When I first created this site, I wanted it to be one of the best places for everything that is Indie and Retro game related. There are other sites out there, all with their own different styles but not many that deal with both Indie and Retro gaming at the same time as well as every new release. However with my health not being so good it's really taking its toll to write day after day, hour after hour with it being a real struggle to just think of what to write when it comes to the next game release. We've had a couple of emails now and even a comment on Facebook with people saying to us such as " Why didn't you feature X game ", " Are you going to feature that game I sent you? " or even "some games haven't been mentioned on the site and I've missed out".
But what people don't realize is I am the ONLY writer on Indie Retro News and while at first I could write up article after article for the last 10+years, it's now just getting way too much. I cannot mentally write up every single game preview on every system it's just not possible. There are times when you think you've done all the latest news, and just as you are about to rest, you get another game sent to you. And if you can't do it, someone complains! At one point there was 8 C64 game previews, 2 C64 game releases, 4 Amiga games, 1 Amstrad game and two Atari XL's all in one afternoon...
Then there's the extra added fun of dealing with death threats, abuse and even being blocked out by some of the readers and game developers because you either featured a game they didn't like, didn't mention it was a SEUCK game, it was an Amiga game that was developed with the Scorpion engine, or because of some readers weren't keen on a certain aspect of the game that caused the developer to just outright block us completely.
Another thing I've also noticed over the last couple of years are many game developers are now going away from being proud to be featured wherever, to looking towards magazine exclusives, twitch views and youtube playthroughs. I can pretty much count the amount of times we've featured a game from day 0, only for the developer to suddenly switch to paywall exclusives or blank us out on Twitter. The Amiga and C64 scene is really bad for this.... Just look how many times we featured Cecconoid, or Roguecraft before anyone else all the way up to near release!
So what's the future of IndieRetroNews? Well although I've been thinking of quitting altogether, I've decided rather than feature every single game and preview, I will only feature ones I think you'll like or that are actually finished. So yes there will be less articles on the site, but atleast the site is still worth visiting right? :)
Cheers!
Good choice to be more selective with the games you cover :) keep up the great work and nevermind the assholes
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have fewer good quality reviews than more reviews. Especially anything atari related. Dunno why anyone would send death threats or abuse. This has been a fun site to visit since I found it just over a year ago, so please keep it up. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlways worth a visit, yes. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's so much out there, but a lot of it gets abandoned (real life is tough). I've lost track of the number of projects I follow that never make it to the finish line. It's exhausting!
Greetings Neil. I feel that! Why I only have four videos on my YT channel and many more just sitting on a hard drive. LOL Editing, writing, etc is downright bloody exhausting day in and day out. We all have an offline life that is more important, especially when it involves loved ones and our health. Your site is one of the most important portals regarding indie/retro games, but you can only do so much as an individual. There are some sites where the founder/owner leaves their articles to volunteers, but unfortunately the content usually suffers for it. I have one of the largest offline Itch.io backup archives on the planet (self declared of course) for historical preservation purposes. I hand pick titles I think are quality (sifting through endless amounts of crap) every single day and for the last eight plus years. Many of these indie demos, games, proof-of-concepts and prototypes have been deleted along with their accounts. I hope other individuals are archiving as well tbh. I know if I were to show this archive to the public many would chime in saying that sucks or you didn't get that awesome title etc. So I just consider what I do as a slice of history and so should you and not worry about the rest. If someone wants to start their own site/channel, I say the more the merrier and history benefits from it. Keep up the awesome work and know you are very much appreciated!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks matey and please note I am extremely grateful for all the heads up you've sent me in my emails. I would've missed out on some incredible games if it wasn't for you
DeleteIgnore the haters. Quality over quantity. Indie Retro News needn’t be exhaustive. Keep it fun for you as the author and for us fans who appreciate the microdose of fun you inject into our newsfeeds. It always brings me a smile when an Indie Retro News piece hits my feed and I enjoy reading the pieces whether it’s a game I’ve already played or heard about or never heard of before.
ReplyDeleteI believe the changes will be for the better, and most importantly, please prioritize your health! I’d love to see you sharing retro gaming news for another 100 years 😄 I absolutely love IndieRetroNews and all the work you’ve done—take things at a pace that feels right for you.
ReplyDeleteDeath threats? Seriously? Over video games? I honestly wouldn’t have believed it if you hadn’t mentioned it... That’s beyond absurd.
