Coop's been a huge part of getting a lot of people into this hobby, including myself. I hadn't had blasters since I was a kid until I started watching his videos in about 2015.
I hope that he finds happiness with whatever he does going forward.
this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2023
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I'm not crying, you're crying.
An end of an era, and a graceful exit. Thanks for all the fish.
One of the best Nerfing Youtubers out there and my personal favorite. Sadly, it felt like this was a long time coming.
It gets me wondering when we're going to start seeing more Youtubers retiring. Even ignoring the challenges of generating a sustainable income, producing good content is a lot of work. I imagine a lot of these creators have considered changing careers.
This is just a theory but I believe that one potential reason for Frank's departure could be in part to the drastic change we've had on the hobby the past few years. Frank has mentioned before that nerf was always seen as an indoor hobby for him and fast paced. On one of the high fps blasters that he reviewed, he asked us to comment how many of us were playing that type of nerf. There was also another video where he talk about the shift to more marksmanship as oppose to the faster run and gun type of which he enjoyed. I don't think Frank is against these higher fps blasters, he just preferred the simpler times when we were all playing with stock blasters. This in part is also why he loves rival so much due to it's fast pace nature. Again this is just my theory but Foamblast also disliked the militarization of the hobby. Our hobby has been constantly evolving and changing rapidly to where there are so many different types of it. I don't think this was the only or main reason Frank has decided to leave but it could be a part of it.
I think Frank has been considering ending the channel for a very long time. Even some of the Q&As from a long while back had me wondering how much mileage he had left.
I don't think the nature of the hobby was a factor. In fact, many new blasters are right up his alley. We're in a golden age of not only performance but tactically optimized blasters and I think the Frank of 5 years ago would have been absolutely excited. It might have even revitalized him. Plus there are competitive play-styles, like SpeedDart, that emphasize run-and-gun.
I'm sure there are personal reasons he's never going to divulge, but I also think he's just lost his passion for the hobby. I can't imagine doing his job for as long as he's been doing it.
Coop's content did seem to become a lot more formulaic as time went on (though the content itself was far from bad), I don't even think this for lack of trying but more being controlled by the algorithm essentially Pidgeon holing him into just review content in a predictable style. Along with the other personal issues he's had in recent years while we may not know the true reason(s) based on the reasons we do know it is very understandable him leaving foam content creation. As someone who started watching his content around 10 years ago it is sad to see him go but I wish him all the best on his next projects.
he just preferred the simpler times when we were all playing with stock blasters
Coop came from a background where he was an integral part of an oldschool modding scene where the FPS COULD end up being as high as 250, and used glue or fishing weight Stefan darts which would definitely be felt on impact. He slowly moved away from that into limited internal mods/cosmetics and eventually became a reviewer of stock products.
These stock products began changing, and I think that and the years of passionate energy for what his younger self enjoyed waned (along with the realities of getting older).
He might come back at some point, but it makes sense to control the formation of a time capsule now (at a relatively high point) - remaining a tribute to a period in your life, rather than run on, emotionally desolate, into eventual irrelevance.
I was literally crying when I saw that video :(. Coop's uploads were what I was looking forward to every few days. I can only imagine all the future blasters we will never review or the funny skits and stereotypes.
The one thing I didn't get from all of this is whether or not he'll still be active in the hobby as a participant. It's sad to think that being a consistent content maker could ruin your enjoyment of a hobby on your own time, but at the same time there are are parallels in my own life that would make it understandable.
Damn this sucks man. He’s who got me into the hobby in the first place. I wish him well.
Back in 2018 I found Frank's channel and have loved his content throughout the years, I've even watched every video he's posted that were available. Countless memories and giggles that Coop has brought me. I'm truly thankful for everything he's done for us and wish him luck wherever he goes next.
Coop has been one of the better Youtubers for a long time - he can do goofy fun, he can do helpful reviews, and he knows when to do each. Even this exit has been handled gracefully.
On the off-chance that you end up reading this Coop, thanks for everything. You were the first one to show me that integrations can be incredibly good-looking - better than the component blasters - as well as functional. You will be missed.
For a good while Coop was the only Nerf content creator I have followed. I'll definitely miss his videos.
Sad to see his channel coming to an end, but it's not super surprising given the landscape of the hobby these days.
I'm saddened by this news. I've watched Frank's content for years and I always enjoyed his humor and ability to make a blaster review fun without needing any unnecessary filler. It's unfortunate that we won't get to see any more reviews, but there comes a certain point in life where you just have to throw the towel in and move on to something new.