Nerd3
Daniel Hardcastle (born 23 March 1989), commonly known by his online alias Nerd3 or NerdCubed, is a British author, actor and comedian who rose to prominence as a gaming YouTuber.
Career[edit]
Having left university, Hardcastle set up his YouTube channel while working in a call centre and quickly gained a following through his Minecraft comic and Let's Play series.[citation needed]
During the early part of his YouTube career, Hardcastle was closely affiliated with the Machinima network[1].
Through his OfficialNerdCubed channel, Hardcastle has built a close relationship with Square Enix and the Just Cause series, aiding the development of the 2015 Just Cause 3[2], and hosting a worldwide exclusive look at Just Cause 4 gameplay during E3 2018[3].
Hardcastle also owns the OfficiallyNerdCubed channel where he shares vlogs and toy reviews, in addition to the OfficialNerdCubedLive account, where he uploads footage from his Twitch account.[citation needed]
In 2015, HardCastle’s OfficalNerdCubed YouTube channel was nominated for a Golden Joystick award [4] [5].
The OfficialNerdCubed theme song was written and performed by Dan Bull.[citation needed]
Criticism of YouTube[edit]
Hardcastle has criticised the business model employed by YouTube, particularly its funding models following the Adpocalypse, and regular changes in its algorithm, which have resulted in both views and revenues for YouTubers dropping significantly in recent years[6].
In response to YouTube’s changing business model, Hardcastle published all 21 episodes of his Nerd3 & Planet Coaster series on the same day, totalling 15.5 hours of video content, mirroring the approach of Netflix series launches[7]. While this was expected to play havoc with YouTube’s algorithm, which priorities shorter, daily uploads, the NerdCubed channel only lost around 6,000 subscribers in 24 hours – around 1 per cent of the channel’s total audience – and total watchtimes remained high[8].
Published works[edit]
On 4 June 2018 Hardcastle announced a partnership with Unbound to publish his first book, entitled Fuck Yeah, Video Games: The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd. The book raised 100 per cent of its crowdfunding goal within 15 minutes of going live – setting a new record for Unbound[9] [10]. A chapter of the book will be written by fellow YouTuber Ashens, and the foreword will be written by games developer Tim Schaefer.
Hardcastle has stated that a percentage of the profits from his book will be donated to a LGBT charity. Fuck Yeah, Video Games: The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd is due for publication in 2019.
Charity Work[edit]
In 2017, Hardcastle hosted a ten-hour charity live stream in support for Red Nose Day featuring a number of other well-known YouTubers. The stream raised £17,200 for the charity – beating the initial donation goal by more than 240% [11].
Video Games[edit]
Hardcastle’s business, Nerdcubed LTD, has produced three games.
The first, How to Snooker, was built in Construct 2 and was released in September 2014.
His second game, Systems Nominal, which challenged the player to evacuate a spaceship before it exploded, was released in January 2015.
A third game, Pi Fight, was released for Android and iOS in 2015. It has subsequently been removed from Google Play and the App Store [12].
Appearances in other media[edit]
Hardcastle features as a playable character in the 2017 game Heat Signature [13], while his channel’s YouTube logo can be found in Just Cause 3 as a hidden Easter Egg [14].
Hardcastle is due to appear in a sequel to Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild, Ashens and the Polybius Heist – his first film role – alongside Stuart Ashen, Robert Llewellyn and Warwick Davis [15] [16]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Machinima Becomes Second YouTube Channel To Reach Five Billion Views". www.tubefilter.com. Tubefilter. 2 July 2014.
- ↑ "Just Cause - "20 to 30" New Weapons, Dynamic Weather and Environment and More Details". www.onlysp.com. OnlySP. 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "NerdCubed hosts worldwide exclusive look at Just Cause 4 gameplay during E3". www.influencerupdate.biz. Influencer Update. 13 June 2018.
- ↑ "StampyLongHead and AshleyMarieeGaming up for Golden Joystick personality award". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 30 October 2015.
- ↑ "Golden Joystick Awards 2015 voting now pen to the public". www.digitalspy.co.uk. Digital Spy. 1 September 2015.
- ↑ "YouTube is Still Burning A Year Later". www.techraptor.net. Tech Raptor. 29 August 2017.
- ↑ "Dan Hardcastle Talks Response to Netflix Style Series Upload". www.teneightymagazine.com. Ten Eighty Magazine. 16 November 2017.
- ↑ "The NerdCubed Netflix Experiment". www.influencerupdate.biz. Influencer Update. 15 November 2017.
- ↑ "Unbound crowdfunding record smashed by gamer Dan NerdCubed". www.thebookseller.com. The Book Seller. 6 June 2018.
- ↑ "NerdCubed announces new book and crowdfunds the entire project in 15 minutes". www.influencerupdate.biz. Influencer Update. 4 June 2018.
- ↑ "Dan Hardcastle raises over £17,000 for Comic Relief". www.teneightymagazine.com. Ten Eighty Magazine. 29 March 2017.
- ↑ "Best games to enjoy with family and friends". www.tudocelular.com. Tudocelular. 29 December 2016.
- ↑ "NerdCubed Has a Character in Heat Signature". www.teneightymagazine.com. Ten Eighty Magazine. 22 September 2017.
- ↑ "Just Cause 3 Easter-Eggs: Fastest F1 car Mugello Farina Duo secret location guide". www.ibtimes.co.uk. International Business Times. 8 December 2015.
- ↑ "Stuart Ashen Announces GameChild2 at Fan Screening". www.teneightymagazine.com. Ten Eighty Magazine. 21 September 2016.
- ↑ "Cast revealed for Gamechild sequel Ashens and the Polybius Heist". www.flickeringmyth.com. Flickering Myth. 12 July 2018.
External links[edit]
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