Kaweebo

But can you really blame him, though?

Well I’m glad we can all come together on this in the end. I’m sorry for coming on harsh during the argument. Hopefully there’s no hard feelings.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Ross has probably never really been passionate about Freeman's Mind. It wasn't even supposed to be a full series, just like three videos to the Resonance Cascade, if I remember correctly. The only reason he kept it up so long was due to fan response in the first place, in which case you could probably apply this same argument to the entire series. I feel like if Ross thinks that fan response is a good enough reason to continue, I'm not gonna argue with him because I sincerely enjoy the show and would like to see him continue it. If Ross decides to stop because he's run out of energy or inspiration for it, that's fine, too. But I imagine the only way that would happen is if he gets a resounding response from the entire fanbase, which doesn't look to be happening because most of us seem to still really enjoy it. I'll continue to watch until that day ever comes, regardless.

You put all that work into an argument that has no bearing on anything I was saying, all to tell me that you think your opinion is worth more than it actually is based on, what, donation to youtube viewer average? What the fuck does that have to do with anything? The donations weren't my real point anyway, I was only using it as a counter to daisekihan's claim that Ross feels obligated because it's a popular series and fans directly contribute to his income, so if you wanna call me on that, fine, I fucked up. My point is still, to put it concisely, "It's stupid to write a thesis on why Ross should quit making a show on YouTube because you personally do not like it." And that's all it ever was until you barged in to defend a retarded argument.

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I could speak for anyone but myself. Maybe you feel comfortable importing your own personal biases onto other people and assuming you know what's good for them, but I tend to believe that my voice only goes for myself and what I can see as observable evidence, which 82,000 video views on this latest episode alone seems to prove. So pardon the fuck out of me for expressing my opinion that I enjoy the show anyway, even if you think Ross is phoning it in and contributing to its declining quality. Both of those comments were in response to you guys putting forth your own opinions as if they were the only ones that matter and reason for Ross to stop making episodes, to which I argued that I felt the opposite. The only person telling Ross what to do was the guy who wrote a formal fucking request to end the show based on his own dissatisfaction with it and nothing else. Every other argument you people have made comes from theorizing on Ross's mental state like actual arm-chair psychologists based on comments he's given and substituting evidence with your own personal headcanons on the reality. See, like that. Ignoring the fact that if he really hated working on the show, he could quit at any time. There's nothing actually keeping him on but his own willingness to continue making it, regardless of whether he enjoys it or not. He's expressed his thoughts on continuing Freeman's Mind and yet fan demand brings him back. That's up to him to decide if he wants to continue listening, which he seems willing to do so far. But I would not begrudge him if he had no steam left for it. I just hate people putting themselves out there to influence him to quit because they don't like it. That's insulting to Ross, number 1, because you're essentially badmouthing his work and trying to wrap it up in a pretty 'I just don't think your heart is in it' bow, and it's insulting to those of us who patently disagree with your assertion that quality has declined. Honestly, I'm uncomfortable even talking about what Ross should or shouldn't do because it's not any of our decisions to make. My only argument was that it's not anyone's place to request he put a stop to something based on their individual opinion. It's narcissistic to think your opinion is that fucking important that it deserves to be seen one-on-one and given as much credence as the 45,000 other people who still tune in to watch. It still is and was.

If Ross did not feel like fans were donating with the expectation of a Freeman's Mind 2, then I do not think he would have made it. Even you say he feels 'obligated'. After the original series ended, he left it with the implication that he may start again with the next game. And while FM may or may not be what fans donate for primarily (I would assume they donate just to support Ross period), it's clearly what the majority of the audience enjoys. Your own personal gripes with it are not relevant at all, I hate to keep having to be the bearer of bad news for you. Though I have to ask if we even watched the same show? Like, are you forgetting that Freeman screamed constantly at everyone and made fun of the level design in the original? Especially when you take the context in which the character is in (he was just chased by police, then immediately gassed and suddenly everyone in the base is acting completely calm). Whether the story reason for the Combine coming down on them is Mossman selling them out or not, Freeman is an ultra paranoid man already and would have seen an invasion coming regardless. I feel like you think Ross is disrespecting HL2 or something by not making him more agreeable to the story circumstances. He's just rolling with the punches of what the narrative gives him in the framework of a character like Freeman who is already a neurotic, highly paranoid individual who JUST went through a stressful ordeal in the Black Mesa incident and is immediately brought forward into an alien dystopia. He doesn't trust anything even when the situation is on the up-and-up, so how do you think he'd act when red flags are getting posted up everywhere? And the thing is, Ross still manages to make it funny to watch, at least for people like me. I'm just not seeing the same problems you think it has. FM2 is exactly what I wanted when Ross started making it, and more because I appreciate the little mod touches he has done to spice up some of the level design to have it make more sense.

