Ones To Watch : Prudent Gaming

One of my favourite people to talk to on Twitter or Instagram is Michael from Prudent Gaming, he also makes some great content whether that is on his blog or his YouTube so I was delighted when he said he would be happy to take part in a little interview for here on my blog. Michael is a pretty recent discovery for me as we have only being following each other since this year but he has definitely become one of my favourite blogs to read and I find myself watching quite a few of his YouTube videos and honestly I think you lot with love his content too so let's find out a bit more about him... TNGG: So Tell us a little bit about yourself. Michael: My name is Michael Neale and my brand is Prudent Gaming. I have been gaming for as long as I can remember and it’s a real passion on mine, so I’m trying to share my passion with the world through my blog (www.prudentgaming.com) and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/prudentgaming). Balancing this with a full-time job and a six-month-old son can be challenging, but I am determined to turn my passion into a career to support my family and bring myself happiness and fulfilment. I would be honoured for you to follow my journey.

 TNGG: What got you into gaming & what is your earliest gaming memory?

Michael: The PlayStation One was what really got me into gaming. The games that came out for that system provided some of the best times and experiences with my friends and I’m so thankful for it. My friends and I would always go to each other's houses to play games like Spider-Man and Abe’s Oddysee. My earliest gaming memory is of playing Golden Axe on the Sega Mega Drive with my parents and older sisters. Was I any good? Most likely no.

TNGG: What got you involved in blogging about what you do?

Michael: I have a passion for gaming and I wanted to share that. I began seeing a lot of bloggers on my Twitter so I decided that I would try it out for myself. I looked up a tutorial on YouTube showing me how to create a WordPress website and Prudent Gaming was born!

TNGG: What are some goals you want to achieve from your blog? Michael: Some goals I want to achieve for my blog are to show people just how powerful games can be in terms of emotional connections. I would also like to create a robust guide on how to play all the games you want without breaking the bank. It’s important for me to put my readers and viewers first and to provide valuable content for them.

TNGG: What are some of the best experiences you have had thanks to your content so far? Michael: I consider myself to be quite new to blogging and I have had some extended breaks at some points so I can’t say I have had many experiences because of my content. However, I had a message from someone on Instagram recently, saying that my content and engagement has re-lit their passion for games and they have now started creating their own gaming content. That blew me away and I am incredibly happy for that person. I really hope they win at what they want to achieve.

TNGG: What is your favourite thing about what you do? Michael: My favourite thing about what I do is making videos and blog posts by being completely myself. It’s that simple. I love the fact that I can be unapologetically me and people will listen to what I have to say. I’m thankful every day.

TNGG: In terms of content what are some of your favourite type of posts to do? And what are your favourite types of videos to do on YouTube?

Michael: I don’t think I have posted enough to fully answer this question, but my favourite video I have made so far is the story of when I was stopped by police at a midnight release of World of Warcraft Cataclysm. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDR9Meqqy9c) I’m exploring different types of posts and videos so this will probably change in the future!

TNGG: If you could only play 1 game for the rest of your life what would it be?

Michael: One game I would play for the rest of my life is Final Fantasy IX. It’s my favourite game of all time and it always will be. It means everything to me. TNGG: Where do you see yourself in the future in terms of your content?

Michael: I see myself making more deep and meaningful posts and videos that people can look to for advice and can have in-depth conversations about the topics I discuss.

TNGG: Where can we find you and your content?

Michael:  You can find me on the following platforms:

Twitter - @_mneale (www.twitter.com/_mneale)

Instagram - @_mneale (www.instagram.com/_mneale)

Blog - www.prudentgaming.com

YouTube - www.youtube.com/prudentgaming  

So there you have it that is a little bit more about Michael and Prudent Gaming. I would 100% recommend you checking him out over on social media and his blog & YouTube because there is there is brilliant content over there. Personally my favourite blog post of his is the Great Video Game Soundtracks post. 

Who would you like to see me ask a few questions to in the future?

See you soon, 

PlayStation x Primark

Primark is most definitely one of my favourite shops, only beat by Game. But one of the best things about Primark at the moment though is their selection of gaming and anime products in the men's department I could easily buy everything I lay my eyes on. They have some fantastic Dragonball jumpers and t-shirts, even pyjamas which I will be picking up hopefully. But the range that is really standing out to me and one I have a couple of items from at the moment is the Primark x PlayStation range. 

Unfortunately though when shopping a lot of the items are sold out so I haven't got everything I had been wanting but the 2 main items I picked up as soon as I saw them as I wasn't missing out on these. The 2 items I got are the Hoodie and the colour block t-shirt. 

