Ryan Katon’s Post

The Glitch...The Glitch...The Glitch Is Here... I've been quiet on LI for a bit...been kinda busy. We launch tomorrow at TwitchCon...Hold on to your butts. (MORE ⬇ ) So here's the thing...I've been in the games business since the previous century. A lot of that time has been spent working with brands looking for ways to communicate with gamers. Now, you may not be aware that gamers are both highly sought after...and very difficult to reach. They're not on TV...duh...they're playing games. They can be a bit ornery...this is true. They are also...and really read this part closely: gamers are simply normal humans that like playing video games. Anyone who has spent time in the "in-game-advertising" business knows that there is a really odd balance here. I see lots of companies making the same mistakes that were made decades ago...and this applies to both game companies and brands. In the earliest days of coming up with what is now The Glitch, I wrote two bullets down to act as a north star. These two bullets were the two biggest problems that branded games have always had difficulty overcoming: 1️⃣ Branded Games Tend To Suck. 2️⃣ Branded Games, Ironically, Often Go To Market Without Any Promotion/Support. ...these are the two reasons that branded games fail...all the time. This is why they failed in the 90's...it's why they fail in the 20's. Let's address each one: 1️⃣ Branded Games Tend To Suck - To be fair, this is because they are rarely conceived or designed to be good games. They are too often simply vessels for marketing messages. 🎮 - This is why we hired Look North World. Alexander Seropian & Patrick Moran are veteran AAA game developers...and their LNW is stacked with pros. This is not like a lot of UEFN shops out there - which are essentially marketing agencies that also happen to make games. The Glitch is gamer-first. 2️⃣ Branded Games, Ironically, Often Go To Market Without Any Promotion/Support - this always baffled me. Why do they think that every movie, tv show, and yes - proper game - have a marketing budget? 📺 - This is why we structured The Glitch the way we did...with significant promotion, featuring top-tier streamer talent on the Twitch homepage, esports tournaments, custom commercials, and more. We structured the media plans as we would for a AAA release. More details later...running out of space. So before I do: 🎖 This project simply does not exist without the persistent love and craft from Ryan Katon and Bettina Avila Full stop. Badasses, both. 🏅 It also needed the support from a lot of people at Amazon and Twitch who believed in the vision...thank you Andrea Garabedian, Jesse Shaw, Robin Tilotta, Adam S., Rachel D., Roger Coleman, Zack Freeno, Sarah Iooss, Victor Lu...and the amazing: Mackenzie Portfolio at TwitchCon, Sonya Tsui, and Kasie Antich. And what about that trailer, eh? Moisty Media...best in the business. The song? That's an original from Josh Mobley. Nailed it.

GOC #WhitePaper Section 6: Culture Except: "Our unique marketing approach follows the insightful work found in the book For The Culture by University of Michigan Marketing Professor Dr. Marcus Collins. He speaks to how hip-hop and pop culture can be a vehicle to drive market consumption." Section 6 Contributors: Mercedes Santana, Hanna Lebedynska, Joyonna Gamble-George, Ph.D., Voltaire Xodus WeUp is a #SocialEnterprise E-Sports #Gaming platform for personal goal achievement that uses anime, parody, and #PopCulture to solve social problems.

My Journey into the YouTube and Game Industries… Month 69 Hi Guys Here is the update for the last the month! 07/05/24 — I neglected to mention in the previous article that I’ve started creating new types of thumbnails. The new thumbnails are better and larger in terms of resolution. They are now 2560*1440 that’s a 1440p resolution. The wording on the thumbnails has now changed From: To: The modification consists of adding a black midground color to make the entire word to make it stand out, and surrounding the text in a red background with a white foreground to make it visible. These colors are also included in the RGS branding. I also mentioned that I’ve started removing videos from playlists that are no longer appropriate for the channel or that don’t contribute to its growth. These playlist will also be removed, and I won’t be providing any more updates on it because it’s not crucial enough to specify which videos and playlists are being removed. However, I prefer my readers to be aware of the developments in our business. Regardless, the videos will be removed, and it will take some time for me to finish, but I’ve already begun the process and will provide an update once it’s completed This is going to occur on my TikTok account as well.

Is there a better feeling than seeing a crowd react to your work for the first time? I spent years going to esports tournaments and making videos on-site. My video team would capture footage on Friday and Saturday, while I sat in various media rooms, editing videos to be broadcast to the venue and the internet as part of Sunday's finals. Not only did these videos get everyone suitably excited for the impending gameplay, they also helped attendees feel the significance of their experience. People watching live in the venue would see themselves in the background of some shot or another, and realize that their presence at some major event had been cinematically immortalized. Often, after the day was over, people would come up to me and ask... "how the hell did ya'll make that so fast?" Since I don't like travelling much anymore, I'm gonna give away the secrets. I'd love to see this practice become normalized 😊 1. Prepare multiple music options, SFX, and text templates in advance. Make practice edits at home to see which parts of the song are well-suited for long takes, and where you really need to see quick cuts. This video is an excellent example of how compelling text slides can anchor an entire piece by syncing with music: https://lnkd.in/gKH5Tzh5 2. Storyboard out shot concepts that help you tell your story. As Gregory Nussbaum liked to say to me, "look for the smiles!" Player and spectator expressions tell a story all on their own! Tense player close-ups can be used at any point in the video to build suspense, and can be combined with SFX to paint stories about surrounding footage. 3. Continuing off the prior point, be sure to plan for shots and edits that are inherently visually interesting. Match cuts, bisexual lighting, abstract shots, reflections, shots with matching camera motion, and implied physicality can all make things visually pleasing to watch one after the other. Consider the various techniques used in this piece: https://lnkd.in/gZEriQJU Overall, it can be really hard to make things like convention centers or hotels feel inherently "epic" on their own, since everything is usually relatively flat and poorly lit. When shooting tight, look for color contrast and motion. When shooting wide, make sure there are clear points of focus, and work to have clear foreground/middleground/background elements. Combine this with clean editing techniques, powerful SFX, and compelling graphics, and you got yourself a stew, baby!

