Besides playing the games themselves, what other game related things do you like?

[The Legendary Zoltan]

I ask because I am very seriously thinking about making a games-related website. So what are your favorite things about games and game websites? Podcasts, news, reviews, comedy, analysis,or perhaps there is something you always thought you would like to see but is not being done. The point is that I want to create a site that has value to people. Something that people will really enjoy reading or watching either because of the entertainment value or the educational value.

Thanks to Sony, I am very excited about the new generation of games and I've done nothing but read every possible bit of info I can about everything related to the current announcements and E3. I also am wrapping up making my own game right now and will be able to release it soon. I can't wait to make my next game bigger and better! All of these things have made me realize how much I want to become a known phenomenon in the gaming community and eventually make it into some kind of living.

I've done a podcast segment in the past called "Your RPG Playin' Ass" where I would explain common names of mythological things that are often used in RPGs in a comical way. I definitely want to make more of those and add some more awesome stuff to have a really appealing game focused site.

Your ideas and input are greatly appreciated.

Edited June 12, 2013 by The Legendary Zoltan

[Cecilff2]

Game Music.

Sometimes LPs.

[Final Kingdom]

I agree with Cecilff2 about LPs. The right mix of information and humor makes for an LP that people will watch.

That goes for just about any medium on a gaming website. If you have a podcast, all the speakers have to mesh well with each other, give the listener information they never knew before, and have some kind of humor at the same time. If you make the site focusing on news, interviews, reviews, etc, you have to find some kind of way to make it different from prominent websites like IGN, GameSpot, and the like. If you had an entire section dedicated to video game music in some way/shape/form, your site would definitely stand out.

What kinds of stuff have you thought of including so far?

[Dj Mokram]

If you had an entire section dedicated to video game music in some way/shape/form, your site would definitely stand out.

Most mainstream gaming sites already include columns on the subject, not to mention you'd still be competing for attention with outlets like OSV and SEM, unless your focus is on the VG remix/cover scene, in particular. However, you proly won't be able to compete with big outlets/networks in terms of promotion.

Bottom line is: chances of an individual getting the kind of attention/success you're craving for are slim, regardless of your dedication/passion. There are ways to accomplish what you seek, and it's certainly possible to some extend, but super tough. Especially if you start splitting your attention in twenty different directions by wearing too many hats (musician, teacher, game maker, journalist, etc.)

Nonetheless, best of luck to you Zoltan.

[Thalzon]

I Got into collecting some Mario figurines in college. I tend to get only the main characters (ie, no koopas or goombas) but considering the glacial pace of release for these things, it's less an active collecting/hunt and more waiting a year to plunk $10 down on a few readily-available characters.

[relyanCe]

Game art. Art books, posters, expanded lore supplements, strategy guides... I eat that shit up.

[Garpocalypse]

Instruction Manuals. I like reading them, especially the older ones.

Really, i'm already bummed that they are being phased out.

[ad.mixx]

I watch a lot of video game related stuff on youtube. Podcast are super fun to listen. Probably my favorite thing about the games themselves is the music just because I listen to music more than I watch tv, play games, etc.

Im using japanese games to learn the language most recently. Its pretty darn helpful if youre willing to learn kanji along with it. And also fun. Maybe that counts.

[CinnamonJihad]

Game art. Art books, posters, expanded lore supplements, strategy guides... I eat that shit up.

Yeah, me too. Also, a podcast on vg music would be pretty cool imo

[The Legendary Zoltan]

Oh, man. You guys have given me a lot of good ideas. Thank you. I'll post more,about what I'm thinking after work today.

[Modus]

Books about game development and game themes. Just finished Austin Grossman's YOU and it was.. poorly executed but still pretty enjoyable.

[psychowolf]

well i like those things where people take video game music and reinvent it to their own style....cant think of what its called...

that and i enjoy watching roosterteeth, drawing game art, reading artbooks,watching tv shows and movies about games, reading magazines about retro gaming is very interesting to me, creating a pc able to be turned into a mame machine at the drop of a hat is one of the tasks i set myself aside from the fact i lack the space to have a mame machine.

collecting old games.

if i think of anything else i'll let you know.

[Crowbar Man]

I'm kind of weird.

I play videogames pretty regularly

I listen to pretty much ONLY VG related music (OSTs, Remixes, Chiptunes, etc)

I watch tons of videogame related youtube videos/twitch streams

I read tons of videogame related news, reviews, articles, and wikis

I have a side hobby of programming, in hopes of making my own videogames.

Maybe I have a problem?

[Soma]

I'm to the point now that actually playing games is the least of how I interact with videogames. I read gaming news sites religiously, and follow the industry pretty closely. I used to listen to 10 or 15 gaming podcasts a week, but now I can't do that (new job). I very much love hearing passionate gamers talk about games. I think as I get older I need convincing that gaming is still relevant and exciting. These days I'm more excited that I got an awesome new shower head than all the E3 news this week. Yeah, I'm pretty jaded these days.

