Making (Real Life) Money off SimCity 4

[rob_mtl 435]

I think it's reasonable to quickly remind viewers to like/subscribe occasionally at the end of the video. The only reason I say that is that I, as a viewer, forget to "like" videos that I enjoyed. Social media like YouTube does rely on likes on comments to push videos to more viewers. I personally never mention the bloody bell icon, because I don't like getting notifications every time every YouTuber I follow posts a video--I wouldn't ask that of my viewers either.

[rsc204 21,866]

On 09/01/2021 at 5:08 PM, Haljackey said:

I thought you were talking about me initially. I've never asked anyone to "Like, Comment, Subscribe, Share this video with your friends and on social media, favorite it and don't forget to hit that bell icon to stay notified!". In fact I've joked about it in some commentaries.

Gosh I hate sell outs. Sad thing is it works.

Yes indeed, like you I have never once asked for a click, like, subscribe or any of that bullshit. But it is very nice, when every now and again someone appreciates what you do, rather than trying to make it burn. That's worth a million likes for me, right there, someone took the time to say thanks, isn't that a nicer way of doing things?

So I spend a ridiculous amount of my time, crafting and editing some NAM tutorials, with no more purpose in mind than to try and help others. One day, someone clearly organised a bunch of sad pathetic people, who go through and Neg all my videos. Lol, what a total moron with their army of what, 40-50 braindead sheep behind them. Did they think I was doing it for the celebrity? For the subscriber numbers, heaven help (I'll fall off my chair laughing), did they think I was in it for the money? Whatever their intentions, they've achieved absolutely nothing more than hiding like a bunch of cowards behind a user name and pissing me off a little.

Long and short, my videos are still there, I still make new ones and even if they are the crappiest most unwatched tutorials ever made, I don't care. I set out to do a thing, did it my way and the only part of that I need YouTube for, is so I don't have to pay for the hosting and bandwidth to share them.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,107]

11 hours ago, rsc204 said:

One day, someone clearly organised a bunch of sad pathetic people, who go through and Neg all my videos. Lol, what a total moron with their army of what, 40-50 braindead sheep behind them. Did they think I was doing it for the celebrity? For the subscriber numbers, heaven help (I'll fall off my chair laughing), did they think I was in it for the money? Whatever their intentions, they've achieved absolutely nothing more than hiding like a bunch of cowards behind a user name and pissing me off a little.

This kind of people is the lowest form of life on Internet and this planet. Oftentimes it stems from the fact that they simply are butt-hurt that someone has more skill or talent in the same field of activity. Thus, they organize a lynch-mob which... is mostly ineffective.

One has to be really immature to resort to this kind of behavior. Also, they fail to understand that a bullied person may file a case with the court and seek satisfaction.  This is seriously something I'd myself gladly consider if I had enough proof for someone's interference with my endeavors out of spite or envy. 

[Propfam 2,305]

How about I must be financially independent in order to focus entirely to SimCity 4? Since the game is never profitable (except for the community but the profit margin is maybe small that it's better to be a nonprofit) in the first place. Learning SC4 is still continue, though because learning early even when struggling is much better than learning in the 50-60s (the average age when people become financially independent if done right, tho some people can achieve it in 30-40s) without any struggles since you don't have much time to be experienced and less feedback gained.

[Propfam 2,305]

Should I dedicate more time to SC4? Because my most time in SC4 is just waiting the city to be developed. Not to expand or revamp things. Don't get wrong, residents quality is important but it's not that interesting as expansion or revamping.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,107]

Just now, chfzdn said:

Should I dedicate more time to SC4?

Quite honestly? Do as you wish. 

I agree that waiting for the city to develop is annoying at times. Many times through, I find myself grabbing a coffee and watching a movie while SC4 is running. In certain situations, especially when I do not wish to expand yet, I just don't have too much to do on the city but wait for development.

This, may of course lead to water shortages or an occasional fire destroying a whole block, but to hell with this. 

SC4 is not a game which brings fast rewards. It is quite slow-paced really. This is why I often make other things while "playing". Contrary to popular belief and scientific research, I don't like to be glued-in to my monitor.

