I have to change.

Hey, my name is Sebastian. You probably know me as Knoebel online. And before I start, I need to confess to you something. My writing sucks! For two weeks I've tried to write something meaningful, something smart, and explaining what lies ahead of me for the future, but I came to the conclusion that this was not me and that my writing should sound more like myself, something like a pub full of people where someone pissed in the corner, but that you will get probably one of the best beers in town. So, now after I explained to you why I may sound like a 15 year old kid who is overwhelmed by the 2020s, let's go straight to the topic.

I have to change. Since 2015, I started posting news about the video game industry. Somehow, I became a more-or-less successful pop culture news aggregator because people believed in me and trusted me. I have to thank Grubb, Kami, Kinda Funny and MinnMax because I'm sure without them, I would never have gained so many people and friends around me. (So thanks again from the bottom of my heart!)

The thing is, I always wanted to do more! Back in 2010, it was Let's Plays, then it was streaming, then it was to become a better critic. Sadly it never worked out for me because of a lack of knowledge, an abundance of fear, and not having enough time. This month I'm turning 34 years old and I guess it's now or never, so hear me out.

Today I want to introduce you and start, with Knoebel 1.5. Knoebel 1.5 is a newsletter that launches every Friday together with the news recap. The newsletter will include the recap, 2-3 highlights, a small opinion/stuff I want to talk about and a game recommendation.

The monthly games list will also get an enhanced version via the newsletter. I believe that's a good start but it's only the start. If you follow me on Bluesky, you probably know about my irl work situation: working a steel factory job and how much and often I complain about it. Currently, I'm working 9 hours a day, sleeping less than 4 hours, going to gym for an hour, and the rest I mostly spend on posting and talking about gaming news. This needs to change. One reason is that I'm chronically overworked and deep into my second burn out. Another reason for change is that the automotive field I'm working in is struggling and I simply don't know how much longer I can dodge the bullet with my name on it.

So here is my plan for the future or for Knoebel 2.0: //CounterCulture: back when I was young I visited multiple blogs a day. One was about a dude who fixed or another one was about breeding shrimps. I miss this feeling of discovery. //CC should be something similar.

It will have a focus on gaming like reviews, interviews, news, etc and pop culture but it will also feature food recipes, music, small deep dives into different hobbies and “5 min rabbit holes”. Long term, I would love to feature different people. Like putting people into //CC in a mailing list.

Food stuff: If you follow me, you probably noticed my love for food. I made some short form content for food and I would love to explore this a bit more.

Patreon: I don't want to monetize the news posting stuff, and this will always be a thing outside this whole thing here. For the rest, I would try to set up a Patreon later.

I'll be real with you guys.

I'm bad at writing, my English sucks, my education is not the best, I don't have rich parents, and I don't know how this shit works, but I will try everything to make it work and it's time to invest in myself because I don't want to produce a product anymore that no one will buy. I want to create something people enjoy. I hope I can earn your trust with my work and I would appreciate your support for what lies ahead. Tell your friends about my account, sub to the newsletter and engage in conversation.