Remember when I wrote a few months back that I was joining the EQII content creator program? Then I posted once or twice, and did a few videos, and all my content immediately stopped.
At that exact same time, I joined the Wurm Online content creator program, and the same thing happened.
So. WHAT exactly happened?
Each of these programs had obligations like creating 1 video / post / piece of content a week, and gave “compensation” like your monthly subscription covered, and access to beta events. A special name on discord, etc. In the case of EQ2, that means $14.99 a month, and in Wurm Online, that is 7.99€.
Let us say that each piece of content created took roughly 2-3 hours. That would include any streaming/videos/editing/writing/etc. It would probably often take longer, and you were required to do this 4x a month plus promote it, etc.
If you were already creating this type of content and wanted into the program for posterity sake, maybe you would find it worth it. However, my time has value to me, and a $15 subscription was well below what I value it at. I AM still playing EQ2, and Wurm Online, but I am just paying for it with my own money, and if I want to create content, yay, and if I don’t, no big deal because I’m not obligated. In any case, when I did all of the math I realized that I had just gotten swept up in the “we’ll pay you in EXPOSURE” side of things, and that these types of programs are simply not for me – despite the fact that I DO love the games, and continue to play, and from time to time, will write or stream or post a YouTube video. I like to bounce around my games. I like to play quietly. I like to write / create videos when I do, and not on a schedule. Sometimes I also just can’t, because I’m in the middle of an MS relapse or because life is kicking me around, or I simply don’t want to.
Yes, I do wish I were like a lot of the content creators I see out there, dedicated to a handful of games that I’m passionate about – but it’s OK that I’m not, too. It’s a ton of time and energy that I simply don’t have any more.
So that’s what happened.
A Pixel Nomad 
I do think these kinds of things are more for people for whom content creation is their full time job.
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Absolutely the reason I didn’t apply for the EQII program. At the time I was producing plenty of EQII content but, as I knew would happen, I’ve become involved in something else (BG3) and haven’t played EQII at all for a few weeks. If I thought I had to come up with four pieces a month regardless of whether I felt like playing at all it would put me right off. Much better to have full control and play and post when and what I feel like.
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Honestly, I should have known this about myself, by now, I mean I do have 20+ years on this blog showing me exactly how I like to game – but I really just got swept up in it. At the time I was watching a lot of other content creators and streamers, and as they say “the grass is always greener” – it simply doesn’t fit my life at this time, no matter how much I may try.
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“we’ll pay you in EXPOSURE” is like the biggest scam ever, and it hurts everyone because some people will actually do it, which means the company learns they don’t have to pay someone a fair wage.I lost my last paid blogging gig to this. I was replaced by a few people who would do it ‘for exposure’ rather than getting paid.Good on you for not rewarding such shady behavior on the part of the companies trying to get free marketing!
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