State Of Sterling: Videos, Not ‘Content’
Hello, you exalted silly putty capsules!
With the holidays having holidayed, I figured it’s high time we had ourselves a blog update. I should probably not write the whole thing while I’m sat on a toilet, so I’m going to leave the bathroom and continue…
Okay I’m back. ADHD is funny like that, you’ll be doing a wee wee and suddenly get jumped by the impulse to write a Patreon update. It’s a literal scenario which literally happens to literally everybody. Anyway, I hope you all had as good a holiday as one can have under fascism, and I hope everybody enjoyed the Jimquisition/Hi-Steph award videos that wrapped up 2025.
There was a slight error in the Shittiest Games video, where I criticized Pokémon Legends: Z-A for using a single preloaded map for its entire city. I hadn’t realized this information was outdated and debunked. I didn’t want to take the whole video down over one line but I absolutely cannot stand having wrong information in my videos, so I took the painful option - the extreme, harrowing option - of using YouTube’s inbuilt editor to snip it out.
While I mostly mention this to showboat and grandstand my own commitment to accurate reporting like a preening little cock, I do kinda deserve an attagirl because if you’ve ever used that bloody editor you’ll know the dedication it requires. There’s no way to zoom in and out of its timeline. It’s fundamentally inaccurate. Your ability to pinpoint exact clips is needlessly hampered, a case of locating timestamps via trial-and-error bollocks to shave things down by nanoseconds. I got as seamless as possible with it, and I’m surprised at how well the cut n’ shut turned out.
It’s the kind of thing a lot of people wouldn’t want to bother with and I wouldn’t even blame them - it was one minor line that had no bearing on my opinion, and barely anyone would care. However, with OCD being among my loadout of brainwrongs, I wouldn’t have slept had I not fixed it as soon as I learned of the mistake. I’ve historically taken down, edited, and reuploaded videos to make them more accurate at the cost of views because it bothers me to a compulsive degree when something is incorrect, even if it’s inconsequential.
I guess that means I’m not as ethical as I like to think I am, I’m just mentally disregulated! Truly, I am a sham.
As y’all know by now, I’ve moved onto a non-regular publishing schedule. Someone on the Discord suggested this would cost me in terms of Patreon support, which was definitely a concern - I did of course expect a drop, and if I’m honest I haven’t checked the current numbers because I didn’t want money to factor into my decision too much. Fact is, the potential loss of income is a gamble I’ve had to take for my own wellbeing and for the quality of the show, so the material concern is somewhat immaterial.
So long as I can keep the lights on, I’m good, and I’m extremely lucky that my writing career has taken off to where I have some stability.
Looking at the video I returned from hiatus with - the one about Execucultists and their Machine God - I’m 100% convinced I’ve made the right call, that taking more time on the script led to a tangible improvement. I also think the writing I’ve been doing for games has greatly contributed too. With two books and various game projects on the go, I wrote more than ever last year, and in multiple styles to boot. I’m incredibly proud of how evocative the opening argument was in that aforementioned video. Writing a whole lot of narrative about gods and monsters really helped when writing a script about tech fads and executives.
Speaking of which, a script has been completed for a brand new video, and if you thought my last lambasting of YouTube was brutal, you’ve seen nothing yet. My next episode will look at the platform’s latest censorship efforts, something that’s impacted me in a pointedly offensive way.
As YouTube continually moves the goalposts to justify its arbitrary decisions, I’m becoming somewhat convinced that one day my channel will simply disappear, retroactively punished into oblivion. This would be the opposite of a problem for me - I could milk that scenario to such a degree it’d be the best thing to happen to my video career in years. It would, however, lead to the loss of a handful of videos I’d deem rather important, which may just happen regardless of YouTube’s bots finding the whole channel objectionable. Such a significant outcome would be an extreme scenario, and currently it’s not likely, but there are few channels more antithetical to YouTube’s whole deal than mine.
One thing I can guarantee is that we absolutely will see more of my videos seized. That much is inevitable, so if there’s any work you truly love, on anybody’s channel, I highly recommend ripping it now. I personally use 4K Video Downloader, it’s never let me down, but there are many programs and sites that can save YouTube videos.
And they are videos, not content.
I used to resist the term “content” but eventually surrendered to its use when it became so ubiquitous. I’ve recently circled back around to resistance because all of media is so utterly besieged by the executive class. They’ve systematically renegotiated the audience’s relationship with creativity to one overarching end. They’re robbing the meaning and context from art, they’re making of media an amorphous soup that can be mixed and mingled on a whim. These artless leeches see creative work as nothing but intellectual property. To them, it’s all nebulous content. The fact they’re even trying to call movies and music “content” now is indicative of how execucultists see all creativity as interchangeable.
