Celebrating Ten Years of LGR - An LGR Retrospective by LGR

The Tenth Anniversary of LGR: A Journey Through Time and Technology

As I sit down to record this special episode, I must admit that I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since I started this channel, and yet, here we are, celebrating a decade of content creation. But what started as a humble endeavor has evolved into something much more complex, with the advent of new technologies and changes in my personal life.

My journey began with this very camera, a JVC VHS-C camcorder that I picked up at Goodwill for a mere fraction of its original value. It was 2006 when I first started recording videos, using this trusty camera to capture footage that would eventually become the foundation of LGR. Little did I know that it was just the beginning of an incredible journey that would take me through various stages of technological evolution.

The early days were marked by simplicity and ingenuity. I used a Canon mini-DV camera with FireWire, which allowed me to shoot on digital tapes. However, after a particularly grueling experience at the beach, where my other camera suffered a fatal blow, I found myself in need of a new device that wouldn't break the bank. That's when this VHS-C camcorder came into play. It may not have been the most advanced equipment back then, but it had its charm.

One of the things that struck me about this camera was its unique style and aesthetic. I often found myself experimenting with different settings and techniques to capture footage that looked almost artistic. The flip-out screen on the side was a feature that I particularly enjoyed playing around with, as well as the built-in light on the front that added an air of mystery to my recordings.

Of course, not everything about this camera worked out as planned. The built-in microphone left much to be desired, and even after using a Zoom microphone, which became one of my trusted tools, I still encountered issues with background noise. But despite these challenges, I persevered, driven by my passion for creating content that was both informative and entertaining.

As the years went by, I found myself evolving as a creator, experimenting with new technologies and techniques to push the boundaries of what was possible on this VHS-C camcorder. It became an extension of myself, a tool that allowed me to express my creativity and share my vision with the world.

And then, there were the early LGR videos themselves – a collection of game reviews done with a sense of laziness that has become synonymous with the channel's name. They were often rough around the edges, but they had a certain charm that resonated with audiences. I remember starting out in 2009, when life was particularly tough, and this project became a personal challenge to see if I could create something every week.

It wasn't easy, of course. School had ended, my relationship had fallen apart, and the job I had was barely holding me together. But amidst all the chaos, this channel became a beacon of stability, a creative outlet that allowed me to express myself in ways I never thought possible.

Looking back, it's remarkable to think about how far we've come. From those early VHS-C days to the high-definition productions that I can now afford to create. Yet, despite all the advancements, there's still something special about this camera and its era. It represents a bygone age of simplicity and creativity, when the world was full of possibilities waiting to be explored.

