PAX Unplugged, Weekend of Table Top Gaming

From December 6th to 8th, I was fortunate enough to attend PAX Unplugged. It’s a convention that is all about table top gaming, no video games what so ever. Anything dealing with trading card game, role play adventures including Dungeon’s and Dragons, table top board games and minatures, the possibilities are endless. This is definitely a different beast that what I’m used to with PAX East, but PAX Unplugged definitely is a huge convention with tons of things to do. At the end of it though, I oddly felt like I was home too.

The one thing I never realized is how big PAX Unplugged is. Essentially it uses up almost the whole Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The Expo Hall itself is huge, almost similar size to PAX East. One side of the Expo Hall has tons of booths including from major publishers including Game’s Workshop. There also tons of booths selling different games, tables, dice, and more. When you start moving to the other side you see more games to play and take part in, free to play areas, first looks. Honestly its alot of ground to cover which use the 1st day if you there all weekend to do recon. There were also other kinds of booths sprinkled in between including the awesome Cookie Brigade. There was even a dedicated station to painting a minature figure.

Other areas's of the Convention Center offered rooms dedicated for table top gaming. There was a huge room for Dungeons and Dragons, but also other rooms for other table top adventures. The DMs manning the stations were awesome, friendly, and ready to help you out if you had any questions. I do recommend per-registering games on the PAX Nav app to get a spot in because they go quickly.

There really isn’t any major food courts because Reading Market which is connected to the Convention Center I have to say is one of the main highlights. Multiple different food stalls from fresh bakery, Chinese, Japanese, Cajun, Caribbean, and more is offered there. While there were some food options within the Convention Center, Reading Market is such a life savor providing excellent food at a good price.

While at the Convention Center most of my time was managing the Press Room as an Enforcer. Honestly went by great, we had tons of awesome and friendly content creators that have so much passion and energy. You Think the Press Room everyone would be working hard on their content (which they do), but we all also hangout, relax, and just geek out together.

Honestly walking around the convention center seeing all the energy, passion, and geekdom flow. It really made me feel like I was a young teenager again with my Dad at a convention again. My only regret is I didn’t play enough games at the convention. There were so many different types of games there that it could take a week to get through everything. So its safe to say if your a table top gamer, there is literally something there for you. Of course I made a mistake by going to the Game’s Workshop booth thinking I could only spend $100 there. Yeh it was a nice thought but I walked away with a Space Marine Army Set (no regrets).

Overall this is my first PAX Unplugged and honestly, this is one of the best Table Top convention’s I’ve attended. It left such a great impression on me with so much variety available there. This was the first time I used FEDEX to ship stuff back home because it would of been difficult carrying all these games through the train I bought. The memories I made here were great and honestly next year I want to do more. Overall if your looking for a Table Top convention to attend, definitely checkout PAX Unplugged.

Conventions being Planned for 2025

Heyo everyone,

For 2025 this will be the first time I attend a convention internationally. While I am planning to attend PAX East and Anime Boston, I’m also looking into going to other conventions.

So far here are my plans,

  • PAX East

  • Anime Boston

  • Otakon (Possibly)

  • PAX Australia

  • PAX Unplugged

Starting next year want to attend one convention each year that I always wanted to attend. There are so many conventions out there in the US both Anime, Gaming, and more that I never got the chance to attend. Few examples are I would love to go to QuakeCon and attend that epic LAN Party. Others are conventions like Otakon (planning this year) and Katsucon, maybe even ColossalCon.

I will be recording my adventures every step of the way.

Updating the Website and More!

Heyo everyone,

I hadn’t updated the website in a hot second but that is going to change. I will be making regular posts in my blog section about things on my mind, upcoming events, and more.

I also recently came back from PAX Unplugged and will be making an article about my experiences there which overall, I had a great time.

But yeh want to say sorry for a very quiet website, but that will change starting now!

Planned Conventions for 2022

Heyo everyone,

Hoping everyone out there is having a good week, if not I hope this weekend gets better and we can all relax and have some fun. As such I have been going through my Convention Plans for 2022, they’ve been planned, revised, re-planned, etc. But overall I think I have a solid list.

Now due to a new job I just started this year I am only planning 2 major conventions while attending some smaller ones throughout. With that, here are my planned conventions.

  • PAX East | April 21st - 24th

  • RetroWorld Expo | August 27th - 28th

  • TwitchCon (San Diego) | October 7th - 9th

Now originally I was planning on attending both Anime Boston and Otakon, but due to new job I started working since last October, and the fact PAX East is a month before it I will not be attending it. I do however plan on attending it in 2023. Otakon was also another convention I heavily considered but ultimately I figured there is always next year. Overall I want to save some money and pay off my bills and debt, so I figured this year only going to 2 major conventions and smaller ones are the best course.

Now I will plan on recording ALOT of content during my convention trips moving forward to post on my YouTube Channel. I am also looking into upgrading my Camera Gear and setup. Which includes new Lens, attachments, a GoPro Hero 10, and more. I also plan on continuing my Cosplay Photography/Videography as well so there will be Cosplay Music Videos for both PAX East and TwitchCon. There will be other content included as well which I will talk about later on.

I have started to plan out my Convention Trips for next year, of course PAX East and Anime Boston I will be there. But I am also planning on attending Ohayocon again (which has been almost 7 years now since I last attended). Ohayocon has always been a home convention I enjoyed in the Winter when I lived in Ohio so I am excited to be back again. I also am considering going to Katsucon as well. We will see what happens out there.