To a lesser degree, I’m shying away from the word “franchise” when talking about a series. It’s not as insidious a term, but it does suggest a work’s broader place in the entertainment business, incorporating its marketing and branding. As far as the term “IP” goes, I’ve starting using it with utter disdain - as I said a moment ago, it is the distinctly artless who see only property in the works they’ve snatched the rights to.
None of what I just said was particularly relevant, I typed all that out apropos of nothing. I think my contempt for the modern media landscape is constantly leaking out nowadays and I’m taking every opportunity to vent it.
Anyway, I’ll be having written reviews for you soon. The new year period is always dry in terms of releases, but I’m drafting up a critique of 2026’s first “worst game of the year” contender, Code Violet. It’s incredibly terrible.
I’m picking up nice writing gigs here and there alongside the books, with Poncle especially keeping me in fun gigs. There’s some really cool stuff coming that I can’t wait to show off. Having things go really well outside of YouTube’s miserable awfulness continues to feel empowering. Feeling excitement about my career is so much nicer than feeling hopeless dread.
Not that I’m not still here to make videos (not content) for y’all. If YouTube becomes truly unviable, we’ll find another way. Until then, it will serve its purpose as a host. Look for a Code Violet review in the near future, and a Hi-Steph all about how YouTube is the predator’s best friend in the near future.
And thank you, as always, for your incredibly kind support.
Cheers,
Steph.
Comments (28)
I'll continue to be a patron cause I genuinely support and love your work.
Not to be a parasocial creep, but I just want you to be happy with your work and what it means to you, so you can count on my Patreon support regardless of your posting schedule. I'd rather have infrequent Steph than no Steph at all.
honestly your patreon i so cheap, i can't afford not to buy it.
Your insistence on quality at the expense of metrics is precisely why I am here, you have continuously justified my trust in your process and my support will remain regardless of what your future schedule looks like
I wear a shirt from your merch store every Monday because it delights me to do so. I alternate between "The Gays Can Do What They Want,"(My second copy, I wore the first one out) and "Something Something Capitalism Bad," on alternate weeks. Previously just to enjoy the traditional Monday Video, but in a world beyond the tradition, I find it a comforting reminder, especially on Mondays, that if Expectations are my Prison, I'm free to be Houdini, or The Hulk, or some sort of Gamma-Ray mutated escape artist called The Hulkdini who slips out of triple-bolted expectations while suspended upside down in water and then flexes my big green pecs to rip the hospital jacket off afterward. Point is your new relationship to your videos and your success at writing is inspiring me in new and different ways, it isn't disappointing me at all.
"loadout of brainwrongs" - im stealing that.
I'll be honest, I actually really appreciate your editing of the video to remove that line about the model, because it did bother me hearing it. (Didn't comment it because I didn't want to be annoying and "um actually" focus on just that point, but) If you're ever wondering whether people appreciate you doing that, I'll say that at least in this case, I'm one of the people who really does! I'm glad to hear that your writing work is giving you good stable work and income outside of our support here.
I really appreciate hearing that. It’s all the more worth doing if others are more comfortably enjoying the video as a result 💛. And yeah, I’m really happy the writing job is working out, and also grateful there’s been the kind of reliable support on Patreon that allows me to pursue gigs relative security. It’s a level of privilege very few people would have, and I’m eternally thankful for it.
I will say, you certainly wouldn't lose most of your videos if the channel disappeared. I have 1398 of them downloaded in a few places at the moment, with at least all of the Squirty Plays, Jimpressions, Best of Steam Greenlight Trailerse, Boglinwatch, Stephanie Sterling's Heaving Toychest, Direct to Video, Commentocracy, and Industry BS vids being on multiple servers and an offline drive. ...I have a habit of watching your older stuff when I'm having panic attacks or depressive episodes as a coping mechanism, and it's nice to have them offline or off of YouTube for various reasons. I really should finally get around to finishing ripping Jimquisitions and Greenlight Goodstuff to those places, at the very least. Either way, I'm not about to let your stuff disappear on me. >.> (EDIT; Though I will admit, now that I think about it, it's not like I have them all at 1090p. So that would be a concern... Hm)
I think you can upload videos directly to Patreon if you need to.
Yeah I believe so. I currently use YT for audience convenience, as we all have the platform and people know where my stuff is. Patreon would be a viable fallback though. I don’t really care about the videos being “successful” anymore, I’m just making them for y’all, so posting them here isn’t a bad shoot if things go that way.
Love ya Steph!!! Keep at it in every regard!
Honestly do what makes you happy, I’m still subscribed
yep, steph's work is always interesting and funny, and it's a single dollar, it's pretty easy to justify staying subbed forever regardless of how often steph posts.
I'm fine with whatever schedule works for you Steph.
I can't imagine how much space it must take up but I hope someone manages to archive your videos, a good number of them have been actual art, it'd be tragic to have them disappeared (as much as I can imagine the relief of being free of youtube completely)
At 720p, at least... about 290 GB.
