As a method of keeping myself occupied as of late, I've taken to using my free time as a way to be productive and creative. Well, maybe not truly "creative," but to at least do something that I'm passionate about.

"Passionate" is the key word in this scenario. I used to be passionate about my work, but now it just feels...menial. It doesn't fulfill me, and I'm in the motions of looking for something else. Nonetheless, I still don't quite know what that is. Video games are something that I AM passionate about, but the LAN center just doesn't quench that same thirst anymore. I'm even getting to the point that I kind of hate it. Being that this is unhealthy, moving to another job would be the best thing for me.

In turn, trying to offer myself an opportunity to dig into other passions of mine, I've taken to creating video content for a YouTube channel called Point Zero Games. Originally, the channel was called Hoopaclox, and it was a place to talk about all things related to Heroclix, a miniatures tabletop game that I've played for the last two or three years (since the release of Galactic Guardians, so whenever that was). I made about seven videos on that channel, but I didn't enjoy doing it. I also started a relationship shortly afterwards, and I devoted my time to that. If you've read my past blog posts, you know how that turned out.

Point Zero Games is an extension of what Hoopaclox wanted to be. Rather than focus solely on Heroclix, however, Point Zero Games is a place to talk about all things gaming related. The primary focus at this moment is on Magic The Gathering (which I got back into around Magic 2014 Core Set) and Heroclix. However, I plan on expanding into other realms of gaming such as Dicemasters, board games, and even video games at some point (hopefully on that last one, we'll see how it goes).

Part of the convenience in this has been that I work at a gaming center, which means I have access to computers and a fast internet line that allows me to upload stuff quickly and effectively. Another part is that the local game shop (The Game Closet, for anyone that is curious) is right next door to us. Therefore, when I'm not playing video games, I'm probably next door playing card or tabletop games.

The biggest reason for this, however, was that I needed something to get my creative juices flowing again. In high school and most of college, I played guitar...a LOT. I quit playing sometime shortly after returning from Georgia with my father after he started working at Gulfstream (around 2003 or so). After that, I ended up writing for BonusStage.com, doing game reviews and such. It allowed me to write, another passion of mine (in case you couldn't tell from the mounds of paragraphs I write in literally any comment, reply, or blog that I make). Once I started working at the LAN center, I pretty much stopped being creative completely and dedicated myself to work.

With Point Zero Games, I'm hoping that I can find my creative self again. So far, the channel is doing well. We are over 120 subscribers (within the course of a month, which is fantastic to see). I'm also hoping, of course, that the channel can eventually generate some revenue as a way to supplement my hobbies. I don't expect that to happen anytime soon. It will take time, but it's not the reason I'm doing it. The primary reason is to talk, have conversations, reach out to people in the worldwide community of these games, and generally get excited or disappointed about things alongside others.

It's been an interesting trip so far, as I knew very little about the actual background of creating video content, being dedicated to getting content out in a timely fashion, knowing analytics of video content, and more. If anything, it's given me a much deeper appreciation for the work that Giant Bomb and many other sites do over the course of a given week than I ever could've had. It's time-consuming, but in the end, it typically feels like it's worth it.

For anyone that is interested in checking the channel out, you can check it out by clicking here. If not, that's cool as well.

Thanks for reading, and I hope your days are ever bright and full of life.

Piece.