Well, the day has come. A small milestone has been reached.
As Iām writing this, Prof. Rockās Learning Arcade is about to reach 100 subscribers. Technically speaking, Iām writing this just before it happens. I wanted to get the words down while the moment still feels fresh. The plan is simple. This post will go live once the number hits 100.
A few months ago, I actually slowed down my writing here on Substack. When I first started, I was posting a lot. Almost every week there was something new. The reason was simple. I had a lot of ideas stuck in my head.
Originally, those ideas were meant for a YouTube channel. I tried creating some video content, but the reality is that I didnāt have the time for it, and the videos themselves were not really getting views. Eventually I stumbled onto Substack.
What immediately stood out to me was how simple it was. I had thought about starting a WordPress blog or trying other platforms, but those places always felt like you were just publishing something and hoping someone might find it. Substack felt different because there was already a community built into it.
When I started posting, I immediately began seeing notifications. People were reading, subscribing, commenting, and connecting with each other. That was very interesting to me. It did not feel like I was just throwing articles into the internet and hoping they landed somewhere.
In the process, I also started reading a lot of other Substacks. Many of them focus on gaming, which is an area where I seem to connect well with readers. So reaching 100 subscribers means a lot to me. One hundred people clicked the subscribe button and are willing to receive my nonsense in their inboxes.
Although, to be fair, there is a good chance most of those emails end up in the junk folder. I have noticed that many of the Substacks I subscribe to go straight to junk in my own email. Because of that, I usually just open the Substack app and browse around to see what everyone is writing.
Still, whether it is the inbox, the junk folder, or the app, the point is the same. I am grateful.
A funny thing happened along the way. The blog did not really start growing because I posted more. If anything, I became more selective with what I wrote. What changed was that Learning Arcade started to feel more like itself.
The intersection of gaming and education started becoming clearer.
When I call myself Prof. Rock, it is actually a small homage to Professor Oak from PokƩmon. In those games, the professor guides players as they explore the world and learn new things. As an actual teacher in real life, I like leaning into that idea. The blog became a place where I could explore the connection between games, learning, and technology.
So now that we are about to hit 100 subscribers, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the articles that helped build this little corner of the internet.
Some of the Posts That Resonated the Most
A few posts clearly stood out and brought a lot of readers to the blog.
One of the biggest ones was How Stardew Valley Teaches Real-World Skills in the Classroom. That article really captured what Learning Arcade is about. It explored how a relaxing farming game can actually teach planning, resource management, and problem solving.
Another strong performer was Gamifying Learning with GimKit. Teachers seem to love practical tools, and GimKit is one of those platforms that can instantly make a classroom more engaging.
I also wrote PokƩmon and Graphics: Are We Expecting Too Much or Too Little?, which sparked a lot of conversation. It turns out that talking about PokƩmon always brings people out of the woodwork.
More recently, Why I Finally Understand Why PokƩmon FireRed and LeafGreen Are $19.99 also did very well. Sometimes all it takes is revisiting an old topic with a new perspective.
Some Personal Favorites
Some articles may not have been the biggest traffic drivers, but they are still among my favorites.
From Love to Letting Go: My Journey with The Sims was one of those reflective pieces where I looked back at a game that meant a lot to me over the years.
Six Months with My Nintendo Switch 2 was another fun one to write, simply because it was a chance to reflect on how gaming habits evolve over time.
And Blocked for Using AI? What Happened to Me on BlueSky ended up being one of the more personal posts on the blog. It also generated a lot of discussion about how people perceive AI and online communities.
A Few Hidden Gems
Some posts did not get huge attention at first, but I still think they are worth checking out.
For example, RoomRecess.com: A Hidden Gem for Simple, Effective Learning highlights a really useful classroom resource that many teachers may not know about.
Another one was Flying Through Geography: Using GeoFS in Social Studies Class, which explored how a flight simulator can turn geography lessons into something far more interactive.
And then there is How I Built a Library of Free Games (Legally!). That one dives into something every gamer loves. Finding great games without spending a fortune.
The Posts That Didnāt Quite Take Off
Not every article becomes a hit, and that is perfectly fine.
For example, some of the Grammar Level One ESL lessons did not get much attention when they were first published. But those posts were created more as long term resources than headline articles.
The same goes for posts like Unlocking Vocabulary: How Greek Roots Bridge English and Spanish. It may not have been widely read at first, but it is exactly the kind of language topic I enjoy exploring.
Sometimes the quiet posts end up becoming the most useful ones later on.
So if you are a new subscriber, there is a good chance there are older posts hiding in the archive that you might enjoy discovering.
Thank You for Being Here
At the end of the day, this blog started as a place to share ideas that were originally meant for a YouTube channel that never quite happened.
Instead, it became something better.
It became a small community of readers who enjoy the overlap between gaming, education, and technology.
So whether you have been here since the early posts, or you just recently discovered Learning Arcade, thank you for clicking that subscribe button.
One hundred subscribers may be a small milestone in the grand scheme of the internet, but to me it means that this little experiment in writing has found an audience.
And that is pretty awesome.
ā Prof. Rock
Before you go, Iām curious about something.
If you have been reading Learning Arcade for a while, which post brought you here?
Was it one of the gaming articles, one of the classroom ideas, or something else entirely?
I would love to know.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! š„¹
Yay! Congrats! Canāt wait to see your next bit! š¤©
Congratulations on your milestone! I can't remember what article brought me here, honestly, but I'm glad to be here!