As we celebrate this tenth anniversary, I want to thank each and every one of you who has supported me on this journey. Your feedback, your encouragement, and your enthusiasm have meant the world to me, and I'm honored to have been able to share my passion with all of you for so long. Here's to many more years of content creation, experimentation, and innovation – a journey that will undoubtedly continue to evolve in ways both unexpected and exciting.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi!I like doing reviews,but I don't like making thembecause they take too freaking long!So, I'm going to not try anymore,except I'm going to keep on doing thesefor ten years, apparently,because this is the LGR tenth anniversary!Greetings and welcome toan LGR anniversary thing,and man, it feelsweird to say that, not just becauseit's been ten years, and a decade isway too long to do anything,but also because I'm saying itto this particular camera here.This is my original JVCVHS-C camcorder that Iused way back in the dayto record LGR videos.And yeah, what even is this?It's a GR-AXM225, itdoesn't really matter.It's just something Ipicked up at Goodwillbecause it was cheap, andmy other camera had died.In fact, I had a slightlybetter camera than this.I think some of myearliest YouTube videos,I've been on YouTubesince 2006, actually, andyeah, some of my very earliest videoswere shot on that other camera.It was a Canon, I think?Mini DV camera with FireWire,shot on these little digital tapes.It was actually pretty good.But it died after takingto a beach or something,and yeah, so I had to get a camera,and I needed it cheap,and this is what I got.And, you know what?It's-- It just has beena ride, ever since, ofdifferent types of technologythat I've used to make this show,and then just figuringit out as I go along.Man, that's all this has been, but,yeah, it all kind ofstarted with this camera,at least in terms of LGR stuff.Yeah, I mean, I had the littlecomposite video out right therethat you could hook it up to--I think I had an EZ CAPUSB capture device andUlead Video Studio to edit videos.It was also just cool because I had theflip-out screen on the side, anda little light on thefront that I never used.And I had a built-in mic that didn't soundabsolutely terrible.Although, here is whatthe mic sounds like. Eh, yeah.And it's also just even worse nowbecause this sound in the background.Hear this? Hmm.Yeah, something's not quiteright anymore, but--Anyway,back to the normal mic.I'm using a Zoom mic now, butit's a thing I just really likedplaying around with and justtrying to figure outwhat looked the best onthis crappy camera.And in a way, nothing looked good,and everything looked good.There was something aboutit's particular styleof creating imagery, man.And it just fascinating to look at.And this is probably coming acrosseven better quality than it was back thenbecause now I have someslightly better way to capture videooff of this thing, but, you know what?It's still using even the same tapethat I had back then.I put it in there really quickjust to see what was stillon the tape, and yeah.It was the one LGR VHS-C tape that I used.And it's still got some footage fromthe 100th Video Special,which was a Q&A,and then I think the very lastthing I filmed on here wasthe Fire & Ice Christmas video.Yeah, it's one of those things, man.I used what I had, and there wasn't much--There was no budget.And I just-- I recordedstuff that I had in my room.You know, whether itwas computers, or games,or consoles, or just whatever.LGR, it was just 'Lazy Game Reviews'it's what it was. Itwas mostly game reviews...done pretty lazily@That's the whole idea.And it really was just apersonal challenge to myself.When I started in 2009, it wasa personal challenge-type thingto see if I could do a videoor just some sort of creativesomething every week.Because at the time itfelt like nothing elsewas going right.I was 22 years old whenI started LGR.Never start a YouTubechannel when you're 22.It's just a bad idea.I don't even how thesekids do it nowadays, man.They're little 14, 15 years oldwith their YouTubes and Instagrams and--Get off my lawn.I would've totally starteda channel that youngif I had the technologyand opportunity thatkids have now. But anyway, tangent.Yeah, starting in 2009, itwas a personal challenge,and doing one video aweek sounded interesting.Because, school-- I'd justdropped out of college,relationship had ended,the job I had was crappy,and it was getting crappierall the time, and, like--Nothing felt right. My car was broken.Everything seemed stupid,and I'm like, \"You know what?I just want to make videos again.Videos are just fun.\"So that's what I did. Igot this cheap camera,at a Goodwill , andjust started making stuff.And that was all. There wasno other planning.I just wanted to make somethingand I had a few inspirations,of course, especiallyAVGN early on.In fact, that was thewhole reason that I kind ofgot started doing videos again,was after seeing his videos,and specifically afterdoing some of my own,there was the SEGA CD video.And the review of that went upsometime in 2008, and then months passedand then when the AVGN episode of SEGA CDwent up on YouTube,which was, I think, November 18, 2008,it was a recommended thing.My video was recommended.It wasn't even LGR backthen, it was just, like,YouTube doing it's thing,and the algorithm worked.It was the first timeI'd saw the algorithmdo a thing, and but, \"Whoa!