MovieBob leaving The Escapist

shiajun

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I find it odd that now the things that keep me coming are the things that brought me to the Escapist in the first place. Well written, thoughtful, or interesting columns and articles. In this case: Critical Intel, Experienced Points and Extra Punctuation. Most of shows I followed have gone elsewhere or are dead: top 5 with Lisa Foiles, Extra Credits, the LRR crew (which have now only two shows here), and sometimes MovieBob's thing. All the random 24-hour news cycle noise seems to have degraded the site's content. Maybe it's time to cut back on my visiting time here. Most of the staff that I liked is also gone, so I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be rooting for now. I'm very conflicted.
 

Sleepy Sol

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shiajun said:
I find it odd that now the things that keep me coming are the things that brought me to the Escapist in the first place. Well written, thoughtful, or interesting columns and articles. In this case: Critical Intel, Experienced Points and Extra Punctuation. Most of shows I followed have gone elsewhere or are dead: top 5 with Lisa Foiles, Extra Credits, the LRR crew (which have now only two shows here), and sometimes MovieBob's thing. All the random 24-hour news cycle noise seems to have degraded the site's content. Maybe it's time to cut back on my visiting time here. Most of the staff that I liked is also gone, so I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be rooting for now. I'm very conflicted.
Not that I'd say everyone should be all happy and positive when the future looks unsure for many, but I'd just root for everybody. Support the content creators you love. If you care enough about this site and the content still available keep supporting it. If certain content creators leave or are let go and you love them, follow them and support them. It doesn't have to be one or the other either.
 

CaitSeith

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I just watched his review of Fifty Shades of Grey he posted on his channel. I think the coffee I drank this morning was less bitter than his voice on the video...
 

Con-Autist

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Feb 18, 2015
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I feel guilty for never giving this site a better chance. If there was ever a chance to sign up I feel it is now. It is a new age for The Escapist. Let's see if it'll be a good one. Now I need to catch up on Critical Miss. I've seen pages on other sites and my curiosity has been ignited.
 

MerlinCross

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KazeAizen said:
And I think its become clear he has quite a big audience with enough people willing to pay for the content.
Last check(at time of writing) Bob is getting about 1000 dollars per month.

For reference purposes;

Extra Credits - 10,118 dollars
Jim "F'n" Sterling "Son" - 9,995 dollars
VAATIVIDYA, a youtuber that looks at the lore of the Dark Souls series - 5,374 dollars
Artist of a Webcomic I follow(poke me for the name if you want) - 912 dollars

Now granted this could just be because Bob made the move for the last few days so maybe his fans haven't started to support him as much yet because of the move. His income will probably increase and/or stabilize in the coming months.
 

KazeAizen

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MerlinCross said:
KazeAizen said:
And I think its become clear he has quite a big audience with enough people willing to pay for the content.
Last check(at time of writing) Bob is getting about 1000 dollars per month.

For reference purposes;

Extra Credits - 10,118 dollars
Jim "F'n" Sterling "Son" - 9,995 dollars
VAATIVIDYA, a youtuber that looks at the lore of the Dark Souls series - 5,374 dollars
Artist of a Webcomic I follow(poke me for the name if you want) - 912 dollars

Now granted this could just be because Bob made the move for the last few days so maybe his fans haven't started to support him as much yet because of the move. His income will probably increase and/or stabilize in the coming months.
It will. The Extra Credits Pateron for their Extra History stuff was running for a few months before they reached their goal of $10,000 for weekly episodes.

Also unlike Jim, Bob is keeping his options open. He hasn't gone full independent and we don't know what his full plans for the future are where as Jim was pretty much up front with. "I'm leaving, this is where I am going to be forever, you know where to find me."
 

Vault101

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Sep 26, 2010
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faefrost said:
And that's all well and good if you are talking about simple followers. YouTube subscribers and such. But Patreon is different. Patreon is not simply following someone who seems interesting and checking out his next posting. Patreon is actively ponying up payment for the content. And what people will pay for on the Internet is very different than what they will follow.. People only pay for stuff they find to be positive.
I'm a patron to some people who would (sadly) be considered nasty SJW femanazi's by some

people will pay for content that appeals to them, not all "gamers" or people on the internet have the GG mentality

KazeAizen said:
it still blows my mind a bit Jim could earn 10k a month...I always imagine these people scraping by on say 30k at best

obviously there's probably expenses and/or he wouldn't get all of it,(not to mention the pratron system is not exactly rock solid) but still

and I'm not complaining, I'm sure some people would get their panties in a twist over "silly internet people" making that amount, but if people want to pay for what you do then great! plus lets be honest in this business people rarely make what theyre worth

Plus Jim's done the rounds...why shouldn't he earn as much a s a seasoned professional?
 

