The Shape of Things to Come

You might have noticed that there hasn't been a new post here for nearly a year and a half; I've been busy with work and life, and to be honest, it's much more fun to play games than it is to write blog posts about them.  But fear not, because I don't plan on abandoning the blog anytime soon.  In fact, not only do I fully intend to finish Dragon Warrior IV, but I've also got all the necessary media for nearly a dozen games after DWIV, five of them (FIVE OF THEM) RPGs!

Now, those of you who follow me on Twitter (@RetroGamerRyan) probably noticed a couple of rogue tweets about Twitch TV and Alex Kidd in Miracle World, and there's a very good reason for that: I've recently had a hankering for some live streaming gameplay action, and I completed my very first stream this past Sunday afternoon with a live attempt at Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the Sega Master System!  I didn't quite manage to finish the game, but I will soon enough.  I still consider myself to be in the setup and testing phases, and I need to work on the screen layout a bit, but the results of this first broadcast are available now to watch at your convenience on my Twitch TV channel:


http://www.twitch.tv/RetroGamerRyan/

There was a break in the stream that cut the broadcast into two parts, but I do have a complete recording (in 720p, no less) that I might make available on YouTube if there's enough interest.

In order to make improvements to the stream, I'd like to get my hands on some better equipment.  I've got a pretty good idea of what I need in some departments (a wireless microphone for the camera, a better camera, a more powerful streaming computer, etc.), but I can't really afford to keep throwing money at such a costly hobby, and that's where you come in.  I've set up a ChipIn widget, which you'll see at the bottom of the right column here, that you can use to help out.  The goal of $5000 by the end of the year is COMPLETELY ARBITRARY, and I'm not expecting to bring in any specific amount of money, but I hope to be able to obtain some of the equipment I'm looking for with your help.  The widget will make appearances in a couple of other places as time goes on as well.

If there's money left over, I plan on using it to buy more games to stream, along with covering other expenses, and if anyone has any equipment or games that they'd like to donate to help more directly, just drop me a line at ryan@retrogamerryan.com, and we'll see what we can work out.

Thanks in advance, and I'll see you in the stream... well, you'll see me, at least.