The hoodie is one item I saw on the Primark men's Instagram page and told the family to look out for straight away. I loved the colour block details and the logo bold in the centre. I am used to hoodies like this sometimes looking a bit tacky but this one definitely isn't, it feels perfect to me and actually fits really well. My favourite part though is definitely the PlayStation logo tapered on the shoulders, it isn't too in your face but you definitely get drawn to it. This is a hoodie I will wear whilst gaming but even when out and about.

My sister and nephew got me the colour block t-shirt for my birthday a few weeks ago. This goes perfectly with my hoodie but is perfect for those days where it is a little warmer. It is super simple with the logo in the centre then a smaller one on the sleeve but that is what makes it great. Normally I don't go for t-shirts that have a big section of white on them but the way this is at the top is brilliant and it isn't see through like most white tops. This is almost too good just to lounge around in so I will also wear this whilst I am out and about.

The best part about this range to me though is definitely how affordable it is, there is no breaking the bank to get PlayStation items for once. I actually have all my family looking out for the rest of the range for me as I love it so much. Fingers crossed I can find all the items I am after, if our local stores ever get better men's sections. Have you got anything from the range yet?

See you soon,

So FIFA 20 Is Coming Out

So today FIFA 20 ultimate edition comes out, I may get this edition (check Twitter to see if I got it) or I may wait until Friday to pick up the standard edition. Either way it is definitely being purchased this week, I always aim to get it on release day and this year is no different. So why am I writing this post? 

Well as you will have noticed so far this year there has been quite a bit of FIFA content on my blog, there is only going to be more. I will be doing the weekly FUT squad battle pack openings that I have been doing already as I aim to play the game a lot more. 19 was my first time play FUT and I became hooked. 

Alongside this I will be starting a manager mode that I hope to record for YouTube so if anyone can help me learn the basis of recording from a PS4 that would be brilliant. This is something I have wanted to do for a while but am only just getting around to sorting out now. 

I will also be spending time trying out different modes and putting up little reviews on each one. There will be FIFA content every week, definitely 1 post and if not more... pack openings etc. 

If you want to see anything specific please let me know. Just send me a message on Twitter, Facebook or leave a comment below. 

It seems like I have waited a long time for this game and I can't wait. 

See you soon,

Last Week #29

WOW I have just realised how much I was slacking on the blog last week but honestly that is because I was throwing myself at trying to lose weight and get myself into a bit of a routine. It has been a pretty good week though I think I might finally be getting over my cold, I got to see 2 football matches and spent plenty of time with my nephew. I even managed to get a bit of shopping in too along with finally playing some games again. So here is what I had...

Been Watching: Me and Liam finally started the new series of Jack Whitehall's travels with my father, we might only be one episode in but I am loving it so far. Other than watching that we watched  little bit of football and I carried on watching Orange is the new black.

Been reading : I didn't read again last week but this was due to been so busy hopefully it may change soon though.

Been Playing: I finally jumped back on Titanfall 2, I am getting through it slowly.

Been listening to : Tegan and Sara brought another new song out 'Don't believe the things they tell you (they lie) and it is brilliant, I have had it on repeat. Other than listening to the though once again it has been Taylor Swift filled, I can't get enough of the Lover album.

Bought : Nothing gaming related was bought but I did get some new checked shirts from Primark whilst trying to avoid anything gaming related they had.

Plans for this week : I have actually got plenty of content ready to go for this blog which makes a nice change. Plus FIFA comes out then so bye bye life.

Last weeks posts : Last week #28, Upgrades To be Made In The Games Room. 

So there you have it that was my week. What have you guys been up to?

See you soon,

Upgrades To Be Made In The Games Room?

So we have now been in the house over a year and half, it really has flown by. The first room we did was the games room and to be honest we just threw stuff together so we could get back gaming as quickly as possible and not much thought was put into some aspects. This has meant that over this year and a half I have found some bits that I have wanted to change around and some of the stuff in it and make a few new additions.

 In terms of my desk area I do feel a little cramped and there isn't really a lot of space on the surface of my desk, meaning blogging can be difficult as I can't have a notebook by my side if I am wanting to type, plus my headset just lives on the floor there isn't really anywhere for me to keep it. What I would love to do in this area is get a smaller blank whiteboard not one with the lines like I have now, it will make blog planning a lot easier. I would also love to try mount my monitors on the wall too just to clear up a little more space on my desk. 

In the future this TV unit will be getting changed over to a Kallax unit on it's side. As this will give us more surface space for maybe that PlayStation light I really want and a few other bits so the area isn't as cramped as it is on this unit so far. Plus it may give us a little more room to put in another slim book case for more game storage. This would also mean we could get the TV mounted onto the wall and out of the way, where it is at the moment I feel like I am far too close to the screen.

Under the TV I would love a good quality sound bar, I had one when I lived with my parents and it was one of my favourite things so if I could get another that would be brilliant.

