When you are first starting out with your gaming YouTube channel you might wonder what game you should choose first. If your goal is to build a channel where you will have an audience of people regularly watching your gameplay there are several things to consider.
Interest:
Very popular games are the best to play. While a lesser known title would allow you to dominate the search results for the game the truth is because few people are interested in the title, you won’t get that many views as you would with a much better known game.
Generally speaking the best games to play are the latest release titles. Take Fallout 4 for example; the game was released a week ago and as demonstrated by AdWords Keyword Planner is getting 2.2M searches per month.
Generally speaking a game that has been released several months or years ago will not attract the same level of attention and therefore will get less views. The only exception to this is a game that has a very active playerbase, such as a popular MMORPG like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV.
You should also consider if there are places you can share the footage for the game outside of YouTube . There are many sub-reddits and Facebook groups devoted to game series or even specific game titles. If these groups have several thousand members and allow you to share videos in the group, they can be a great source to gain viewers for your channel.
Fun Factor:
People will be interested in hearing you comment on the game. If you are not able to have fun with the gameplay then your footage will not be entertaining. You don’t want to be boring; people need to stay engaged. Make sure you choose a game that fits the genres you enjoy. For example on my YouTube channel The RPG Fanatic I only chose RPG videogames because it is a genre I very much enjoy and am knowledgeable about.
Recordability:
You need to be able to record the footage of your gameplay. This will depend on your budget, naturally. If you are using a console like a Playstation 4 or XBox One, you might want to consider purchasing a solid state recording device ( such as this Avermedia Game Capture HD recorder) which allows you to record the footage onto a laptop hard-drive. This will make it easier for you to deposit the footage onto your computer for editing.
If you are playing on a computer you can download any number of video capture programs to record the footage. The most common recording program for videogames is Fraps but any screencapture software will work.
Does This Advice Help You?
Tell me what you think in the comments below! Feedback is appreciated.
Also if you want more advice on running a gaming focused channel you might be interested in How To Be a Video Game Journalist: The Reviewer’s Guidebook. Check it out!
Also if you are serious about building a great channel consider purchasing my book, The Lean Channel: YouTube for Entrepreneurs
You can order the book off Amazon, as a Kindle eBook or the more traditional print version.