The first glimpse gamers get at the games before they can play them is via trailers. But how do you ensure that this first impression is impactful? The secret lies in the often overlooked, but critical aspect: trailer pre-production 🎬   Sergey Yegorow, our Trailer Production Team Lead, dives into the specifics of this stage, shedding light on how this budget-friendly solution enables trailer pros to craft trailers that resonate deeply and enhances storytelling. Discover his thoughts on trailer pre-production and its impact on the games' narrative in our recent blog post ⤵ https://lnkd.in/dvtBb6YS #gametrailer #prepoduction #videoproduction #heroictrailers #room8group

🎥📝 #VideoMarketingTipTuesday 🎬💡 Lights, camera, action – it's time for your weekly dose of video marketing wisdom! 🌟🎯 Tune in every Tuesday for valuable tips and tricks to elevate your brand's video game! 🚀🌐 #VideoMarketingTips #DigitalMarketingInsights #VideoStrategy #CreativeContentIdeas #EngagingAudiences #BoostConversions #SocialMediaVideos #VideoAdvertising #VisualStorytelling #VideoProductionTips #ContentMarketingSuccess #VideoSEO #BrandingWithVideo #CallToActionInVideo #MobileVideoConsumption #VideoAnalytics #VideoEditingHacks #LiveStreamingSuccess #VideoMarketingTrends

Check out my recent article about the best cat Pokemon here:

Hey, The exhilarating, cyberpunk-inspired roguelite shooter Deadlink has finally made its way to consoles, and it's generating quite the buzz! Originally available on PC, this fast-paced, first-person shooter (FPS) blends tight, responsive gameplay with a futuristic setting that has captivated players worldwide. Now, console gamers can dive into the dystopian world of Deadlink, where they'll take on the role of a covert operative, navigating through procedurally generated levels filled with ruthless enemies and powerful upgrades. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the official trailer to get a taste of the adrenaline-fueled action that awaits you: https://lnkd.in/dHZrvkcr On a personal note, I'm thrilled to share that I had the privilege of working with the talented team at Gruby Entertainment, the masterminds behind Deadlink. I was responsible for coding their official website: https://lnkd.in/dtnyWEai, which serves as a hub for all things Deadlink and more. It was an incredible experience to collaborate with a team so passionate about creating immersive gaming experiences! P.S. Thi WordPress theme is based on Gutenberg blocks by Palmiak: https://lnkd.in/deBfiXTN - so, it's blazing fast :-) #webdeveloper #gaming #deadlink #cyberpunk #xbox #ps5

I lost my 58-day Wordle streak today. It's the second time 🙈 I had climbed to a 78-day streak last time. Yes.. I am probably addicted to Wordle. In an attempt to rationalise my behaviour, I researched the landscape and company behind it What I found was eye opening: - The New York Times owns many games, not just Wordle. - They generate $1 billion from online games alone. - They don't reinvent the wheel; they use existing games. - They digitize their backlog of assets, like crosswords. - Youtube, Netlfix and LinkedIn are now creating games. Business opportunity: There's a market opportunity for white-labeling games for other brands. Anyway, Tomorrow I start my new streak :) Oh. And I am back on LinkedIn!

After a long day of dealing with post-update drama, I needed a break, so I started and finished STILL WAKES THE DEEP last night. There's something absolutely wonderful -- in this era of forever games -- about sitting down and starting a game, knowing you will finish it in one sitting. I highly recommend STILL if you are a fan of atmospheric narrative adventures, horror (nothing too scary), and container dramas. STILL has a lot of the hallmark qualities that made John Carpenter's THE THING so great (although it's lacking that movie's taut paranoia)... STILL has beautifully realized environments, and the crew and setting of a 1970s Black Sea oil rig feels fresh. Solid writing, great voice acting. I also think this is the first time I've had to use English subtitles for a game in English. 😅 (There is a LOT of Scottish slang.) The gameplay is fairly light -- some decent exploration and traversal. But it feels like just enough for a game of this length (I finished it in 6 hours, but I tend to explore slowly). Ok, so I would probably had added 1-2 other mechanics, but the game is very pure and straightforward, clean and minimalist, and I really envy the dev team building something so restrained. I really like this style of game, something akin to an interactive movie but with actual proper gameplay, and I hope to see more of this quality! THE CHINESE ROOM LTD continue to prove themselves one of the best studios around for this kind of first-person narrative adventure. It doesn't seem to be setting the world on fire on Steam, but I hope it's doing well on PS and Xbox (I played it on PS5 and it looked fantastic). I highly recommend you check it out! Also, FWIW, I'm voting for TCR to make a new game based on THE THING. Based on STILL, I think they would knock it out of the park. 👍🏻 https://lnkd.in/gNHu8_kH