Top 10 Videos From 2017

5 January, 2018. 724 words.

It’s time for more video rankings! I know blog readers hate videos, but this is the only place I can put this information for posterity.

Major video releases from me in 2017 included:

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (still unfinished)
Mass Effect Andromeda
Final Fantasy XIV - Stormblood, The Legend Returns
Guild Wars 2 - Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire, Living World Seasons 2 and 3
Dark Souls III - The Ringed City DLC (still unfinished)

Below are my top ten videos in 2017, according to YouTube running time. (This is as of December 27th, so technically it doesn’t count the last 4 days of the year.)

To nobody’s surprise, none of the videos that I actually worked hard on this year made the cut. In terms of video production quality, none of these would make my own personal top ten. (I would probably rate my Andromeda videos as best of the year. I was going to upload similar videos for Mass Effect 2 and 3, but my hard drive crashed and that was that. I only have the MP3s left of those videos from when I put them on my phone to listen to at work.)

10 - Battlefield 1 - Pt 9 - Cambrai (Through Mud and Blood). From 2016, the Battlefield 1 videos continue to have prominent placement on this list. I guess people like shooters or something. Down from #7 last year.

9 - Morrowind 12 - Dwemer Ruins of Arkngthand. New in 2017. The early Morrowind videos are not what you’d call super high quality, because I honestly wasn’t sure I’d even upload them until I got to around part 30 or so. Nevertheless, at least a handful of people watched them, and they are the only videos from 2017 that gained any traction. I think they are one of the first sets of videos that I’ve made custom thumbnails for.

8 - Morrowind 4 - Collecting Mushrooms for Ajira. New in 2017.

7 - Battlefield 1 - Pt 1 - Intro and Gallipoli (The Runner). From 2016. Up from #10 last year.

6 - Battlefield 1 - Pt 10 - Cambrai (Through Mud and Blood). From 2016, new to the list in 2017.

5 - Dark Souls II - Part 17 - The Pursuer Defeated. From 2015. Perennial favorite Dark Souls, down from #3 last year, but still hanging in there!

4 - Morrowind 1 - Arriving in Seyda Neen. New in 2017. The one that started the worldwide phenomenon! (As of this writing, I have recorded 72 parts, not counting 9 “side quest” videos that I am cutting out of the series.)

3 - Dark Souls - Sorcerer vs. Sif the Great Grey Wolf. Also from 2015, down from #1 last year. I still don’t know why this video is popular. I mean, other than the fact that I rocked the heck out of Sif and made it look super easy.

2 - Morrowind 2 - Finding Caius Cosades in Balmora. From 2017.

1 - Battlefield 1 - Pt 8 - Cambrai (Through Mud and Blood). From 2016, up from #5 last year. People really dig that Battlefield 1 tank gameplay I guess, because all three of my videos from Through Mud and Blood made this list.

In case anyone is wondering, I am planning to finish up Morrowind and record abridged videos of Oblivion and Skyrim in 2018. (I have played both of those games before so I want to keep the videos focused on the story.) I have recorded a bunch of Guild Wars 1 Prophecies videos. And I’ll continue recording Let’s Play-style videos of Guild Wars 2’s Living World Season 4 and probably FFXIV content updates as well. I also need to finish The Ringed City DLC.

I am up to 8,291 channel views as of this writing, so feel free to watch more of my videos. You don’t even have to watch them, really.* Just “press play and walk away” as John Hodgman used to say about his Netflix Ragnorak special. :) Because once I cross 10,000 views I should be able to start monetizing and then I SHALL RULE THE WORLD!

* Honestly most of my videos are designed to be listened to more than watched anyway. I have even considered the possibility of making a podcast out of RPG recordings.