Eh, whether the impulse comes from the brain weirds or moral integrity, it's still good of you to go to the effort. Attagirl. I'm gonna stick around here as long as I can because I support what you do and enjoy it, no matter how infrequently you may make videos in the future. Fingers crossed your channel doesn't get nuked, but if it does, we'll follow you to whatever platform you find because there is only one Steph Sterling and we ain't giving up on you and your creations any time soon.
How do I get a book you've written or worked on??? I'd very much like to own one (or all) of your printed works.
The first one is available for preorder at various places, it’s Vampire Survivors: The Grimoire. The author is currently listed as Paul Davies but I came on board later and wrote fully half of it as co-author. The second book is currently unannounced. I can’t yet say what it is but it’s going to be part of a really cool collection of stuff.
Years ago I ripped the twitch vod of your last Pennsylvania wrestling show, with the full intention of completely dubbing over it with my own salacious and unhinged commentary while perverbially and literally using movie magic to throw the old commentors onto the street, into jail, and ultimately a firey place in the 9 circles of hell. What a video it'll be :) truly this felt like the time and place to share this. Love your work Steph! I was thinking about pasta sauce in the shower. No one knows what they really want until it's right in front of them. Let's pray the YouTube sword of Damocles never falls on your channel. But after seeing what happened to PodQ on SoundCloud, i know that nothing is safe from the eroding waves of selfish assholes. 4k VD you say. Even if i never personally watch them all back, i cannot let your work slip into the void
Haha, I’m glad to know that fact 😁. Thank you for the preservation and the support, it is appreciated.
I'm not sure what the process is or if you'd find it relevant but I wonder if Nebula is a potential alternative? Granted I can see an issue even if you wanted to be on there in that I'm not entirely certain if they're completely on board with how spicy some of the language can get? Anyways I'm just spitballing here.
Nebula gets brought up a lot but I don’t think it’s a viable alternative. Firstly it’s invite-only, and I don’t foresee them ever asking me. Secondly, I’m not sure there’s a way to do it without betraying my funding model. If there needs to be some exclusively gated work or additional subscription requirements, then I can’t in good conscience go along with it.
First things first: "Atta girl" *head pat* ... Omg I can't do a line break on the phone, so lemme switch to my laptop and edit the comment to add what I actually wanted to say -.- Ahem, ok I'm back :3 I apologize if something I say about me doesn't really belong in a random comment on someone else's patreon, so should I ramble on about me, sry in advance, but I decided not to delete stuff after the fact. So, I enjoyed this update and I can totally relate to the sudden urge to write something like this on the toilet, so I guess good thing I don't have a platform to do my toilet-updates from xD I think it's only natural for you to vent about the industry and also about youtube itself, and I like 99% agree on basically everything you say and have said so far, so I would say in a way it's your god given right to vent, especially as the cassandra of video games ^^* I really have enjoyed the new videos and eventhough I might not be the highest paying patreon by a long shot probably, I am still happy and will stay one, bc I think what you do is important, expecially in the trying times we live in. Your views are interesting and nuanced and I also think the representation you provide should not be underestimated, be it in terms of lgbtqia+ or "just" in terms of someone who loves video games, but can't stand the industry and the executive class. I did have a hard time over christmas and the new year, emotionally, personally and even just yesterday my cat had to be euthanized, so it's not easy. And that's just the stuff in my vicinity, don't even get me started on the state of the world in general right now... But I was looking forward to and enjoyed every video and they made me laugh and also maybe cry a bit in these times. So keep it up, and you will most probably not loose me, unless you suddenly turn trump supporter or something like that. If I could, I would probably wanna work for someone like you, bc tbh you just seem "genuine" in a world where that is hard to find. And I know ofc there's a difference between a persona online and knowing a person irl, i mean, the term parasocial doesn't come from nothing, but I hope you get what I mean. You stay true to the values you claim to uphold, and that's just great and thanks for that. Keep up the good work ^^
Thank you so much for the kind and sincere reply! I’m also really sorry you had to let go of your cat, and I wish you all the very best 💛. I’m super appreciative of the support and encouragement, it all keeps me in the game. Thank you.
‘atta girl, Steph. Good job using that shitty editor in the name of truth and justice. I’m only on the dollar tier and I don’t interact a ton with you, but I’ve been subbed for years and will never unsubscribe. I gotta say the biggest change I’ve seen in your work over the years is that since coming out you seem much happier and that is nice to see. Looking forward to whatever you put out and whenever it comes. I’ve often thought that if there was a 21sr century Marx they would use the cess pit of the gaming industry as examples for their critiques instead of linen factories or whatever the fuck. I think you’re the person closest to that idea that I have seen. Keep up the excellent work
Thank you so much! It really is funny that I was so much less happy during my most successful YouTube years and I’m in a much better place now, even while nerdzis claim I had a mental breakdown that killed my career 😂. I’m really pleased to have both the personal *and* professional aspects going well now though. Thank you so much for the support and the lovely comment 💛!