My 12th Year of Supporting Extra Life – What Can We Do in 2025?
It’s the beginning of the year and I’ve already set up the ColoradoPlays team for Extra Life. And even though I haven’t been able to donate much over the years, I’m still going to try my best to do what I can. I have a feeling that this year might be a bit different.
A big part of that is because I intend on rebuilding the blog, Twitch channel, and YouTube channel this year. It’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle, but things are looking good so far and I’m pretty excited to get back to it.
I know…I say that every year. But this time, I think the stars are aligned just right and I can get more done. So, let’s see where it goes, shall we?
What Are We Doing Different?
So, we have a tentative plan on how we’re going about 2025. The trouble we often have is that of time. We all work weird hours and sometimes things get put on the back burner.
This year, however, we are going to push to keep things afloat.
Rebuilding the Blog
One of the goals in 2025 is to fix up the blog. It’s actually part of a content experiment for WriterSanctuary.com. So, if I want to continue with the case study, I need to make sure the blog gets a regular flow of content.
Not to mention updating all of the old posts that are missing images or are obsolete.
This website donates 30% of whatever it makes directly to Extra Life each month. The more successful we can make it, the more money we can donate. In fact, it’s the primary reason why Colorado Plays exists.
In any case, I have plans for more content including reviews, more tutorials, and anything else that is relevant to gaming or playing in Colorado. Currently, the plan is to publish two new posts per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and perhaps a few extras here and there.
If I can get a few extra bucks set aside each month, I can pay a writer or two to contribute. But until a steady income stream is established, I don’t know when that will be. So, let’s cross our fingers for a productive year.
More Twitch Streaming
Ever since getting affiliate status on Twitch, we really haven’t streamed much on the platform. Between the myriad of controversies and having to compete with hot tub streamers during our time slot, it wasn’t worthwhile.
This year, we’re deciding to give it one more try. Twitch was a lot of fun back in the day, and I’d love to relive some of those fond memories. But I guess that really depends on what Amazon decides to do with it.
The nice part of this is that we’re now able to multistream to other platforms. That means I can build up the Twitch channel as well as the YouTube channel simultaneously. The hard part is getting anyone to watch us play.
Regardless, I’m going to see if I can at least keep the streaming hours above certain levels each week. So, probably on Sundays and Wednesdays.
More YouTube Streaming and Videos
Now that WriterSanctuary is monetized on YouTube, I can put more time into the same process for our Colorado Plays channel. And if we earn even half of what the writing channel does, we could easily increase how much we donate to Extra Life.
The hard part is gaining an audience in an already flooded market. I have a feeling it’s going to be more difficult to reach 4,000 hours of watch time on our YouTube channel than it was for the writing channel.
Of course, that all depends on the type of content and how often we can publish videos.
Regardless, it’s going to be fun putting time into the YouTube channel again. To be honest, I really miss playing Hardcore Minecraft Sky Factory. Plus, there are a few games coming up that we’d love to stream, such as the next Subnautica.
Charity Giveaways of My Books and Merch
One of my plans is to give the proceeds of some of my books and merch to Extra Life. At the moment, most of those will have to come from WriterSanctuary. I already have the books and merch planned over there.
I am an author and am wrapping up the finishing touches of my next novel. I also have the second book in my dark fantasy series nearing completion. With all of the books I have planned to publish this year, I should make a few bucks to give to the charity.
I would love to have the cover of my book, Kingmaker, on a throw blanket. I just need to alter the image to make it fit on something so large.
Anyway, having the other brand monetized might help me generate a few extra bucks this year. So, I’m going to spend some time figuring out the logistics behind doing that.
Are We Actually Playing on Game Day?
Last year, we weren’t able to play on Game Day for Extra Life. There was just too much going on at the same time and no one could get the same days off. This year, I’ll be live on Game Day even if I’m streaming it by myself.
It felt weird not participating in November. It was the only year that I missed since joining Extra Life 12 years ago.
I just hope we can all get it off at the same time. My schedule is highly flexible; it’s everyone else who had a problem clearing the weekend this last time around.
This time, it’ll happen.
Let’s See What We Can Generate for Extra Life
I definitely have my work cut out for me. I’m relatively certain that I’ll be able to afford to hire a writer for a few articles each week, but we’ll have to see how everything else unfolds. It’ll mostly come down to time management and keeping things on track throughout the year.
In any case, the goal for Colorado Plays in 2025 is to hit $1000 donated to Extra Life. Now, we just have to implement a few plans to get the ball rolling.
It’s going to be an interesting year…on a lot of levels.
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