IS RETRO GAMING OVER?

12/3/2019

So, here's a question that has been rumbling around in my head... is retro gaming sort of, y'know... over?

I mean, there'll always be a place for nostalgia. People will always want to remember the things that have meant something to them. Today's young gamers will be tomorrow's retro gamers.

But... has the retro gaming mediasphere - for want of a better word - reached critical mass, and outward expansion has now ceased?

There are podcasts, websites, shows... and it feels like every other day a new retro gaming YouTube channel starts up. It feels like that big ball in Katamari Damacy, and every day it just gets bigger and bigger as more YouTubers are stuck to it, and if you're new it's impossible to stand out.

Indeed, finding content for this site and the YouTube channel - which hasn't already been covered in some form or other - is incredibly difficult.

Yes, I know... it doesn't so much matter if it has been covered before, so long as I can find my own take on a topic, but I want to surprise and educate not only you lot - but myself as well. I'm sort of seeing it almost as a game, a challenge to myself, to find stuff that's obscure, and hasn't been covered.

It's tricky though - the likes of my Digitiser co-host Larry Bundy Jr have been doing their thing for years, and between the titans of retro gaming, and the billions of smaller channels - some doing utterly amazing work, others not so much - I do have days where I get a little despondent, wonder whether Digitiser has anything meaningful to contribute, and ask if it's worth it.

IS THIS A SELF-PITYING WHINE?
This isn't a self-pitying whine... but given the amount of time I put into all things Digitiser, it's a question that I think is worth asking myself; why do I do it? Why carry on doing it?

First and foremost - and most importantly - the creative expression is my number one reason. I love writing Digi and I love making videos. I love the satisfaction of creating stuff which I know is good, and I take enormous pride in doing so. Digitiser The Show, especially, is unlike anything else - in tone, in format - and yet most of the episodes have levelled out around the 13,000 views mark.

That's good, obviously, but not great given the amount of time and money that was put into it... So it's hard not to feel disheartened when somebody uploads a video with the title "Is The N64 Actually a Shoe?", that they've seemingly thrown together in 15 minutes, and it gets 35,000 views in 24 hours.

I'm well aware that I shouldn't ever compare my content to what else is out there, before you all tell me in the comments - my dear wife has been saying the same for weeks anyway - but it is what it is. When I've spent days or weeks working on something, and the end result gets a fraction of the views as some shameless clickbait, ad-libbed in front of a wonky green screen,... I admit that I do question myself. How can you not?

Not so much whether what I do is good, but whether I'm good enough at The Game. I don't understand the rules of self-promotion, I don't know if I possess the gene that allows me to pester and pester, and not feel like I'm being annoying. I struggle to do clickbait. So many of you have been amazing at sharing what I do, but growth has been so slow that I worry there's a glass ceiling, due to the amount of retro gaming content out there already, and Mr Biffo's face is squished right against it.

And before you say it... I know. It takes time to build an audience. Unfortunately, the frustrating thing for me is that Digitiser had an audience... but I went away for many years, through reasons that were outside of my control, and during that time YouTube rose up, many of the big names in retro gaming became established, and I got old.

So perhaps my question isn't so much "Is retro gaming over?"... Perhaps it's more... "Is retro gaming over-saturated?".

Are there simply too many of the same sorts of channels covering the same subject, too much of a feeling that anybody can do it, and Digitiser is now just another me-too brand lost in the noise? It doesn't help that retro gaming brings with it an older audience - and that I'm knocking on a bit in years - so I don't have the benefit of a younger audience, who are more willing to share stuff. We're all in our 30s and 40s, and there are more important things going on for us than our dedication to some YouTube channel and website.

Again: glass ceiling.

REAL EXCITEMENT
When I first brought Digitiser back there was a real excitement around it. I swiftly realised Digitiser couldn't be what it once was. I could never compete with the big, established websites, and chose to make this more of a blog.

I know some people were, at first, waiting for me to fail. Others were just happy to have me back. Gradually, the audience realised I wasn't actually insane, and the nostalgia for Digitiser itself carried the site forward for a couple of years. That has dropped off.

However, I loved the community - not only around Digitiser itself, but the wider retro gaming community. It felt like a nice place, everyone sharing the same interests, and it was all lovely and friendly. Unfortunately, in the last year or two there has been a real split. Divisions have arisen within that community, and it's no longer the loved-up place it once was.

It saddens me when I see people I like having a pop at one another online, and makes me angry when I see others trolling to the point that they risk driving talented creators out of doing something they enjoy.

At the end of the day, retro gaming is just meant to be about fun. None of the content creators I know are in it for the money - they all started out because it was fun, and carry on because they're passionate. None of the ones I've met have a cynical bone in their body.

Still, I'd be lying if I said all of this hasn't made me question Digitiser - original, old-school, teletext Digitiser. Given that my style has proven divisive - the stupid characters and language and humour seemed to annoy people, particularly in Digitiser The Show - I'm led to wonder whether the huge audience we had simply tolerated all that, because we were pre-Internet, and the only daily source of games info.

And on another level I don't care if that is the case, because it amused me to put all that stuff in.

Also, being Mr Biffo seems to bring with it an enormous amount of drama, without me even trying. There were things behind-the-scenes on Digitiser The Show - some of which only got resolved this week - which would've removed a huge amount of stress and anxiety from my life had I not chosen to do this. In addition, I've usually got a backlog of a dozen or so people sat in my inbox, who want my help with something, or want to collaborate, or want me to review something, or just want to chat...

And for 13,000 views, and zero pay (the Patreon money is mostly spent back on the site and videos) is it worth it?

Why do it?!

