Dark Days and Tech Goblins: SU&SD Newsletter #50

Quinns: You’re receiving this newsletter because  you donated to Shut Up & Sit Down this year, and I’ll tell you what  else- you are amazing. You’re absolutely tops!

Matt: And that’s a scientific FACT.

Quinns: Thanks to the generosity of people like  you, we’re very happy to announce that we were able to meet our funding  goal for 2020. That means our team gets to focus on making great stuff  for our audience for another six months *without* the anxiety of having  to make ends meet. It’s a position of enormous privilege, and we have no  intention of wasting it.

But a promise is a promise. To kick off, allow me to present an exclusive and quite long video for this month’s donors.

For years, my bookshelves have appeared in the background of my  videos, present yet blurry. Tantalising yet inscrutable. Apparently for  some people this was very annoying, so please, allow me to apologise  with a lengthy walkthrough of my shelves.

Click this link.

A lot of October for me this year was spent sharpening up the systems I  used for putting on the live-streaming elements of AwSHUX - which any of  you who watched along may have noticed wasn’t without hiccups (lawyer  up!!).Matt: You may not have seen as much of me on our  bread & butter YouTube stuff in the latter half of 2020, and that’s  because I’ve been a fairly busy bee behind the scenes! We’ve been  tremendously lucky in many regards this year - “Making Internet Videos”  is one of the few roles that hasn’t been horribly impacted this year,  but our beloved hobby (from a hobbyist’s perspective) has obviously been  dented in a fairly major way! I think over this year across the loose  chats we’ve had on podcasts and streams and live Q&As, you’ll have  heard the team rolling through each phase of grieving for the constant  physical gaming sessions that dotted our lives back in 2019: the initial  wave of excitement for digital alternatives soon giving way to a sludgy  malaise.I think more than anything the events of this year have been  strangest in the ways that quietly divide us: the scale of the city in  which I live and the personal circumstances of those close to me have  meant that I’ve had an incredibly quiet year, socially - and yet that  hasn’t necessarily been a requirement for everyone. We’ve talked about  this stuff a ton already, so I’ll leave it by simply saying it feels incredibly strange to see so many recent comments on YouTube asking when we’ll review the expansion for Twilight Imperium 4.So! Having been broadly scuppered by pesky lipid-coated fiends,  2020 has been an exhausting year of experimentation and adaption, wedged  between a delightfully unexpected slice of growth, in the form of the  talents of Tom and Ava: a big part of the start of 2021 for me will be  planning and carrying out a chunk of remote training - a tricky puzzle  when teaching the core elements of what we do, many of which I  essentially believe to be deeply physical skills. But gosh, live  streaming on Twitch this year has given me real skills when it comes to  solving horrible puzzles.

As a peek behind the Techno-Curtain, the world of live-streaming  offers only three routes: you either pay through the nose for  professional broadcast options, go with the horrendously jazzy presets  designed for teenagers keen to start streaming Fortnite, or dive into  the ocean of homebrew solutions that are cheap and fiddly but infinitely  malleable. As a team that prides itself on being the best at what we do  on a shoestring budget, option three was the only viable choice.

And at the end of that tunnel, I made some exciting discoveries:  Custom software called ‘Companion’ lets me use Elgato Stream Decks to  send instructions to multiple programs and devices at once, creating a  one-man-band television studio; OBS Ninja allows me to put Skype into the bin - creating a vast array of tweakable options for broadcasting and  capturing audio and video. The lightning-bolt realisation that After  Effects could be used to create and export images instead of Photoshop has created a beautiful baby of graphic design and coding, after I  finally cracked the perfect coded “expression” to correctly position and  resize whatever body of text I drop into each section of a template.  Then, using an After Effects plugin called CompsFromSpreadsheet (and  after learning a ton about using expressions in Google Sheets) I’m  effectively able to create vast amounts of visual assets & OBS  templates with a single spreadsheet and the click of a button. The road  to this destination has been hell, but I’ve effectively now created a  magical robot. The big question, though, is whether that’s useful for  what we do?

To be blunt, I have complicated feelings about having spent so much  time being a Tech Goblin in 2020 - I would much rather I’d been able to  play loads of board games and then film and edit fun videos about them.  I’m aware that the streams we do on Twitch - and even our weekend  blow-out for AwSHUX - are only engaged with by a fraction of our  audience. But I feel like this year has been all about fractions - all  about going the extra mile to provide extra for the few that really need  it, regardless of the context. This year and a chunk of the next have  been miserable and lonely for a whole lot of people, and even if we’ve  only got a few hundred people who find solace and warmth in our silly  online stream-stuff? That’s been enough of a drive for me to optimise  these systems and get things set up so we can reliably and sustainably keep  doing it alongside our everyday commitments. We’d love to run another  AwSHUX in the near future - so it’s all just been about seeing how much  we can do to make it so that doing so wouldn’t be an untenable energy  drain.