[Propfam 2,305]

The reason is the lack of feedback. Resident quality is important but certainly doesn't bring feedback from actual humans. I want some feedback. Unfortunately to do so, I need an appealing content. That's why I decided to mark my Timbuktu CJ as the last of its kind. Of course, I don't suddenly break from it but if it's done, it's done. It doesn't mean that I won't make CJs anymore. I'll still make them, but in completely different format. Expanding or revamping do gain some feedbacks from actual humans. Resident quality is only appealing when it's single-handedly responsible for city changes like for instance in a dynamic everything's skyscraper city. Even all-skyscraper cities aren't always interesting especially if they can't grow anymore due to cap or even the lack of demand or enough respective RCI population to do so.

I know this can be attributed to what I called "community cooldown". The ages of activity has been long past since 2015. Everything beyond that is downhill in terms of number of activity. I joined Simtropolis in 2017 and there were lots of new BATers on the scene and Cori was recently appointed as admin. Now, Simtropolis is cooling down. I don't know about Devotion but I think it's same. But, blaming the community for the cooldown isn't the solution. It's my job to bring appealing content to the masses. That's why I'm considering to change my CJ style.

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

9 hours ago, chfzdn said:

I know this can be attributed to what I called "community cooldown". The ages of activity has been long past since 2015. Everything beyond that is downhill in terms of number of activity.

Even if there was a "cooling down" after the mess of SC2013 and its aftermath, why does this matter at all?

The past two years show a steady trend with some uptake while more peeps are staying at home in the past year.

Here's a few graphs using our admin tools, showing this from a statistical standpoint:
 

 

 

 

All these graphs show an uptrend in the activity from the start of 2019 onwards. Now sure, the increase from 2020 can be attributed to how people have more free time at home given the current global pandemic. The point is though that there is no cooldown happening.

In any case though...

Surely the most important aspect is each of us who contribute add our own personality, knowledge, and experiences. This isn't about one person, and it's not about 10 or 34 people (nor about 62 either). We're all individuals who bring something unique to make the community what it is. In this sense, each of us are pieces of a giant and limitless jigsaw puzzle. The collective picture is what we all form together for the way we interact and discuss technical and game play subjects. However, the objective isn't to try and fill the puzzle, since it can never (ever) be completed. It is indefinite without bounds.

Some people after a while decide to pursue other interests, or as real life gets in the way and they move on. Yet the community has endured now for over 18 years and counting. The picture changes shape and form continually, because each of us are important. None of us are insignificant.

 

9 hours ago, chfzdn said:

It's my job to bring appealing content to the masses. That's why I'm considering to change my CJ style.

Keep in mind that job you mention is your own self-appointed one. Simtropolis does, ofc, appreciate appealing content and you are welcome to contribute same.

This comes across as a petulant attitude to dismiss the contributions of all of the other members who have kept the site alive and interesting. Simtropolis is active and enjoyable because of all those who participate in meaningful ways. Using some fallacious straw man argument in an attempt to prove you will be the savior from a trend which doesn't exist is absurd and degrading to all the peeps who have made our corner of the internet what it is today.

Those of us who still frequent the community hopefully enjoy it here, along with new members too. For Cori and I as admins, our goal is that this remains a place where we can all share such wonderful camaraderie and companionship. Since taking over at the helm, our aim has been to make ST a friendlier and more welcoming happy place. We believe this is what we've achieved, and we will continue to strive towards the future furtherance of the community.

We're all city-building enthusiasts who are interested in related games in the genre. This is comparatively small niche as opposed to other gaming genres, but it's all a matter of perspective. We are here because we want to be here. Simtropolis and SC4Devotion (along with any SC4 fan sites) are run as non-profit entities. We're in a bright corner of the internet here, and good things do come in smaller packages. This is not a mainstream social media site and for good reason. We should be thankful for what we've got, with optimism for what can happen in future with a positive outlook. We should not get bogged down by negativities. Our community will continue to thrive as it does, because we share a collective common creative interest in city-building.

Let's look up, not look down.

-CB & Cori

[TheMurderousCricket 5,107]

Too much to quote, but this is summed up perfectly.

I am a relative newcomer but I have to say I love this forum and this game. We keep playing SC3000 and SC4 in 2021. Due to the longevity of these games, every nut and bolt has been documented, examined and all possible fixes found. There is no glitch or bug that has not been discovered and that makes SimCity series an absolute "Holy Grail" of gaming.