LUCKY MAN
I'm lucky in as much as Digitiser isn't my main job. I do see it as a job, but I also see it as a hobby, because I love doing it. That's why I do it. Between Digitiser and Found Footage, I've had some amazing life experiences, met some incredible people, and been fulfilled creatively.

It gives me respite from what I do for a living, it's a place where I have creative freedom, and I probably wouldn't want to rely on it for the entirety of my income. I think that would place too much pressure on it, and mean I'd end up tailoring my content for views. And I've never really been one for watering down my own voice.

Nevertheless... while the Digitiser channel is doing okay, and growing steadily, this website has - in the past year - seen a steep decline in views. I've been trying hard to keep both the YouTube channel and the website running alongside one another, but I do wonder whether that's simply contributing to the morass - and splitting not only my time, when I could dedicate more effort to one or the other, but also the audience...

I've already told my Patrons that I'm considering focusing more on the videos than the written content, and I know some people will be miserable about that. However, that's what I'm enjoying most right now, and while the written stuff will never go away entirely, it seems most sensible to invest my time and money into the area that I most enjoy, the one that's on an upward trajectory, rather than the one that's in decline.

So, to answer my original question... is retro gaming over? Well, no. But if you're thinking of becoming a retro gaming content creator I think it's worth being realistic about it, and figuring out your reasons why.

Oh, and while I have you... go and subscribe to the YouTube channel and watch my Berzerk video. It's bloody great, and only 3,500 people have seen it so far.

68 Comments

Pete Davison link

12/3/2019 10:38:51 am

Sorry to hear you're having... "doubts". I think every content creator goes through this at one point or another, and it's a good incentive to think about *why* you're doing what you do.

I barely break double figures on my YouTube vids (though my main website gets a decent amount of traffic each day)... but I don't care. I enjoy what I do, and the people who *do* engage with what I do are pleasant, articulate and the sort of people I want to get to know better. It's a hobby for me; as you say, it's a break from the daily grind celebrating something I love, and if you think about it, even having twenty people taking the time to enjoy something you've created is kind of impressive -- certainly in the pre-Internet days you'd have been happy to fill a small room with twenty people who had come to listen to you talk about something you're passionate about!

With regard to retro gaming content being oversaturated... I think certain aspects of it are, but not all. At this point I don't think we really need any more Mario/Zelda/classic-everyone-has-heard-of-here content... but we do need more in the way of content that explores lesser-known stuff.

I actually even count Sonic in this "needs more exploration" category, because "everything after Sonic 3 is bad" has become such a meme that it has no value; I took the time to explore a significant chunk of the Sonic series in detail last year (including the widely despised Sonic 2006) and had a great time. People reached out to me and thanked me for actually giving the less well-regarded installments in the series a chance rather than just parroting the same old "safe" opinions. (I actually ended up really enjoying Sonic 2006!) https://moegamer.net/all-games/sonic-the-hedgehog-series/

My retro gaming series Atari A to Z (https://atariatoz.wordpress.com) is a specific effort to explore an aspect of retro gaming that doesn't get nearly enough attention: the Atari 8- and 16-bit home computers, which typically lose out to the more popular C64, ZX Spectrum and Amiga, much as they did back in the day. Again, I've had people specifically reach out to me and thank me for doing something a bit different; okay, that hasn't necessarily translated into huge numbers of views or Patrebucks or anything, but I'm satisfied with and proud of what I've done so far.

Keep doing what you do; even if you never pull in PewDiePie numbers, I know what I'd rather watch and read. Those of us who are doing something a bit "different" should support one another however we can, and reward the things we want to see! :)

(insert obligatory "please subscribe" here)

Biscuits

12/3/2019 10:47:36 am

For what it's worth, when it comes down to it, I couldn't give a fig about games stuff (though I don't shy away from it, there's just a lot of it everywhere), and have tuned in specifically for the unique Biffo brand of absurdity since the 90s. It's my fave! Your sense of humour is a massive part of what makes Digi work, I would argue. It's certainly not just something to be tolerated

PixelGuff link

12/3/2019 10:52:51 am

Seconded. The nonsense is the point of it all. The games are the structure the nonsense hangs off of!

Mark

12/3/2019 11:04:58 pm

Thirded. The stupid characters and humour = the whole point.

Liam

13/3/2019 09:50:58 am

Absolutely
I can read any old blog about retro gaming, but it's the sense of humour that keeps me glued to this website.

Grembot

12/3/2019 10:51:22 am

it’s not content creation, it’s art. Sure you need to pay the bills but viewing numbers shouldn’t matter if you’re happy with the art you have unleashed upon the world.

If this site is going to take a backseat to the YouTube stuff then I’d like to see if the written reviews and features could be translated into 5 minute videos with lower production values.

Mr Biffo

12/3/2019 11:04:31 am

I don't think the written stuff will ever go away entirely. I like writing, and I like written reviews, but I might experiment with some video ones at some point.

Cunzy1 1 link

12/3/2019 10:54:39 am

I think a lot of people with websites/youtube channels/twitter and instagram feeds are in the same spot. Not just for Retro Gaming but for all of gaming. If you were watching those gaming sites when something like Apex Legends came out, they were falling over themselves to get as much content out as possible as quickly as possible to 'stay relevant' or get those clicks.

I guess what we'd offer, and what you're asking is, what are your measures for success? Is it doing big numbers? Is it talking about the Sonic drowning music on the One Show? Is it meeting the Queen in one of your ridiculous outfits and getting an MBE for 'Awl games stuff'?

I think the tiny tiny proportion of huge gaming channels and the 'stadium filling' Esports stuff sort of create a flase impression that gaming in general is some kind of mainstream activity. It is, it has been for a long time, but it's not to say everyone is consuming games related media.

