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I can’t remember the first time I started watching Brent at Goobertown Hobbies. I think it was one of his Goobertown Roulette YouTube videos in which he has placed about a hundred minis in small paper bags so he can pull one out at random and paint it with: colors and techniques decided by the roll of a die.
Brent is a force to be reckoned with on the miniature painting YouTuber scene, but he’s known not just for his prowess with a brush but for his calm and soothing demeanor (he’s been called the Bob Ross of mini painting), and his tendency to try unusual (and sometimes hilarious) experiments with miniatures.
Some of his experiments (he’s got a PhD, so he knows his way around the scientific method) have included the Funyuns test (eating greasy Funyuns while moving figures around a game board thousands of times to see if the paint wears away) and his Space Marine fishing experiment (turning brightly colored Space Marines into fishing lures and seeing which ones get the most bites).
I reached out to Brent to ask if he’d be gracious enough to be interviewed, and (to my amazement) he took the time to answer all my questions with considerable thought and depth.
What was the very first thing that got you into wargaming?
My first “nerd game” was the Star Wars Customizable Card Game” aka SWCCG. This was a game that came out somewhere between the launch of Magic the Gathering and Pokemon. My friends and I were waaaaay into that for a couple of years. When I was 12, my family moved to a new town, and I went looking for new friends who also played SWCCG. What I found instead was a group of pals who played Warhammer 40k. Shortly thereafter, I was painting color-coded squads of Dark Eldar warriors. Shortly after that, I was painting night goblins!
What games do you primarily play, and why do you love them?
I do more painting than playing, but every once in a while, I get in a game of 40k or Age of Sigmar. For me, this is mostly just an excuse to hang out with friends and buy more minis! For fun games with friends, I’ve been enjoying Magic Commander recently. On the PC, I play a decent bit of Total War Warhammer II. The computer does the hard work of knowing the rules and I get to charge ratmen with boarboyz and such.
What made you decide to take the plunge into YouTube?
I wanted to share some of the fun creative stuff that I was working on. I started a YouTube channel for the same reasons that many people post pictures of their minis on Facebook or Instagram or whatnot. As I started making videos, I found that I really enjoyed it and since then it has taken over my life!
Looking back, what do you wish you had known before you got started in YouTubing?
There are a ton of skills involved in making hobby YouTube videos. Each of them involves a learning curve. Painting, videography, lighting, audio recording, editing, public speaking, SEO, branding, networking, etc. In addition to the practical skills, once a channel gets rolling there are tons of time-management skills that you need to sort out. There’s a treadmill of videos to publish, and each video needs to offer the viewers something new and useful. Messages from fans and businesses and trolls come in faster and faster. There’s also the expectation that I’m up-to-date on the gaming news of the day. Staying creative and productive under these conditions while avoiding burnout is a big part of this gig. Honestly, I have embraced and enjoyed all of these learning curves. Each new trick and skill that I pick up feels rewarding and gets put to good use.
Things I really wish that I knew in the beginning? black posterboard is a nicer looking background for painting than white posterboard. There’s a button on the camera that adjusts brightness. Using an external monitor to make sure your camera is in-focus on the minis is super helpful. A real microphone placed at a proper distance makes a huge difference.
What makes you most optimistic about the future of the hobby?
I’m extremely optimistic about the future of minipainting and wargaming. Without a doubt, this hobby is growing. More people and more types of people are getting involved. More companies are finding success. There are more people to play with and paint with, and there are sooo many models to discover and buy. The rising tides of board games and roleplaying games is all tied in, and I love it!
Among the influx of new products are some really encouraging games and minis and supplies. Better representation in characters, better paints for diverse skintones, etc. etc. More choices for models to paint is always a wonderful thing! 🙂
What makes you most pessimistic about the future of the hobby?
All nerdy fandoms have a lot of toxicity, and they tend to overlap. Social media algorithms encourage outrage and hatred to thrive. The search results for “Brie Larson,” “Rey Skywalker,” “Kathleen Kennedy,” or “Anita Sarkeesian” can make anyone feel pessimistic about the state of gamer culture. I’m actually most upset about the Star Wars channels that peddle in hatred. The central conflict in Star Wars is about avoiding the temptations of anger, fear and hatred. The dark side is a shortcut to power, but it corrupts everything it touches. Have these Star Wars YouTubers not watched Star Wars?
The good news is that the toxic elements seem to have hit a ceiling in the wargaming community. They’re loud, but the rest of the community is growing way faster. Content creators who craft and paint are growing in influence rapidly right now, and it seems to me that the painting channels tend far more towards the light side of the force than the dark side.
If you could make one change to one game or one IP, what would it be?
Hot take, but I think any game that uses measurements like inches instead of hexes or squares is inherently flawed. When winners and losers are determined based on whether a charge goes off, and whether that charge goes off is dependent on how scrupulous everybody has been about precise measurements for the entire game… I dunno, it leads some people to constantly under-move their units to be a good sport, and others are tempted to cheat a teeny bit on every turn of the game. Half the time the whole game comes down to a “discussion” about whether the distance between two minis is slightly more than 8 inches or slightly less. That conversation is always awkward and never fun. Give me a computer to adjudicate the game like in Total War or give me a board with hexes!
What advice would you give to someone who is just getting into the hobby?
Find the coolest minis in the store. Buy them and paint them however you want!
Where Can You Find Brent and Goobertown Hobbies?
Thank you so much for coming on Wargame Explorer, Brent! We look forward to many more excellent videos and your great contributions to the community! (RELATED: Top 12 Best Miniature Painting YouTubers)
