Red Young, the Human:
Hi, I see you found my personal place. Whilst formally my name is Ryan Andrew Young, I go by "Red" these days - However, thanks to the internet, you probably also know me as "Yangy". I'm a disabled LGBTQ creator, hoping to make my mark within the online gaming space. When referring to me, please use they/them pronouns.
I have been creating content on the internet for a decade now, but my main focus has been on videogames journalism and concept-writing since June 2020 when I joined the very popular GTABase.com - A leading fan news website for Rockstar Games. Since then, I have written numerous articles and helped manage the X profile (Formerly Twitter) which has over 115,000 followers. We also have roughly 20,000 on Instagram.
The space of videogames journalism is often dominated by the same voices - So I am working passionately to bring a new perspective to the area. Being bisexual, non binary, disabled, neurodivergent and from a working class background - I believe I can help better reflect the experiences of more gamers than we have seen in the past in a very straight male-dominated industry.
When it comes to the content I create, my main goal is to offer constructive criticism and my thoughts on how things could be better. This is why I share my highly popular "videogame concepts" - In which I lay out my own ideas as a carefully considered and detailed plan to improve and develop some of my favourite titles.
I also aim to share as much joy, positivity and love as I can. Whilst many people look for small criticisms to nit pick and argue on why things shouldn't be loved - My main philosophy is to let others enjoy things and to combat the rampant negativity and gatekeeping within the videogames communities.
I spend numerous hours per day playing games, of course, but I also have many other hobbies. I love to watch various pop culture shows, go to concerts and write scripts and short stories! I try to keep a variety of my interests visible on my social media so I can reach more people, whilst not tiring out existing followers by only talking about one or two subjects.
For two years, I worked as a professional video editor for the popular Scottish YouTuber known as 'Batchy' - Famous for his "Growing Up Scottish" series and diss track on Jamie Oliver.
I have recently finished studying Performance at university. I aim to eventually move into video-based journalism and land acting roles within some of my favourite franchises, whilst also performing gigs in smaller films and theatre plays.
Education and Work Experience
2018 - 2019
HNC Acting and Performance
West College Scotland
After leaving school with a National 5 in Drama, I went straight into a HNC Acting and Performance course at West College Scotland in Paisley, where I developed my skills to a professional level. I showed my dedication to the course by travelling two hours to and from campus each day. I obtained a B in my Graded Unit and was mainly praised for my comedy script-writing skills - Particularly for my mock tutorial on how to become an actor which was for our showcase module, and can be seen here.
2019 - 2020
HND Acting and Performance
Fife College
I then went to further hone in my skills as an actor at Fife College, between their two campuses in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy. This was a further test to my dedication to my work as I had an even longer distance to travel from my home. During my Graded Unit this year, the Covid-19 Pandemic struck, introducing new challenges for us all as performers. Regardless, I was still able to obtain a B in the module.
2020 - Present
Games Journalism
GTABase.com
During the Pandemic, I decided to take a gap year from education to focus on my mental health and explore other projects as I felt I wouldn't get the best experience studying an acting degree entirely in isolation. This is when I joined GTABase.com as a journalist covering Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption and Rockstar Games in general. My articles quickly became very successful for the website, and I even wrote some for GTABase's sister site 'GamesATLAS'
2020 - 2021
Actor
At The Root Theatre Company
During my gap year, I didn't want to stop acting all together, so I joined a theatre company which was being run by some of the practitioners from my old Youth Theatre. Together, we created a variety of short web-based shows which were filmed entirely on Zoom. This includes our feature-length show, The Murder in Room 85.
Throughout this time, I also worked in a variety of other student film projects and immersive performances, including being a Scare Actor for a Halloween nightclub event at the Glasgow venue SWG3.
2021 - 2023
BA(Hons) Performance
University of the West of Scotland
As Covid-19 was coming to a close, I applied to continue my education at the University of the West of Scotland where I recently completed studying, and was awarded a BA(Hons) in Performance. Now that I have completed this course, I can safely say that I attained an impressive and consistent As and Bs across all of my modules, with all of the modules based on my creative writing and performance skills being graded the highest.
Tying together my interest in Performance and Gaming, I wrote my dissertation on the subject of Machinima - the art of creating Performance through utilising videogames.
2023 - Present
Actor
Solo
Now, I dedicate myself to finding as many acting opportunities as I can. Whilst I focus primarily on jobs I find to be appropriate in terms of equal opportunities and with messages and styles that align with what I find to be morally acceptable (No Conservative party adverts, nothing pro-Israel, etc) I try to take on a variety of styles and topics to broaden my horizons as a performer. I have done a lot of work for friends and on student films, which regardless of any potential future success, is something I would like to continue doing as I believe in encouraging up-and-coming creators to express their creativity and ideas for the medium.
OTHER PROJECTS
ACTING
As seen by my education history, I have a passion for acting.
The goal for my career post-University is to continue to work on smaller independent films and build my reputation as a performer with a high-quality showreel and solid list of Performances.
My original intention was to widely broaden my portfolio as an actor in March and April 2023, but I was unable to due to a health crisis.
So far, aside from a few independent and student films, I have had a few extra performance gigs - Including a unique opportunity as a live interactive performer during a Halloween event at the popular Glasgow nightclub SWG3.
My ultimate goal as an actor is to work in film, television, and performance capture for 3D animation and videogames.
ACTIVISM
Everybody wants to live in a safer, happier world.
For me, achieving that means we must fight for many changes - But there are three very near and dear to my heart. These are subjects I will always use my platform, and any influence I have to spread awareness and do my best to bring about impactful change on.
The first is the environment. Whilst social justice is a cause that impacts a lot of us directly - It is pointless if the world is uninhabitable for us. Humans have already done irreversible damage to this planet, and I believe it is our duty to prevent any more from being done, and to reverse what we can.
The second is LGBTQ rights. As a bisexual, non binary person it is painful to see the rising moral panic and attacks on LGBTQ rights worldwide - Particularly the growing cases of transphobia and attacks on drag performance. I believe everybody is entitled to be their truest selves without scrutiny or derogatory treatment from others. For this, I have vocally fought for LGBTQ rights alongside popular Queer activists such as Beth 'Pickle Bee' Douglas, and been blocked by notorious bigots such as Wings Over Scotland, For Women Scotland, and the Scottish Family Party.
A large part of my fight for LGBTQ rights has also been in the videogames space, which is notoriously rife with bigotry on all fronts. Whilst I believe this has held back a decent portion of my growth in followers - My values are not something I am willing to sacrifice for success.
The third cause I care for is disability awareness. Being autistic, type one diabetic, hypermobile, and having a variety of other personal struggles - I frequently see the spread of misinformation and stereotypes about the daily lives of people like me. That is why whenever I can, I always speak up about the variety of health conditions I live with and amplify the voices of others when it comes to their conditions. I believe the only way the world can be a fair place to live, is if there are enough accessibility options for everyone to fulfil their dreams.