Jeremy McLean's Blog, page 2

Why I Feel Mobile Games Are Big Right Now

Mobile games are becoming bigger and bigger everyday. Just looking at some of the games out these days like Candy Crush and Fruit Ninja will show you that a lot of people play these games, and a lot of people pay for things in these games.

Phones are everywhere, and I feel that that is a big factor into why Mobile Games are so prevalent, but it's not the only big factor.

No one has time for games anymore, and mobile games are easy to pick up and put down.

When I was younger, I had tons of time for video games. I was a smart kid, so even though I didn't study my grades were excellent (at least up until high school) and so I mostly let homework and studying fall by the wayside and played video games instead.

I did go out biking with friends and such too, I was more active back then, but I also devoted a lot of time to video games.

The average age of video gamers today is 31. I just turned 28, which is not far off. Those of us who consider ourselves gamers, we were the ones who grew up with them, and probably devoted just as much time as I did into them.

Now, however, we have jobs, responsibilities, and some have kids (not me). There just isn't enough time in the day to devote to gaming, at least not as much as back then.

These dinky little mobile games may not have the depth of some other games out now, but they can satisfy that need. And they're so easy to pick up and put down that you can play them anytime. On a commute, while waiting for a meeting, etc.

The young people grew older and wanted something like back then, but more distilled and less time consuming.

Of course there is still room for those longer games, but those are probably bought less frequently.

That might also be the reason why some people like to watch other people play video games on youtube. It's a distilled, concentrated version of the game which you can watch at your leisure. It's not the same as playing it, sure, but because of the youtube personality playing it, you might get a few laughs during each video as well.

But what do I know? I don't play those dinky little mobile games anyway.

Villains Shouldn't Think They're Evil

I've been re-watching a cartoon and noticed that some of the villains in it acted in an odd way. I know a cartoon isn't probably the best benchmark for characterization, but it holds true to fiction as well.

In the cartoon, a villain states that he's pure evil, which struck me as odd. Real people, no matter what line they sit on, think that they're evil.

I know it's been said before, but oftentimes it's an odd thing to think about your villains goal and characterization. Too often we see fiction with villains that defy logic and though they appear intelligent they are considered to be pure evil/the ultimate evil. What comes to mind for me are epic fantasy novels like The Lord of the Rings, and The Song of Ice and Fire (better known as the show Game of Thrones).

Evil people don't think that they're evil, or wrong, they believe that they're right and that they're on the side of justice.

Just look at Donald Trump.

In order to create a good villain, I feel that one needs to create a hero. Someone who stands for a specific code, and maybe at the point you are in the story he's actually won his battle and is now in charge. Since becoming in charge, maybe he's become a little more strict with his rules, or maybe he feels that another cause needs his attention, which affects your hero.

Making a hero out of your villain should also help in making a better conflict for your hero, even before they meet the villain. Maybe the villain stands for a particular code, which means you have to think about the pros and cons of such a code and why the villain and hero are on their respective side. Maybe the villain had to make some concessions to his code in order for something to work, and your hero doesn't feel that should have happened.

The conflict can come even before the villain is met as the hero can also be challenged on his beliefs with these pros and cons. Maybe the hero didn't think his plan through and doesn't realize the consequences should the "villain" be deposed.

Make a better villain, make a better hero, make a better story. (Now I just need to follow my own advice)

Kim Davis Isn't Christian and Might Cause Another Civil War

Everything that can be said about Kim Davis already has been and more eloquently and by far better people than I. I'll also state for the record that while I'm no longer a religious person, I grew up with Christian parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their station and how they grew up.

Let's just go with the thought that God does give authority for people to do certain actions based on the bible for the purposes of this argument. Let's say that that is the case. Even if that were the case, Kim Davis would still be wrong because nowhere in the bible does it state thou shall not issue marriage licenses to homosexuals.

However, it does say to follow the laws and submit to governing authorities. Romans 13.

It does say not to judge other people, as that's not for humans to do. Matthew 7.

It does say to love your neighbour. Mark 12:31.

