PortsCenter – A show on the internet all about videogames

[Ben Paddon]

Ah yes, the inevitable plug. If you’re part of my online social circle then no doubt you’ve already seen me bang on about this project, but here we are anyway.

Last weekend some friends and I borrowed a ton of equipment and filmed a pilot for a webseries called PortsCenter, a show that aims to take an informative and entertaining look at unique ports of existing videogames. With swears in it, obviously.

The pilot is now online, and we’re trying to raise the funds to produce a full season of 13 episodes. It’s been favorably compared to Charlie Brooker’s “GamesWipe” by the likes of Oli Smith, who you might know from his Doctor Who work. Have a look, and if you like it do consider pledging a few bucks, or at the least spreading the word.

We’ve got a cracking list of games we want to look at, from bizarre Amiga ports to unlikely handheld re-releases, and we may be looking at some “lost in translation” stuff that has either gone to or come out of Japan.

But anyway. How are you?

[Jonathan Capps]

I can confirm that this is indeed very good, and exactly the sort of thing I would want from Gameswipe. You even look a bit a like Brooker.

[Danny Stephenson]

Ben: “you use L1 and R1 to side step-“
Me: ‘Strafe.’
Ben: “or ‘strafe’ if you’re a twat.”
Me: “Shit.”

[pfm]

Seeing Chaos Engine in the intro put such a huge grin on my face I had to watch the rest of it! I know this is good because it takes a lot to keep me watching something for 9+ mins without opening at least one other window or video (sad, I know…what have we become???)

Yep, it’s decent. I hope you get to make the full series (or ‘season’ if you’re a twat :P)!

[Ben Paddon]

So do I, performingmonkey. And yes, I hate using the word “season”, but I’m in America now. They have their own customs. Look at their crazy passports!

lol @ Danny. I don’t often use “lol” because I think it’s disingenuous to imply I “laughed out loud” at something that merely made me smile, but I genuinely laughed. Out loud, too.

[redhead85]

Well I must admit, I did enjoy this a lot. Not to the extent where I could stump up cash for such a project over my first-born child but, you know, the sentiment was there.

[John Hoare]

Very excellent indeed.

[Ben Paddon]

The Kickstarter page now has a censored, work-safe version of the pilot if you’re worried about hearing someone say “shit” and “fuck” a lot. I know how you lot get with swearing sometimes.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

You mean “s***” and “f***”. Darn it, man, think of the children!

[Kris Carter]

Yeah, Ben! God, what a cunt.

[Ben Paddon]

I’m very pleased to announce today we crossed the 10% mark. Whoo!

[Ben Paddon]

Some kind viewer has added PortsCenter to Reddit. I’d be much obliged if you could upvote it.

[Ben Paddon]

I wasn’t successful with last year’s Kickstarter campaign, but I launched a new one yesterday and it’s already 17% funded. Exciting, eh?

We’ve set our financial sights a little lower this time – we reckon we can still make the show we want to make for $4,200, so if any of you wonderful, intelligent, handsome people feel like helping make the first series of PortsCenter a reality, do pop over and consider chipping in.

[mick]

I’ll link to this on my forum for now, as I’ve still not done my new site re-launch yet, great idea :)

[Connell]

This is truly great. Love the strafe twat line, exactly what I always think when someone uses the word (which isn’t very often)

[Ben Paddon]

We’re 22% funded now. I hope (fingers crossed!) that we break 25% before the weekend is over.

[Alex]

Pledge made. It looks good fun so here’s hoping you get the funding you need this time.

[Ben Paddon]

I love you, Alex. We crossed the 25% mark today, in part thanks to your pledge. 25% funded! In terms of percentage achieved we’re already beating our first Kickstarter attempt (which reached 22% after 60 days, IIRC) and it only started four days ago.

Blimey.

[pfm]

I pledged some 2 days ago. Good luck with it :)

[Ben Paddon]

Thanks, Perf!

[Ben Paddon]

Four days left to go!

We’re at 42% right now, with $2,426 left to go. It’s so close I can almost taste it, probably.

[Ben Paddon]

only 24 hours left! If you’ve been holding off on pledging, now’s the time to chip in.

[Kris Carter]

By the way, congrats to Ben – he got the funding!

Now make me laugh about old video games, bitch.

[Jonathan Capps]

Well done, Ben!

[si]

Well done, sir!

[Ben Paddon]

I’m as shocked as you are.

Thanks for the congrats. :)

[Ben Paddon]

Well, this week has been a bit shit. It started with my dad having a heart attack (he’s fine, should be going home tomorrow) and ended with my PC – my wonderful workhorse of a PC – giving up the ghost. It’s knackered, which is a bit of a problem because it’s the PC I’m planning to use for all of my PortsCenter editing, visFX, etc.

So I need to buy a new one. I can probably do this in two weeks, hopefully, but it’s not going to be cheap and money is a little tight. If anybody has a few dollarpounds to spare and doesn’t want to pay some fat git to go for a walk he desperately needs anyway*, there’s a PayPal button on the PortsCenter website. I’m not asking people to pay for the whole PC, but if you can help ease the load I’d be very happy, and might even tattoo your name on my buttocks. No I won’t.

____________________________
* Shame overload. I-I-I-sorry.

[Author]

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