{"id":1221,"date":"2017-01-08T16:30:27","date_gmt":"2017-01-08T21:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/?p=1221"},"modified":"2017-01-11T18:25:17","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T23:25:17","slug":"vcg-patreon-launches-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/1221\/vcg-patreon-launches-today","title":{"rendered":"VC&#038;G Patreon Launches Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cqRh3zs2AKQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s the big day.  I just launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/benjedwards\">Patreon Campaign<\/a> with the aim of supporting my history work.<\/p>\n<p><center><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/benjedwards\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to become a Patron of Benj Edwards and <em>VC&#038;G<\/em>.<\/a><\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/vintagecomputing\/live\">Also, I am doing a livestream Q&#038;A at 1:30 Eastern today.<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s some of the info from the Patreon page repeated below for future reference.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Who are you?<\/h3>\n<p>My name is Benj Edwards and I am a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.benjedwards.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">freelance journalist<\/a>.  I have been writing almost exclusively about computer and video game history for over a decade now.<\/p>\n<p>In 2005, I started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">Vintage Computing and Gaming<\/a>, a tech history blog which I still maintain (you may have seen my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/category\/regular_features\/retro-scan-of-the-week\/\">Retro Scans<\/a> over the years).<\/p>\n<p>In 2007, I began writing <a href=\"http:\/\/www.benjedwards.com\/works.php\" rel=\"nofollow\">tech history articles<\/a> for sites such as 1UP, PC World, Gamasutra, Ars Technica, Macworld, Wired, PCMag, Technologizer, The Atlantic, FastCompany, and more.<\/p>\n<h3>Why do you need my support on Patreon?<\/h3>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/patreon\/benj_shadow.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nI love to write well-researched, in-depth history pieces, but they take a lot of time and effort to create.&nbsp; To date, few publications have been able to fully fund the work it takes to write a quality in-depth feature with original research.&nbsp; Original research means I take the time to track down the actual people involved in the topics I write about and interview them.&nbsp; So I have developed a rhythm of doing mostly slideshow work, with a few large features a year that are partially self-funded.<\/p>\n<p>After years of going it alone and racking up debt to make these articles a reality, it&#8217;s time to either find another source of funding (Patreon) or consider changing careers and give up history work.&nbsp; I&#8217;d rather keep doing what I&#8217;m doing.<\/p>\n<p>If I get enough support on Patreon, I can write deeply-researched pieces about the untold stories of the computer and video game revolution all the time, non-stop.&nbsp; I will publish them on Vintage Computing and Gaming.<\/p>\n<h3>What is Patreon?<\/h3>\n<p>Patreon is a way for individuals to come together using small monthly payments to support someone doing important or interesting work.&nbsp; If everyone who supports that work gives a few dollars a month, when combined, it can make a big impact.<\/p>\n<h3>What will you write with my support?<\/h3>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/patreon\/stories_1_shadow.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nMy goal is to write at least one big tech history feature a month and publish it on Vintagecomputing.com.&nbsp; After publication, I will make my research interview transcriptions available to select Patreon supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples of deeply-researched history pieces I have written in the past &#8212; and that I hope to write more of in the future:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3050016\/unraveling-the-enigma-of-nintendos-virtual-boy-20-years-later\" rel=\"nofollow\">Unraveling The Enigma Of Nintendo&#8217;s Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later<\/a> (FastCompany, 2015)\n\t<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3047428\/how-two-bored-1970s-housewives-helped-create-the-pc-industry\" rel=\"nofollow\">How Two Bored 1970s Housewives Helped Create The PC Industry<\/a> (FastCompany, 2015)\n\t<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3047828\/who-needs-gps-the-forgotten-story-of-etaks- amazing-1985-car-navigation-system\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Forgotten Story of Etak&#8217;s Amazing 1985 Car Navigation System<\/a> (FastCompany, 2015)\n\t<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3040889\/the-untold-story-of-the-invention-of-the-game-cartridge\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Untold Story of the Invention of the Game Cartridge<\/a> (FastCompany, 2015)\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/patreon\/stories_2_shadow.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2014\/07\/where-online-services-go-when-they-die\/374099\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Where Online Services Go When They Die<\/a> (The Atlantic, 2014)\n\t<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2013\/01\/the-never-before-told-story-of-the-worlds-first-computer-art-its-a-sexy-dame\/267439\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Never-Before-Told Story of the World&#8217;s First Computer Art<\/a> (The Atlantic, 2013)\n\t<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.technologizer.com\/2011\/12\/11\/computer-space-and-the-dawn-of-the-arcade-video-game\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Computer Space and the Rise of the Arcade Video Game<\/a> (Technologizer, 2011)<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.technologizer.com\/2009\/07\/19\/lunar-lander\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Forty Years of Lunar Lander<\/a> (Technologizer, 2009)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nEach of those articles took months of research &#8212; tracking down people and interviewing them, reading vintage magazines, books, and newspapers, contacting museums and archives &#8212; to complete.&nbsp; With your support, I can write &#8220;deep dive&#8221; articles like those frequently.<\/p>\n<h3>What kinds of interviews will you do?<\/h3>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/patreon\/interviews_1_shadow.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nI&#8217;ve done plenty of big-name interviews in the past: Steve Wozniak,<br \/>\nNolan Bushnell, Ralph Baer, Sid Meier, Trip Hawkins, Tim Sweeney, etc.<br \/>\n(Links to those can be found on<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.benjedwards.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">my personal website<\/a> or on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/category\/everything-else\/interviews\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">VC&#038;G<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>But what I&#8217;d really like to pursue are the important folks that no one has heard of before.&nbsp; For example, here are some of the most important interviews I&#8217;ve ever done &#8212; all of which involve subjects that had never done extended print interviews previously.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/319\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bill Harrison<\/a>, the engineer who physically built the world&#8217;s first TV video games<\/li>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/800\" rel=\"nofollow\">Carol Shaw<\/a>, Atari&#8217;s first female video game designer<\/li>\n<li>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/545\" rel=\"nofollow\">Jerry Lawson<\/a>, Co-creator of the first cartridge-based console and black video game pioneer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nBill Harrison is now blind and has severe Alzheimer&#8217;s, Jerry Lawson passed away in 2011, and Carol Shaw pretty much never talks to the media. If I had not interviewed them, their important voices would not have been heard.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, I have already conducted interviews with other key figures in video game and computer history that have never been published, and likely never will be without your help: they take a long time to transcribe and format for publication, and while their historical value is enormous, their commercial appeal is limited, so I can&#8217;t sell them as freelance pieces.&nbsp; Your support will bring those interviews to light &#8212; I will publish them regularly on Vintagecomputing.com.<\/p>\n<h3>What will I get if I support you?<\/h3>\n<p>\nAside from getting to read everything I write, you will get neat rewards depending on how much you give every month (see sidebar on the right).<\/p>\n<p>Thanks so much for your support.&nbsp; With your help, we can preserve history for future generations.<\/p>\n<p><center><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/benjedwards\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to become a Patron of Benj Edwards and <em>VC&#038;G<\/em>.<\/a><\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today&#8217;s the big day. I just launched a Patreon Campaign with the aim of supporting my history work. Click here to become a Patron of Benj Edwards and VC&#038;G. Also, I am doing a livestream Q&#038;A at 1:30 Eastern today. Here&#8217;s some of the info from the Patreon page repeated below for future reference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,5],"tags":[1222,88,1439,1440,98],"class_list":["post-1221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-current-events","category-vcg-announcements","tag-benj-edwards","tag-freelance-work","tag-patreon","tag-support","tag-vcg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1221\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}