Kim Davis doesn't love nor respect her neighbours and she certainly judges them as she's judging what they're doing and refusing to do something that doesn't even affect her. If she's not doing it because she feels that God would look down on her specifically for issuing those marriage licenses she doesn't know the bible as it specifically states for her to do her job and follow the court's order.

And now, because of this inadequacy for people to actually read the bible, a rouge militant organization is protecting Kim Davis, threatening the judge who ordered her to do her job, and rallied a whole town into near riotous proportions.

All because a marginalized set of people want to have the same basic rights and freedoms that other people have.

And they dare to say that what's happening to Kim Davis is un-constitutional.

The 14th amendment states that all people will have equal protection of the laws. This is coming from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/equal_protection: "In other words, the laws of a state must treat an individual in the same manner as others in similar conditions and circumstances. A violation would occur, for example, if a state prohibited an individual from entering into an employment contract because he or she was a member of a particular race."

The only reason why any would still continue this path and agree with what Kim Davis is doing against all these facts is because of bigotry and hatred. But why does it even matter what I'm saying right now? According to my own blog post, I'm just saying this so others will agree with me on how foolish it is. I can't be wanting to change people's minds, because studies show that even when presented with facts, people will still not change their minds.

The Gravitation of Negativity - (Nicole Arbour)

If you haven't seen it, there's a video recently from a woman called Nicole Arbour called "Dear Fat People." Here's the summary: She first states that there is no such thing as fat shaming, then proceeds to shame fat people in an unfunny rant which seemed to channel the style of much more funny people than her like Jenna Marbles, a youtuber.

It exploded on the internet, and from what I could see it was mainly negative, but I'm sure there was more than a fair share of people defending her.

We seem to gravitate towards videos like this, whether we agree with them or not. Negativity breeds more interest than positivity. Don't get me wrong, there have been some great positive movements, but nothing gains traction as powerfully or as quickly as someone being negative.

I can see two main reasons for this, and it goes back to whether you agree or disagree with the statement in the message. You either like it when someone speaks their mind and has the same opinion as you and you want to share that, or you disagree with the opinion and want to share why the person is wrong.

But you know what? Generally, the side that disagrees (being negative) is far more vocal than the side that agrees. The video probably would have gotten nowhere if it wasn't shared, tweeted about, and blogged about like I'm doing right now.

I don't pretend to think that this blog is anything but small time, but if you didn't see the video, did you go watch it when I mentioned it? I know when I heard about it I went and watched it. I didn't see the original video because I randomly found it on my own somehow, it was talked about by a youtuber I listen to on a regular basis.

It's the same reason why we're more likely to tell everyone about bad service we had, even if it was only minor, and we'll only tell people about good service when it's amazing: negativity hits us deeper than positivity.

We focus on negativity and it gnaws at us (at least with most people) and it leaves an impression upon us that we just can't shake. When something or someone upsets us, we need to tell other people so we can move on (even though studies show it doesn't work). We want people to agree with us and tell us we're right and that the other person is wrong, or that the service is indeed bad.

In some cases, sharing the bad is the right thing to do. Customers are less likely to go to a restaurant or purchase a product if they've heard about bad service. But, when we're discussing a video on the internet, something easily accessible that doesn't cost money, watching doesn't harm us in any way. When someone tells about this horrible video they saw it piques our curiosity the same as clickbait (which we talked about in a previous blogpost you can read by clicking here). We need to see the rest of the story for context and because we need to finish the puzzle that's going on.

We feed the negativity by talking about it, giving it another ear to spout it's hate into, and maybe even giving it another person to support it. Don't feed negativity. Share positivity.

In positive news today, Nicole Arbour, the horrible person who made the video "Dear Fat People" was fired from a gig recently because of her video. You can read more about it here: http://jezebel.com/nicole-arbour-fired-from-gig-after-posting-dear-fat-peo-1729973551

Machinima v. FTC (Deceptive Advertising)

Recently Machinima, a company that specializes in video game content with channels on youtube and the like, settled a dispute with the FTC over deceptive advertising.