Sadly, and this is the cynical bit, the Rooster Teeths, Penny Arcades, that idiot with the hair and all the views, have an army. It's an industry. They employ influencer relations staff and a crack web team. And a warehouse team. They aren't working out of their kitchen and they aren't paying out of their own pocket (anymore). They're also lucky too. For every success like that which may be the aspiration for hobbyists who want to make it more than that, there are hundreds/thousands of articles with 10 reads, videos with 20 watches, blogs which stopped updating 7 years ago.

So what are your measures of success? Are they realistic?

FWIW, and again it might be an age thing, we absolutely crave the kind of content you and collaborators are making and it's still few and far between. Knowledgeable, but not too serious, in depth, funny and not accessed via web pages with 14000 adverts around, over and in between articles.

12/3/2019 10:56:49 am

I've already said my piece above, but just wanted to add that I agree with *everything* in this comment. Particularly the last paragraph. And *especially* the last sentence!

Col. Asdasd

12/3/2019 12:53:35 pm

Great comment baby. The internet is governed by power laws, which are like Chinatown; you can't fight it. 3,500 views might seem low compared to Pewdiepie but in terms of the whole pie of gaming content producers, Digitiser is probably up in the top 10%. It's just that the top 1% enjoys an inordinate disparity of attention.

Jim

12/3/2019 04:41:49 pm

Agree with Col. 3-4k views is very good and is most likely in the top 10%, unfortunately there are thousands of game related videos being uploaded every day, and most of them get 0 views. It's a very depressing situation for anyone trying to create content as a business. It applies to music, games, videos, books, films, basically any media.

That said you will probably find your videos have a long tail, and the more you upload, the more people will watch and will then watch your old vids.

Clive Entity link

12/3/2019 11:02:16 am

Totally understand the self-doubt dude, but don't forget you've been carrying this for over a quarter of a century, so you have carved something of a legacy. Just stick to your guns. Your content doesn't have to be 100% original, but you can twist it to your own means with your brand of humour and "way with words".

We grew up with Pong, "the kids" now grow up with Red Dead Redemption 2 - I think we had it better if I'm honest.

Just do what you do, and make hay whilst the sun still shines. Danny Boyle wrote about making the sequel to Trainspotting, and he said something along the lines of "when making the first film, we didn't care about time, but with the sequel, we got older and realised that time doesn't care about you". I'm sure I speak for many when I say I will be saddened the day you hang up your controller for the last time.

Chris Ainsley link

12/3/2019 11:04:49 am

Interesting read.

I absolutely have had the same sentiments regarding the disproportionate investment I've put into Adventuron. Your stats are positively godly compared to my average of zero daily users versus the 100+ grand in opportunity cost I put into the project.

I think we all want to make something we are proud of, and if it was about the money, we wouldn't bother.

I also agree about saturation. There is just too much damn media around. Youtube, games, binge tv, and in our late 30s onwards, time is a precious commodity. I found myself struggling even to keep up with digi the show at one episode a week.... And I have no kids.

I long for the days when I could piss away an entire weekend on xenogears, and not be driven by my ego to actually make something that other people *might* like enough to offset the other million things that they do like.

The Simpsons episode where Homer teaches Bart that the moral of the tale is "to never try" is looking like sagely wisdom. We are all equal as consumers. To be a creator, is to be subject to the whims of an uninformed and prohibitively expensive to inform market.

I'm glad you have a nice posse, and that you enjoy what you do. That's reason enough to continue. Forget about "fame and glory" though. If it happens, it will be for reasons that you could not have foreseen. The world is a mystery.

12/3/2019 11:21:21 am

Lovely. Thank you, Chris.

Ivenne

12/3/2019 12:05:07 pm

100% agree. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Mr Know-it-all

12/3/2019 11:05:14 am

This is not a criticism but an observation. I suspect the reason the website traffic has dropped off is because the website has increasingly (if inevitably) become a vehicle for promoting Digitiser: The Show (DTS). If people aren't that interested in and/or weren't particularly moved by DTS then that would naturally discourage them from what might've been once-regular visits to the website.

Certainly that's been my experience. Again, this isn't intended as a criticism... but I find myself visiting here less and less precisely because it seems more and more about DTS and DTS-related stuff.

I've come to realise that I mainly like your written nonsense. I was interested in DTS, for sure, but I'll admit that tailed off pretty quickly for me. I'm honestly not sure why. Perhaps it all felt a bit to cliquey? So perhaps this bit at least *is* a criticism, of DTS.

What you do is, of course, up to you. I'm just trying to be constructive in considering why the website traffic might've nosedived.

12/3/2019 11:20:27 am

Well, maybe... but at the same time... the drop-off happened before Digitiser The Show. Might've been around the time of Found Footage.

I'm well aware that some people prefer my written stuff - which is why I've tried to keep up with it (plus there are days when I still love it). That said, I do think you're wrong that the focus has changed to it being about DTS: there has been much non-DTS content on here as there would be if I wasn't doing YouTube, but - yes - it's mixed in around links to the videos. Which, if you don't like them, there's not much I can do really.

12/3/2019 11:32:11 am

Yep. Maybe you're right. I don't claim to have the answers. Certainly I feel a bit over-saturated with retro stuff, and I *love* retro stuff. But, as you note, everyone and his Sony Aibo is doing it these days -- so standing out is hard. Perhaps you were just too late too the party and/or your particular brand has found the limits of its audience? Again, not meant as criticism... just thoughts. I love you, Biffs. Pretty much everyone here does. We want you to succeed. But I guess success doesn't have to mean millions of views. Forget the effort and expense for a moment... you've made tens of thousands of people happy with your videos. That's likely tens of thousands more people made happier than I've ever managed. I'd call that a success.

