your older LPs (particularly any Stephen & Mal series - I really like the way you two do series together). I absolutely loved Grandpa's Game Garage when it was ongoing, it was a highlight of every morning for me, but your health absolutely comes first. If you somehow were able to get yourself to place where you could bring that back (on a dedicated channel presumably) *while* staying healthy and not overworking yourself, I'd absolutely follow that. For content length, I'm definitely a fan of "medium" length videos - 15 - 25 minutes, sometimes a little longer. VODs are just far too much for me. I also LOVE your TikTok videos. I watch every single one. I also do greatly enjoy Memorable Moments. For the streams, I try to tune in occasionally, but my schedule is often too sporadic to be able to tune in to a stream as it's going on. I'll try to catch VODs afterwards if it's something I particularly interested in, but that's not too frequent and if it's coming to KZbin in LP format I'll usually just watch the LPs. Glad to see you're making changes, I really hope they pan out for better health, better time management, and better results for your channels!