Machinima offered youtubers extra money to post videos on the Xbox One, with two stipulations, one was that the videos had to be positive (not a big deal for a paid promotion) the other being that the promotion could not be disclosed (i.e. that the video wouldn't state that it was sponsored by Microsoft.

It was found that Microsoft did their due diligence in stating the terms of the agreement with Machinima and that it was Machinima transferring that agreement to the youtube partners which dropped the ball and told them not to post that it was a paid advertisement.

The obvious answer as to why this was not done is probably obvious, Machinima wanted more deals like this in the future with microsoft, and sought to make the ads better by not mentioning that they were ads.

This is really the only explanation I can logically see, as this happened in 2014, and Machinima has been around and making youtube videos for a very long time. They know the rules, they know the ins and outs of proper practices, and they ignored them.

The thing that they would have known is that when advertising something, you need to disclose that you're being paid to promote the product. You also need to disclose it even if you were brought to an event by a company.

It's interesting when people commit crimes. Some I'm sure just never think about the punishment, and commit the crime in a fit of passion or desperation, others expect to be caught, and act as such by hiding or turning themselves in, and then others simply think they'll never be caught.

I don't get it, but at least these examples could help me out in making sure I avoid these situations if I want to make it as a youtuber in the future.

The Fascination With Sports

I'm not a sports person. The only thing I've watched sports related are UFC and "based on a true story" sports movies. I do find our cultures obsession with sports interesting though, especially to the exclusion of other decidedly more important endeavors.

I remember an interesting episode of Sliders, a sci-fi show where the main characters are stuck in travelling across dimensions to try and find their way back to their universe, where they went to a planet that valued those in the scientific community like we do athletes.

It was an interesting look at what our world could have been like, sort of. As with anything, oftentimes the idea is better than the execution. In the episode the athletes were still athletes, they were just also really smart. So you have jocks with high IQs playing a game of jeopardy and basketball at the same time. (If I was doing the show I would have made it more controversial and had it be doctors doing simultaneous operations complete with scorekeepers and everything, and if the patient died then it's an automatic loss for that team.)

Maybe we'll have something like that in a few hundred years, as we are starting to value intelligence over brawn. It's not quite there yet though, and it's evident by how much athletes get paid.

I think the reason why we're so fascinated by sports is all due to biology/ the way we perceive things. We got to where we are now by brutality, our bodies honed for strength and combat. The obvious comparison is that sports is like the new combat. We test ourselves against our rivals for fun, and we watch our teams fight other teams our of loyalty and comradery, as if the team was on our side as well and this was a battle over countries and not imaginary points.

I think the other side of it is that we enjoy seeing someone in peak physical condition playing a sport at the highest level, and thus live vicariously through that someone. That might be why we gravitate towards certain players over others, and sometimes not necessarily the best players even. We see ourselves in the arena, we feel the rush like we were right there, and when our player wins we feel genuine elation as endorphins flood our systems.

This might be why when I watch UFC I find myself clenching my fist and jerking my hand with the punches, or slightly moving when a punch is thrown.

When it comes down to it, it's all entertainment. We enjoy something because we want to lose ourselves in the action. There's lots of movement in sports, lots of pretty lights to take your attention away from everything else, and even when it's over, it's only a few days before the next game.

Jeremy and Heather's BBQ Chicken Recipe

I know what you're thinking, "Jeremy, this is a blog about writing and business, why are you posting a recipe? This isn't what I came here for." Well, first off, watch the tone mister. This is my blog, and I can do what I want. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to tell you how to cook some delicious BBQ chicken that doesn't require any cooking skills thank you very much.

