This isn't working

[Codricmon]

The last time I was greeted with the words "This isn't working" and promptly got my heart broken was when my then girlfriend broke up with me. Now I wonder, could I have saved our relationship by pledging to her Patreon?

[chosenvalleybuffalo]

It is not your channel. It is board game burn out. I still love the hobby, but I have stopped buying games and do not watch as many gaming channels. I just want to play the games I have in my collection and not worry about the 4, 000 new games and upgraded games that come out every year. It is just too much. It also seems like board game channels are afraid to say anything negative about board games produced by popular publishers. Don't get me wrong, I totally support entrepreneurs making money. I and many people are finally tired of FOMO. I am also tired of companies selling games and then 3 or 4 years later (after they have sold multiple expansions) coming out with a new Kickstarter super upgraded version of the game (yes I am talking about the new Dune Imperium and others like it). Again, I am not against people making money. I am just burnt out. We cannot keep up with the 4000 new and super upgraded games that come out each year. I have stopped buying games and watching multiple board game channels. My collection is big enough. I just want to play the games in my already too large collection. I think there are many people that feel the same way I do.

[riyanlittlefield]

Your channel is my preferred board game channel now, hands down. I actually even bought Tinderblox on vacation (and loved it) based on your "underperforming" shoebox collection video. It may not have generated the revenue you need but it's had a positive impact on my collection.

And I joined your channel based on this video, too. We're all stronger together.

[rubenssz]

Not being silly, your channel is one of the best in YT I've found. You have loads of personality and is great explainer. Please carry on with this

[IslanKleinknecht]

I wish it was easier for people to do youtube part-time, I can't imagine how hard it is to rely on it to support a family.

[superspeckyeyes]

I'm quite surprised your channel isn't doing so well, as in my opinion, it's the best board game channel. Many of the others just feel like they are shilling the latest thing. Not to mention I love how dry and witty your scripts are.

[kristenschuenemeyer]

I think the low performance is because of YouTube's shift at the beginning of the year to focus on Shorts. Now the app goes directly to Shorts when you open it and many people get so absorbed by them that they forget about the long form content they used to watch. I would suggest starting to invest time into making Shorts- even if that just means making cuts of your long form videos. This will drive traffic to the page.

[DenisRyan]

I'm so upset your previous video isn't HUGE! It's one of my favourite collection videos ever, from any channel. I'm not joking when I say that I wanted to collect all the games I already own from that video into a box, and then add as many of the other recommendations as I know I'd enjoy, before finally seeing if I could fill in the gaps with a few choice pickings of my own. It really is a wonderful video, and I shared it with all my board game friends. I'll continue to watch everything you put out, and support you as much as I can, for as long as I can.

[Jet-Jots]

I'm sorry to hear about the struggles. I could go on about how difficult it is to rely on an unpredictable platform, but thats exactly why I understand its important to make our pledges to keep the best board game reviewer around. Hoping our community can support John after all the wonderful entertainment he provides for us. Can't wait for all the exciting things you've got planned!

[Tomlavery]

Please introduce a lower support tier for like $2 so all us broke folks can throw SOMETHING at you

[cranelord]

Sorry to hear the difficulties you've been having. Been a patron member for a while because your recommendations have been great. I hope things turn around.

[TheJeroenbrouwer]

its sad the shoebox video didnt work well. It made me start my own shoebox collection, and it's great!

[MoonduckPsy]

No other channel- board game or otherwise- has made both me and my kids laugh so hard we nearly threw up as a group. Your material is hilarious, and your commentary makes board games interesting to my kids. Thanks for all you do!

[ollieb]

You’ve developed some great and transferable skills through your work on YouTube. There are many organizations out there that would be lucky to have you, and could provide you with the steady, and higher, income you now need in return. If you want to stay independent, then consider marketing consulting and land some contract work. I’m confident we will still see you here from time to time.

[nikolavanev]

Been a pleasure watching your videos for the past 2-3 years! I was a patreon in the past and i was considering renewing it again for the last couple of months. Now seems like a great time to do that! Thanks for everything you do and i hope you can keep going!😊

[Bittler]

As a viewer and long time board game enthuisiast I can shed light on some things that have led me to not pursuing the hobby as much this year:
1. Places that used to be full of good natured and friendly nerds (like myself, ) have become increasingly hostile. I used to love sharing ideas and conversations with a wide variety of fellow gamers who have now all become too segmented into overly political and polarized idealogical spaces, like Reddit... and even my local scene for that matter.
2. One of the main underpinnings of my love for the hobby was meeting and gaming with people at conventions. Post-Covid none of the ones I have been to have come close to anything I'd deem as enjoyable and what's worse is that we're paying so much more for far less in return. The magic seems to have dissapeared.
3. The market is extremely oversaturated. It's just too hard to keep up with the Jones' in the hobby, so hearing about another game that might be of interest does little for me, as I have a list of over 50 games I already wish to buy. Not to mention that most of my game library already goes unplayed as it is.
4. It's far easier to play video games.

[LeRougeLapin]

If I may suggest some small things, feel free to disregard if you have already thought of that or already doing :)
- Your monthly videos are the "main meat" of your channel, and you shouldn't compromise on making more longer form videos and overworking yourself...BUT you need to start driving more traffic onto your platform and you do need to create content in an efficient manner. For instance use your humour and your wit in short form video and cross posts on YT (shorts are underused in board gaming community), TikTok, IG etc. Lower effort than your main videos but still high reward
- Your monthly videos: have you tried polling your community about what they like, dislike, want to see more on your channels? Have you benchmarked the top channels to understand what is driving the most traffic, how your channel is positioned vs them and where you could develop? At some point you might need to strike a balance between the content you want to make vs the content that is driving view, so you can keep doing what you love but still have fun with it.
Good luck, I really hope your channel stays alive.

[lawrencelamontagne]

It must be the algorithm. I've found this to be my favorite board game channel. I think the answer is to make more videos but of course that takes more resources. It's the classic cart/horse when it comes to growing a business.

[EmperorVitrag]

The thing is, I personally am subscribed to a LOT of people and yet, I barely get more than 20-30 people's stuff in my recommended. Even if I refresh the page it's usually those same people.
Which is a great problem with youtube, videos not being recommended to people that they'd actually enjoy.

Also.. a youtuber did say that they found that when publishing videos they turn off "Notify subscribers" because that way it'll recommend their videos to non-subscribers much more cause if your subscribers don't interact with the video when "Notify subscribers" is on, it'll think that it's not worth recommending.

[marymaceachran]

Best board game channel, personality, and jokes. Great recommendations and our game nights have actualol to thank