Meet Alltime Arcade | Nerdcore Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alltime Arcade and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alltime, why did you pursue a creative career?
Starting off, I was first introduced to the subgenre called Nerdcore when I was around 10 years old at an old friend’s house. This friend was much more into the internet than I ever was at that age, and they weren’t shy to show off the cool videos they found on YouTube. At that time, there were a lot of different fandoms and series taking off. Before I knew it, my friend had shown me a video that was a song over the series Five Nights at Freddy’s. I was definitely too young to be introduced to a series like that at the time, but little did I know that there was a whole community of people making music over video games and other nerdy topics. About 3 years later or so, I had encountered Nerdcore again, but this time, I could understand it more, and I had stars in my eyes from watching it. It was nerdy, it was fun, and to me it was what I wanted to do. After watching and taking in Nerdcore for about 2 years, I had brought the idea to my two closest friends at the time in Middle School; “what if we did it too?” Little did I know, one of them knew about a DAW called FL Studio and offered to navigate it together in attempt to try a new channel. One thing led to another, and we all three spent the night at that friend’s house, attempting to put together our first track for a Five Night’s at Freddy’s song. It was how almost every single first track sounds. It needed so much work. But I wasn’t about to let that stop me from trying. I had the opportunity to do what made me awestruck. Fast forward six years or so, and here we are today. I now work on my channel alone, doing almost everything independent as a Nerdcore artist. And I found why I do it too. As a teenager going through school, navigating relationships/friendships, finding my first job, organizing my time, all I wanted was to go home and listen to a Nerdcore track. The music allowed me to audibly transport myself to the worlds of the games and shows I grew to love and adore. And after about 6+ years working in the scene as a Nerdcore artist, I realized that there were teenagers out there just like I was, going through the same struggles everyday, and sometimes worse. I realized there were teenagers who also wanted to just go home and take a moment to just escape reality if not for 2-3 minutes. To listen to a song that not only embodied one of their favorite series, but also related with them. And this applied to almost every age, not just teenagers. I realized God gave me these abilities as a content creator to be there as a source of entertainment or relatability. I didn’t choose this path, it chose me. And I couldn’t be happier to be on this path. I want to be that content creator younger me would’ve loved. Because that’s one of the things that got me through the mental and emotional struggles. And I can help those going through the same struggles now, even if it is just a nerdy song about a series we like.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I make Nerdcore music. Nerdcore has changed and grown over the years since it first started, definitely. There are parts of the scene that like to make music so heavily in character, it feels like a musical. There are also those who like to make more genre influenced tracks, making a song more inspired off of a series more instead of directly referencing it. I personally love hybridizing both aspects, making tracks that are meant to sound like they are about or from a character, but can be interpreted otherwise if the listener chooses to. This makes it so people can listen and could enjoy a track, whether they understand the context of the ties back to the referenced character or otherwise. I understand it can still be hard to grasp, but I use it to make my lyrics relatable in some way if at all possible.

I’ve learned so much in so many aspects. How to carry oneself online, promotion, lyric-writing, vocal deliveries, vocal and instrumental engineering, video editing, how to navigate copyright, etc. I could spend days on end explaining everything I’ve not only learned, but have also yet to learn. I am both in a place where I can confidentially say I am good at what I do, while simultaneously acknowledging I have everything to learn still. It was not in any way easy. Some things clicked much faster than others, sure, but it’s like a puzzle. Just because you found two pieces fit, doesn’t mean you’re anywhere close to seeing the big picture. I had to get over bullying for the first couple years, since many did not want to give me a chance due to my inexperience. I had to deal with self doubt, creative blocks, managing time, and learning how to do almost everything from scratch. Almost everything I learned how to do for this, I learned from either trial and error, or on my own searches. I didn’t go to school for this, I didn’t learn under one person, I had to piece it all together with my own will.

