Freshly back from E3, YouTuber Hamish Black, the man behind the Writing on Games channel, sat down with me for this month's interview. Nearly two years ago exactly, Hamish Black took the plunge and began making critical YouTube videos. He began by tying the academic work he learned at university to video games. However, he soon found his formula a little restricting and began stretching beyond his original conception. At the time, he was ignorant of the larger community of in-depth critics and so was alone in building his channel. But as he continued plugging away, he did become aware of many other critics, both YouTube and otherwise, which helped him branch out his own work. In the interview, Hamish Black and I discuss his start and growth along with his search for the balance between academic theory and approachability, the evolving context of games, and resisting the call of Dark Souls as a YouTube hit maker. SHOW NOTESWriting on Games YouTube Channel'Her Story' and the Birth of the ReaderGaming in Color KickstarterRevisiting Killer 7 or: Art as TechniqueDark Souls Helped Me Cope With Suicidal DepressionWhy Blighttown Really Matters (Dark Souls) - Writing on GamesHow the Meaning of Vanquish (and Spec Ops: The Line) ChangedThe Real Problem With SteamMusic Games and the Joy of Making MistakesWriting on GamesCastWriting on Games Patreon Opening Theme: 'Close' by The Alpha ConspiracyClosing Theme: 'Wishing Never' by The Alpha Conspiracy
An interview with Hamish Black, the man behind the Writing on Games YouTube channel.