Christabel

12/3/2019 12:22:34 pm

I don't come here much because its lacking things like phoning honey and the man.

Back inthe day I bought 3 mags a month I did not read digi for the reviews but for the wit, especially the letters page

Corrus

12/3/2019 11:14:38 am

I'm no marketing expert, so can't advise on ways to "build your brand" (though you do have chums like Larry and Slopes and Ashens who do seem to have that knowledge and would be able to provide a steer). Dhabi would say is you are maybe burning yourself out by doing everything. You've occasionally given other writers the chance to write the Digi daily stuff. Why not seek some willing volunteers to contribute, leaving yourself free to just be editor. Sure, you'd need to ensure a certain element of quality control, but doing this would mean you could free up more time to do the video stuff. Everyone needs to take a step back from their work every now and again, and doing so may give you the chance to re-appraise the bigger picture.

12/3/2019 11:17:09 am

Firstly... I don't feel burnt out. Not even slightly, really, but thank you. Secondly... while it's a noble idea to feature other writers, being an editor is as much work as writing the site. We had other writers on Digitiser2000 when it first began, and - in all honesty - I spent so much time rewriting and fixing grammar, and basic punctuation and layout, that it ended up being more work than just writing stuff myself.

Chris

12/3/2019 12:00:24 pm

Maybe you can get Mr Hairs to write the odd column? Being a proper writer and everything it shouldn't need much fixing. Although it'll probably be about cycling rather than old games and stuff.

Super Bad Advice

12/3/2019 11:41:12 am

Hello!

Obviously I'm trying not to take all this personally and as a thinly-veiled dig at the fact I *still* haven't done a review of Astro Bot VR (sorry), but I think it's worth pointing out that - as well meant as it is - it isn't just a case of 'take on a few more people: problem solved' as some folk have suggested.

Outside of Digi I've been a copy editor for the best part of 20 years now, and for a big chunk of that I was a freelancer. And with the best will in the world, given the amount of website copy, self-pub books and material from people who 'fancy a go' I've seen I can tell you the number of people who think they can write and edit themselves who actually CAN do that effectively is pretty small. And that's not meant as a boast that I can do it with my eyes closed because I still have to write stuff, leave it a good few hours and then re-do it again and again myself. If a writer doesn't have a lot of experience it's a hell of a lot of work to bring material up to scratch (as Biffo has said, often more than just doing it yourself), and on top of that no matter how diplomatic you are it can be taken really badly by people if they disagree with your edits.

Couple that skill ceiling of needing someone to be able to hit the ground running to finding people who can also write in a suitable 'Digi-ish' style and who have the time and the inclination to do it for nowt (Biffo isn't palming me off with gold bars every other week), and that's a vanishingly small pool of folk who will be up to the task and indeed still want and be able to do it.

Geebs

12/3/2019 04:17:58 pm

Well, at this point you could probably kill two birds with one stone and make a retro gaming article about Astro Bot.

Craig Grannell

12/3/2019 11:54:12 am

"I'm led to wonder whether the huge audience we had simply tolerated all that, because we were pre-Internet, and the only daily source of games info."

To me, Digitiser on the telly felt like the natural evolution from some of the other publications that actually had personality, like Zzap!, Rignall-era C&VG, Amiga Power, etc. Perhaps it was a bit over the top silly sometimes, but, you know, the format of Teletext itself was slightly bonkers anyway. Digi to me just felt right. It felt like a thing only you yourself knew about, even though millions were actually reading.

Also, one of my big bugbears about magazines in general is how many of them have forgotten how to entertain. They're supposed to be more than info-dumps and buyer guides. That's especially true for gaming. The thing is, so many aspire to be Edge, when I think we could all do with a little more Digi.

As for concentrating more on thing X over thing Y, that seems like something you should always do as a creator, especially if you're not being paid. You have to be passionate and happy, otherwise what is the point? If you're finding excitement and energy in the video work, go for it.

The issue is whether you're still happy. I go through fits and starts with creative output myself. I have a bunch of albums in various states of completion. Partly, that's because hardly anyone listens to the finished thing anyway, and so I kind of think what's the point in putting in the effort? But at some point, that all swings around again, and it becomes obvious that it's what I should be doing.

Sorry, this has become a bit of a ramble. But in short, Digi was and is great; I and others appreciate what you do, even if it would be great if that audience was bigger; we all have doubts that won't go away, the gits, but I hope they can be squashed a bit by doubling down on what we love creating.

Spiney O'Sullivan

12/3/2019 01:06:32 pm

That line you quoted was the moment that I decided that I definitely wanted to comment on this article.

Digi's humour wasn't just something I "tolerated", it was something that I craved. If I'd wanted dry games news, I would have gone to the Ceefax equivalent that I usually didn't bother to read. I vastly preferred trying to parse Zombie Dave's attempts at gaming news, or (genuinely) laughing out loud at whatever The Man was up to to that, and frankly I also preferred it to the more generic magazines and TV shows out there at the time (with the possible exception of N64 Magazine, which might sit on an even footing, as another niche outsider that accepted its status and ran with it in a hilarious way).

12/3/2019 11:58:36 am

I don't normally put my name on here but just for continuity I will my name is Christabel on Facebook (real name) and sun wukong on YouTube (monkey king equal of heaven).

I watch a lot of YouTube and it takes time it really does I've seen it, I'm still amazed barry Lewis of my Virgin kitchen hasn't gotten to a million subs.

But what I notice is you sir are very British and in general we don't seem to do that great, you advertised your self aiming at us the Teletext crowd, so don't be disheartened you aimed small, look at the top hat gaming man, he's been at it for years with marvelous content and hot fuck all subs.