\"I think I got 1,400 views in a day,which was huge back then. Absolutely huge.I mean, I was in the single digits,and this was months afterward and thenall of a sudden got a bunch of views,and it was weird, and itwas super encouraging.Because I'm like, \"Wow! Youknow, maybe I can actuallydo something along the lines of whatJames Rolfe is doing,or Classic Game Room, orany number of the channels that werearound back then that I watched.\"A lot of them don't exist anymore.In fact, one of the bigger inspirations--I don't even rememberwhat the channel was, butit was like a guy whowas German or somethingand he just covered Atari 2600 gamesand other random thingsin a compilation form.He had, like, a hundredgames he would coverin five seconds each, and justcram them in there.And that was sort of the inspirationfor the first LGR video,the Atari 2600 Animal Games,where I covered several ofthose just in one video,and sort of made a sketchin the end about it.And it was fun, man. Thatfirst year and a half,the first 100 videos thatI shot on this camera,were the most exhilarating,creatively freeing,awesome times.I don't know, I miss that in a way becausethere was no plan.There was no money.There were no sponsors,there was no anything.I didn't even have that manypeople watching.So it was actually really--In fact, here, to giveyou an idea, this was theanalytics for the very first LGR video.And it got like 20-something views.In the first day. Wow!And then, like, 30-somethingon the next day,because I think I uploaded the eveningthe previous day. Butyeah, like, you know,50-ish views in, pretty much, 24 hours wasgenuinely amazing. I mean,it really was amazing.The fact that I was gettingany views at all was crazy.Yeah, there was some people that I knewthat made videos back then.No, they didn't get anythingbut one or two viewsa month.The fact that I could get, you know,dozens in a day was just nuts.And again, there was no money involved.Like, if there was a partnership programback then, I don't know.Like, I didn't even becomeaware that people couldmake money making videos on YouTubeor any other streaming servicesite until much later on.So that wasn't even a considerationwhen I started making videosbecause it wasn't an option.You know, I wasn't doing it for money,I had a day job, so whatever.I was just doing it for fun.So it was just cool to see views, right?Like, it was just neat to have stuff thatcould be watched, thatwas so niche, really.It was making videos aboutconsoles and computersand games and stuff. Oldsoftware. Things that,you know, I knew some people cared about,because I visited a lot offorums and things like that,but it wasn't quite like it is nowwhere I can just post a video about an IBMand it gets a million views.Like, what is that even?That still blows my frigging mind.So thank you very much for watchingover these past ten years, becauseit's turned into a legit career, you know?Like, at this point I've got this cameraover here that is a LUMIX GH5Sthat I use to film things, and,well, look at it, it's all--I'm like, in crispy 4K weirdness.Like, what is all this about?This kind of tech blows my mind.And, like, the fact that, you know,I can just film things on phones now.There's a lot of episodesI filmed on this.It just-- it's evolved to such a degree,YouTube has changed somuch, and just my ownwork flow and process has changed so much.And that really is thanks to you watching,and to those of you on Patreonwho started supporting.I think I've been doing that since 2014,so that's five years.That's half a decade of that, even.That first five years,though, of doing this,was just--There were so many unknowns.For one thing, you couldn't even geta partnership by the time Ifigured out that that existed.I'm like, \"Oh, I shouldtry and apply for that.\"Well, turns out thatpretty much no one that didgame reviews or anything alongthe lines of what I was doingcould get a partnershipback then on YouTubewithout joining a--MCNs weren't even--So, okay. Let's go to the very beginning.At first, I was noteven posting on YouTube,it was just some other random websites.There was Google Video, there was--Oh, man, that one was,like, Shout-something.I think even ScrewAttack, I know I hada few videos on there. GameTrailers--well, maybe it was GameTrailers on--Screwattack on Game-- Oh,it's been a long time.GameTrailers, yeah.But anyway, there were a bunch ofrandom other sites. YouTubewas just one of them.But the YouTube thingwas interesting becausethere was a growing--like, it was growing fasterthan anywhere else, so Ijust wanted to be wherethe people were that were going to watch.So that was cool. The fact that you couldsearch and see the related videos.The related videos really got me going.The SEGA CD one being the firstreally big one to explode,and then the Sims 3,actually, early June 2009,before I started LGR.Originally it was just, like,\"Top Five Reasons Why The Sims 3 is Neat\"or something like that.And that got 10,000 viewsin a month or something.And that, again, \"Whoa!