It is an honour for me that you have mentioned me, Magnus! If I am on Substack and have started a niche project about dungeon crawler games in my language, it is thanks to your influence and your work. So I really appreciate your words.
And as for Substack itself, it's pretty disastrous in how it treats video game writers. Especially since it's an industry that moves billions of people... But anyway, I've been writing about video games for many years on both Blogger and Wordpress, so I know what it's like to fight against something that should help you, but only makes things more difficult. Fortunately, I am already at the point where I write, because I simply feel like talking about the things I like, I want to share and, above all, to continue having a hobby that gives me more than just visibility...
Sorry for rambling on, congratulations on these 64 pieces, and let's hope there are many more to come. I look forward to reading all the interesting pieces you have to share.
Greetings from Spain, and as we would say in my language: ¡Nos leemos!
Thanks for your beautiful post, I’m humbled, and also really happy, to hear that my pieces managed to influence your own project as this is the best case scenario for someone writing in order to make people more invested in RPG history.
I wish you the best with it, and I thank you again for your support and your readership! I hope to be able to catch your interest again in the future.
Thanks as always, Alex! With Substack basically ignoring the medium we love, your work and your support are really precious, especially for those starting out their spaces.
I am also still a little mystified by the Notes dynamic on Substack, this pretty much being my only attempt to engage with what is technically a social media platform, and while I of course wish that mere posts were easier to skim through and have seen, I have started to come to terms with the idea of forcing you to 'walk the halls' and try to get people's attention for something you've put together - the alternative would have to be curation of some form, either by a panel, or rather cabal of experts, probably on a per-category basis, or by algorithm, neither of which would be particularly appealing. But I identify strongly with your 'blog in a bottle' feeling, though I'm generally pretty happy simply using the platform to host things I'd be writing anyway.
I am glad one of your bottles drifted through my feed, and I got to add a rather long backlog of posts I can work my way through when I want to dip into microcomputer scenes or fantasy artists or translation patches. I'm sure I'm going to be sporadically picking through articles months late [or longer] and restacking them for a long time, and almost certainly trying out a few more games I've just learned about.
Speaking of the divided camps on RPG 'origin' or 'type,' I've been working on an essay for a while now specifically about the WRPG/JRPG split, whether it even exists, and most of all, what it means for the possibility of a definitive or ideal JRPG... but it can't really come out until I finish writing up two pretty particular games I've just beaten. When it does, I hope my definitions and conclusions pass muster.
Regarding the categorical issue of Substack lacking a Gaming tab on the feed - I've said this before, but I personally won't shed tears either way. I wouldn't be surprised if such a move results in an overcrowded and noisy space dominated by brand loyalists and shills, and ends up a wash in terms of talented writers and unique perspectives continuing to be underserved. Or it could be great. All I know is Philosophy and Culture will have to put their backs into pushing me out of their spaces even if it does happen.
Thanks for your kindness, I really like the idea of my old pieces being perused later on as an anthology of sorts, in fact that's the reason I keep updating them with links to new articles, so that those pieces can interact regardless of when they were written and provide new digressions if you end up returning to them months or years after they were originally published.
Aside from the qualms discussed above, I also share your perspective about using Substack as a sort of nexus, as its ease of use makes it a much better option compared with other platforms, and I can also see the appeal of acting like thematic freebooters of sorts by offering our pieces in other categories, at least until the stars align and we're able to secure our own, even more so since there are countless ways to discuss videogames and, depending on your angle, those categories may end up representing you better than a medium-specific one.
I also look forward to your RPG-related piece, I will be sure to give it a read once it's out!
I was glad to be introduced to substuck after reading your articles on reddit and even though it's a real issue they don't have yet a videogame section hopefully they will change their mind soon and you will get the exposure you deserve.
I was really surprised about the depth you go in your research. It's rare for me to learn something new about my precious hobby and running into your articles brought me back to being a child reading articles and previous in old magazines.
I hope you keep going as long as you are having fun and enjoying the process and looking forward to every new article anytime you release it.
So to close best regards from Greece and if you are anytime in Athens I would love to get you a coffee and show you around!