Ingredients:1 Chicken Breast - Sliced1/2 Onion - Sliced1 Green Pepper - Sliced5-15 Cherry Tomatoes - QuarteredPC Smokin' Stampede Tequila Habanero Barbecue Sauce (If you don't have this, get it as it's awesome. Otherwise, I don't know what to tell you... You're at the wrong BBQ Chicken Recipe son.)Sriracha Sauce1-2 Tablespoons of Oil1 cup of RiceDirections:
First, cut the chicken breast into slices in the size you want, as well as the vegetables. I generally like them thicker, as it gives a nice crunch and retains the state of the of the vegetable while still absorbing some of the sauce.
Put your rice on according to the directions so that it will be ready for when everything else is done. Put the oil in the pan so that it's coated and put the chicken in to cook. Once all sides of the chicken have an even color on it, but aren't browned, toss in the vegetables. Pour the PC BBQ sauce over the vegetables and chicken and stir it with a utensil until the sauce has mixed with the oil and coated the food evenly. Be generous and don't worry, the BBQ sauce isn't that hot, so it's not going to be bad having that much. Next, do the same with the Sriracha sauce to taste, as the Sriracha is hot. This is just to add a little kick, so put however much you feel you would enjoy for hotness.
If you've done this correctly, and you have a standard size pan, it should almost look like the sauce is boiling the food when it bubbles. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, checking that the chicken is cooked at 10. Once the chicken is done it's all ready.
Heather likes to put the rice on a plate, then the food overtop the rice so the rice soaks the sauce, I like the rice on the side but I do eat it together. Choose either for your preference and enjoy.

You're right, this recipe is very vague. Maybe I should stick with writing about writing and business.

TOO MANY ZOMBIES! (COPYCATS)

I'M NOT THAT INTO HORROR FIL... whoops, caps lock was on.
So, Walking Dead was a big hit wasn't it? Now what do we have?


There are so many zombie movies, television shows, and video games that the market is positively saturated with them. Sure there were always a few zombie movies and games regularly available to provide for the demographic that enjoyed them, but now it's just crazy.
It makes me wonder just why people try to cash in on that fame with their own brand of zombie nonsense. It'll never get as big as the hit, even if it's technically better. The only way something can make a dent in the market share of a popular product is with loads of cash and loads of time. Movies generally don't have a lot of time or money, same with tv, and same with video games. The only copycats which I can think of that's garnered a lot of the market is android phones vs iphones. Even then, some of that is due to the fact that android is shared by many different phone manufacturers, which probably mitigated some of the costs to google.
There was an interesting report by steamspy, a video game reporting service, searched through the data of different gamers, and essentially it found that most gamers who were considered "hardcore" (i.e. played certain types of games a lot) tended to play a few main games, but didn't branch out to other similar titles. This meant that despite the marketing of video games to that specific crowd, it really did no good as the player stuck to what the knew and liked rather than switching.
There's a nice video from the youtube series called "The Know" which talks about it in more depth here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IEAbxWDMJA
We can probably draw a parallel to other things like this, such as zombie television shows. (I would say movies have it easier, as they aren't as big of a time commitment, so people would be more open to them than tv shows). Those who love the Walking Dead aren't probably going to watch or like an alternate series as much as the Walking Dead simply because they're biased to a particular style.
Notice, please, that I'm talking about people who love the Walking Dead, and I mean love it.
Those who watch the Walking Dead occasionally, say someone who doesn't binge watch it on Netflix, is probably more likely to give another show a chance, and might even like it more because it gives them something that the Walking Dead didn't.
It might (I stress the might aspect as I'm not a marketing person by any means) be smarter to market to those who know nothing about the Walking Dead, and show them what makes the show different than the Walking Dead to appeal to a different demographic.
Let's take iZombie for instance. Unfortunately, I haven't watched it (I'm a Walking Dead fan, go figure) but it looks like a comedic take on the zombie trope. This is a refreshing and stark difference from the Walking Dead's depressing and graphic version, and might attract those who enjoy zombie flicks but don't like the gore and violence.
I don't know how iZombie marketed their tv show, but it seems to be doing well.
There are too many copycats that market to the same demographic they are copying, and it just doesn't ever work the same. An example of this would be the Wii and PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. When the Wii first was announced it was laughed at, then after it came out and was a hit with the older and younger crowd, going on to sell well ahead of it's competitors, the other guys had to make their own version. They stunk, nobody liked them, and all in all they failed.
We're now into the next generation of game consoles, PlayStation abandoned their version of the Wii as far as I can tell, and even though Xbox still has a new Kinect (their Wii copycat) no one is making good games for it. They both tried to target the same demographic with their Wii copycats, and failed.
Maybe if they tried appealing to the audience that is regularly playing their consoles instead of trying to have people buy another version of the same thing they could have done better. I certainly might have been enticed to get a Kinect or a PlayStation Move if it was supported by games I actually wanted to play instead of party games.
I started writing this blog expecting to talk about why people make copycats, and instead I talk about how copycats can market their product better. Life is strange.

