Ben Croshaw, better known as “Yatzhee” for his humorous and biting videogame reviews posted at The Escapist Magazine, talked to BBG recently about his creative process and favorite moments of delivering his frequently damning pronouncements.
“I usually take a few days to play through the game and I’ll usually finish it, or get as far as I can before I feel I can formulate an opinion. After that I’ll devote a day to writing the script,” he explained in the interview.
Though he doesn’t take notes, Croshaw said he sticks to several main points and squeezes a paragraph o two out of each one before working on the corresponding images.
The inspiration behind his animation style, he said, was borne of necessity : “[It] was me not possessing a video camera or any similar means of recording and wondering if I could make a video out of still images and narration.”
The novel reviewer said he is pleased with his relationship with The Escapist and the success his venture has enjoyed. “They’re good people and I am treated well with a big sack of money at the start of every month,” he said with his usual candor.
As for his delivery style, Croshaw offered this pleasantly maniacal picture:
“I have terrible presenting discipline. I never look in the right way while I’m recording, I usually stare at the ceiling and rock back and forth in my chair. If you listen very hard you can sometimes hear my chair squeaking while I talk. It probably needs some screws tightening.”
Source: BBG
