The Many A True Nerd Patreon FAQ (Patreon)

So as I mentioned in a recent Patroncast, I am aware we've had a few questions being asked multipe times. In order to try to avoid either repeating answers, or leaving newer Patrons feeling ignored, here is the MATN Patreon FAQ, which I'll be linking to in all future Submission Threads, which should hopefully help with that sort of thing :)

And thank you in particular to the Patrons who helped me compile these questions.

What hardware/software do you use for recording/editing?

It varies, but most often I use Shadowplay or my Elgato HD Pro 60 Capture Card. In rare cases, I use FRAPs, but the file sizes are truly ridiculous. For editing, everything is done with Sony Movie Studio Platinum 12, which is a rather old editing suite, but still works very well.

What is your typical day?

Contrary to how I begin literally every video, I typically record in the morning, edit in the afternoon, render in the evening, and upload overnight. I also cannot remember why exactly I started beginning every video with ‘Good afternoon’ as I have never regularly recorded in the afternoon...

Do you have any regrets about starting to do YouTube fulltime?/ How does YouTube compare to a normal job?

Not really. YouTube certainly has its disadvantages, like losing a separation between home and work space, or spending a lot of time alone, or having a somewhat inconsistent income, but I still get to do something I love for a community that’s widely regarded as a great one. So it’s definitely worth it.

What do you do in your free time/to relax?

I read a lot. Recently I’ve been reading a lot of Robin Hobb. Also, unlike quite a few YouTubers, I actually still enjoy watching other gaming YouTubers. Claire and I also occasionally binge-watch Netflix series.

What did you do before YouTube?

I mainly worked in digital marketing. Every time I changed jobs, I always ended up in a smaller office and with a smaller team, until I was working with very early tech start-ups. Starting to work for myself was the only logical next step.

Will you ever do kind of IRL stuff like meet-ups on conventions/vlogs?

Vlogs aren’t really my thing, but I have met a few people in the past at EGX, so I may well organise something for the next big event I’m attending.

What about livestreams/community play days/merchandising?

I would love to do more varied stuff, but right now I’m pretty using every hour I have to make as many videos as you’re seeing. I’m currently looking to employ somebody to help with some of the editing and other backstage stuff. Once that’s done, you should see merchandising and live stuff. Oh, and a Discord server too.

Who is Claire? Also what is the relationship between you and her?

Claire is a French person who I can’t seem to get rid of. She has been my girlfriend for around 8 years.

How did you get to meet with Dan?

I’ve never actually met Dan in person (though I’ve met Matt a fair few times). He was looking for people to do the GTA Heists and he approached me. To this day, I’m not entirely sure how I came to his attention - nobody seems to remember.

What's your favourite book series?

The Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde. Though my recent addiction to Robin Hobb’s Farseer and Liveship Traders books is giving them a run for their money.

What is your favourite comedy TV series?

I’ll struggle to pick between some of my favourite dark British comedy. Maybe Chris Morris’ Brass Eye, or Monkey Dust.

What/where did you study?

I studied Classics at Oxford University. I specialised in Hellenic literature and Roman Early Imperial history.

What is the origin of Many a True Nerd?

It was Claire’s idea, actually; she wanted to make a general-interest geek blog. I actually came up with the name though (it was either Many A True Nerd, or Nerd To The Wise). A couple of months later, I volunteered to do the associated YouTube channel. As time went on, the channel gained traction while the website itself didn’t as much, so ultimately MATN became just the channel.

As for the name itself, it’s a play on ‘many a true word is spoken in jest’, which I liked because of the implication that comedy gets to the truth of things, as that’s exactly the message that Aristophanes has in his ancient Greek comedies, which I love.

Where's Why not Wednesday?

It was invented when one-off heavily-edited videos were a rarity that deserved their own special series. These days, those videos are a lot more common. So I suspect it’ll return whenever I happen to do an older 360 game, but it’s mainly just a series that outlived its purpose.

Have you ever done a video/playthrough that ended up not being uploaded?

Very few indeed, as the vast majority of games I record end up getting  uploaded. Risk of Rain refused to record properly. Robot Arena 3 I just didn’t enjoy enough to continue with. Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball repeatedly crashed. But that’s about it over several years and over 1,000 videos.

Do you play games for yourself without recording it?

Very rarely, but I don’t mean that in a bad way - I get a lot of enjoyment from commentating, and editing, and creating the end video. I do sometimes play some of my old favourites just for me, though - things like Total War, Advance Wars 2 or Pokemon.

What's the series you'd like to do but probably won't?

While I hope I do someday do it, I’ll suggest Skies of Arcadia. It’s one of my favourite games of all time, but it’s a huge game that would take months to do, and I’m not even sure a huge number of people would be interested. Plus, it has the issue that it’s narrative heavy, but doesn’t have any voice-acting, so I’d need to do the voice-acting for a cast of probably nearly 100 recurring characters, which is rather intimidating...

What is your favourite video you've ever made?

Fallout 3: Kill Everything - A Practical Guide to Parenting. It’s a little scruffy, but I love it because the entire episode was made up as I went along. I wasn’t even planning to visit Andale that episode...

What are your thoughts/recommendations on how to set up and grow YouTube channel?

Never try to imitate somebody else. Find something that you are particularly qualified to do (whether that be something you love, or hate, or just know a lot about), and focus on that. For more general and practical advice, I do plan to make a brief How To YouTube series at some point :)

How many emails, comments, Twitter DMs do you generally get on monthly basis?

Emails and DMs aren’t so bad, but comments is about 12,000 per month, and I do try to read all of them. That can take a while, but people do seem to appreciate seeing me in the comments so often. 

What do you think about Fallout 4 DLCs? How would you rank them?

Far Harbor is brilliant - right up there with the best of New Vegas’ DLC - but I hold that Nuka World is underrated by some people. Sure, the story is a little bit weak, but the level design is some of the best in Fallout 4, the aesthetics of the worlds are lovely, and the rewards are worth getting hold of. In fact, I’d say that I prefer Nuka World to literally all the Fallout 3 DLC other than The Pitt.