Saturday, February 8, 2025

Colorado Plays

Playing in Colorado in all forms.

Journal

Hardcore Games Coming Back to the Channel Soon!

One of the many things I want to do in 2025 is get something going on the YouTube channel. After jockeying things around a bit, I might have come up with a way to bring the hardcore gaming back and stay consistent. After all, YouTube’s algorithm loves consistency.

That, and I’m pretty sure anyone who subscribed to the channel would love some new content. In 2024, we only live-streamed five times with no new videos. I bet subscribers probably forgot why they subscribed in the first place.

Nonetheless, that’s something we’re hoping to remedy this year.

CP YouTube Banner v1.0

Why Hardcore Gaming?

If any game has a hardcore setting, I’m going to play it. Mostly because I love the challenge, as in most cases, I can lose everything in the event my character dies. For a lot of games, it’ll also affect strategies while playing.

Methods you once employed to play may no longer be viable. Instead of being Gung Ho, you need to take it easy and assess the risks. Or, just grind everything out to be nearly a god by the time you face the first enemy.

Then, there’s the aspect of the viewer. Is someone sitting back watching in the hopes I live or can’t wait to see me die? I guess it depends on the game and the viewer. Either way, I find it exciting.

The Plan to Record, Edit, and Upload

Starting next week, the plan is to record an hour’s worth of gameplay and then chop it up into 20-minute intervals. As I’ll be using two, two-hour blocks of time throughout the week, I should be able to get all three episodes edited and uploaded for the following week.

It’ll be raw gameplay footage, so it shouldn’t take maybe five minutes to edit. It’s the rendering process that will slow me down some. I only have one computer, and while it’s rendering, I still need to work on other projects. So, I’ll try to make the editing coincide with a blog post or perhaps edit my next book so I’m not taking a lot of the processor.

Since I’ll be recording, editing, and uploading next week, the first episodes won’t be available until the first week of February. But, that means I’m also a week ahead, which will give me plenty of time to get things uploaded to YouTube.

If all goes well, and the recordings don’t crash, I should be able to get three videos up per week. Let’s just hope that it’s of playing games people want to root for in hardcore mode.

That’s probably one of the most difficult aspects of starting a gaming channel. Not everyone likes to watch or play the same games. And while most people flock to the latest battle royale, I’m not really a fan of the game type.

I prefer immersive games that have a strong story and a good flow. But, there are times when I don’t mind a bit of mindless violence. So, those games will probably suit better for live streaming, once I get the details hammered out for them.

What Games Will We Be Playing in Hardcore Mode?

Unfortunately, not a lot of folks here like to play hardcore mode. So, I’m not sure how many will join me. Still, I have quite a few that I wouldn’t mind playing.

Diablo 3
Although I have Diablo 4, it’s just not as engaging to me as Diablo 3. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I feel they wasted a perfectly good opportunity, especially from a storyline perspective. Anyway, I am a fan of playing Diablo 3 in hardcore mode, and perhaps I can finish the season.

Subnautica
I would like to beat Subnautica and Below Zero before the next game is released in Alpha this year. Subnautica is one of those games that gets my heart racing, mostly because I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to deep water and what lies beneath.

Minecraft
Even though I haven’t uploaded a new Minecraft video since June of 2022, the hardcore videos still get a view here and there. And it seems it drives more viewers overall than most of the other games I play.

Raft
Raft is one of those games that you can play at your leisure and relax after a rough day. It also has a hardcore mode that ramps up the difficulty exponentially with having to deal with two sharks instead of one.

Path of Exile
I’m still learning the game, but Path of Exile has been a great addition to my library. It’s similar to Diablo 3, but with one hell of a skill tree that lets you come up with a myriad of playstyles.

Valheim
Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of Valheim, and I just figured out that it has a hardcore mode. In this instance, it removes the map and makes the game far more difficult overall. It’s one that I am really looking forward to giving a try.

Of course, I’m always looking for more games to add. But for the time being, these are probably the ones I’ll play most in hardcore mode. But if you have another title you’d like to see me try out, leave a comment. I’ll take a look and see if it’s something I can work on.

Will There Be Anything Else on the Channel?

I wouldn’t mind adding more than just gameplay to the YouTube channel. The problem I’ll run into is a lack of time. Keep in mind that I’m also working on my writing channel, several blogs, writing for clients, and trying to get my next book published.

My time is quite limited.

Nonetheless, it would be fun to add a bit more to the channel throughout the year. I’m working on affording a writer to help me with blog content. And if that works out, it’ll free up a block of time that I can use for other video content.

Currently, I’m at the phase of building a channel where we throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. So, I won’t know for sure what videos will work better until we get quite a few published.

In the meantime, I’ll get playing some hardcore game modes and at least get those running on the channel again. In reality, I miss playing hardcore Minecraft Sky Factory 4.

Getting the Ball Rollin’

There’s no doubt that I have my work cut out for me. Between managing the blog and putting in effort to build up the YouTube channel, it’s going to be a busy year. But, it’s all for the greater good.

So, if you’re interested in rooting for my survival or demise, make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel. I’m looking to have some fun this year.

Now all I have to do is clean up the channel a bit and get things organized better. Currently, it’s kind of a haphazard mess.

Michael Brockbank
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Michael Brockbank

Michael developed ColoradoPlays to help various charities through his favorite pastime. Since then, the blog and Twitch channels have donated several hundred dollars to Extra Life, Geeks of Grandeur and Operation Supply Drop, to name a few.

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