A Year Reflecting 2020, 2021 Hopes and Plans

During the events of 2020 with the Worldwide Pandemic of COVID-19 effecting everything. So many things have happened during that year. From going through the death of my Step-Father, the hardships of retail during Pandemic, and more. Its definitely been a very stressful year for me. But I do look into the future of 2021 and beyond.

My Mental Health is what I very rarely talk about, for the most part I have been a very private person about it. None of my friends know the whole story of my stress which almost broke during 2020. My work life has been extremely stressful with my last job at the Casino to being let go and having to find another job. To only find it in retail being an Essential Worker in a Grocery Store. Working as a front-line worker dealing with so much shenanigans and bullshit from not only the customers, but also work shenanigans of trying to get through the day.

During that moment my family was dealing with a very serious medical issue of my Step-Father having Cancer. From 2019-2020 I slowly watched my Step-Father become worst and worst. Including having emergency surgery to cut off his legs to the knee’s for a last ditch effect to save him. During PAX EAST 2020 my Step-Father’s health and family stress was constantly in my mind. I wished I could of spent more time with him and getting to know him more. Because at the end of the day he started to become more of a Dad to me than my actual Biological Father. He would check up on me, ask me about my day, and more. Due to COVID I wasn’t allowed to see him much in the Hospital due to risk of exposure from anything since his Immune System was shot. Its almost been a year since his passing, I still have his Obituary saved on my Phone including the last message he left on my phone.

Now with 2021 already halfway into the year, things have been going up and down a lot. Work has been stressful lately but finally things seem to calm down more. I am still committed in growing my content for both YouTube and Twitch. I am going to commit to releasing 3-4 videos per week with a schedule setup to help keep the course. I’m also setting plans to attend PAX East Online for 2021 and attending RetroWorld Expo in November to showcase on my platforms. While I’m still an Essential Worker on the front-lines of Retail, I am going to take my health more seriously. I already got my COVID Vaccine shots with my Card filled out. I will slowly begin working out again and doing more walks around the neighborhood to enjoy the fresh air and sun.

2020 took alot from me and my Mental Health has been pushed to its limited. I just hope 2021 will finish off with a year of better memories and experience with more to come in the years to come.

Why I moved back to TwitchTV

Recently I have decided to move back to TwitchTV very suddenly, I have been streaming on Mixer since late August in 2019. While I met some really awesome people there including Streamers and others. I was getting tired and annoyed that in my opinion Mixer has been stagnating.

I decided to move to Mixer because I was getting annoyed that TwitchTV features and system were getting outdated and the community has been DRAMA central. Of course it didn’t help that rules were broken and enforcement on said rules were weak or really out there. I thought to myself Mixer seemed to be new and refreshing, a great community, good features, and new upcoming features to make it better. Plus Microsoft has signed up Ninja and Shroud from Twitch to the Platform. But after awhile, the honeymoon period ended and I realized MIxer was becoming the one that is stagnating.

My friend told me a saying “Competition Breeds Excellence.” TwitchTV was definitely feeling the heat with not only Mixer but also newcomer Facebook Gaming and YouTube re-organizing itself with its Gaming and Streaming options. Twitch finally updated and improved its features for its Creators, updated and enforce its rules more seriously, and all around seems to be heading in the right direction. Mixer on the other hand has not had the same push. The FTL Low Latency Streams which was an edge for the Platform is now a standard with every other platform. Also one annoying feature or lack-there-of is Clips. Now Clips on Mixer is still in BETA and only available to Mixer Partners. So everyone else have to use 3rd Party Sites or Software to capture their favorite moments to share them. Which is really annoying since Twitch had shown to make it simple and easy to use, and of course anyone can use it. Microsoft was pushing hard to get the Platform out there and did ALOT for it, but now it seems its not doing much with it at all.

Also another thing that I was hoping for is Mixer’s growth was going to be rapid and huge. But it’s still haven’t even seen that. While having popular Content Creators like Ninja and Shroud being on the platform and their communities coming along. It doesn’t mean its a continual growth. Mixer still only have a small slice of the Streaming Pie out there. While Twitch is over-saturated at times with Creators and Content, there is tons of content to consume atleast. For instance I am a Partner with the game Squad, on Twitch there are a variety of Streamers that stream the game both small time streamers to big name popular ones. But on Mixer, barely anyone else stream it other than myself and a handful of others. So its really hard to grow a community on a game that brings little interest on Mixer unlike Twitch where you have a better chance. Also StreamLabs did a showcase on data of how Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer were doing which Mixer still only had a small slice of the pie and the Data was showing things starting to taper off.

I know my leave on Mixer was sudden, especially since I just hit 100 Followers. But I should of waited more for Mixer to see the data on how the platform itself is growing. I should of also waited more to see how committed Microsoft was as well. Remember that Mixer used to specifically be a platform for Xbox One users but decided (and rightfully so) to be more multi-console/PC streaming site. But the Mixer app is still only available on Xbox One still and not the PS4. I just hope Mixer doesn’t go the way of the Zune.

Official Convention List of 2020

I hope the New Year is going well for everyone, as the year kicks off here is my Official List of planned Conventions I will be attending for the year.

I am keeping the list simple and small for a specific reason. One main reason is financial, it costs money to go to these conventions, it cost more to have tables there. I am happy to say I am making a return to PAX EAST and Anime Boston this year since I had to skip it last year. And of course making my return to the other conventions as well. While I cannot announce anything more of any other conventions this is about it for now. But who knows what the future holds!

Re-Cap of 2019, what an Interesting Year!

The new year is coming soon and this year has been one interesting year for this Panda. I have experienced a lot of great moments, but also made a lot of tough decisions and had problems too. But let’s go over this year and also see what the new year will hold.