Uts the yanks that get massive or things that satisfy the curiosity mainly about food.

Do what you want and don't bother about anyone else, as long as you enjoy it and can afford to do it who cares if you get 50 views or 50,000. Its the same as every other thing, you don't read a book because you think it will make you popular its because you want to read it.

No one ever wins a popularity contest thry just get increasingly paranoid and miserable.

Paul H

12/3/2019 12:08:53 pm

I think it's extremely difficult to create genuinely engaging and entertaining gaming content in what is, as you say, an oversaturated market, but with Digitiser I think you've succeeded admirably tbh. I never saw the Teletext mag back in the day, no idea how it passed me by but it did, so this is all new to me. As somebody who is nostalgic for 90's gaming culture though, when I saw Digitiser: The Show for the first time not only did I love it but I felt like this is precisely what's missing from the current climate. It was EXACTLY what I needed to see right now to be honest. I then checked out your other vids, and this site, and to be honest it's making me wish I'd followed the mag back then. I'll certainly be following what you do from here on anyway.

I guess my main point really is, maybe whether something is successful and worth doing shouldn't really be based so much on stats and view counts, but on the impact it's having on those who do see it. Your audience might grow slowly, but if they're impressed by what you're doing they're going to stick around at least, and spread the word, and hopefully some will sign up to your Patreon as well and make this more sustainable. I think from what I've seen from people's reactions, you're certainly building up that solid, dedicated audience. Far better to have 10,000 people loving what you do than 150,000 who feel they've just wasted 15 minutes of their life, and while the scene may be saturated Digitiser certainly stands out from all that as something pretty unique and special.

I'm sure others have and will say similar things but it's true. I've only been following Digitiser for a month and I know I'd miss it if it disappeared, you're giving people something nobody else is and I don't think too many content creators can honestly claim that. :)

Grant Honey

12/3/2019 12:38:11 pm

A look back at the barely-documented Acorn Archimedes gaming scene of the early ‘90s? Now somewhat accessible on modern technology (Raspberry Pi!) thanks to the ongoing efforts of Jon Abbot at jaspp.org.uk.

12/3/2019 12:39:07 pm

I wonder if the declining view count has something to do with the new google/facebook algorithms. To put my tinfoil hat on for a moment, I do feel the fake news panic that's been kicked up by the declining trad. media has led to established organs (matron) getting a huge, undeserved signal boost from the attention economy's gatekeepers, at the exepense of smaller, less privileged internet voices.The new media landscape looks more like the old media landscape with each passing year.

In any case I'm glad you're finding some sort of fulfilment from Digi Mr. B. I hope that remains the case for as long as you do it. It's your life and your time and you don't owe us anything, although what we do get is gratefully received.

Nick

12/3/2019 12:44:56 pm

It would be sad to see the written site take a backseat to the videos. I enjoy them immensely and they clearly take a lot of time and effort but I just don’t seem to connect in the same way. I check and read the website everyday, YouTube is for when I’ve got time.

Regardless of what I want I think you have the answer. This isn’t your job so you may as well enjoy it as much as possible. Go where the whimsical muse takes you.

Reversible Sedgewick

12/3/2019 02:23:02 pm

Thank you for a thought-provoking read.

But taking everything you’ve said into account, I would come down on the side of it *not* being a shoe. The cartridge slot is probably too slim for the average ankle, and the Reality Coprocessor chip wouldn’t offer adequate arch support.

Taucher

12/3/2019 02:32:46 pm

I exist in a bubble, retro gaming wise. I have a couple of friends who like to come around occasionally and crack open the old SNES/Gamecube etc but that's it - it's a solitary hobby. My collection is hidden in a large cupboard and big boxes in the attic like a grubby secret. I loved videogames as a kid but they weren't my over-riding passion - there was other stuff I did more often. I don't ever remember reading Digitiser on teletext, to my shame.

The Digitiser website is the only gaming website/blog I look at regularly. It speaks to me because it explores the absurd and the uncool as well as (occasionally) current issues. Retro gaming seems to obsess mainly over what is ultra rare and ultra expensive and I struggle to relate to all that. Digitiser has also expanded my horizons when it comes to videogames and I like that. It feels like it is written for people like me and no other site is.

Bruce Flagpole

12/3/2019 02:52:14 pm

So first up, I hope you carry on doing what you enjoy.

For me personally, I prefer the written stuff. This is mainly because my internet browsing is generally checking stuff when at work, or passing the time on my phone if out and about - neither of those are suited to watching videos. Also just generally, youtube just doesn't really fit for me as somewhere to go looking for entertainment. As such, your videos are about the only stuff I do watch on there, but even then I kind of have to remember and force myself to go watch them specifically...watching youtube for the sake of it is not something I ever find myself doing.
However even in saying that, I'm not always an avid reader of the site either. Generally I keep up, but a few busy days (or days off work) can easily see me not check the site or miss a few articles.

I find myself in a weird position of just being glad Digi still exists. It's the only thing I support on Patreon, and supported both the kickstarters. I'm not looking for a pat on the back, but I'm really not that fussed about the content being for me, so much as enjoying Mr B being able to do something he loves. I loved digi back in the teletext days, and I'm just happy to give a little back supporting someone who seems a genuinely decent person, having fun and trying to spread a bit of joy.

So yeah...as long as it's in the spirit of Digi, carry on doing what's most fun for you. Just remember to add 1 extra click/view to the figures, cos I've prob just not got around to reading/watching yet! :)

12/3/2019 04:41:12 pm

Thanks, Brucie. Much appreciated.

ChorltonWheelie

12/3/2019 04:40:47 pm

'Retro Gaming' was over way before you painted yourself into a corner.

