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The Royal Society of Edinburgh the 2015 RSE Christmas Lecture

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The Royal Society of Edinburgh the 2015 RSE Christmas Lecture The Royal Society of Edinburgh The 2015 RSE Christmas Lecture Stampy's Christmas Cake Caper (An Adventure in YouTubing) Stampy Cat (aka Joseph Garrett) Monday 30 November 2015 Report by Peter Barr How to have your cake and eat it – virtually The most popular storytellers have always used the most popular media of their own era – from Shakespeare and Dickens to Dylan and Spielberg – and now Stampy Cat. The Internet phenomenon (aka Joseph Garrett) also delivered the most popular RSE Christmas Lecture in history, with 2,000 young fans packing the Caird Hall in Dundee to see their hero 'live’, using Minecraft (a best-selling video game) to create a special video for YouTube – and millions of other fans all over the world... Joseph Garrett does a bit of everything on YouTube – he's an actor, commentator, storyteller, director, producer, designer and builder for his popular video channel, working in an industry which didn't exist just a few years ago, using tools which may be past their sell-by date before some people even find out where to buy them. His alter ego, Stampy Cat, is a digital character in a virtual world created from imaginary building blocks, with about 6.8 million subscribers. And the 24-year-old YouTube sensation makes his living telling zany stories using a video game to create cartoon-like “programmes” which he uploads to YouTube, where they have attracted billions of views since his personal channel was launched three and a half years ago. Most people at Stampy Cat's Christmas Cake Caper were probably not even teenagers yet, but the person who conceived the cast of digital performers – who himself was a teenager five years ago – has much to teach people of all ages, as well as other Internet entrepreneurs, about the importance of hard work and how to make money online. After his rock star-like entrance, Stampy (wearing a Santa hat) asked his fans to help him make a special Christmas episode of Let's Play which would later go online. In the video, Stampy had to go to the North Pole to find the ingredients to bake a cake for Christmas, exploring an environment created in Minecraft, complete with Santa's workshop – and a few pesky monsters (called Creepers and Zombies) who tried to spoil Christmas and threw lots of digital snowballs at Stampy. Joining in the fun was Stampy's helper, Sqaishey. Introduced by Chris van der Kuyl, Convenor of the RSE's Young People's Committee and Chairman of 4J Studios (the studio which created Minecraft), Stampy also answered questions about his rapid rise to fame and how he copes with fame, as well as how he sets about his job. Even though he's based in England, Stampy said he could be living “anywhere,” thanks to the power of the Internet. “I always wanted to be a storyteller,” he added, and Minecraft and YouTube had enabled him to turn his hobby into a career – and a highly successful new business. “I was savvy about the potential of YouTube,” said Stampy, “but I didn't think it would happen to me. I had made videos for years, and my first experience with Minecraft was making a video which I uploaded to YouTube.” The Christmas Cake Caper In his latest video, The Christmas Cake Caper, Stampy went to the virtual North Pole, where he met Mrs Claus and the Sugar Plum Fairy as he gathered the ingredients (wheat, sugar, eggs and milk) scattered around. The graphical environment had been prepared beforehand by artists at 4J Studios, and for Stampy it was full of surprises, just the way he likes it. Stampy also demonstrated how he interacted with the other characters he met in the game, acting out different emotions such as 'happy' and 'sad.' He then asked all the audience to vote on a number of options, screaming as loud as they could to decide if he looked for the sugar on top of the Christmas tree or Santa's workshop, then swim or use a boat to travel through a river of egg-nog. “The good thing about collaboration,” said Stampy, “is that you don't need to make all the decisions – other people help you.” He also acknowledged the role of his “supporting cast,” who appear as other characters and help build the digital fantasy world where the stories take place. Stampy also commented that Minecraft is a very complex game that wasn't designed to do all sorts of things – for example, make boats. But “glitches” like this can be cool, he continued, because they can be used in unintended ways. Stampy also revealed how he designs things in advance, including buildings – making sure they are the perfect size to build in 20 minutes. The trick is to make sure that people don't think about how things are done, he revealed. “The ending is the most important part of making videos,” Stampy explained. It's a good idea to start by thinking how it will end, not try to work out the end half-way through. Another tip was how to synchronise the video and audio, and how he makes funny noises before he starts playing so he feels energetic and happy as soon as recording begins. Finally, after he had gathered the ingredients and Mrs Claus had helped him bake the cake, Stampy did the most important thing – he ate the cake. And Christmas was saved, after all. Van der Kuyl described the lecture as the biggest event in the RSE's history, featuring the youngest-ever lecturer, and said the queues for tickets were the longest in Dundee since Led Zeppelin played the Caird Hall in 1973. Writing in the Dundee Courier the following day, John Price said it felt like Beatlemania in 1964. But the final word goes to the “rock star” himself. Asked by van der Kuyl about his plans for the future, including new channels on YouTube, a new Stampy jigsaw and books, Stampy said his passion was for videos – that's what he really enjoys. “I have to jump on every opportunity,” Stampy said. “This is my time.” Questions & Answers Where do your ideas come from? “Don't wait until you need an idea,” said Stampy. “Take notes as soon as you get an idea, and then you have a catalogue of ideas to choose from.” How do you cope with popularity? “I don't do anything differently,” Stampy replied. “But I didn't expect it.” Who inspires you? “Kid's cartoons,” said Sqaishey. “It's great you can make your own cartoons in Minecraft,” she added. What is your top tip for start-ups? “Focus on the videos, not YouTube,” said Stampy, “and people will watch.” It's nice to get paid to play video games, but how hard do you work? “ I don't play games,” said Stampy. “I use Minecraft to make videos.” The planning, he added, takes several days, and you need a good work ethic. Sqaishey said she never wakes up in the morning not feeling like work – every day is different. What's your advice to young people today? “Don't worry,” said Sqaishey. Don't agonise over what subjects you do – “life will decide for you.” Stampy said that when you're young, you worry about lots of small things. But later on, you realise it didn't really matter. New technology is being developed all the time, so how do you keep up to date? “Don't focus on technology too much,” said Stampy. “Technology is constantly changing.” It's better to focus on self-improvement and building your self-confidence. “You never stop learning,” he added. “You have to have the confidence to say 'yes' to opportunities,” said Sqaishey. What are your ambitions? What next? Would you like to develop new games? “In five years, what we do may not be relevant,” said Stampy. “It's hard to plan ahead, and keep up with stuff – new ways of storytelling and new media.” This is my dream job, he added – using Minecraft to make videos. “I like playing games, so if I got the opportunity, I'd love it.” Opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of the RSE, nor of its Fellows The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy, is Scottish Charity No. SC000470 .
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