                Now of course one of the biggest hurtles that this year brought, I’m not going to lie was my direction with my content. Throughout the year my content seemed to be changing constantly under the “Variety” banner. Being a Variety Content Creator for my platforms, there really wasn’t any games or specific areas I could base myself in. There is a saying out there, “Jack of all trades is a master of none.” After talking with my good friend TimeEnforcer Anubis from She’s Lost Control Media. He really put me into perspective. So, I have now decided I will go all in to Military Simulation titles since I already have a huge interest in them and already made good amount of content too. You will start seeing more and more Military Simulation Let’s Plays and videos on my YouTube Channel and streams on Mixer. I will still provide other side content including Conventions/Cosplays, VLOGs, Reactions, and more for YouTube. And on Mixer I will still do “The Daicon Show” Web Show and play other games here and there. For remainder of the year I will finish a couple of Let’s Plays I started so when the new year happens, I go all in on the Mil-Sims. And once I build myself up, I will look into other areas too, maybe Halo who knows.

                Another key thing that happened was my move from TwitchTV to Mixer. The move has been basically a long-time coming. I am still annoyed on how TwitchTV not only runs their website but also treat their Creators and the consistent drama happening on there. One of the things that annoyed me was how TwitchTV being THE most popular site for being a hub of gaming content streams seemed to be stagnating. How it appeared to me that the fact they were the biggest and so far in the lead that they didn’t have to do much to upgrade the site, have new features, and more. Now they updated their site and tools for not only viewers but content creators, after their competition like Facebook Gaming, YouTube, and Mixer was starting to rise up and have better features than them. Another reason why I left was how TwitchTV was blatantly protecting their Partners when they get into trouble. Yes, their Partners gain a lot of viewers and also make them a lot of money. But some Partners have not only caused a lot of drama and issues, but also breaking the rules (and some constantly breaking the same rules) which result either a very limited 1-3 days Ban or no punishment and left with a simple warning. While other streamers who did the same thing get longer bans for a first-time offence. It made many others and myself so frustrated that they protect their Partners and let them slide with A LOT of things and their smaller creators get thrown into the fire for first time offences they committed by accident/etc. Last reason of course is the drama, granted drama happens EVERYWHERE but TwitchTV has so much drama that a sub-reddit r/LivestreamFail and a website. Plus, the site was also getting really really saturated for a streamer like me was getting considerably harder to build up. When I moved to Mixer not only did their site worked great, but the community has been very welcoming. Granted its not as big as TwitchTV, but its growing and streamers on Twitch have been leaving the platform for others. I also made a decision to try to become a Mixer Partner by PAX East 2020, so I better get on it.

                Now conventions, I made a huge decision near the end of 2018 that I will opt to skip 2 major conventions for 2019 to help my financial situation. But also, this year has been interesting as I am becoming a Guest at conventions. PAX EAST and Anime Boston are 2 major conventions that I always attended every year and my top 2 favorite conventions to go. I made a lot of friends at both conventions and already have a great time. But my financial situation in the end of 2018 was horrible, I clearly needed to skip out on a few cons to help fix it. So, I decided to skip them to help stabilize and so far it worked. I do plan on attending PAX East and Anime Boston for 2020 which I will be rooming with friends instead of hosting my own room because its cheaper. I am going with bear minimum of funds which includes hotel room, food, and maybe 1 item I buy. Next year I am re-structuring on which conventions I attend. I plan on attending big conventions less and go to smaller and cheaper conventions. Which is why PAX EAST and Anime Boston will be really the only 2 big conventions I will attend for the year. But this year I have been invited Guest for both CTGamerCon and RetroWorldExpo. My hard work and passion for creating content is getting me recognition more and more and I felt a huge confidence and morale boost. The staff at those conventions have been great to work with and I had fun meeting fans, making content at the conventions, and more. I aim to climbing the ladder and who knows, which conventions next year I will be an invited Guest in.

                2019 has been a really interesting year for myself, not only for my content but also my personal life with a lot of Highs and Lows. I am very thankful for my community of fans that still enjoy my content and I hope my content will keep them happy for the years to come. I am also very thankful for my family, my friends, and of course my fans that not only support me but also believe in me. I am trying to do a few things in 2020 including setting up my Merchandise store as well as making a few key moves I cannot say right now. But overall thank you all so much for being there and supporting me.

 

Stay Geeky My Friends

The Costs of Being a Content Creator

                Being a Content Creator whether you’re a YouTuber creating Videos, a Streamer on TwitchTV/Mixer, and more. It can all come at a cost but not with your wallet. But with your Physical and Mental Health. It should not be ignored; you need to take care of yourself and prevent the burnout because it’s all too real.

                Being a Content Creator can be incredible demanding, it all depends how much you are dedicated and passionate for. Great Content requires passion and dedication for your craft, but it also takes a lot of time working on it. Let’s look at a Youtuber for example, they need to not only plan out what games they want to play, but also record, edit, render, upload, and then promote and market their content. That’s if everything goes to plan, sometimes you need to re-edit a video because of an editing mistake, re-render a video because it failed to render, maybe even throw out a record because it wasn’t up to your standards. There is a lot of things that can go wrong. Let’s look at a Streamer, they have to plan out what they want to play and figure out will this game get more potential viewers to their stream? Also, they have to ensure they’re overlays and alerts are working, their equipment including microphones and website is all set, and pray their Internet or PC decides to stop working. Sometimes they’re internet goes down and cannot stream, sometimes their PC is acting up, sometimes they make mistakes that will cost them hugely. People need to understand that A LOT can go wrong trying to maintain and achieve higher quality content.