It's been the same people, saying the same things about the same games with added back slapping that means nothing to those off us outside the circle.

I was absolutely delighted to see the return of Digitiser. The offbeat humour, the hilarious characters and especially the rude honesty applied to game reviews had been sorely missed. It was great to have that back. Even better to support and see Found Footage bring it all back to the table. Brilliant!

Then 'Retro' gets mentioned, they all turn up and I'm asked to find a fat lad in a loud shirt pretending to be sick funny....errrr, hmmmm, I tried to like it.

The fast pace and huge size of the modern games industry is crying out for caustic, irreverent and honest journalism. It's yours for the taking if you don't waste your talents.

Lummox60N

12/3/2019 06:21:45 pm

It almost seems like you and I, Mr. Biffo, took a hiatus at around the same time. You from Digitiser, me from having time for things like DIgitiser. And games. Pesky families.
It's worked out okay for me, because when I came back, Digitiser was here. And that made it all the more worthwhile.
The Digitiser Gang are really all I subscribe to on YouTube. And Barry Lewis, with his pesky cooking vids, but I sort of see him as a Digi-adjunct. Or a Step-tiser.
And as far as reading online gaming content, well, I've got time for Digitiser, and only delve into anything else if I'm Googling for a review...

People use media for stuff that suits them. I KNOW my children are confused by Digitiser...to the point that they're vaguely wary any time I serve them goujons...but they've grown up with fairly "vanilla" YouTubery for entertainment, vids that are little more than humourless showcases of gaming achievements...injecting absurdity only unsettles them.
It's probably a generational thing, but if you want to go chasing views it's safe to say you'd have to jettison everything that makes Digitiser so damned enjoyable for yourself and for us. Nobody wants that...because you revelling in what you're doing makes it all the more joyous for us that "consume your output".

Keep it up, anybody that's not watching/reading will learn the error of their ways, eventually.

Johnc

12/3/2019 06:59:20 pm

While reading the article something popped in to my head that is probably unrelated but I'll leave it here anyway...
Digitiser Teletext was funny, anarchic and anti-establishment. The website and show are funny and anarchic.
Perhaps what the Retro scene needs is someone to mock it - and that is the differentiator that you are missing.

12/3/2019 08:51:37 pm

That is quite an interesting point. A big part of what made classic Digitiser so great was the sense of subversiveness as it pushed the boundaries of both games journalism and the Teletext medium to see what it could get away with. It twisted the standard games magazine features like news, charts and cheats with absurd characters, and just generally did things to introduce madness and a little childish rudeness into the relatively dry world of Teletext.

Even though Teletext is gone, there's still a lot of scope for irreverence in and about the world of games journalism, which has only become more self-important since the days of Cyber-X and remains eternally mired in a questionable relationship with big publishers and advertisers. That said, I can absolutely understand why nobody really wants to prod too hard on those fronts after the stupid 2014 conflict that shall not be named, so perhaps subverting the conventions of Youtube retro gaming shows -or of Youtube itself- is an idea. The tricky part is to do it without starting the very drama that Biffo mentions in the article...

Nin

12/3/2019 08:59:11 pm

Ok so I've been meaning to say this for a while, and I didn't because I dislike criticising people I respect.
I think you need to consider your audience and that what "retro gaming" is to you and them are different things. I'll use myself as an example because I'm a good example of the problem you have.
I'm 36 and have been a gamer for 29 years (Jesus Christ!). I read Digitizer daily in the 90's and having a letter published on it was one of the highlights of my teenager years. I was thrilled when you came back, and yet Digitizer The Show didn't work for me. Why? Because it was TOO retro for me. I'm 36, way past my youth and a lot of the show was simply before my time.
There's a problem there. I dislike appealing to the lowest common denominator but it's also true that the further back you focus, the smaller your potential audience will be. It doesn't have to be Retro Digitizer when it could instead be Digitizer (with retro bits in it)

A. Gree

13/3/2019 04:03:03 am

Exactly the same for me, and I do wonder how many others. It felt like quite a lot of the gaming stuff in the show (and particularly the minis) was from before Digi's teletext era and just didn't really interest me or tickle my nostalgia bones.
I'm not saying I think the show should change it's focus, just relaying my experience.

13/3/2019 11:58:03 am

Can't concur with this. I'm only a year older and I felt like the "retro" angle of the show was exactly the sort of stuff I grew up with -- 8- and 16-bit computers and consoles, perhaps touching on a bit of PlayStation and N64 here and there.

Some of the 8-bit computer stuff might have been a little before Teletext Digi's time, but it remains relevant to people of a similar age; I was in secondary school by the time Digitiser was a thing, but I'd been gaming long before that.

Meatballs-me-branch-me-do

12/3/2019 09:22:15 pm

Hi Biffo,

I figured I'd chip in here: I love the writing. I love the style. It is very distinctive. Stuff like 'I cuss you bad" and "puffy jackets" and "boil my trotters" are part of my family's inside jokes. Changing that style would mean it would cease to be Digitiser in the same way. Is it that they find it dated or confusing? It does seem rooted in the 90s a bit, in the same way that I'm not sure some of the old Future mags' writing would work in quite the same way in 2019.

I am not a fan of video reviews or the majority of YouTube content in general. Most of it is awful. As a kid with a video camera, you quickly learned from your own review or from showing off to family how easy it was to get carried away when filming and not realize that it's way more fun cavorting in front of the lens than actually watching it again after.

I also reckon that, if I am actually in front of a device connect to the internet, I want to do something interactive with that connection, not sit passively and watch. My exceptions are for painstakingly researched reviews (like Squirrel reviewing simulators), documentaries (like the "Rise and fall of..." by GVMERS) and Game Grumps doing one-off retro games.