What Ross wants to do is not irrelevant, but if fans are donating for FM content, it becomes kind of like a business transaction at that point. And it's clear people want Freeman's Mind to continue, myself very much included. I also don't think you are quite as familiar with Ross's work schedule. Aside from IRL issues distracting him, Ross has always been very detail-oriented and obsessive about certain things that tend to slow down video output. He's got other projects (including his movie, remember) he works on and it's obvious Game Dungeon can take a long time for him to get a video out. And if he doesn't want to take focus away from that while he's in production to pump out an FM here and there, that's perfectly fine. I don't mind waiting. But I don't think his lack of interest is what's making the series slow-going. It's only one of several videos he juggles, and according to him from what I remember in a stream a while back, it's actually the least stressful to make. And if I agreed that the show's quality was going down, then sure I'd agree with your point. But like I said, I think it's only gotten better with time. Whether Ross enjoys it or not, he's still talented enough to pull out good content, even if you think it's phoned-in.

Whether Ross quits the show or not is his decision and one I support if or when that day comes. However, until HE decides to make that decision himself, I don’t like people putting the onus on themselves to pretend like they have the right to prattle in his ear about what they think ‘should’ happen and demoralize him into thinking it’s a universal consensus that the show is worse. Because it clearly isn’t a consensus, there’s thousands of people tuning in to watch it with each new upload. Whether you personally think the show has declined and is connected to his overall lack of enjoyment in making it is neither here nor there. Personally, I think the show has actually gotten better and more creative in the ways he responds to the game’s particular idiosyncrasies. But my individual opinion means shit, too. It’s up to Ross to decide if it’s worth it for him to keep it up and those of us who like Freeman’s Mind still will continue to enjoy the stuff he puts out regardless.

It’s clearly inspired enough to make me laugh and that’s all it needs to be. Like I said, if Ross wants the show to end, he can end it himself and I’d understand it a hell of a lot more than why you’re so adamant on the issue. I know what I’m getting out of him continuing it, what the hell are you getting out of advocating for its end, other than some sense of moral busybodying over a grown man’s decision on whether to continue a project his audience clearly enjoys? And for the record, no, I have not been banned. I haven’t logged into my old account from like 2009 in years and can’t remember the password. I also don’t regularly visit the forums anymore, but I do keep up on the site and check the comments occasionally. So, fuck you, too. You can have your opinion, but I’m gonna voice mine as well on how stupid it is to advocate for a show’s cancellation because you personally don’t like it and try to mask it as some nonsense “I’m just concerned for his enjoyment!” argument.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t think it’s funny, I and many others do. That’s why Ross still makes the series, for our entertainment (and of course the ad revenue always helps). Hence why I said if you don’t enjoy it, stop watching. But I had to make a brand new account because I’ve seen these same comments crop up again and again here and I’m sick of seeing them. Who are you to petition a series stop being made because you personally have lost enjoyment in it? That’s like me going out to petition Disney to stop making Marvel movies because I think the last few they’ve made have been shit. If Ross has had enough of it, he can make that decision for himself at any time, he doesn’t need people to ‘respectfully request’ the show’s end. It’s just obnoxious, especially to those of us who do still enjoy it and appreciate his work in still making episodes.

As a fan of Freeman’s Mind for over 10 years, I disagree and think you’re wildly off-base. I’ve been waiting for Freeman to visit Ravenholme since I was 12 years old. You’re not gonna stop this train at the golden opportunity, so you may as well just stop watching if that’s how you feel.