One can just install the game, sit back and enjoy. No time wasted for compatibility issues. No time wasted for dependency hunting. No "Huuuhs??", cancer posts or mindless updates from the game publishers. It's just amazing... I belong to four different forums, gaming and art related, but Simtropolis really stands out when it comes to confirmed knowledge and friendliness.

Example? I belong to a GTA forum where one of the admins explicitly states in his profile that he is "The 'fascist' par excellence. "Banned is my favourite word" adding "Pray not to be the next one".  Where do they produce people like that...? (Europe, I guess )

I don't give a damn if s/he finds out... 

P.S.: By the way, I feel like I need to apologize for providing no Magnasanti updates lately and no park-CJ.  It looks like I don't have as much free time as I initially thought I would (which is probably a good information in the Covid career market).

[Propfam 2,305]

9 hours ago, Cyclone Boom said:

Even if there was a "cooling down" after the mess of SC2013 and its aftermath, why does this matter at all?

The past two years show a steady trend with some uptake while more peeps are staying at home in the past year.

Here's a few graphs using our admin tools, showing this from a statistical standpoint:
 

 

 

 

All these graphs show an uptrend in the activity from the start of 2019 onwards. Now sure, the increase from 2020 can be attributed to how people have more free time at home given the current global pandemic. The point is though that there is no cooldown happening.

In any case though...

Surely the most important aspect is each of us who contribute add our own personality, knowledge, and experiences. This isn't about one person, and it's not about 10 or 34 people (nor about 62 either). We're all individuals who bring something unique to make the community what it is. In this sense, each of us are pieces of a giant and limitless jigsaw puzzle. The collective picture is what we all form together for the way we interact and discuss technical and game play subjects. However, the objective isn't to try and fill the puzzle, since it can never (ever) be completed. It is indefinite without bounds.

Some people after a while decide to pursue other interests, or as real life gets in the way and they move on. Yet the community has endured now for over 18 years and counting. The picture changes shape and form continually, because each of us are important. None of us are insignificant.

 

Keep in mind that job you mention is your own self-appointed one. Simtropolis does, ofc, appreciate appealing content and you are welcome to contribute same.

This comes across as a petulant attitude to dismiss the contributions of all of the other members who have kept the site alive and interesting. Simtropolis is active and enjoyable because of all those who participate in meaningful ways. Using some fallacious straw man argument in an attempt to prove you will be the savior from a trend which doesn't exist is absurd and degrading to all the peeps who have made our corner of the internet what it is today.

Those of us who still frequent the community hopefully enjoy it here, along with new members too. For Cori and I as admins, our goal is that this remains a place where we can all share such wonderful camaraderie and companionship. Since taking over at the helm, our aim has been to make ST a friendlier and more welcoming happy place. We believe this is what we've achieved, and we will continue to strive towards the future furtherance of the community.

We're all city-building enthusiasts who are interested in related games in the genre. This is comparatively small niche as opposed to other gaming genres, but it's all a matter of perspective. We are here because we want to be here. Simtropolis and SC4Devotion (along with any SC4 fan sites) are run as non-profit entities. We're in a bright corner of the internet here, and good things do come in smaller packages. This is not a mainstream social media site and for good reason. We should be thankful for what we've got, with optimism for what can happen in future with a positive outlook. We should not get bogged down by negativities. Our community will continue to thrive as it does, because we share a collective common creative interest in city-building.

Let's look up, not look down.

-CB & Cori

Thanks CB & Cori! Sorry for my misunderstanding. But yeah, there's a bit of cooldown in 2019.

Speaking of "It's my job to provide appealing content to the masses," it's indeed myself job and I didn't intend to claim myself as the savior. The actual intention was if I want some feedback to my CJs, I need to create my CJs appealing. The context of the sentence is with the first paragraph of my post, not necessarily the second despite the placement. I'm really sorry for making a sentence that interpreted in an unintended way.

[Propfam 2,305]

If you account the monthly cost of Premiere and After Effects around $30-$70, YouTube would be a loss. And, it isn't same as "I wasted my money for NVMe SSD to be used in SimCity 4 just because my computer supports it." If we assume the price of SSD is $70, then in 12 month we spent $6 monthly, much cheaper than Adobe subscription. The subscription can cost up to a whopping $850 per year

This isn't much a problem for people with another job. But for me that consider YouTube as my first income, that's expensive. If I want to save cost, I have to use Davinci Resolve, Kdenlive or use of mobile apps that I know only charges once and use prepetually. Video is a bit more expensive than text aside from additional skills needed, unfortunately.