[lazygecko]

Modding is really important to me. Whether that be finding new mods or actively taking part in modding communities and modding myself. I was involved with C&C modding and sometimes ROM hacking up to the mid 00's but now I work on and off on Elder Scrolls projects.

[Binjovi]

I really liked your old "Your RPG-Playin' Ass" clips. I also dig things like Extra Credits, Did You Know Gaming, and Game Theory. Egoraptor's Sequelitis series is quite entertaining to me as well. I also enjoy learning about game lore and even reading people's theories and speculations regarding game lore. I guess I like learning interesting things related to games.

Modding and hacking is a good one, too. I don't do much of it myself, but I do like seeing and using the things others are able to create. It's all very fascinating.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

The only thing I do related to video games is music. I think that I have not played 80% of the video games whose music I listen to and make my own remixes of. Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, F-Zero, Castlevania and most fighting games are pretty much the only series I would honestly consider myself a "fan" of. In terms of game-related things I like: Cosplayer girls.

For the most part, I actually sort of hate playing video games.

Edited June 13, 2013 by AngelCityOutlaw

[The Legendary Zoltan]

Those are all freaking excellent suggestions. Thanks a lot. All this time, I thought that I wanted to be a musician who is tied to games in some way but I'm realizing that I really want to be a recognized game-inspired entertainer which includes music, comedy, and actually playing the games so let's plays are probably on the menu. I made a goal for myself after the announcement of the PS4. I want to platinum every single RPG or at least JRPG for PS4. I know it sounds crazy but it would be epic. Hence, the name The LEGENDARY Zoltan.

My ideas so far are:

-Continue my educational video series about the origin of a lot of the mythology in RPGs,

-My own remixes and original game-inspired music.

-sell my original games on the site.

-art books. I live in a town full of manga artists! I'd like to join forces with them to make some kind of product.

-game reviews in Japanese. It doesn't seem like there are millions of people who think they're funny, reviewing games on youtube here in Japan like there is in America. You can type "Metal Gear Solid review" in Japanese and NOTHING comes up on youtube! Ridiculous. It's time to get the Japanese in on the fun!

They're all just ideas for now. But I am moving towards this idea more and more everyday.

[Diodes]

Don't know if this is that applicable to you, but cosplay, and in the same vein, I suppose fanart in general.

[relyanCe]

Zoltan, I also really dug "RPG-Playin' Ass", as well as your review of Star Ocean 4.

Keep that shit up, bra.

[The Legendary Zoltan]

Thanks a lot. I definitely need to get a new website which will have all this fun game stuff on it and have my musician stuff as well. I prefer to consolidate everything.

I am actually sitting on 3 tracks of RPG Playin' Ass right now. I just need to release them. Some of the earliest episodes embarrass me now though. Hahaha. But I'm not going to change them.

[RoadiePC]

I had an idea: Let site users contribute suggestions for one-off content. It could be a review of a niche/less known game, rumor/speculation on news(though NOT stuff everyone else has already covered), or perhaps some tiny indie game that most people haven't seen(For example, try looking up "Eversion").

The idea is to cover stuff specifically outside mainstream coverage, like your Japanese Youtube idea. Difference is, that section of the site could be anything, and because it's user-contributed, it would be like your entire viewerbase was doing the research for you.

You could call it "Have You Heard(HYH)" or something.

Examples:

Week 1 could be "Have you heard about OCRemix/VG Remixing?"

Week 2 could be "Have you heard about the indie Shmup scene(show off Rrootage & the like)

...And so on.

[The Legendary Zoltan]

Thanks, Roadie. That's a great idea. I just got advice from the creator of Lusipurr.com about what how difficult it is for that type of site to be successful. For now I have registered TheLegendaryZoltan.com and will be using it as my portfolio site and a gateway to my original YouTube videos. Once I have the basic site up and running, I'll know how I can change it to become a fun source of entertainment for gamers. For now, I'll continue to do remixes for Lusipurr.com since they already have a an established audience.

[Ptazza]

Spin offs and memorabilia.

I love collecting that junk, Japan gets so lucky with the sheer quantity they get but the occasional specialist shop will have things like that in. They make great gifts for friends and fun little things for myself. Plus manga and novel spin-offs of games can really flesh out a universe and hell in cases where it's doubtful the series will go on it gives you just a little more taste of them.

My girlfriend used to tease me that "my room had no soul" referencing Raiden and Rose from Metal Gear Solid 2 because I wasn't really a fan of impractical things like art and posters and had none.

Guess I was just waiting for the right kinda thing to clutter my room with.

[omnipotentBagel]

I'm a big geek and an engineer and a writer, so I like tearing a game apart and figuring out how it works. Not in a "look at the source code" sense, but in looking at the mechanics and the controls and the story and the graphics and the music and anything else notable about it, and looking at how they all work together to make a good (or bad) experience. My favorite thing about games isn't actually playing them but in looking at the experiences they provide. Stuff like the in-depth analysis people did about the first Bioshock, particularly in the final scene and how it plays with the illusion of choice and how it manipulates a basic instinct/mindset of gaming for narrative impact. Plenty of people do reviews, but you usually don't get that level of dissection of a game outside of forum/blog posts.