Hello
@McNaquar,
As a gamer and Youtuber myself I can understand exactly what you mean. The confusion on how to proceed with a gaming channel that depends on the creator more than the games is why I am trying to share what I have learned these past 6 months with other gaming Youtubers because I too was at a complete loss and although I have learned a lot these past few months I am still learning, and testing, and experimenting to see what I can accomplish based on my current skills, style and persona.
Before I share my thoughts let me first share what one of the best Youtube Creator Pro Youtubers said recently on Twitter:
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View: https://twitter.com/robertoblake/status/1161687808987320320
Like you, I was also lost on what games to make videos on for my channel. While I have a ton of games I am picky about which ones I play most often. Sadly some of the games I like the most may not have an existing audience or at least one big enough to be worth spending time making videos of. But Roberto's words are the key to what Youtubers like us should be thinking about more.
You have a decision to make right now.
What is the purpose of your channel? There are 2 kinds of Youtubers: 1) Those who make content about what they like and share them with everyone else in the hopes someone finds them entertaining/educational, worth watching. 2) Those who aim to entertain/educate by providing content people want to see, usually something that is current and popular/trending.
So, what is the purpose of your channel? Which one of these 2 kinds of Youtubers are you? The first thing you need to accept is that subs and views don't really matter regardless. If you focus less on subs and views and more on the content you have a better chance of having a successful channel. This also allows you to care more about the content you wanna make. It's possible to make the content you want that is also something people are searching for. But if what you want is not necessarily what many others are searching for them it's a matter of deciding if giving people what they want matters more than making what you want. Amazingly enough, you'd be surprised how often what we think does not have an audience might actually have one even if it's not a huge one.
You'll have to decide if your channel will be based around one game or multiple. If you go with one game then the best way to go is with something that is trending. For example, Borderlands 3 is coming out soon. If that's a game you're interested in the best way to go about using that to gain attention and grow your channel is by playing the current games such as Borderlands, Borderlands 2 and Borderlands The Prequel. People will likely be looking for this content because they wanna see what the Borderlands franchise is about before considering buying the new game and maybe even the older ones that will likely be on sale as well. This is at least 4 games you can base your channel on for a while and grow an audience that likes Borderlands.
Now, if you go with the multiple games route then you will need to focus more on your persona. In order to keep people watching your content while switching between games people will want to come to the channel for you more than the games. Granted this is a given even for a channel focused on a single game. For example, ChocoTaco is an excellent PUBg player but to me, he lacks a personality that makes me wanna watch his videos all the time even though I love PUBg. Now, Dr Disrespect's persona is extremely entertaining to me thus why I can watch him play nearly any game.
So in essence, a persona is a must for gamers. Let's be honest, who wants to watch a boring person who doesn't even talk a lot while gaming let alone talk to their audience and entertain them while they watch him play? A good persona is even more important for a channel that is gonna share content of multiple games. That's just a reality. At least from my perspective it is based on my experience and knowledge.
Think about Roberto's words and decide what you wanna do next with your channel. Don't be afraid to try new things, experiment. Play the games you wanna play and have fun doing so but remember that you also have an audience that could be watching and you wanna make sure they feel a part of your fun. I hope this helps.
I myself am gonna reboot, again, my channel with Borderlands 2, Borderlands The Prequel and eventually Borderlands 3 and I'll also be doing Slime Rancher especially with the latest DLC and a new event starting soon.