Do it Yourself (Because no one else will)

I can't afford a teleprompter, but I needed one, so I made one for myself. I need a teleprompter to help in making self-publishing tutorial videos for part of my patron, which you can find out more about here: www.patreon.com/jmclean, or by clicking the Patreon link on the right. Without the teleprompter, I'd have to memorize a lengthy script (time consuming, plus I'm not that good), or rely on small cuts, paragraph by paragraph (unprofessional looking) to get by.

It looks like crap.


It works though, and that's the biggest thing. In the future, I'll probably upgrade when I can afford to, but for now this will have to do.
The only thing holding you back from accomplishing your goals is you. Many make the excuse that they don't have the means to start something like a youtube channel, a vlog, or any project that requires different equipment than what you have on hand.
Excuses are excuses. Don't let excuses stop you from making your dreams come true.
"But Jeremy, I want to start a video series, and I don't even have a camera." More excuses? Really? You probably have a smartphone, and on it there's a camera. Heck, even though I have a little camcorder in the picture there, it's probably ten years old and I bet my phone camera is even better than it is now. The only reason I'm not using my phone for the camera is because I'm using it for the teleprompter, which is a free app btw. You can also no doubt see that what's holding it into place is cardboard and duct tape. Everyday household things that most people already have.
No one but you is able to take this step, so do what you have to do and get creating. Even if what you make isn't the best right off the bat it's not going to matter if the message is at least delivered in a coherent matter.
If you so desperately want better equipment, continue creating, but also save, and eventually you'll get what you need. Just make great content, and worry about the flash later. Great content will attract more people than flash.

The Difference Between a Talker and a Doer

It's one thing to talk about doing something, it's another to do it. (yes Jeremy, two separate things are in fact separate things) Shut up voice in my head!

I love coming up with ideas, I get a lot of them randomly. If I get an idea that I'm particularly happy about, I'll tell other people about it and see what they think. If I feel that someone might want to collaborate with me on it, and they would be a good fit to bounce ideas off of and handle the side of things I can't (say art for instance) then I'll tell them and hope they would be interested in working on it with me.

Ideas are cheap. You have to stay motivated to finish a product, which can be incredibly difficult, especially if you're collaborating on something.

Burnout can affect us all, as well as stress, so finding a partner with a proven track record and commitment is nigh on impossible.

Taking the step from talking about an idea and actually doing it is rough. My advice is to start small. If you want to write a novel, and you have a great idea, don't write too much right at first. Work from the top down, get the name of the novel so you know the overall theme, get the chapter name of what the theme of the first chapter is going to be, then focus on a great, punchy opening line, and then a hook paragraph that ties in with that first line. Take days on it if you need to, don't rush it, but do build up to it. Try to set a deadline for each thing, and work on those small goals. Soon enough you'll have that paragraph, then the next, then the first chapter, and soon a whole novel.

This goes the same with any project. Make small goals. Even if you fall out of it, if you have those goals you can easily work on something small each day and before you know it, it'll be done.

The difference between someone who talks and someone who does, is obviously that they're doing something every chance they get. A little bit everyday is all you need to start something. It may take you a long time to finish, but it's better than nothing. And chances are that once you start and get into it, you'll find that you'll do more and more and put more into it each day.

Ideas may be cheap, but doing isn't that expensive either.