I would love to add some more art work to this area or even better some of the CardPlug FIFA cards. It would also be nice to have somewhere to display the controllers we have too and somewhere to hang the headsets so they are out of the way, I am hoping that these are also getting upgraded very soon. 

Another thing I would love is some gaming related cushions to go on our sofa bed we have in the room so if you have any recommendations please let me know.

One thing that is definitely going to be taking place though is cable management, there are wires just hanging all over the place so it is about time they got sorted alongside my LED's being put back around my desk.

So there you have it those are the few upgrades I want to do in our games room just to get it a bit nicer and how we would prefer it. 

See you soon.

Last Week #28

What a brilliant week last week was, on Monday I turned 25 so that was a day full of shopping and a few drinks just me and Liam, it is those sort of days I love the most. Then Tuesday it was back to work for the rest of the week. It was a nice relaxed week for a change which was absolutely fantastic and I hope we get more weeks like this. Saturday we literally did nothing, I was going to take blog pictures but do you know that feeling when you just can't be bothered? Well yeah that is what it was like for me. Sunday though was back to the gym and 40 minutes has absolutely wiped me out but it felt so good to be back. So with it being a nice relaxing week here is what I had...

Been Watching: I have become hooked on the cricket thanks to Liam so a lot of that has been watched. Other than that though I watched the 2 Man City Women matches last week and the rest of my time has been spent catching up on my YouTube subscription box.

Been reading : I didn't read once again but I really need to now as I got a new book for my birthday. 

Been Playing: I haven't actually played anything, not even good old Minecraft but that changes this week.

Been listening to : It has been another week taken over by Taylor Swift, that new album is just amazing.

Bought : I finally picked up a copy of Mutant Football League for the Switch

Plans for this week : Alongside going to the gym a lot this week I really want to get plenty of content together for on here, I have so many ideas but just can't seem to get them posted. I also want to get plenty of games played. It isn't long now until FIFA comes out so I need to play as many other games as I can before then. 

Last weeks posts : What I Got For My 25th Birthday.

So there you have it that was my week. What have you guys been up to?

See you soon,

What I Got For My 25th Birthday

Well I am now another year older, it doesn't seem 2 minutes ago I was turning 24 so how am I now 25? the family have well and truly spoilt me this year even though I told them I really didn't want anything, in fact all I asked for was a Bradford City shirt and a necklace but here is what I ended up receiving... 

Me and Liam now have a shopping trip on my birthday so he spent a fair bit on food and drinks for me but he also got me this signed Eni Aluko book, I am loving my football books so this is a great addition to the collection. 

My auntie and Uncle treated me to some of the Saffron Barker range from Primark that I had been after, I can't wait for the spare room to be done so I can get all cosy under the throw whilst listening to my records. The pyjamas also look really comfortable too. You also can never have enough water bottles.
My parents got me the Stitch hot water bottle from Primark just to fuel the Stitch obsession a bit more, but he really is soft and will come in really handy on those colder days. I got some Stitch pin badges from my auntie and uncle too to add to our pin board in the games room.

Everyone in the family knows just how much I love Toy Story and I got quite a few bits especially from my sister and nephew. They got me a wash bag (possibly be a pencil case for me), some socks with Rex on seen as that is my nickname and a really soft throw (the house is now over run with throws but this will live in the games room). They also got me a Woody holding Forky Funko Pop which I had to laugh at once I opened as I said to my nephew 'wow is she trying to say this is us 2'. My parents then also got me an Aliens t-shirt to add to the ever growing Toy Story t-shirt selection in my wardrobe.

My sister and nephew also got me this photo frame with the cutest quote on, but now is the task of finding a picture of me and the nephew to go in the frame. This will definitely end up pride of place in the living room. One of the only things I had asked for was a silver chain. I got one of these when I was younger but it not longer fits and I missed it so my parents got me a new one. I think this could be an everyday item just like it used to be. 

I am always buying my nephew dinosaur items so my grandparents got me my own little dinosaur along with £50 to treat myself with. My auntie and uncle got me some Dumbo travel bottles as I am hoping to go camping soon and they also got me another Gymshark Veer t-shirt as the brand has now definitely become my go to. Liam's dad also got me a bottle of gin to our growing collection but I can't see this lasting very long and his mum gave me £20, I think another Gymshark order may be being placed out of birthday money. 

my sister got me a t-shirt from the Primark x PlayStation collection. So now I have 1 t-shirt and a hoodie but there are still so many items I can't find. Finally I got myself the Mutant Football league game for the switch as I had wanted it for a while so why not treat myself.

I got not one but 2 Bradford City shirts which I really didn't expect, the home one was hidden in my Toy Story t-shirt. It is safe to say the parents were told off for getting me both but I am very grateful as I was stuck between which one I wanted. But which do I wear to my next game?

See you soon