Sustainability is our big focus for 2021 - we want to create more  things for you to enjoy, but without putting any of the team at risk of  burning out. So just know going forwards that in the patches you see  less of me, there’s a good chance I’m quietly beavering away at setting  up the systems and shortcuts and training that we need to keep  everything else chugging along smoothly. Thanks to everyone who’s  supported us this year, written lovingly from the cave of a smelly tech  goblin.

And of course, for all my  fear and self deprecation, I’ve been doing this all my life. Earnestly  talking about the things I care about is what I do. Always has been.  Cinematography might be new to me, and pointing my mouth at a microphone  too. But I love the world of board games, I care about getting people  to play the best things out there, and all I want to do is see how  exciting and magical this world can be. Even in these dark times, I have  so much excitement and hope for the new year, and if the stars align,  I’ll be doing and learning and growing and you’ll all get to see me just  a little bit more. I hope you’re ready. I hope I’m ready.Pictured above: The cave that Matt lives in.Ava:  I’m writing this just after the solstice, spending a lot of time  thinking about the dark days, and the light that will hopefully crack  across the world in Spring. It’s a tough time, real tough, and it’s  strange to think how few pieces of cardboard I’ve actually physically  shifted across a table this year. We just recorded possibly the weirdest  game of the year podcast we could (it’ll be released as episode #125),  coming in the new year, and possibly already out-dated in its optimism.  It’s been a weird year, that makes sense.But honestly, I feel  so blessed. This year has seen me find my feet within Shut Up & Sit  Down. I was hired as a writer, and while it was scary putting my words  in front of a much larger audience than I’ve ever had before, I also  knew I’d put the hours in, and was GOOD at it.Quinns: Hell yes you are.Ava:  Aww. This year has also seen me recording podcasts and streams, things  I’ve had next to no practice in. I even recorded my first video segment,  slowly roasting myself on a fire as I took multiple takes even though  Matt only used the first take because it was always likely to be the  best. Next year I’m hopeful (assuming the world allows it) that I’ll be  putting even more entirely new strings on my bow. Keep it quiet, but I  might be able to start making videos next year, and it’s terrifying, but  also really hopeful. I’m going to be working for some of the most  expert, most kind, most supportive people out there, so hopefully  they’ll help me smash through my imposter syndrome and straight onto  your screens. Wish me luck, I might need a bit!

Tom: Weird! Year! Weird! Year!

Much like Ava eloquently describes above - this has been a year  where I’ve felt a fair share of hopelessness, despite literally being in  the best possible circumstances to weather the storm. The conditions of  this year kind of… gave me my job? The ability to make videos from home  under un-ideal circumstances certainly masked plenty of my  imperfections and allowed me to post without fear of criticism being too  scathing. I’ve gone from swimming in a post-uni pit of depressive  pointlessness STRAIGHT to literally ‘doing my dream job’. It’s  ridiculous. But it’s all packaged within the worst possible wrapping  paper? I’m squinting at all that’s lovely through a thick fog of ‘eugh’.

I think that’s because 2020 feels like a year where my anxieties  about literally everything in the world have reached a fever pitch. I  was listening to a podcast recently and this section spoke to how I’ve  felt for basically the entirety of this year:

‘I think most people think about [the world], and they think,  "Okay, at some point, something very bad is going to happen … And then  things might get really bad as a result of that." But I  think that that is a misunderstanding of the threat. Imagine that  you're in a van with a bunch of people, and you’re in the backseat  right? It's a 13 passenger van, most people are in the  backseat. One person has their hand on the steering wheel driving. You  are driving straight for a thousand foot cliff. It is extremely  dangerous. But things are going to get bad in the van long before you go off the cliff.’

This year has incredibly strong ‘back of the van’ energy! And I’m  increasingly looking back and forth between the news and my sleep  schedule and realising that all the optimism contained in our first  podcast of 2021 is going to evaporate on contact with air. We didn’t end  on a cliffhanger, waiting for the sequel - this is The Lord of The  Rings Special Anniversary Edition 7hr Cut + DVD Extras, Cast Interviews  and Behind The Scenes. LITERALLY NOTHING COULD BE WORSE THAN THAT?!?!

Pictured above: The van that Tom lives in.

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..Anyway. That’s my  doomspiral over. Those are all things I cannot control. Let’s talk about  things I can control, and am actually looking forward to next year...  things that, by extension, you all might be excited about too! Because a  little corner of joy is nice sometimes.

Firstly, I’m excited to plunge into a couple of exciting video  projects early next year. We’re certainly going to be getting the  wonderful Beyond The Sun on camera, as well as taking a look at Button  Shy’s range of wallet games in a review similar to that fever dream of a  video about Oink games. I’ve also got a google doc called ‘[REDACTED] review and research’ that now sprawls over 15 pages of various ideas,  jokes and articles. I’m excited for that one to materialise… sometime  never. I’m concerned it’s going to be… too weird...