\"You know, it was insane. And yeah, like,discovered there was acommunity of Simmers out there,and nobody was making Simsvideos that I knew of.So I was like, \"Yeah,I'll make Sims 3 videos,\"and it was just a crazytime of explorationand trying all theseservices and eventuallyI tried out Blip.Blip eventually-- or,very quickly, really--was happy to start paying people for it.I think I made, like $10the first month on Blip, andover the first year I wasmaking, like $100 a month.It was crazy, and thatwas 2011 or something.2012. So yeah, that was nuts back then.But then, of course, Blip--No longer exists, andYouTube eventaully startedletting people in thepartner program, but,yeah, at first, you wouldget emails like this.From YouTube, saying that,\"Do you want to monetize this video?It's doing well!Add revenue to it. Revenue sharing!\"So I'm like, \"Yeah, sure.\"And you apply and put in all these things,and say that, \"Yeah, it's all my content,I made this video.\"And then, like, in my case, anyway,they would inevitably reply back and say,\"No, you don't have a sufficient amount oforiginal content in here,\"or something.Just, you know.I mean, point being,I was not able to actually makeany money from LGR videos for years.It wasn't until late2012, beginning of 2013that I actually got some revenue.And that was only by joining an MCN,a multi-channel network,and that was the only waythat you could get monetized gaming videosas far as I knew. So yeah,that worked for a bit.And it was cool, you know.Eventually, the end of December 2012,the moment I made a dollar morethan what I was making at my day job,I quit the day job and just, you know.I didn't even do it, Ididn't even do it properly.I just called and be like, \"You know what?I'm never coming back.Bye.\" And--That job sucked.Everything sucked about it.So it was just a thing whereI jumped in both feet firstas soon as I started makinga little bit of cash.And then Patreon, nowthat picked up in 2014, sothank you very much toeveryone who stuck aroundon there, as well. Just,it all blows my mind.Seriously, still to this day,I don't understand howthis works.And, I mean, I have alot of understanding,obviously, ten years of experience.But I don't get it. I don't understand...the core of how it all worksas well as it does, really.And has for so long.If you'd have told me ten years agoI'd still be doing this,\"No way I would still--\"You know, I just thought I wouldn't.In fact, when I started this,I remember telling myselfin that first year,I think I'd been doing thisconstantly for a month,so making one video a week,every week, for a month.And I remember telling myself,\"If I'm still doing this in ten years,I'm just going to quit.\"Because that's more than enough timeto have a run of any kind media.You know, TV show, orcomics, or anything. Like,having a ten year run is amazing.So I'm just going to quit while I'm aheadif I'm still doing it by then. So yeah.In that being the case, Ihave an announcement to make.LGR...after ten years,is going to continuefor another ten years!Yay!Or something, I don't knowlong this is going to go.But I'm not going to quit now.That'd be stupid. I'mhaving more fun than ever,It's exciting to coverso many weird things,and have people watchand it's just amazing.And I have, you know, stuff to film with.I've got cool cameraslike this thing over here.This piece of technological magic.And microphones, and,like, lights and stuff.Where are my lights?I've got weird little lights now.Oh, I don't even know, man.No way was this even on my radar.Again, I didn't knowthat this kind of thingcould happen, so--I'm just super grateful. That's all it is.And ten years is one ofthose weird moments of--Like, it's an arbitrary number,but there's something about a decadethat just makes it kind of special, andthat's why I wanted to do something here.You know, I don't reallyhave anything too crazyto reveal or talk about or do anything.It was just, yeah, I gotan old VHS camera out,and recording with that.And I just want to saythank you for watching.And how awesome it is that YouTube exists,you know, and video, contentcreation of any kind.I've never been sold onthis platform, really.It just happens to be the best option,and so I'll stick with itas long as it makes sense.That's why I've left all the other onesthat I used to be on bythe wayside, you know.It's just continuallyevolving, and YouTube,as a platform, has evolved.And I've seen so many things come and go.Like, there was a point when started,game reviews were the big hitters, andthen it was let's plays, and then it was--I don't even know what. Pranksand stuff, or--Reaction videos, or something.I don't know. There's been a lot of phasesthat we've all been goingthrough, and now it seems...Honestly, it seems to be abit more experimental again.It's getting there, it's getting there.There's definitely much--It's experimental with production value.Or, you know, at least good equipment.That seems to be where we'reat now, and it's interesting.It feels like we've come full circle, andat least among a lot of my friends,and a lot of the people I watch,it feels like Old YouTube in a way becausewe're all just sort of tired ofdoing the same thing for a decade now.And I've talked to several other YouTuberswho've done this for adecade, and we're allkind of like in a weirdheadspace because of it.It's just, like, wheredid all the time go?My 20s are gone.All this is still going on.I'm still making these kind of videos.Have I evolved enough?Have I evolved too much?Have I remained true to what I, you know,this and that, and isit okay to take thesesponsorships and do all these brand de--Like, there's so manythings that go into it,and you start rethinkingyour entire existence.And, man, I've gone through someexistential crises, that's for sure.It feels like a--It's just like a big hurdlethat just--And, you know, hitting a million subs,that was one of those hurdleswhere I'm just like,\"Oh, man. What the crap?