The main reason is that I find most Youtubers can't really convey what would be good writing or jokes well because they are terrible actors. Inside Xbox (or Outside Xbox or whatever they call themselves) have decent jokes but their delivery just makes you want to punch them in their smug faces.

It is disheartening that crap gets more views and I don't know why this is. I guess it's the same as clickbait, you provide a compelling enough title or screenshot (I'm sure I'm not the only one who had "Racist Mario" in their recommended videos for months, what a fucking awful animation that was) and idiots will click on it to learn absolutely zero of value. Getting into that recommended position and being compelling enough to get people to click is the other thing, and I totally feel the whole 'how the fuck do I make myself stand out from the morass of fools' feeling.

To answer your question, I don't think it's over. Retro can still be covered with new angles or insights. I think it should be expanded beyond 16-bit into 32 and 64 as much as possible. Heck, even the Wii and PS2's shovelware could be considered worthy if it is weird or awful enough.

13/3/2019 01:10:52 am

I should note that I banged this out in a hurry at work and didn’t make it clear enough that I am generally against videos anyway, for practically every purpose. I don’t want video walkthroughs be it for games, cooking, or changing the headlight bulbs in your car. I would rather read about it. I ride an underground train to work and that is when I read a lot of stuff... I am not someone who can enjoy a video in any way while standing up and being jostled around.

That Fat Sow was finally put on screen exempts Digi from this. Please don’t be discouraged, we’re here. You don’t have an agenda (you know the kind I mean), either, which makes you practically unique among sites about games.

James Walker

12/3/2019 11:43:38 pm

Pffffft, pull yourself together Biffo, YOU BIG GIRLS BLOUSE!!!

13/3/2019 08:59:08 am

Just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback. Too many of you to reply to individually, but it means a lot that Digitiser is so important to so many of you. It was job done, really, in terms of writing this article; I needed to sift through the inside of my head (as is generally the case when I write these sorts of reflective pieces, rather than looking for advice or whatever).

But I think I've figured it out,. Just getting it out there helps for me. Oddly, it all boils down to the extremely, and unrealistically, high bar the original Digi set. It's telling that I never felt any disappointment from Found Footage not being a viral sensation - I just enjoyed the process, and that it existed, because I had nothing in my own history to compare it to. Digitiser casts a long shadow, basically.

But that is all good... the key is just to continue doing stuff I enjoy, and that I'm proud of, and that feel true to me - be it videos, or written pieces. Neither are going anywhere anytime soon...

13/3/2019 09:38:19 am

HUZZAH!

13/3/2019 11:49:01 am

Glad this little exercise helped. Sometimes just getting stuff down on "paper" (whether or not you share it with others!) can be cathartic and help you to work out a few things in your head.

Good luck with whatever's next, I'll be here to enjoy it! :)

DEAN

13/3/2019 10:02:42 am

Very interesting read and enjoyed the comments too!

Paul, I think you're a wonderful writer - witty, intelligent and original!
I've gushed in the past about what an inspiration you've been to me and how I went from having zero interest in writing to wanting to get good. I've still a long way to go, but believe me, your influence has made a huge improvement in my ability as a wannabe writer of funnies.

Over the years I've followed you, I've also learned quite a bit about you - most notably how you abhor unsolicited advice!

Well....

Horsenburger and Gannon hold you back and reveal a little of the true you hiding behind the facade of Biffo - you're a clever bastard, I have no doubt of that, but those people don't drive you hard enough.

To date my favourite thing you've done remains Biffovision - it smacked of genius! You resented having producers interfering (or meddling with powers they couldn't possibly comprehend) but boy did that team get results. You see where I'm going?

13/3/2019 02:08:52 pm

I don't really see how Horsenburger holds me back, Dean. That's utterly baffling really that you'd suggest that. Steve helps me behind the camera, but he has no real creative involvement in the things I've worked with him on.

Nor Gannon for that matter. As I said in an interview recently... I feel he gets the best out of me on screen, and I love doing stuff with him, partly because he helps facilitate MY vision for things like Digitiser The Show.

And to say Biffovision was without interference is entirely wrong. Quite aside from it being a co-write with Mr Hairs, we did have a producer and director, and execs chipping in (admittedly, not as much as most shows I've worked on... but certainly it was there: in particular, I remember one tense stand-off on set between me and the producer... which ultimately I lost). I loved working with Hairs because - like Gannon - he brought the best out in me.

You know, I'm in my head and you're not, and I know I work best when I have a foil like that, be it on-screen, while writing, or behind the camera. See, that's the sort of unsolicited advice which does get my back up; when it makes uninformed assumptions about my creative process, or what I need or want.

If you want to see what I'm like without ANY input from others, well... that's Found Footage. It's pretty much Marmite for most - too long, too involved, too weird - but... well... I sort of love it.

13/3/2019 02:45:54 pm

They don't push you, and from admittedly what limited amount I've seen of what goes down, they just indulge you. I've named them not to shame them or in any way, you know.... but because I think they're both in a prime spot to do exactly that job. Look, I can tell you're not in good enough humour to indulge me on this so I'll make it succinct - some of your performances are poor - you even sound bored by words that you've written - you needed telling that, it was obvious, but nobody had the balls to?

I think I may have confused you - I think Biffovision was so good exactly because of outside interference, and I mean no disrespect by that.

Sorry if you took offence to my wild assumptions but please allow me a little credit here - I've been an avid reader and viewer of much of your work and a keen supporter too - now my assumptions may be wrong, you're right, but if I'm thinking those things then I'm thinking them for a reason, right?

13/3/2019 03:02:44 pm

You might be thinking them for all sorts of reasons, but I'm sorry... again, your woefully ill-informed take on it is completely wrong, Dean.