I really appreciate your kindness, and that you decided to follow me here from Reddit. Knowing someone is so invested in my pieces is all I need to be even more motivated for this Substack's second year.
Your mention of videogame magazines makes this even better, since back then I absolutely loved writing in that context and, when I tackle Substack pieces, I do so with the same mindset I had back then, albeit without an editor to rein in my digressions! Writing about an hobby soon becomes an hobby of its own and, when the magazine I wrote on ended up closing, I really missed writing long-form RPG-related pieces.
Thanks again, I will take your offer if I ever have a chance to revisit Athens!
I am definitely guilty of falling more into the "J" camp of the RPG fanbases. However, what I really appreciate about your Substack is how you put the spotlight on so many neat and overlooked RPGs while clearly possessing a well-read mind on the history of the genre. You deserve to be proud of your work and I hope you keep it up!
I think one can well be more interested in a subset of RPGs, especially since they can be a really time-consuming hobby and there are so many titles competing for our attention one needs to make some hard choices, but what's important once you are interested in discussing their history is to keep an holistic view of videogame RPGs as a cultural phenomenon in order to avoid creating exclusionary patterns just by force of habit.
Congratulations on a year of great writing! I can't imagine myself producing weekly quality content like you did, and you went far and beyond with more than 60 pieces! You definitely know your niche, and know how to explore it with well thought posts.
In any case, it was a honor to engage with your "ramblings" and be a small part of your journey here on Substack! Here's to 12 months more. Cheers!
Thanks for the mention! And no problem! Your work is very detailed and well-written, and I've learned a lot about RPGs that I never knew before! Congrats on the one-year anniversary, and I readily look forward to more of your write-ups!
It is an honour for me that you have mentioned me, Magnus! If I am on Substack and have started a niche project about dungeon crawler games in my language, it is thanks to your influence and your work. So I really appreciate your words.
And as for Substack itself, it's pretty disastrous in how it treats video game writers. Especially since it's an industry that moves billions of people... But anyway, I've been writing about video games for many years on both Blogger and Wordpress, so I know what it's like to fight against something that should help you, but only makes things more difficult. Fortunately, I am already at the point where I write, because I simply feel like talking about the things I like, I want to share and, above all, to continue having a hobby that gives me more than just visibility...
Sorry for rambling on, congratulations on these 64 pieces, and let's hope there are many more to come. I look forward to reading all the interesting pieces you have to share.
Greetings from Spain, and as we would say in my language: ¡Nos leemos!
Thanks for your beautiful post, I’m humbled, and also really happy, to hear that my pieces managed to influence your own project as this is the best case scenario for someone writing in order to make people more invested in RPG history.
I wish you the best with it, and I thank you again for your support and your readership! I hope to be able to catch your interest again in the future.
Congrats on the growth! Will be exciting to see what another 12 months brings you!
Thanks as always, Alex! With Substack basically ignoring the medium we love, your work and your support are really precious, especially for those starting out their spaces.
I am also still a little mystified by the Notes dynamic on Substack, this pretty much being my only attempt to engage with what is technically a social media platform, and while I of course wish that mere posts were easier to skim through and have seen, I have started to come to terms with the idea of forcing you to 'walk the halls' and try to get people's attention for something you've put together - the alternative would have to be curation of some form, either by a panel, or rather cabal of experts, probably on a per-category basis, or by algorithm, neither of which would be particularly appealing. But I identify strongly with your 'blog in a bottle' feeling, though I'm generally pretty happy simply using the platform to host things I'd be writing anyway.
I am glad one of your bottles drifted through my feed, and I got to add a rather long backlog of posts I can work my way through when I want to dip into microcomputer scenes or fantasy artists or translation patches. I'm sure I'm going to be sporadically picking through articles months late [or longer] and restacking them for a long time, and almost certainly trying out a few more games I've just learned about.
Speaking of the divided camps on RPG 'origin' or 'type,' I've been working on an essay for a while now specifically about the WRPG/JRPG split, whether it even exists, and most of all, what it means for the possibility of a definitive or ideal JRPG... but it can't really come out until I finish writing up two pretty particular games I've just beaten. When it does, I hope my definitions and conclusions pass muster.
