Pause & Preamble is a weekly, behind-the-scenes podcast about building a retro gaming YouTube channel in public.
Hosted by Ben Wilkinson, a product designer with over 15 years of experience, but no background in game design and no experience as a content creator. This show documents the work behind the work. Each episode is a candid check-in on what was attempted, what was learned, what didn’t work, and what comes next.
This isn’t expert advice or polished success stories. It’s a peer-level exploration driven by curiosity: pausing to ask questions, taking stock, and moving forward one week at a time. If you’re interested in how games work, how creative projects actually get built, or what it looks like to learn out loud, Pause & Preamble is for you.
Three weeks off back-to-back, but not by choice. A work trip, a company hackathon with the new team, and a chaotic first week parachuting into someone else's deadlines. Back-to-back-to-back, no give.
Not much shipped. SMB3 got edited and a Remotion layout bug got vibe-coded into submission and that video's rendering as we speak. The bigger thing: the absence hit harder than expected. Turns out making stuff brings out the best in me.
Next week: SMB3 on YouTube, the April newsletter, vertical clips, and podcasts moving to lunchtime from here on.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
24 Apr 2026
The Art of Showing Up
Got knocked flat by a cold last week, missing our podcast and breaking the weekly streak for the first time. Still showed up (eventually).
Before getting sick I processed the SMB2 and SMB3 sessions through the full pipeline and reviewed 80-odd vertical clip candidates across our content thus far. Also did some Remotion UI improvements to make timeline editing quicker to wrangle. After recovering I researched upgrading the podcast to video and Transistor looks like the pick for me once they release their video capabilities.
Next up: Short-form clips start rolling out daily, the video podcast switch, and the May newsletter.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
12 Apr 2026
When Lightning Strikes
This week, 767 people showed up to the stream. I had no idea, my chat was broken, I thought it was empty, and I played through the final worlds of Super Mario Bros 2 without knowing a word of it. A raid from Aurateur, the world's most popular Super Mario Maker 2 streamer, and I missed the whole thing in real time.
But I got back on, and did get to play with an audience of 100 for round two. I made a video all about it as a talking head. And I streamed again the next night to with about ~9 viewers, which is extraordinary for me. Also: the podcast might be going video from Season 2.
Next week: catching up on vertical format content and early research for the first proper video essay.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
YouTube video about the raid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuqDGtT_Ai0
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
3 Apr 2026
Chasing Passion
This week we followed passion down a rabbit hole, and built a custom remotion-based editing experience for ourselves. Scene switching synced from OBS, silence removal, responsive desktop-to-mobile layouts. It really is the whole pipeline, running locally. Oh also, Super Mario Bros Part 2 is live, three vertical clips out via Buffer (two hit ~2,000 views), and the March newsletter dropped. The planned stream didn't happen, but next week brings the Super Mario Bros 2 endgame and the first video through the full new pipeline.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
29 Mar 2026
Overcoming Setbacks
Success, but not without some setbacks. Three videos edited and ready to go, huzzah. Donkey Kong shorts made, huzzah! But then things got fiddly.
YouTube Shorts looks identical to a long-form upload (genuinely confusing), linking a short to its source video required photo ID verification for some reason, and Instagram restricted the account on day one after posting one clip of someone playing a game. TikTok, somehow, was fine. The week felt like setbacks, even though a lot actually got done.
Next week: streaming again, probably finishing Super Mario Bros 2, and sorting out a proper multi-platform workflow.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
22 Mar 2026
How do you turn this on?
This week was a short one with four nights away with the family, a well-earned rest. I got to start building my new LEGO Shelby Cobra that's important to me because of its association to Age of Empires 2. "How do you turn this on?" being the cheat code, naturally.
The days that remained were still productive. Third YouTube video published (Super Mario Bros), another stream through worlds 4–6 of Super Mario Bros 2, and a first proper look at Descript for cutting silences and filler-words out of long edits. Also got all the transcripts and newsletters into a monorepo where I can actually use them.
Next week: vertical clips, and the social push I've been putting off.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
13 Mar 2026
Simmer, Don't Boil
This week was a bit of a "simmer week". With external stresses it was important to show up and move ourselves forward, but avoid boiling over. I tackled vertical-format video layouts, adjusted the YouTube strategy slightly after playing with vidIQ and started thinking about long-term workflows. A quiet one, but one still productive.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
6 Mar 2026
Ground Zero
This week was all about momentum and embracing that “ground zero” feeling. We finally crossed the line from planning to publishing, releasing not just our first video, but our first two videos. Hitting that milestone made everything feel a lot more real. Behind the scenes, we also made a few important upgrades to keep things running smoother, from email tools to stream setups. The habits are starting to lock in, and each small step is making the whole project feel more alive.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
27 Feb 2026
Maintaining Habits
This week was all about keeping the habit going, as we started streaming Super Mario Bros. 2, finished the video edits for Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., scripted some new intros and outros, and event explored some updated podcast visuals. New habits are sticking, and the chaos in between is just part of the fun.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
22 Feb 2026
Cautiously Optimistic
This week I reflect on my learnings from my second stream, and the engagement I got along with it! It's not much but it's something and it's incredibly encouraging to receive viewership and even a couple folks in the chat. Wild. For someone who was expecting to "stream to zero" for months, this was a nice surprise. Oh, and playing Super Mario Bros again after 20 years was a lot of fun.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
13 Feb 2026
The Art of Curiosity
This week we’re talking about something most creators know all too well: the feeling of learning a tonne while also feeling unbelievably unproductive. I share my experience getting to grips with new editing tools (both video and audio) and walk through the troubleshooting behind the audio issues in my very first stream. We also look ahead to the excitement of what next week holds.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
5 Feb 2026
Joy to Create
This week, we’re riding the high of getting things out the door. Deploying a brand-new website, sending our very first monthly newsletter, and hitting “go live” on our first stream. It wasn’t perfect (or polished) but it was real, energising, and deeply satisfying. A reminder that progress beats polish, and that showing up is half the magic.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
29 Jan 2026
Time is Poor
Some weeks don’t go to plan, and that’s okay. In this episode, I reflect on a week where time was tight and progress felt slower than expected. Rather than focusing on what didn’t get done, I unpack why showing up for even a small amount of time matters more than the size of the output. We’ll talk about building rhythm instead of chasing productivity, and how consistent, imperfect momentum is often what really moves the needle forward. Oh, and I talk about some big news for next week!
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
22 Jan 2026
Progress over Perfection
It's very easy to get stuck with perfection paralysis, especially when getting started. In this episode I reflect on how having accountability through this podcast helps me overcome this affliction and lean into progression over perfection. We'll dive into how I'm progressing getting the socials, website and general brand identity together, and what you can expect by next week.
Some handy resources to help you on your way:
Website: https://www.pauseandpreamble.com/
Preamble Streams (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@PreambleStreams
15 Jan 2026
Starting in Public
This is the first episode of Pause & Preamble, a weekly check-in on what it actually takes to build a retro gaming YouTube channel.
I’m Ben Wilkinson, a product designer with over 15 years of experience , but absolutely no background in game design or content creation. I’m not coming at this as an expert. I’m learning in public, as a peer, driven by curiosity about how games work and why they feel the way they do.
In this episode, I explain why I’m starting Pause & Preamble, what I’m trying to build, and how this podcast fits into a broader goal of documenting the process honestly. True progress, missteps, and all.
Think of this as a calibration episode: setting the tone, intent, and accountability loop for everything that follows. Enjoy.
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