That's a new one for the list of why people send death threats online. WTF. I really like your site, there's a few games I found through IndieRetroNews,
ReplyDeleteThree things:
ReplyDelete1. The site is fabulous, and that’s a testament to your hard work and dedication.
2. Ignore the negativity—you can’t please everyone all the time. So don't try.
3. Make this work for you. My advice: cut down and focus on the things you enjoy. Not sure if you have a Patreon set up, but I’d personally be happy to support you and the site.
Thanks Jonny! I sure do, but I didn't do the write up for that. Here it is anyway https://www.patreon.com/c/IndieRetroNews
DeleteI enjoy your site and agree with your new approach.
ReplyDeleteCertainly don't quit please! What you are describing are the adverse effects of success and what it requires as an answer is a holiday! and the best time to do that is after you've gotten a wave of stuff in, write an article for each, and then either schedule them to auto publish one every two days or have someone in the family post them while you're away.
ReplyDeleteAlso worth noting, some people are just straight up creeps who think they're the center of universe, yes, maybe they are an awesome developer of this rare system blah, blah - but it's no excuse for them to have a strop because their game didn't get coverage or it didn't coincide with their release schedule, or some narcissistic goal they might have. There are other publications FFS.
Thing is journalists are people the same as everyone else, and not here just to do the bidding of game devs at a whim. Anyone who is sending threats is a manipulative piece of trash who is probably more trouble than their worth, or a jealous rival, or a parasitical troll.
What it sounds like is you need set boundaries for people and your time, and master the ability to say no. Damn, if people are so reliant on your publication - then you set the pace, and they can dance to your schedule and tune, and not the other way round.
But please don't give up - love reading your website and the coverage that you do.
First, I want to say that you're doing a great job. I love this site and I check on it daily. I encourage you to do whatever you need to do to stay healthy. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSecond, at the risk of being a little gauche, do you happen to have a slush-pile email address for reaching you with suggestions? I'm not on Twitter/Facebook for mental health reasons so I've been struggling a bit with exposing my cool free games :)
I appreciate anything you choose to share. Your site has been instrumental in helping me find joy again in retro-PC tinkering. Post what you choose, when you are able - you have my thanks!
ReplyDeleteI will say it again, here, Indie Retro News is a work of passion and love, I'm so sad to hear people give you bad for whatever reason. It is impossible to cover every single game out on the market, it is unfair to demand that. I'm against the ever growing fast-paced rythm to which the delivering of information ( in every sector ) is bound to. It is not human anymore. Let us slow down, let us stop for a moment if necessary, let us regain more feasible timing. Indie Retro News you are doing an amazing job every day, conveying all that you can about the videogame industry, and I'd like to know that you have all the rights to enjoy life and you passions with the right timing, no hurries. You cannot cope with that as much as WE cannot, it is too fast and stressful, for that I'm asking you to ALWAYS take care of yourself as your prime objective, your community is here and will wait for the right moment to read an article, a news, a review. Always take your time buddie, shield yourself from the haters, let them leave the hall if you must, you need to regain your peace and the good people of your/our community. Haters gonna hate, and a lot of people are too lazy to think and understand the amount of love and dedication you put in your work, but we love what you do and we need you rested, satisfied and respected. Take your time, DO NOT WORRY about the bad people, just ignore them. Always the best my digital friend.
ReplyDeleteFirst, hope you get well good health, i can relate. Your site helped my game a lot, if it wasnt for you posting it here, i would have quit gamedev. So reach out if you need help, maybe you could triage games and the ones you like send to other collaborators to write about.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Prague (OMG where is that?) - keep concentrating on quality only - do the preselaction I can not also read everything you write. A readers digest would be nice. Overall excellent work Sir! Especially appreciated you focus on Commodore ;)
ReplyDeleteI personally love this site, it's my #1 source for retro related information and I always wondered how many people actually wrote on it. I now discover you're alone. That's simply unbelievable. Please keep up the great work the way you prefer.
ReplyDeleteWe run a printed magazine and we perfectly know how you can feel.
Did you want other writers? I don't recall seeing it suggested? I mean, if you send (or get sent by publishers) stuff for review I'm sure people would write... I think I would
ReplyDeleteNot sure if comment was lost but did you ever invite other people to review/contribute cos I don't recall seeing if you did. I'm sure if the game/hardware is sent to them people would review. I would 👍
ReplyDeleteHey Neil.