                Let’s look at the Physical aspect of things, it can take A LOT of energy to record/stream content because of your Persona but also takes energy to editing, figuring things out, and more. People think that Streaming or Recording content can be easy, it’s not. People put in A LOT of energy making their streams and videos more enjoyable. People can be recording videos for content for 4-8hours per day and streamers can stream on average at least 4-8 hours per day. It’s honestly basically a full-time job at times. And its even worst because that are many Content Creators working full time jobs of 40 hours or more a week. So, when they create content its only adding more pressure and draining their system even more. I do admit I feel a little jealous when there are Content Creators out there that don’t work full-time, etc. because it means they can put more concentration and effort while those of us are trying to keep at it. And that’s just creating the content, there is still promoting and marketing their content. Which can be Social Media posts, attending local events, or going to Conventions to promote their Channels/Brands. Take time to relax the body, do Yoga, play a sport, get up and take a nice walk or jog. Make sure you get enough sleep each day, atleast 6 hours a day to help re-charge the body. Remember to keep hydrated and ensure you get enough Vitamins and nutrients each day to help keep your body going.

                Now something equally or even more important is Mental Health. I’m not going to lie Content Creating can be an incredibly stressful hobby/job to do. This passionate hobby/job that Content Creators have is a 2-Sided coin. You always see the glamour of the popular Content Creators, or the Rising Stars, etc. But you never see the costs of it, the pain we go through, the stress we endure, and the breakdowns we have. I’m not going to lie when I say I thought about out right stopping Content Creating because of the added stress in my life. I have seen my friends as Content Creators stopping it due to Drama effecting their Mental Health. The problem is that Content Creators need to take a break and slow down at times. People think streaming for 6-8 hours plus day after day or creating 2-3 videos on YouTube day after day is the only way to succeed and its not. Quality over quantity every time so people will make a lot of content stressing out to only find it didn’t do much to add. Listen, you need to have days off being a Content Creator, you need to take Vacations, if you need a Personal Day off take it. Your Mental Health is highly important and sadly there have been Content Creators doing a lot of things that self-harm themselves to coop with the issues.

                I think people wanting be Content Creators have this idea that they are destined for greatness, or they will achieve the status of the most popular creators. Content Creating is becoming incredibly populated with so many Creators out there, which means a lot more competition to go up against because at the end of the day there are those that are going to rise, those that stagnate, and those that won’t get anywhere. It’s the norm of being a Content Creator, not everyone is going to be successful like Markiplier or Pewdiepie on YouTube. Or Streamers like Ninja, Shroud, or Anne Munition. You have to keep yourself grounded so if your video didn’t get you the views you think it would get, or the stream didn’t get many viewers you won’t feel more worst than need be. This market is always changing, what’s the next big game going to be to showcase, what indie game is going to get a spotlight that you can ride in on, what content creators can I network with that will be a healthy friendship and relationship with content. More time and effort to put in for a gamble of success.

                People will always see the success of major Content Creators for YouTube videos and Streamers for TwitchTV/Mixer. But they don’t see the costs that it took to get them there. They don’t see the costs of physical/mental pain they endure every day to keep at it. Content Creators need to take things slow and pace themselves. They need to take time off for themselves with days off, take a week or two long plus vacation, etc. Its ok to take a break, there are many Content Creators out there including myself that need it. Its our life, we only get one shot at this so let’s make sure we don’t need to keep adding the stress in our lives even more.

ConnectiCon 2019: Return of the Panda

It has been a long time since I attended ConnectiCon. Back in 2015 I had the time of my life with ConnectiCon being a great Omni Convention. Whether you are a fan of Video Games, Anime, Comics, and more. ConnectiCon throughout the years has been a growing Convention within the state of Connecticut. Though the last few years that I decided not to attend, and have not been too well on ConnectiCon. But here in 2019 I see if the Convention is worth giving it another chance.

                The Convention itself has had its issues in the past, when there were no late-night offerings, removal of features at the Convention including on-site Dance, having off-site Gaming Area, stagnating attendee numbers, and more. Now with 2019 it seems the Convention is slowly fixing itself to be back on its feet as a viable convention to attend. The Convention seems to definitely be striving to fight back and retain its former glory.

                First off let’s go over what they did right. The Game Room itself is fantastic. Offering both Free-to-Play Gaming Stations, Tournament Area, but also variety of Japanese Arcade Machines. I was seriously impressed with their gaming options they offered. The Dealers Room and Artist Alley has been located in one area while the Guest Signings have been combined into the Gaming Area to help with crowds and flow. I help made the Dealers Room/Artist Alley less crowded and more manageable to go through while the Gaming Space’s Open areas definitely had a lot of breathing room. The Convention also had later offerings into the night, not as late like how it was before hand but it was something. The Panels are now going on until 11PM, while not the norm like other Conventions out there. It’s definitely an added effort. When the Convention goes into the night it means more content to checkout. The Cosplay Deathmatch is a key part of the Convention as it attracts many attendees to see who will win. The Table-Top Area is actually surprisingly not bad, I feel the size of the area it has is just right and trying to make it any bigger I would not recommend since this is an Omni Convention and not a Table-Top Convention. So, if they keep the size like that then I see no issues with the Table-Top/TGC area. There also was a healthy number of Photoshoots all throughout the Convention during all 3 days. I would also like to personally thank the Press Division for ConnectiCon, the staff there have been fantastic to work with and answered all my questions. They seriously deserve a medal, I had great views of them back in 2015 and in 2019 its still the same great view.