\"And you don't know whatto think about yourself.You start self-doubting andgetting into all theseweird headspaces, and thena decade passes--And, you know, I haven't even beendoing this full-time for a decade.It was a hobby for years, but--You know, I've been doing it full-timefor about seven years, right?Six and a half?I don't know, a long time. SO--It just makes you think.It does me, anyway.And it makes me really excitedfor whatever's coming next.And I don't even know what's coming next.I'd love to hear whatyou'd love to see more of.I obviously want tocontinue what I'm doing,and evolving it, and adding to it,and doing more of what I'mknown for, I guess, but,I want to experiment again.I want to give back to thiskind of thing, you know?Just, like, point acamera at stuff, talking,showing cool things, beinglike, \"Look at this computer.\"And I don't know, man. Like, it feels likeit's okay to do that in a way.Yeah, going to E3 was really enlightening.You know, having somebody there with me.My brother filming. You know, having justtwo cameras running it all the time, andcovering twice the amount of ground.Like, that's really cool.Do I want to hire somebody, maybe?Like, you know, I was--He's only here for that one week.Like, he doesn't even live around me, soI can't hire him, but maybesomeone for something.If it's not cameras, thenmaybe some of the editing loador some of the other thi--I don't even know what. I don't know.It'd be kind of cool to have somebody elseonboard at some point, or, like,I've still really wantedto build my own studio,like a proper one.This is just an office that I'm in here,and I have the other place that I film,but that's not, like, a studio-studio.It's just a rental facility.So I would like to have that.Or, maybe, just set up a--Like, if I get anotherhouse, a little largerthan 800 square feet that I have now,maybe have a dedicated areathat's like a studio there,that's not like a little tiny10 by 10 office. I don't know.I've got a lot of ideas,a lot of things I wouldlove to try, and, youknow, video ideas, too.Different formats,different types of topics,different ways of covering things,both that I've covered before, you know,that I want to redo.A lot of old LGR videotopics that I shouldreally jump on and cover again.But just fresh stuff. I don't know.Every single video,that's another thing, too,that I wanted to do this back in the day.And when I started LGR, I'm like,\"I want to do one video a week,and I want to improve one thingabout the video every week.\"And as long as I can do that,maybe eventually I'llbe go at it.I hope I'm good at it now.Except for videos like this, obviously,where I'm just rambling and talking aboutwho knows what and having a slight bitof inner turmoil, being like,\"Wow, I'm going to die.\"But it's all cool. Ijust like making stuff.That's it.As long as I can continuemaking stuff, I don't care, man.Like, you know, all the other things...the hype and, you know, the equipmentand all the YouTubeshenanigans and sponsorshipsand that could've justgo-- It could go away.I would still make stuff.That's just what I like to do.And...I'm happy and humbledand grateful as ballsthat I can do it and getpaid for it right now,so I'm going to keep itgoing for as long as I can.And yeah, let me know your thoughts onthe past of LGR, the future of LGR,maybe your favorites,or your least favorites.I got a lot of those.Don't go too far back intothe timeline ofLGR playlists, becausethere's a lot of crappy videos in there.But, you know, whatever. Youcan explore what you want.I'm not going to delete anything. Yeah.Well, I have gotten ridof some things becausethey just don't apply to anything anymore.But, yeah, for the mostpart, it's all still there,ready for your perusal, so whatever.I'm mostly looking towards the future,which is interesting as a retro channel,but I love looking forward.I can't wait to see what's next,whether it's ten years oranother year or who knows what.Anything in-between, it's exciting times.Thank you so much for watching.Thank you for watchingthere on the Lumix camera.Actually, I don't know why I'm doing that.And yeah, let's keep this going,and make more LGR things,and just have fun with it.I'm excited for the future.I don't know about you, so yeah.That's it. Thank youvery much for watching.I'm going to turn off both my cameras now.See, I've got this one, okay.And I got this one right here.See you all later.Hi.I like doing reviews,hut I don't like making them,because they take too freaking long!So,I'm going to not try anymore.\n"