Evonisia

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Jun 24, 2013
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CaitSeith said:
I just watched his review of Fifty Shades of Grey he posted on his channel. I think the coffee I drank this morning was less bitter than his voice on the video...
I sincerely hope that all the swearing is just his bitter nature rather than some kind of "true Bob" unhinged by the censoring of The Escapist. I've seen "fuck" used less often in 2008 Zero Punctuation videos.
 

Fox12

AccursedT- see you space cowboy
Jun 6, 2013
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KazeAizen said:
faefrost said:
And that's all well and good if you are talking about simple followers. YouTube subscribers and such. But Patreon is different. Patreon is not simply following someone who seems interesting and checking out his next posting. Patreon is actively ponying up payment for the content. And what people will pay for on the Internet is very different than what they will follow.. People only pay for stuff they find to be positive.
And I think its become clear he has quite a big audience with enough people willing to pay for the content.
MerlinCross said:
KazeAizen said:
And I think its become clear he has quite a big audience with enough people willing to pay for the content.
Last check(at time of writing) Bob is getting about 1000 dollars per month.

For reference purposes;

Extra Credits - 10,118 dollars
Jim "F'n" Sterling "Son" - 9,995 dollars
VAATIVIDYA, a youtuber that looks at the lore of the Dark Souls series - 5,374 dollars
Artist of a Webcomic I follow(poke me for the name if you want) - 912 dollars

Now granted this could just be because Bob made the move for the last few days so maybe his fans haven't started to support him as much yet because of the move. His income will probably increase and/or stabilize in the coming months.
I'm not sure why the debate is now over whether he will succeed on Patreon. Honestly, I think the question is irrelevant. He's got a fair following, and he'll probably be able to make a living off of it in the coming months. He won't be making F*** You money, or as much as Jim or Extra Credits, but he'll probably be able to live quite comfortably and produce his content. And that's fine. Personally, I hated him. But now he's off the Escapist, and I can basically continue to ignore him in peace. I hope he succeeds. I hope he's able to make a living doing something he enjoys. Wishing for his failure after leaving The Escapist is somewhat vindictive, I think. I'm glad he's gone, but as long as he doesn't poison any sites I care about (and I don't think he will) then I wish him well. I vocally dislike him, but the only reason I would hear his negative attitude is if I went looking for it, and I don't want to do that to myself. There are people who like his work, though, and I hope they are able to continue enjoying his work.

I still don't like him, but his I do pity him after his patreon video was released. I don't want bad, I just hope he'll find less toxic ways to express himself. I get the feeling that some of his aggression comes from mild depression. Not an excuse, but I hope that both his life and his attitude improve.
 

Ken_J

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Anyone find it funny, in a tragic for of way. that a week after Bob changes his twitter avatar to
He get's fired.
 

MerlinCross

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Fox12 said:
I just used Patreon as that actually lets me get numbers(like how much he earns and followers) more so than anything. If he does manage to keep a large following, a decent number could be waiting to see where he ends up at rather than giving him support up front. That's kinda what I meant to say with my post.
 

Lono Shrugged

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MovieBob said:
It's really taking all my strength not to close Twitter right now, you guys. I always wanted to create things people loved. I never considered that would mean potentially hurting them if those things went away. I'm so sorry.
I don't really have anything else left to say. People who support him will support him. Others are happy to see him fade into obscurity. He is in the deep water of the indy & freelance market. either way, no more articles where he links to ten other articles that he wrote as context. It's an abject lesson in not getting too comfortable in a job no matter how cushy it was. He produced all this content for one site and relied too heavily on the "legitimacy" it gave him. He is no longer a "journalist and columnist." He is a youtube video maker and blogger. He has his audience but no scope or plan to expand. The road will be hard for him

On a personal I wish the guy well. I hope he wakes up and realises there is more to life than his malformed public profile.
 