                Second let’s go over what I thought was weird, off, and bad. I felt the Connecticut Festival of Indie Games was tacked on as an afterthought. While there were booths available with variety of different Indie Devs from Video Games, Table-Top, and more. It felt really under-strengthen. There was a huge open area beside it of empty space. I do would love to see this portion fleshed out more with more Devs. Another thing was Panels, there were a variety of Panels to attend but some of the Panels didn’t feel like a good fit to the Convention. Also, the Panel Streams felt lack-luster too. Personally, I would just stream the Main Events on their YouTube Page. One thing that really stuck out this whole weekend was how empty the Convention felt. For 2019 there was about 11K that attended the Weekend, and compared to past years the attendance went down. Food Options for the Convention inside is also lack-luster. I highly recommend going to either the nearby Food Truck Festival or outside food options for cheaper and better-quality food. Another thing I need to point out is the cost of the badges. While cost of the badges for every convention has been getting higher but its usually matched by how much content the Convention has going for it. ConnectiCon price of the badge vs content is offers is not balanced enough to warrant price. If there is more content next year to warrant the price, then it will be a good fit.

ConnectiCon is slowly starting to retain its former glory. It’s doing things right in certain areas while in other areas it can still improve and grow. ConnectiCon still has other events similar to other Conventions like a Cosplay Masquerade, Cosplay Chess/Deathmatch, Panels, and more. One key issue that ConnectiCon faces is its competition. Within not only the State of Connecticut but also the whole New England area Conventions have been popping up, refining their craft, and growing in size. ConnectiCon needs to utilize and maximize its core identify as an Omni Convention. It doesn’t pertain to one area like Video Games or Anime, but with many areas in the Geek Fandom. One thing that I feel will hamper ConnectiCon’s efforts is its badge prices. Usually a badge’s price will reflect on Content available at a Convention. ConnectiCon like other conventions have been slowly raising their prices. But a recent announcement for 2020 is increase in price. A Weekend Pass will now be $91.99 w/t Service Charge. This makes it more expensive than Anime Boston, this makes it more expensive than PAX Unplugged, this makes almost as expensive as Otakon. The difference though is the size and attendees. All those other Conventions have a huge attendee install base and a lot of content to do at the conventions. Plus with 11K attendance for 2019, it clearly shows unbalance and lower attendance record from previous years.

                This year ConnectiCon definitely had an interesting impact on me. I can see this Convention is trying to fight back and retain its glory. With areas that have definitely been expanding for the better but still more areas they can fine-tune. It gives me more optimism to think maybe ConnectiCon can do it. But with how things are going in the Convention scene with other Conventions being competition and attendees starting to pick and choose more carefully now of what conventions to attend. ConnectiCon’s fight to stay in the scene is now being seen by all. Some rooting for its success, others rooting for its doom. I however plan on checking out ConnectiCon in 2020 again to give my final opinions and hope to return back as Press again.   

Seeing Content Creators come and go.

Being a Content Creator has both its ups and downs. I met some really great people along the way, had some great experiences, and keep rising more and more. But I often think about those who didn’t make it, my friends that stopped making content, Creators I’m a huge fan of but stopped, and more. I feel alone at times because it feels like there is no one else left. I make new friends, but at the same time I think about how long they will last. Content Creating is becoming a lot harder because so many creators are getting into it, only to have just as many if not more leave it too.

                I have been creating content for YouTube since 2007 with my older YouTube Accounts. One reason why I got into it was my passion for Gaming. Eventually I got inspired to get a DSLR Camera because of watching Cosplay Music Videos. I have seen YouTube changing throughout the years too with not only its UI and layout, but also its Ad Revenue Changes and Partnership Minimum Increases. I am extremely thankful for my fans and friends that cheered me on to keep creating content. Knowing that there are folks out there that enjoy my content helps me keep going. My YouTube Channel is currently 7 years old and already made over 1,000 videos for it.

                I have made tons of friends and had some amazing experiences including attending major Conventions, Expos, and Events. But it always saddens me that the friends I made that also make Content, at times eventually stop all together. One of my close IRL friends started a YouTube Channel, he had something going but eventually stopped when his potential and channel was ready to grow. Even with my other friends , I cheered them on hoping to arrive in the top together, but through various reasons whether be IRL stuff like work/school or Drama related issues on the Platform my friends just stopped because of it. I have seen channels go down because of Drama. Even now I made friends with some awesome Content Creators but I cannot shake the feeling on how long they will last. Granted some will last longer than others but I understand how hard this can be and seeing only little return with low views or follower count doesn’t help. The Burnout is all too true in this area. One of the main reasons why I started to do Cosplay Music Videos I got inspired by a YouTuber but he stopped it all and took down all his CMV’s. But I always cheer for other’s success and hope they make it out there and still keep their dedication and passion for as long as they can.

                Being a Content Creator has changed and it’s becoming harder and harder to keep up or keep content fresh. Back in the day I remember 480P Resolution for videos was the norm and having 720P/1080P Resolution was uncommon for YouTube. Now 1080P is the Norm while 2K/4K is uncommon, eventually that will be the norm. Creating Content is becoming more and more expensive if you want more quality. There is now even a market dedicated for Content Creators, Companies have definitely taken notice and starting to advertise their products to Creators like myself. You also have Channels that has a Full Team dedicated to making daily content similar to a TV Studio making content. So Content Creators have been getting together to create more quality/diverse content together. It’s hard for a Solo Creator to make as much Quality Content vs a Full Team. Even Partnerships are harder to obtain and keep. YouTube has been raising its minimum requirements for its Partnership. Also Ad Revenue wise for YouTube has been hurt since the “ADocalpyse” and Creators have been looking at more Platforms like TwitchTV or sites like Patreon to earn extra income. Plus with so many Creators out there it’s hard to create a Personality that isn’t copying another Popular One. Creating Content might seem easy looking in from the outside, but it’s totally a different story on the inside.