Regarding the categorical issue of Substack lacking a Gaming tab on the feed - I've said this before, but I personally won't shed tears either way. I wouldn't be surprised if such a move results in an overcrowded and noisy space dominated by brand loyalists and shills, and ends up a wash in terms of talented writers and unique perspectives continuing to be underserved. Or it could be great. All I know is Philosophy and Culture will have to put their backs into pushing me out of their spaces even if it does happen.
Keep writing and gaming.
Thanks for your kindness, I really like the idea of my old pieces being perused later on as an anthology of sorts, in fact that's the reason I keep updating them with links to new articles, so that those pieces can interact regardless of when they were written and provide new digressions if you end up returning to them months or years after they were originally published.
Aside from the qualms discussed above, I also share your perspective about using Substack as a sort of nexus, as its ease of use makes it a much better option compared with other platforms, and I can also see the appeal of acting like thematic freebooters of sorts by offering our pieces in other categories, at least until the stars align and we're able to secure our own, even more so since there are countless ways to discuss videogames and, depending on your angle, those categories may end up representing you better than a medium-specific one.
I also look forward to your RPG-related piece, I will be sure to give it a read once it's out!
Always a pleasure, Magnus!
Thanks as always, Maurice! I may have a Poland-themed piece out in the near future, too!
You can write how (supposedly) Gorky17 / Odium was supposed to be the Polish Final Fantasy Tactics :D (I still can't believe that)
I was glad to be introduced to substuck after reading your articles on reddit and even though it's a real issue they don't have yet a videogame section hopefully they will change their mind soon and you will get the exposure you deserve.
I was really surprised about the depth you go in your research. It's rare for me to learn something new about my precious hobby and running into your articles brought me back to being a child reading articles and previous in old magazines.
I hope you keep going as long as you are having fun and enjoying the process and looking forward to every new article anytime you release it.
So to close best regards from Greece and if you are anytime in Athens I would love to get you a coffee and show you around!
I really appreciate your kindness, and that you decided to follow me here from Reddit. Knowing someone is so invested in my pieces is all I need to be even more motivated for this Substack's second year.
Your mention of videogame magazines makes this even better, since back then I absolutely loved writing in that context and, when I tackle Substack pieces, I do so with the same mindset I had back then, albeit without an editor to rein in my digressions! Writing about an hobby soon becomes an hobby of its own and, when the magazine I wrote on ended up closing, I really missed writing long-form RPG-related pieces.
Thanks again, I will take your offer if I ever have a chance to revisit Athens!
Thanks for the shout out! Congrats on the 64 articles and hope you have continued success!
Thanks to you for your readership and your support, I hope you will enjoy my pieces well into the future!
I am definitely guilty of falling more into the "J" camp of the RPG fanbases. However, what I really appreciate about your Substack is how you put the spotlight on so many neat and overlooked RPGs while clearly possessing a well-read mind on the history of the genre. You deserve to be proud of your work and I hope you keep it up!
Thanks for your kind words and your support!
I think one can well be more interested in a subset of RPGs, especially since they can be a really time-consuming hobby and there are so many titles competing for our attention one needs to make some hard choices, but what's important once you are interested in discussing their history is to keep an holistic view of videogame RPGs as a cultural phenomenon in order to avoid creating exclusionary patterns just by force of habit.
Congratulations on a year of great writing! I can't imagine myself producing weekly quality content like you did, and you went far and beyond with more than 60 pieces! You definitely know your niche, and know how to explore it with well thought posts.
In any case, it was a honor to engage with your "ramblings" and be a small part of your journey here on Substack! Here's to 12 months more. Cheers!
Thanks as always, you can look forward to more Tales-related conents in the future!
Thanks for the mention! And no problem! Your work is very detailed and well-written, and I've learned a lot about RPGs that I never knew before! Congrats on the one-year anniversary, and I readily look forward to more of your write-ups!
Thanks for your kindness and support, I hope you can continue to like my further RPG-related ramblings!
Your work is so well written and nuanced. Looking forward to your continued success!
Thanks for your kindness, I hope I can keep providing pieces that are up to your liking!