ReplyDeleteFirst things first, love the site and really appreciate the effort you go to to cover all the stuff you do. It certainly seems like a herculian effort on your part. Any time my work has been featured here I've really appreciated the coverage. I know I've had a stack of less than savoury comments against some of them but that's not something that really bothers me, in fact it ends up been easter egg fuel :)
What I am confused about is how you think I've somehow blanked you out when Cecconoid was released? All the previous coverage you've done of my work seemed to be organically, i.e. I post it online and it appears on the site. We've had zero direct communication about any projects, so I'm not sure how I'm blocking you out of anything when it's all just in public channels.
I'm a pretty easy going guy and always happy to answer questions, provide previews etc. when asked. There's a multitude of ways to get hold of me so maybe drop me a message.
Anyway, hope your health improves and all the best for the future.
Hey H0ffman! I think it's because I was trying to talk to you on stream, then on Twitter and just no response. I kinda felt it was because of the negative viewpoint of some of our readers about the colour aspect of the game. It didn't matter how much I said Cecconoid looked bloody awesome even with the monochrome style ( I used to have a mac ). I just couldn't get it across... What with the slack I was getting from another dev with a number of abusive posts and threats relating to his redpill based game. I just gave up. I hold no malice with you my friend :)
DeleteSir, thank you for what you're doing. Please ignore the negativity and focus on what you like. Quality over qwantity.
ReplyDeleteSorry you've had that sort of crap to contend with, the internet loves to moan and criticise, even at free sites! I'd suggest only do as much as you're prepared to do while still enjoying it. You can use any of my Spectrum articles gladly if that helps (you published my Rodland Reimagined review a while back) 😀
ReplyDeleteWhatever you decide, you certainly don't deserve anything but thanks from those of us who can think rationally. Unfortunately the Internet is full of keyboard warriors. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI've only just started reading your blog, but I commend your commitment to quality over quantity. I've recently purchased a C64 Maxi to scratch my C64 itch, so I've been on the looking to see what new releases are available. Looking forward to what you have in store for the future!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this site and you are doing a GREAT job. Please don't let anyone tell you different. The Internet is awash with people who have nothing better to do than try to destroy other people or their creations. F**K those people and know that there are plenty PLENTY more of us who visit this site regularly and enjoy the hell out of it, even if we're the (perhaps too) silent majority.
ReplyDeleteFor your health, do whatever you wish - I don't expect you to cover every Retro game release, just nice to come here every few days and discover something new :-)
Genuinely wishing you all the best and an improvement in your overall health and wellbeing :-)
Hello, I would like to thank you for your site that I follow every day and that I consider the best for retro news.
ReplyDeleteJust a little word to thank and encourage you to continue.
Friendships from France.
Thank you very much for your work! I suppose this web as the best in it's field.
ReplyDeleteHello, I would like to thank you for your site that I follow every day and that I consider the best for retro news.
ReplyDeleteJust a little word to thank and encourage you to continue.
Friendships from France.
"Why don't you ask for help from someone? A passionate person dedicated to this could add news to the site, thus covering more topics."
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your work.
ReplyDeleteFor me, your website is my reference. I read you practically every day.
I hope your health improves, which is the most important thing.
And I also wish, if possible, to continue reading your comments next New Year... :-)
Thank you for all these years!
by Harkonnen75
Thank you for everything you do. It always made me feel proud when you presented one of my Reshoot-games to the community. Being in touch with the people out there and getting positive feedback are the main reasons I (and many other homebrew developers) create games.
ReplyDeleteTo me, your website is a primary source of information and a critical filter. There is too much stuff around that will never see the day of light. If, from now on, you are focusing on games you think are further exploring, that sounds like the best thing you can do. This will help you keep your sanity. I adore your expertise and dedication.
First of all, thank you for the hard work you've been doing for so long. Second, I think featuring only finished games is the right way to go. Keep up the good work and, again, thank you very much
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work you legend, and **** everybody who has a single complaint.
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm the musician Narcisound.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best with all that has happened and my sincere solidarity with you.
For those of us who are now closer to sixty than forty, it's going to be very hard to keep our passion for retro alive.
If we add to the health problems we all have the stupidity of the haters and the fact that we are no longer old enough to tolerate foul language and attitudes, we will have no choice but to leave all this behind us for good.