                It’s always a weird feeling seeing the group of Content Creators that started around my time get smaller and smaller. I have seen great success with others and extremely happy for them. But seeing so many stop for variety of reasons and most are completely understandable while the burnout is all too real and people looking to get into this need to understand it can be stressful and tiring. I hope to see more content creators having success and will help do my best to help them on their journey. But time will reveal all. Eventually I myself will stop eventually, I just hope I can keep the fire of my passion going for a long time and go out bright as ever.

New Partnerships and Looking into the Future

For those of you who haven’t already known I am now officially part of the Offworld Industries Creative Partner Program for Squad. I’ve been a huge fan of this early access game and originally one of the Kickstarter Backers as well. This Partnership will include more content aimed at Squad for both my YouTube Gaming video content as well as streams on TwitchTV/Mixer. I also like to give huge thanks to Offworld Industries for providing Keys of Squad for me to give out during my Memorial Day Charity for Stack-Up Organization. Which I am happy to say raised about $275 to help out the organization.

Squad - https://joinsquad.com/

Offworld Industries - https://www.offworldindustries.com/

I will also be looking into future partnerships and also potential sponsors throughout my Content Creator Career. I want to build more brigades to more Game Developers and Publishers but also other Content Creators as well. I look more for friendships, building bridges with friendships in mind builds a much stronger bond and sometimes you never know who your next best friend will be.

Tale of Two Resorts 

UPDATE: Post has been updated with newer information, links added, and more. Altered Reality Entertainment never had anything to do with ComiConn at Mohegan Sun, originally Big Fedora Marketing hosted the Convention at Mohegan Sun in 2015 and previously but trademark challenge happened. See updated blog post for more details.

                Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino are two Resorts sitting across the river from each other here in Connecticut. Both offer similar amenities, events, and more. Both Resorts have been always trying to one up each other whenever possible.But one of them offers more variety to the Geeks and Gamers than the other.

                Mohegan Sun first started offering Geeky/Gaming themed content with its Arena Events like the Star Wars Orchestra show back in 2010. Though recently there hasn’t been any new shows or Tours from major Content Creators, etc . Then in 2015 ComiConn was hosted at Mohegan, originally run by Big Fedora Marketing. Feedback from the event was mixed, though this was the first time the Resort hosted a Comic Con so adjustments and growing pains were going to happen. ComiConn had an interesting history throughout the years, Big Fedora Marketing originally started it back in 2012. Though through a trademark claim had to changed to TerrifiCon. After in 2015 ComiConn then became TerrifiCon, a 3-Day Comic Convention decided to be in its place. Run by a different company BIG FEDORA MARKETING, LLC., TerrifiCon eventually throughout the years started to become a premiere spot to attend to attend if you’re a geek, comic book collector, and gamer here in Connecticut. Also in 2017 Big Fedora Marketing also decided to start up CTGamerCon, a convention specifically targeting Gamers with a variety of games to play and tournaments, vendors to shop at, and more. Though the event is smaller than TerrifiCon and still growing in content it does have potential and is a solid place to socialize with other gamers.  Big Fedora Marketing and Mohegan Sun Casino has built a healthy relationship together teaming up to ensure an enjoyable experience, stay, and options for the gamers and geeks coming to these conventions. It really shows how Convention Organizations and Venue Organizations can communicate effectively together. Mohegan Sun also recently opened a new and bigger Convention Center to host bigger venue events which TerrifiCon utilized in 2018.

                Foxwoods Resort Casino started offering its own Geeky/Gaming themed content with its hosted shows and events. Back in 2014 Game Underground hosted a 3-Day Gaming Weekend offering Tournaments, Free to Play Stations, Vendor Stalls, and more. Sadly Game Underground never returned back to Foxwoods. In 2016 Foxwoods hosted “GameGrumps” Tour at one of its theaters (which was sold out) with success. Though from 2014 till now they haven’t had any more Geek/Gaming themed shows at it’s theaters. Foxwoods does host from time to time throughout the year “Kids Week.” A 3-4 Day Event including Video Games but more targeting families and video game options are limited. Recently in 2019 Compete4Ever currently hosts Madden Tournament Events. Though these events are very small and unlikely to gain any traction since it’s not part of a Major eSports Organization. As far as conventions go was non-existent until few years ago. In 2017 Altered Reality Entertainment made a deal with Foxwoods to have their Convention be hosted there called ComiConn. The first year that it was hosted in Foxwoods was very busy. The convention as only for 2-Days (Sat-Sun) and managed to max out the amount of people allowed in its Convention Center area. It would seem Foxwoods underestimated how many attendees would come to the event as the rooms were crammed packed. Though growing pains and adjustments had to happen it was the first time Foxwoods ever had a Comic Con. In 2018 ComiConn came back though as far as content for attendees and there was a clear attendee drop between 2017 and 2018. While families and other people commented on having a fun time at the event, the convention goers and veterans noted of lack of content and space for it. The venue at Foxwoods offered was too little and wasn’t much left to expand with to grow.  I myself felt that there wasn’t much really there to offer for the average Convention Goer, at best only for families. ComiConn has declared they are opting to skip 2019 in order to re-organize and better prepare for 2020. With Altered Reality Entertainment I did some research and noticed when they announced to skip this year all mention of Foxwoods Resorts Casino on their website and social media has been taken down. It makes me think that either contract expired and wished to not renew or something behinds the scenes didn’t work out between Foxwoods and Altered Reality.

