A quick history about the on-going development of this site. Though by no means a definitive timeline, I suppose it would be nice to mark trivial and significant milestones for this passion project. I hope this shows that with enough time, effort, and dedication, you can bring daydreams closer to the realm of reality. As it is, consider this page as some insight into the challenges of making a website (and everything else associated with the process).
Before Critical Eye…
SEPTEMBER 2020: The Game Optician website has been created, a site primarily focused on reviewing and discussing video games. No significant progress has been made at this point, aside from reviewing games in private and for fun.
JUNE 2021: The Entertainment Optician website has been created, a site primarily focused on reviewing and discussing books, movies, TV shows, anime, and more. No significant progress has been made, aside from reviewing media in private and for fun.
The Game Optician website, along with related Steam profiles, have been initiated and actively developed in hopes for a September 2021 Public Release Date. Below is a gallery of icons used for various review and blog post types at this time:
JULY 2021: The Entertainment Optician website has been initiated and actively developed in hopes for a September 2021 Public Release Date along with The Game Optician.
AUGUST 2021: Both websites’ design and content have been mostly established. A few guidelines have been made to ease the workload and streamline the first few months after launch:
1.) A focus on reviews over blog posts
2.) A focus on the website and Steam Curator over Twitter
3.) A biweekly update schedule for The Game Optician and The Entertainment OpticianSEPTEMBER 9, 2021: The Game Optician goes public, along with The Entertainment Optician! This marks the official launch of these websites, and the start of something (hopefully) worthwhile!
SEPTEMBER 25, 2021: In conflict with college workload, both websites reconfigure their guidelines:
1.) A focus on blog posts over reviews
2.) A focus on the website and Steam Curator over Twitter
3.) A guarantee of at least one update every two weeks, between The Game Optician and The Entertainment OpticianNOVEMBER 27, 2021: The Game Optician and The Entertainment Optician see temporary changes for the time being:
1.) Biweekly updates are no longer guaranteed; game reviews and updates to the tier lists will come at a slower pace
2.) Twitter is entirely removed; there is a lack of motivation to uphold such an account compared to my enthusiasm with a website
The websites can find a full functioning return perhaps in 2022. For now, it’s in a limited phase.FEBRUARY 10, 2022: The tier lists, along with the Experimental Rating System, are currently being transferred to online database websites, such as IMDb and Goodreads, in order to keep things more manageable for myself and accessible for others. Specific websites will be disclosed at a later time period.
Current Timeline…
MARCH 2022: Ideas for a revamped, unified website are considered. “Critical Eye” is already a contender for the new website’s name. Smaller details are planned, and complications are sorted out in preparation for this new site.
JULY 20, 2022: The Critical Eye website has been created, unifying the content of both The Game Optician and The Entertainment Optician. Transferring post content, page content, links, iconography, and general UI begins.
SEPTEMBER 2022: The entire month is spent continuing the “database dump”. At this point, the Critical Eye website has been ready to go; anything surrounding the main website (external websites, visual design, etc.) has been a work of progress.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2022: External databases as well as general design / logo of the Critical Eye is finally finished. The website launches out to the public on this day! Below is a gallery of some icons currently used on the site:
CRITICAL EYE 