The Comedy of VR

I understand the function of a facecam. These days it's mostly to get your face out there and help sell your merch/tv rights/book whatever but I'm talking here about it's original function. It's a way of showing the viewer your reaction to what's happening. 

(OK, so it's been diluted somewhat by seriously uncomfortable over-reacting but blah blah blah old man yells at cloud I'll get over it.)

Now I've never used them myself because I feel like they're a distraction and it's actually pretty easy to convey reactions on the screen. A shake of the mouse here, a pause and slow looking around there, little touches can really add to the immersion of the video. A separate "here's how I'm feeling now" screen doesn't work for me. 

Then VR came along and OH GOD IT'S MAGICAL. You literally get inside my head with me AND I get 100% camera control AND movement of my hands. The comedic potential of this is staggering and with each video I'm getting better and better at it. 

It's even better for reactions. Take the Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades video. That bit 2 min in where I fire the gun accidentally genuinely made me jump. Not only do you see me jump you also see my whole body tense up afterward with the ridgidness the gun is held with. It's comedy gold and a tiny screen in the corner wouldn't have added anything to that. It may have taken away from it.

Actually, one thing I don't get is the green-screened out background, vive wearing YouTuber in the corner. That adds nothing. We can't see your face so we get no extra information there. Your hands and head movements are already in the game and why oh fucking why do some YouTubers refuse to turn around in this mode? You're playing a 360 degree game, ignore what your brand manager is telling you and TURN THE FUCK AROUND.

It's almost like a behind the scenes video playing at the same time as the regular video. We KNOW how it's done but showing us at the same time is killing these jokes. Get your face off the screen, we can't see it anyway.

Anyway, next Saturday is a second video on Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. In it I use a different type of locomotion that means I drag the world around with me instead of teleporting. That means it looks like I'm actually climbing around the world like a first person Tomb Raider. I don't think I've ever had as much fun recording a video. 

Also I shoot myself in the dick.

- Dan

PS. BIG ASS LIVESTREAM ON THE 23RD! GUESTS! CHARITY! TIREDNESS! GET EXCITED!