                Both Resorts throughout the years have offered both gaming and geek events and shows it has become clear that at least in the state of Connecticut there is a sizeable community for both. There are also other Conventions hosted in Connecticut in Hartford area including ConnectiCon, Retro World Expo, and more. While Foxwoods did do decently well to start with GameGrumps Tour, Game Underground 3-Day Event, and ComiConn. Sadly we never saw any more shows targeting the Geeks and Gamers in its Theaters. Game Underground never came back and actually team up with CTGamerCon 2019 at Mohegan Sun. And ComiConn with its feedback of no sizeable content and a small venue space offering seems to be looking for another venue to be hosted at for 2020. Mohegan Sun on the other hand has shown promise, though lack of Tours and Shows recently in its Arena is a letdown. The fact that both TerrifiCon and CTGamerCon have been returning and gaining traction and growth shows good signs that both conventions are here to stay at Mohegan Sun. I always believed Competition breeds Excellence, having both Resorts offers similar Events and Conventions would only make things better for the geeks and gamers in this State and possibly even New England. Sadly seems like Foxwoods might be getting the KO Punch as Mohegan Sun continues its march forward. We will see what will happen in the next 5 years but for now, Mohegan Sun Casino has the spotlight. Not for lack of trying on Foxwoods part at least.

Path to being Official, Also More Plans

My path to potentially being a full-time Content Creator is taking another step forward. I have officially filed for a Business License as a Independent Entertainer but also took needed steps as well with that. With this I can now conduct business officially too.

I have plans to start doing a Limited Merchandise sale targeting for a Mid-Late Summer Launch. It will include custom made Morale Patch Designs with velcro backing. I will also plan for a limited T-Shirt design hopefully by Fall of 2019.

I am also going to introduce new Twitch Emotes and Subscriber Badges to my Twitch Channel as well. Ontop of that I am potentially looking into expanding in other streaming services like Mixer. As far as my YouTube channel is concerned it will be a steady video uploads thorough the week. I may look into streaming on that platform for exclusive events only.

As far as games go, I’ve been slowly collecting more and more PS3 titles. Recently I picked up a few more PS3 games including Sonic (2006) which my friends been asking me why. I also been adding more PS2 games to my collection too and slowly getting a few Wii titles. I will eventually plan on more PS3 games until I decided to stop collecting which will happen. With that I will ramp up my efforts for more PS2 titles to add and Wii. I will get some random N64 and Dreamcast titles here and there with some PS1 stuff. But right now priority is PS3.

First Guest Apperance at CTGamerCon 2019!

I am very happy to announce that I will be officially one of the Guests at CTGamerCon 2019. A Gaming Convention hosted at Mohegan Sun Casino via its Expo Center. The event will be from March 23rd - 24th and I will have a Table there to promote my content. The Convention has grown larger and larger and is becoming a hotspot for gamers not only in Connecticut but New England region.

I just want to say I am extremely thankful for not only my Family and Friends, but also to my fans and viewers of my content, and also for the folks over at CTGamerCon for this. This marks as the first time I am officially a Guest at a Convention. The time, effort, and sacrifices I put into my content over the past few years has definitely been costly. But its folks like you that have been enjoying my content. And every piece of content I make or do I put into it my full passion. I also like to give a HUGE shout out to She’s Lost Control Media, they are a Media/Consulting Company that helps out Artists and Content Creators.

As far as what to expect, I will have something planned for my table at the Convention. I will also be recording video content to be posted up on my YouTube Channel. And I might do a special stream of the event to my TwitchTV channel as well. Feel free to approach my table and say hi.

This marks for a great start of the year, let’s see what happens next!

Iyashikei Partnership Announcement

Now the big Announcement as many of you may already now know is the Partnership with Iyashikei. A website dedicated to the Otaku Fandom including Anime and Conventions.

What can you expect from this Partnership with Iyashikei?

The exclusive content can be found on both Iyashikei’s Website and Youtube Channel. The Podcast for NTR Radio I will be a Guest Host atleast once a month for the Podcast. This is definitely going to be a great opportunity for those who love and enjoy Otaku culture, or is just getting into it.

For those fearing that I will slow down my content on my Youtube Channel, TwitchTV Streams, and Website don’t worry. I will still create content geared towards Anime, Conventions, Cosplays, and more on my YouTube Channel.

Above all else, the new year is starting off with great promise.

Let’s see where the road will lead.

Content Changes for 2019

As 2018 comes to a close, 2019 aims to be even a bigger year for this Geeky Panda. With that there will be changes, new additions and updates to my Content on all Platforms.

TWITCHTV

First off I am very happy how far I’ve come for TwitchTV. When I started to get back into streaming, to the Content Creators I’ve met, the Fans that have been coming in, I am very happy with everything. Of course though Twitch is VERY HARD to get a foothold in now a days, especially since there can be a variety of Content Creators out there in a number of fields. The sad thing is that its still hard to search for Content Creators to see the kind of content you want, and it basically promotes who ever has the highest viewers will get more in the spotlight. With that I am modifying my schedule for only Thursday and Friday nights at 8PM / 2000HR EST. Reason being is I work a full time job and create content for my YouTube Channel. There will be Special Events as well for Twitch and including certain Saturday Night Streams as well throughout the new year.