Fox12

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Jun 6, 2013
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MerlinCross said:
Fox12 said:
I just used Patreon as that actually lets me get numbers(like how much he earns and followers) more so than anything. If he does manage to keep a large following, a decent number could be waiting to see where he ends up at rather than giving him support up front. That's kinda what I meant to say with my post.
Yeah, I see what you mean. I've just seen a lot of people saying they hope he fails. I wanted him off The Escapist, but still, I don't want him to lose everything. Personally, Id rather him just learn a few lessons and become a well adjusted member of society. I won't be keeping track of him from this moment forward, but I hope he does well. And I hope he finds more beautiful things in life then uploading videos.
 

Dunesen

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I went through more pages of this thread than can be healthy, and while I don't have much of an opinion about Bob's departure and whether or not it was deserved I am baffled by how so many people are taking the time to tell others that they're glad to see him gone because (they disagreed with his movie opinions/they disagreed with his political views/they didn't watch his videos at all).

On the first or second page someone uses a restaurant as an analogy; 'If I'm eating at a restaurant I don't want to hear noxious political opinions.' And I'm thinking 'Dude, just leave the restaurant!'

All of these 'I'm glad he's gone' comments are about videos and columns you don't have to watch/read in the first place! Why does it matter if he is on this site or somewhere else when you have no obligation to devote focus to his stuff? All this means is you won't be reminded of his existence when you visit the site's main page, and if you are so relieved not to have that happen anymore, you have bigger issues than the specific focus of your ire.
 

William Ossiss

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Now, if Yahtzee leaves, I'll have no reason to come here. Other than Critical Miss.


OT: though this is quite a shock. The last person I thought would be leaving would have been Movie Bob...

After Extra Credits, and that comic that grabbed its own site... This site seems to be going downhill.
 

Lugbzurg

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No, no, no...! Well, there goes my favorite... The Big Picture was always something I looked forward to. It always felt the most personal, the most dynamic, the most intellectual... Guess I'll be here every Wednesday... other Wednesday... Whenever. But I guess this does give me a good catalyst to check out his "Game Overthinker" material.

Looks like that next "maybe" crossover isn't going to happen after all.
 

Lono Shrugged

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Dunesen said:
All of these 'I'm glad he's gone' comments are about videos and columns you don't have to watch/read in the first place! Why does it matter if he is on this site or somewhere else when you have no obligation to devote focus to his stuff? All this means is you won't be reminded of his existence when you visit the site's main page, and if you are so relieved not to have that happen anymore, you have bigger issues than the specific focus of your ire.
I think it's more the fact that a lot of people really liked Bob in the early days and did not like what he became. The temptation to watch can often come from a hope that he might turn it around in terms of his extremist rhetoric. You probably saw that very few people actually have ill will towards the guy personally. And all that is discussion worthy. Especially the manner in which he departed and how The Escapist is being represented and where it is going. The Pub club gang have a lot to consider there...
 

Johnny Novgorod

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Dunesen said:
All of these 'I'm glad he's gone' comments are about videos and columns you don't have to watch/read in the first place! Why does it matter if he is on this site or somewhere else when you have no obligation to devote focus to his stuff? All this means is you won't be reminded of his existence when you visit the site's main page.
It also means somebody with actual talent and professionalism can take his spot and deliver content I actually want to watch/read. I don't care what becomes of him, I just want to see those 5 weekly spots put to better use.
 

Johnny Novgorod

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Darks63 said:
Just throwing this theory out there, but maybe he feel Yahtzee doesn't need a plug since he is the face of the escapist. Not saying your wrong since Bob can be extremely petty as shown by his heel turn against Nolan for a perceive Marvel snub just giving an alternate explanation.
I dunno, Bob gives me the impression of being easily offended.

Love the Nic Cage avatar btw. He looks so dumbfounded in that poster.
Pyrian said:
Johnny Novgorod said:
...I just want to see those 5 weekly spots put to better use.
From what I've seen, that's just... Not how it works.
Going by what Archon and others have said, they're looking to fill up the weekly schedule again. Maybe not exactly spot by spot, but you get the picture.