The other big thing I’m jazzed about is that we’re switching to a  weekly podcast schedule - and I shall be fully taking over on the  editing and programming for that corner of the SUSDiverse. To that end,  ping me an email at tom@shutupandsitdown.com or a message on Twitter if you have any feedback about the recent edits and discussions on the  pod. I want to make it a truly special little present for everyone to  open each week!

Lastly - Thanks to everyone that’s been encouraging this year. I’ve  written enough in these newsletters about being anxious about all of  it, so to keep it simple; cheers. Thank you for donating, thank you for  being cool xx

What are we video games!  🎮

Matt: It’s never biased to say that Pip is perfect.  NEVER. My desire for cosy warmth this season has me dipping back into  familiar favourites. Destiny 2 is still a fabulous game, as is Slay The  Spire and Monster Train. I hit the level 25 difficulty cap in the latter  just the other day - there’s something I thought I’d never do when  first booting up that game.Ava: I got a new computer to replace my creaking  and unreliable beast, and I’ve been very slowly (with the limited time I  have in front of it where I’m not working) creeping through a long list  of games I should’ve played years ago. I’m finding Prey a little over the top in it’s little nods to System Shock, but that was  one of the games that got me into games, so I’m obviously all over the  tribute. It’s solid and good. That said, I’ve needed something to calm  myself down in between the nightmarish space monsters, so I’ve been  interspersing it with the meditative battenberg towns of Townscaper. It’s just a silly toy really, but if it isn’t the loveliest, gentle time, full of quiet wonder.I also want to name check Pip’s game, partly because Pip did some  writing, and partly because my friend Eli did the music, but mostly  because my word, there’s a moment near the beginning that nearly burst  my heart. A Monster’s Expedition (Through Puzzling Exhibitions) is one of the nicest, gentlest puzzle games I’ve played in yonks, and  there’s so many satisfyingly lovely details. And I could be showing my  bias, but the writing and music is perfect, actually perfect. And that’s  not bias, it’s just genuinely that good. Sorry.

What are we music!  🎵

Matt: It’s fab but that Karen O micro-bit always just  sends me to the Purple Mountains album, which always just sends me into a  spiral of SAD.Tom: Okay, I used to write massive AOTY lists that  I’d post on whatever social media I was frequenting at the time (and  there’s still a strong chance that I might compile one into a Twitter  thread) but I realised I’ve probably spoken about each one of my AOTYs  somewhere in the newsletter. I’ll save you the bore of doing that, and  instead just focus on a couple of latecomers that have improved my  midwinter mood.The True Story of Bananagun by, well, Bananagun, is a  bouncing, joyous carnival of a record - all clattering percussion and  horns aplenty. I really, really like the lead single ‘People Talk Too  Much’ - a few minutes of call-and-response vocals that dissolves into a  swirl of joyous, colourful berocca. On the opposite side of the  spectrum, I’ve been digging Yves Jarvis’ Sundry Rock Song Stock - a stellar record that maintains the experimental charm of his debut,  but condenses it down into a relatively tight run of tracks that’s  lilting, sweet and woozy. I normally try and ascribe seasons to music,  and I’ve no idea where this sits - out of a speaker it’s probably  late-summer, but in headphones it’s depth-of-winter? Versatile!Lastly, I’ve been totally in love with the latest from The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You.  There’s a lot here that initially had me recoiling; heady thematic  concerns that could tip from cheesy into cringey, strange interpolation  of lyrics from the late David Berman, a distinct focus on features over  plunderphonics, and...Rivers Cuomo? Yuck. HOWEVER, I think this record  is a genuine gem, and might be a contender for my ultimate AOTY? It’s so  earnest in its ‘message’ that it can’t be cringe, the features work so well, the album just flows… gosh. It might just be winter talking, but I love it.

What are we watching? 📺

Matt: I’ve been quite under the weather this month, and whenever I’m feeling  truly wiped out I increasingly just slump and binge on Anime? Again, I’m  as surprised as anyone that I turned out this way. I’ve been very much  enjoying the zippy-theatrics and OTT nastiness of Attack on Titan, a  show which will depict someone being eaten alive by a naked giant before  nonchalantly cutting to an interstitial sting that depicts a diagram of  a horse trailer.

Quinns: People might not know this, but while  English winters don’t get that cold (thanks, gulf stream!), our winters  *are* freakishly dark. We’re far enough from the equator that right now,  we get just 8 hours of light each day. It’s grim, and it’s a situation  that demands cosy TV.

For me, Ted Lasso has been a welcome bit of light in the darkness. In the same vein as  Schitt’s Creek or the U.S. remake of The Office, it’s a sitcom that  trades in hope and optimism, and seeing the American protagonist slowly  wear down the dour British characters with bottomless energy and  optimism is a delight. Did I mention that it’s very funny? It’s very  funny.

TV Gods, if you’re listening? Please grant us six seasons and a movie of Ted Lasso.

And to you, reading this? Thank you again for donating. If you ever  have any feedback about how the site is run, please don't hesitate to  reach out to our team using contact@shutupandsitdown.com.

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