I will also include building a better quality stream as far as better Overlays, Camera Options, and more.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

As I am very close to hitting my 3,000 Subscriber Goal for my YouTube Channel I am very happy how far I have come. I have been mixing in different kinds of games and content in the Gaming, Anime, Convention, and Geek worlds out there. There will be more different kinds of content in the coming future including but not limited to,

  • More Anime Figure Unboxings

  • More Let’s Plays where I finish the Game

  • More Personal VLOG videos

  • More Content Creator Collaberations

  • And More

With the 10 Month Major Convention Time Off I will still be going to conventions in FALL of 2019 and smaller conventions during that time. So you will still expect to see convention content. I will also go through my old video files to upload never before seen videos too.

DISCORD

My Discord Community has also been slowly growing. With that I have been editing and making changes to update the discord with new rules, new sections, and more.

MERCHANDISE

In 2019 I will plan on finally moving to merchandise sales for The Geeky Panda Brand. At first these will includes T-Shirts and other Clothing. I am hoping for a soft-launch in mid-late Spring with full launch in Summer Time. Though inventory will be limited it will be a start. I will also look into Pins as well.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT JANUARY 1st, 2019

There will be MAJOR Announcement on Jan 1st of next year. I cannot say the details now but the ball is definitely rolling and alot is going on behind the scenes.

10 Month Break from Major Conventions

Heyo Everyone,

First off I like to say I’m thankful for the experiences, the opportunities, and for the friends I’ve made during my trips to the conventions I have been to. As such I have been put in a position where I need to pay off my bills/debt more than attending any major conventions.

For the next 10 months atleast I will not be attending any major conventions and concentrate on paying off much needed bills and debt. I cannot ignore my financial situation any longer and I need to bunker down and pay off everything while saving up to move out by Fall of 2019. I will not be attending the 2 conventions I’ve always had a great time and expected me to attend which are PAX East and Anime Boston. I have created tons of content from those conventions, made tons of new friends, and had some pretty great experiences. I am not going to lie it will feel really weird not attending and I will miss everyone alot. But when you get older you have to see the bigger picture in life, so you need to be an Adult and do what you need first, than what you want.

I will be attending within the 10 month time 2 smaller conventions that are local. Both CTGAMERCON in March and TerrifiCon in August. The only reason why I am attending is they are not only local (VERY LOCAL for me) but also I acquire Media Badges for both. Expect my usual content but more for these conventions. As for ComiConn at Foxwoods I will not be attending it since its too small and doesn’t offer much for a Con Goer like myself.

As far as major conventions go as of right now the only thing planned for 2019 is Anime NYC. Had such a great experience there and it really impressed myself but also the folks at Iyashikei too.

I will be continuing to make content for Youtube and streaming on TwitchTV. I will also be doing Cosplay Photoshoots and Video Shoots too. Content will still come.

2018 Draws Closer to an End

With 2018 drawing ever closer, its always a good time to reflect on what has happened.

For the past few months I had a blast attending a variety of Conventions all throughout the year. This has to be the most I attended ever in 1 year's time. With PAX East always being a favorite of mine to attend, while Anime Boston is a great place to meet up with friends. There has been smaller conventions like ComiConn that seems to be getting alittle better but seems alot is against it since TerrifiCon was amazing and the Expo Center at Mohegan Sun Casino will guarantee they are here to stay.  Even then I have atleast 2 more conventions to attend, Retro World Expo which is next weekend shows great promise and it will be the first year I am sharing a booth with my good friend TimeEnforcer Anubis promoting our respective content. Also the last convention of the year will be AnimeNYC, a major Anime Convention that has great potential to be the biggest on the East Coast.

While conventions are always awesome to attend and make content for my YouTube Channel, my Youtube and Twitch channels have seem to be growing themselves. My YouTube channel is finally closing in on 3,000 Subscribers but has over 1.1 Million Total Views which is insane. I am glad that my hard work is paying off and my channel is growing. Twitch I also have started putting more and more effort into. I actually looked into other alternative Streaming sites but concluded that TwitchTV is the best way to promote/provide streaming content for. While my channel maybe small I will still keep moving forward. Plus I love interacting with other streamers on there helping each other out.

There is going to be more content coming out soon for both YouTube and TwitchTV, I have many ideas and content I want to put in place. I am seriously happy where I am at right now with both but I am always looking to refine, improve, and add to my content for people to watch and enjoy. Seriously, thank you for those who supported me, watched/enjoyed my content, and more.

You all are awesome wonderful people and when the chips are down, believe in the Panda that believes in YOU!

Website Launched, More Things To Come!

So now since I have officially launched the website, now I have more plans to add to the website and for both my Youtube Channel and Twitch Channel.

First off, the Website will be a HUB for most of my major content. How the website separates from my other channels are Written Reviews for Video Games, Anime, Conventions, and more. With these reviews they will be more varied from my YouTube Channel but also more detailed. This will also contain my Portfolio of my Photography and Videography content as well. I plan on adding more content to the site but I want to keep things simple for now.

As far as my Content Creating goes I recently picked up a new Gaming PC, the IBUYPOWER Tracer 941 model. Granted yes its a Pre-Built and $1700 later its one of the better High-End Machines I've seen. With this for the past week I was installing software, modifying and calibrating my settings for recording/streaming, and more. The new PC will let me do quality PC Gaming Content that I originally wanted to do for awhile. Plus I can stream more awesome PC games too. I also recently picked up a Xbox One X so now I own 2 of the 3 current-gen systems out there. This will help open up more doors as far as providing content goes.

There will be a up-do-date Twitch schedule to be release this week as well as looking into other Platforms to stream on including the possibility of Mixer. So expect regular streams again soon.

With this everything is finally coming into place and now I have the proper tools needed to kick some ass.