I agree with @rsc204 that I should pursue the job that related with SC4 but not necessarily becoming a YouTuber. Which then, I establish myself so I have another source of income and I have a free time and freedom from "If I don't work on my job then I don't have any money." In that scenario, I would pursue SimCity 4 however I like. The problem is the establishment requires lots of time and dedication, like 10 years from now and maybe frugal living. When it done, it would be a beast and I might be coming back if I'm still interested with SC4 of course.

But I don't need to do so if my intention is just for learning, which is exactly one of my intention with the other one is obviously making money.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,107]

@chfzdn - Why don't you just use OBS Studio (recording) in conjunction with DaVinci Resolve (editing) for video making?

They cost precisely zero and have tons of functions and options. They are a real match for paid software.

This is a completely different era for creators who have ideas and talent but a limited budget. Use open-source, CC and GNU, whenever you can.

EDIT: Ahh, you mentioned DaVinci. Best option really.

[carlosmarcelo 982]

On 23/01/2021 at 9:11 AM, chfzdn said:

But for me that consider YouTube as my first income, that's expensive.

As you are opening up, I am allowed to give an opinion. I think you keep making mistakes on this point, seeing SC4 as a job and not a hobby.

Are there people who live of their hobbies? Yes, there is, but you need to see the whole story.
They achieved this after YEARS of effort, sharing normal work with a hobby, staying active for 10h to 16h daily, including weekends and holidays.
And you'll also notice that there's a lot more to it than just a YouTube Channel as a source of revenue: there are books, products, events, sponsors, etc. Nobody (or almost anyone) lives only of youtube or twitch.
Are there exceptions, people who made it with less effort? Of course, but they are so rare that it is not possible to consider them. This explosion also usually occurs because they brought a differentiation of content, with more popular, comedian, unusual or appealing things.

Do you need to define in your head what you want to do: earn revenue in the medium term producing content for social media or have fun with my favorite hobby? Have you ever thought that the two things can be incompatible? In addition, the subject you are passionate about, enjoy and have a loyal following with, such as SC4, is not always a popular subject that generates engagement with sufficient financial returns. As long as you don't think, decide and execute, you will be forever frustrated, even if you are doing spectacular things, whether at work, social media or hobby.

So, I suggest you simply have fun playing or doing what you want, as you wish, as long as you have: this is the goal of a hobby: relax and be happy. 

I hope I helped you. 

[TheMurderousCricket 5,107]

Another good point in this topic. Well said @carlosmarcelo.

I believe all the "peer pressure" comes from people like "Planet Dolan", "NoughtPointFourLIVE", "VSauce" and other channels like these. People just see numbers of YouTubers who are successful but rarely consider what happens behind the... screens.

In these circumstances, it is not surprising for an average person to say "Hey, if they did it and they make so much cash from what they do, how come I don't?!". The next thing you know, you are bogged down in your own channel which you hate for having to put regular updates to and checking on the competition. With this in mind, I believe there is a dangerously thin line between a hobby and a burnout due to hobby.

I'll give you an example out of my own life. Bear in mind that this advice is provided to you "as is". TMC is not responsible for any damage or loss resulting from taking this advice and expressly disclaims all warranties and conditions not stated in this limited warranty. 

The idea of my perfect life involves quitting regular job for good and making a living out of art, commissions and art contracts. However, I also fully accept the fact that it will not happen overnight or maybe never, but I have the right to try, don't I?

The things I do make it quite easy to provide updates on a regular basis but, here's a real shocker, I'm not going to kill myself just to do that.

I am a devout adherent to the "Slow Movement" approach. Thankfully, it seems I also have some immunity to "peer pressure" and a general tongue-in-cheek approach to marketing strategies and customer profiling.

If someone is willing to toss a penny to my Patreon - that's wonderful. If not, it's also wonderful. Every "like", "follow" or $ that I get this way is worth five times more than going all-out marketing frenzy.

If there are any signs my plan might be a reasonable and steady income, I'll consider putting more effort, and here is another twist, into advertising.

The sad thing about any business - it's usually 15% work, 85% advertising. It's worth to remember that before you ruin for yourself something that you like as a hobby.