I want people to know that I found this as something much more than just a possible career. You don’t go into something with the sole goal of it to be your biggest source of money. You do it because of the fulfillment it gives you. This is something I truly believe God put me on this Earth to do. I am meant to be here, making content you can relate with, lyrics you can envision yourself in, and music you can laugh or cry with. Sure, it’s my dream job, and I have so much more to learn and grow from before I truly “make it.” But even through all the struggles, persevering through the tough moments are worth it. Never giving up on yourself, no matter the struggles, will bring you to moments and places you dreamt of. It always sounds cliche, but I’ve witnessed it happen time and time again. It takes faith, it takes will, and it takes patience. And above all, I’ve learned to enjoy the process of it all. I do this, not because it can potentially make me a lot of money, or that it makes me an icon or influencer in some way. I do this because I enjoy it, and I enjoy making people feel something when they check out any of my videos or songs. To me, it’s all worth it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well unfortunately, I’ve always been more of a homebody. However, I do have some places I could recommend. I live in Southern Indiana currently, and there are plenty of towns that are worth checking out. New Albany is the first town area that comes to mind. I pick this place out because of the sky. Strange of a reason as it is to pick, the sky there has had so many beautiful evenings, it always rivaled the sky in vacation pictures for me. Not to mention the movie theater that’s still impressively standing, or the many stores in the area that are sure to catch someone’s attention.
If I had to recommend anywhere else to visit, it would be the area of Clarksville. They have a decently sized mall in the area that is always nice to walk around in. There are plenty of restaurants and fast food joints that I enjoy, along with tons of stores in the area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I firstly have to give all the glory to God, as I walk my path in my faith with Him. He has been there with me every step of the way, through the struggles and the milestones. Through my life and path as a Nerdcore artist, it was hard for most around me to understand what I was doing and why. But through it all, my mother was there, listening to near, if not all, every track I made. She has been my day one, and still listens to what I put out.

I have a special group of friends that I consider brothers in this field as a Nerdcore artists. They are called the HydraGoons. The HydraGoons was made in 2023, and we have been there for each other since. 7 Nerdcore artists (including myself), thick as thieves, close as family, we are there for each other daily. It’s not quite a collective, but a friend group. We help each other find new ways to grow and succeed, pushing each other to greater heights. The others in this group are Red Rob, Flint 4K, J Cae, S4MUR0TT’S FL0W, Pure chAos Music, & PAYNE Music. As one of the founders of the HydraGoons would say, “It’s only going up from here” – Red Rob.

There were many struggles starting out, but one who has watched me start and I view as a mentor in a way, has to be Mark Cooper. Mark was the first person in the scene who offered the HydraGoons the experience as a group to perform live together for the first time. Mark had always done what he called Mark Cooper Mondays, where he listened to one of your tracks live, and would offer feedback and critique on what to work on and how to improve. Without him, I don’t think I would be where I am now, doing what I do at the level I’m doing it.

I also have to shout out the artists known as the Champz. The Champz are two amazing brothers who have helped me in regards of my many art commission requests. They even helped me on my latest logo rebrand I had back in late November of 2024. Those two have not only been constant supporters of me as an artist, but have been good friends. The artistic visions we share have helped shape us, and have consistently improved our crafts together. Their constant support has helped my drive in continuing my dream as a content creator. I wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.

Lastly, there are a handful of friends I’ve had that have helped me that need to be recognized. Ali Music helped me start out, and was there in support when I took off on my own to pursue this dream. TēnFold (formerly Nightbreaker) was my best friend in the Nerdcore community when I started out. TēnFold never gave up on me, even when near everyone we knew had told him otherwise. And one of if not my first fans, Ethan. We may not be in contact much due to time and life struggles, but they were some of my strongest supporters.
And even now, ACET!C as an amazing producer and good friend, POSE as an insane editor, and those in the Young Bucks, have all been there. I know there was a lot of names said, but they all were there and part of my story. And there are still more friends and supporters to come in this story of mine that is just getting started.

Website: https://alltime-arcade-shop.fourthwall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alltime_arcade/?next=%2F

Twitter: https://x.com/AlltimeArcade

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlltimeArcade

Other: My LinkTree – https://linktr.ee/alltimearcade

Alltime Arcade on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VNtFyeLp2MPAnhR0Y06Dj?si=4FO3ueXTR4-d1Ssag9NrrQ

Alltime Arcade on Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/alltime-arcade/1548357575

Image Credits
S4MUR0TT’S FL0W

The Champz

Ali Music