This isn't my job. I do it for fun, precisely because my day job is being "pushed" as you call it. It's a hobby, and I dunno what you do for fun (making a concerted effort to push my buttons in the comments, at my guess), but may I suggest you do whatever it is in a completely different way which is more aligned with my tastes, because currently you're doing it wrong?

And I might sound bored to you, but I'm not. I'm enjoying it. That's how I am, that's how I speak.

So, with the greatest respect, while I appreciate your support over the years... that doesn't give you the right to be so spectacularly rude, and therefore you can shove your condescending tone, yeah?

James walker

13/3/2019 11:43:35 pm

I loved found footage, I haven’t laughed so much in ages and also been genuinely fearful since I watched old French Lee Cooper ads when I was about six.

13/3/2019 04:02:25 pm

For fun? I love pissing off on holiday and I'm way over due one!!

Au revoir, mon ami.

14/3/2019 09:34:58 am

I don't like it when mummy and daddy fight.

14/3/2019 09:43:42 am

Nor does mummy.

14/3/2019 11:20:15 am

Very peculiar comments from Dean, is it a deliberate troll attempt or is he on glue :/

Richard Castro-Parker

14/3/2019 01:55:12 pm

Keep doing what you doing and I'll continue to support the crazy zany media train that is Digitiser. Do it your way and you'll be happy. You provide something that very few others provide fun and entertaining gaming info, retro or otherwise.

Don't just paper to the largest audience as you'll not be truly satisfied. Did what you do and the people will come with time.

I have been a fan of all that is digitise since teletext and I'm glad you've brought it's spirit up rotate on the interwebs 😍😉🤗😀

Moc, Moc, mocetty, moc.

14/3/2019 06:54:04 pm

Cheers, Richard (and everyone else, who said supportive things).

Dowser

14/3/2019 03:07:49 pm

It's funny you should say in the comments about what a long shadow old Digi casts because as I read this article I was thinking just how much higher the standard is of this website then the old Digi. One thing that the teletext captures have shown me is how crap some of the old Digi was and that I was only remembering the really great bits. Come on man a lot of it was dross. Your writing on here is impossible to compare with then. Maybe we don't help cos we hark on about the past all the time too. But I'm happy for you to insult your readership like me with new characters and new phrases any time you like. A bit like the old days eh...but just a bit.

14/3/2019 06:48:12 pm

Hah! Blimey. Don't hold back, eh? But yeah - I mean, obviously I think I'm a better writer now - I was 21 when I started on Digi, with no journalistic experience. But what I meant with the long shadow thing is that - for the Digi hardcore - I'm competing with people's memories, and the affection they had for something they grew up with. But aaaanyway.

Random Reviewer 45

14/3/2019 06:27:54 pm

The humour is the hook for me, always has been since I was a wee sprog reading Digi before school.I liked the way you used language in surprising, unruly ways to make a point, or simply to have fun. i still do. It's not something, I think, that translates easily from the written word into visual mediums.

Ultimately though, you should do the thing that makes you happy, because you're going to be the person doing it.

14/3/2019 06:53:30 pm

Yeah, I get it - I know that I developed a certain way of writing, and I'm still exploring how to make that work in a visual medium. I love trying to use editing in the same way I've used language.

Point is... I'm new at that, relatively speaking, still finding my way, and the end result probably isn't going to be exactly like written Digitiser, and nor is it when I'm on-screen with the team. The best I can offer you is always delivering something that is sincerely, and honestly, "me" in the way that Digitiser was.

I'd argue it took me at least a couple of years to get good at writing, back in the day, and I think I'm getting better with every video I'm putting out. Nothing happens fully-formed, alas.

But... as you say, I should be doing the thing I'm currently finding most fulfilling. And that's the point I was trying to make in the piece, really - that I'm aware of what you say, and what others say, but that - ultimately - I can't just stick to doing something because it's what others want me to do. Least of all, when I don't get paid a full-time wage for it.

Kensei

15/3/2019 10:44:44 am

I think if you want to pull big YouTube numbers the videos are probably too long. I know you've chopped up the videos a bit, but I think what YouTube is really good at is videos on a singke topic, topping out at about 10 minutes. I watxh crapload of those. Longer ones seem much more of a commitment, and while I do watch some I have to be super interested.

I know some other Gaming Youtubers do longer videos - Easy Allies have "Hall of Fame" videos lasting hours, but they've built an audience that's invested. If you could build an audience up with smaller videos, a whole 45 minute thing becomes more of an event.

If you do go to do more video, I hope you still do the straighter reviews / inpressions as well.

15/3/2019 11:15:39 am

Thank you... but I DON'T WANT ADVICE!!!!!! Especially given I've already made it clear that I've already come to this conclusion.

Hence: the shorter videos over the past three months.

Sean McErlean

18/3/2019 10:44:16 am

Sorry, I didn't mean to give advice. Mostly what I wanted was you to cater to my every need. I can guarantee an audience of 1 on Thursday evenings or while I'm on the loo.

David S

18/3/2019 10:09:13 pm

The world, let alone YouTube or the written word would be a shitter, lower common denominator, depressing and ultimately pointless place without Mr Biffo and Digitiser.

As we descend further into the modern bland world, devolving around us like a disintegrating swingball set what do else do we have to offset the suffocating depression?

Why you and your friends. Thank you.

Adam

6/4/2019 10:04:35 am

I wondered why more YouTube videos and fewer written articles had appeared recently.

My own viewpoint on the old "captive" audience is that I used to like everything about the old digitiser but now that I'm older (and more boring) I "get " it less. Still like about 80% of what I read though.

PS I'm doing my monthly catch up on articles now.

IS RETRO GAMING OVER?

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