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About Me: I knew at an early age that I wanted to make a career out of writing about games, and now I have. You'll find most of my stuff right here on HonestGamers, of course, but don't be surprised if my name pops up elsewhere. Living out my dream keeps me very busy, and I wouldn't have it any other way! |
TLDR; the site is chugging right along, but I am looking for ways to make things better still and I welcome your feedback.
It feels like a reasonable amount of time has passed since my last update on the State of the Site, so I figured I would go ahead and post another one tonight. I'll try to keep it brief, but as you know if you've been around the site for a long while that I tend to fail at that particular objective once I undertake it. Like... almost every time.
This post will discuss the site's current traffic levels, revenue, what that means at present and what I plan to do about it in the future. Some of this information isn't the sort of thing a site would share in public, but then, we're not a typical site.
Site Traffic
First up, let's talk traffic. I looked up results on Google Analytics, and here is how we did in April of this year:
* 12,743 unique users
* 17,833 sessions
Here are some general thoughts on why we write and who we write for...
Why do we write? Who do we write for? When should we listen to criticism and when should we ignore it?
The above three questions chase writers their whole lives, and the answers will almost certainly change over time and in different circumstances. I thought it was maybe worth addressing them here at HonestGamers, where we are a community of writers and gamers. Careful self-examination can help us to improve as writers.
Of course, a good rule with all writing is that no one can tell you exactly how to write. No one should even try. So this post isn't an attempt on my part to say "Write like this." Rather, it is a post intended to prompt thought specifically on the three questions I mentioned at the onset.
Google hopes to change the way people play games, but I say it's a little early to embrace that vision.
Today at the Game Developers Conference, Google revealed (some of) its plans for an entry into the console market, if you want to call it that. For some time now, rumors were reporting that Google would reveal a streaming console, and that's about what it did. Called "Stadia," the platform appears right now to be more virtual than physical. Its primary draw is that you'll be able to play games on a range of devices, from your phone to a weak laptop or desktop, using controllers that suit you or the new one Google unveiled.
A list of (currently) 34 games I'll use as a starting point while finishing my effort to collect physical 3DS releases that interest me.
Did you know that the 3DS is basically done at this point? The stream of releases has long since slowed to a trickle, and the only big retail release confirmed as definitely still coming to the platform this year is Persona Q2 in a few months.
I've been fortunate, in that I've mostly been able to buy the games I wanted for the system as they released, but there are always a few that slip through the cracks. I'm posting this list for my own personal reference, because it's easy to check as I'm out and about and potentially shopping for games, or if I want to go on a semi-organized buying spree on eBay or the like.
Here's my list:
01. Batman: Arkham Origins - Blackgate
02. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (obtained)
03. Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars
Game Freak, you (don't) got some 'splainin to do!
When I finished watching the Nintendo Direct that Nintendo broadcast on YouTube early yesterday morning, my first reaction most decidedly was not "Well, this will get a lot of folks up in arms!" I was too excited, a grin plastered across my dopey face. I couldn't remember when I had been more thrilled at the thought that in less than 10 months, I'll get to play a new Pokemon game.
Nintendo needs to show more respect for the games it lets you purchase.
I have no personal interest in getting a tattoo, for numerous reasons including the fact I am a wuss and hate needles, but I have occasionally wondered what image I might have printed on my body if I were to make an exception. I believe I've finally narrowed it down to a 1up mushroom or (just to be ironic and amuse myself) an invincibility star. You can see what those two things have in common: Nintendo. I'm a huge fan, and so this is probably the most "anti-Nintendo" post you'll ever see me write. But I have a reason.
I feel like it's time to update you all on what all I'm doing with my time, both on and off the site.
For the last month or so, I have been without regular work. This is a condition that was unexpected, but necessary, and I hope it will persist. That is, I hope it will persist on my terms.
For a year almost to the day, I was working as a cashier at Walmart. That job may have helped pay the rent, but it was detrimental to my health in ways I didn't even realize until finally the stress became too much and I had to quit one morning instead of starting my shift. Within days, several physical symptoms that I had been fighting cleared up or severely diminished, so that now I am feeling much healthier in general (though not without facing some lingering effects related to the stress).
Additional Articles:
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