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Like probably everyone else does at the end of another calendar year, it’s time for me to look back on 2021 and share with you what I’ve been up to. In fact, this year I want to share with you some more detail, so that you can see what is involved in doing what I do in the name of the Tabletop Games Blog.

Time

Let me start by looking at the time I spent in 2021 on everything to do with the blog, podcast, YouTube channel and everything else under the Tabletop Games Blog heading:

  • over 150 hours writing nearly 110 articles with over 1,000 words each, finding photos to go alongside them, recording, editing and uploading the audio version, scheduling social media updates, etc. (that’s basically nearly 3 hours a week),
  • over 14 hours on 6 episodes of the Let me illustrate podcast series,
  • over 60 hours recording, editing and uploading 8 unboxing videos,
  • over 10 hours on preparing contributors’ audio for Tabletop Games Blog Radio and
  • over 24 hours editing and uploading 7 episodes for the Tabletop Inquisition podcast.

Money

When it comes to money, there are a number of things to look at.

I’ve been getting quite a few review copies for free, I won a few games in contests and I also had a game donated to me, all of which I really appreciate. I’m also lucky that I get to play friends’ games. So overall, that means there are a good number of games I can review for free and I’m very grateful for that.

However, I do still buy the great majority of games myself and to help with that, I also sell games. I also get income from my wonderful Patreon supporters and Ko-Fi and other cash donations, but I also have to pay for hosting the blog (which is also for Make My Game Travel and Tabletop Inquisition) and video, audio, photo and similar services.

The figures for 2021 are:

  • 12 review copies received,
  • 5 games won,
  • 1 game donated,
  • 7 games owned by friends,
  • 27 games bought (totalling over £1,000),
  • 8 games sold (totalling over £175),
  • over £425 in cash income and
  • over £525 in outgoings.

Stats

I’m so pleased to see visitor numbers for the blog going up all the time. The blog is my main focus, even though I also really enjoy making unboxing videos for YouTube and seeing what everyone is up to on Twitter. Here are some figures for all of these from 2021:

News

There have also been some really good news this year, which my Patreon supporters will already have heard about. After all, they are the first to be in the know, so don’t forget to support me too, if you want to be kept up-to-date and get some behind-the-scenes sneak peeks.

The most recent news is that I ran the Board Games for Food raffle, which was in support of The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,200 food bank centres, about two-thirds of the food banks in the UK. The raffle raised over £370 and I have to thank again everyone who donated games and bought tickets. You are all amazing!

I also launched Tabletop Games Blog Radio this year, which features the articles from this blog, as well as contributions from Producing Fun, Gaming Rules, We’re Not Wizards and Brainwaves, among others. The station regularly has over 20 listeners a day and is slowly growing in popularity. If you’ve not listened yet, then why not tune in now.

I am also very pleased to say that I was able to reduce the hours from my day job, so that I have every Friday afternoon off, which I focus on everything Tabletop Games Blog, of course. If things continue in the right way, I’m planning on reducing my hours further, so that I have a whole day a week to dedicate to the blog. Let’s see how it goes…

I also had the pleasure to be the guest on a live stream, a couple of podcasts, have an article appear in print and also feature in a card game. These are all huge achievements for me and I am really honoured to have gotten to this point. Here are the details:

Gaming

In gaming related news, the year has been mixed.

For most of the time, I’ve been playing online with the games group, which was really important to me and allowed me to keep some sanity. I have to thank them for persevering. It also meant that we gained another member in the group, whom we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to play with and who was instrumental in introducing us to games we wouldn’t otherwise have tried. So, thank you, Jamie Adams, for joining our group.

More recently, we’ve been able to meet in person again, which was a wonderful experience, of course. Playing a physical game is such a different experience, as you will probably know, and for some games, it’s absolutely vital, because the digital implementations don’t do them justice.

Throughout the year though, I’ve been able to play games in person with my wonderful wife and occasionally with our daughter, which was the other important lifeline for me this year. It not only meant I was able to continue to review physical games, but it also kept me sane. So thank you so very much to my wife and daughter for putting up with my incessant requests to play board games.

Summary

So, in closing, let me say that 2021 was an interesting year, to say the least, but I got through it with the help of family, friends and board games. The blog continues strong and there are many more ideas I have for 2022.

I hope you all had a good year and I wish that 2022 will be amazing and that all your wishes come true.

Stay safe, play games and tell the important people in your life that you love them.

Useful Links

Audio Version

Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)

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