Letter to my Subscribers [300 Subscriber Celebration!]

Where do I start? It’s difficult to fathom putting a post together on such a big day for the channel.

Some of you might be thinking to yourselves, “It’s just 300 subs,” so perhaps you’re wondering… how much more can there be to say than what you said at 100?

But it’s not just 300 subs. The start of my Civilization V Tutorial, and Pax Humana in Master of Orion, turned out to be the harbinger of a new wave of activity the likes of which my channel has not yet seen.

There are many reasons this is a big deal. Let me explain.

To me, the biggest is probably something that a lot of YouTubers experience when they’re starting out. For my channel, the first truly and widely beloved series was Against All Odds in The Long Dark. It’s golden whenever you have that first series, but also terrifying, because the moment it ends—and AAO did end unexpectedly—you wonder just how much your viewership is about to decline.

And decline, my daily viewership did. But few of you actually left. You stuck around, many of you continuing to enjoy the post-AAO content in the 6 pm Scifi/Survival/Simulation slot, and many more actively enjoying both timeslots at once. That’s a big deal. Then I got sick, and the channel went offline for a week. You stuck around. I actually gained subscribers while the channel wasn’t producing content. That’s a big deal, too, and I don’t say it to brag; I say it with gratitude. If I do say it to brag, it’s to brag on you. I have amazing people making up the foundation of my channel’s community.

Now that I am feeling better and these new series have launched, that community has literally roared back to life. The numbers don’t lie. Right now, my analytics point to similar trends to AAO’s heyday, but I am beginning to think we’re about to surpass that… and consider that in a few months, AAO will make its triumphant return with Season 2, so… do the math. I’m not overconfident in this; I’m just seeing some very strong patterns, and I have all of you to thank for it.

My foremost goal with this channel has never been to amass subscribers or to amass wealth. Subscribers help. Money helps. But the objective they’re helping with—my ultimate goal—has always been to put out great content and forge a great community around that content. A community of like-minded, thoughtful people who enjoy games the way I do, who interact with me, and interact with each other. I am beginning to see that community take shape, and I see it grow livelier every day. That alone is much more meaningful to me than the number 300.

As soon as I can, I will be putting together a new “Look Ahead” to discuss a lot of upcoming content and plans for the channel. We’ve got a lot to talk about, so stay tuned for that. I know it’s been a while.

In conclusion, let me just say that another thing you wonder, sincerely, after your first successful series is whether you can ever repeat that success outside of that style of content, or in that specific game.

These new series, both the Tutorial and Pax Humana, have seen more support outside of YouTube than any of my past content, much of which was enjoyed by many of you. Most of my third 100 subs (subs 201-300) have come within the past ten days (read: since those series launched). As far as within YouTube, the level of commentary I’ve received is likewise on par, and perhaps beginning to surpass, what I enjoyed during Against All Odds.

You have no idea how invigorating that is. Not to mention encouraging. You have no idea how good it feels to have the stomach-turning feeling of having to shut down all content for several days because your voice is shot and you’ve run out of backlog… only to be immediately followed by an unprecedented surge in your viewership, community interaction, and subscriber base.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. To all of you, even the lurkers who haven’t interacted with me like the more extraverted folks… know that I see you and appreciate you every day. You are not just 300 subscribers to me; you are the foundation of something amazing. And it is on its way.

Onwards.

-H