YouTube Help When to change

[The Kitchen Gamer]

After a few videos of mine not going well on the gaming side of it, I'm just wondering what signs you need to look for when it's time to change or just move to another subject within the game.
So what I'm really asking is when is it time to change the game up and I've not been getting the results I've expected and got in past videos of that kind.

 

[MattCommand1]

I love PC gaming and I love food. Assuming they are equal passions, if I had to choose, I would definitely go for food as a Youtube channel. There is a universal and evergreen quality to it. I view the gaming genre as more cut-throat and subject to trends. I find that genre of youtube videos much riskier.

If you do shift over to food and leave gaming behind, I think you could keep your channel name (which I think is distinct) because food is your "game".

But if you really want to be "fair" to the gaming side, you only have 36 videos total so far. So, you don't have a lot of videos to pull the gamers in if that is your intent.

Maybe you can make food items look like game characters, for example. There is a Tiktokker who has attracted a large following and even Disney's attention for making her food items look like Disney characters in her videos.

 

[The Kitchen Gamer]

I love PC gaming and I love food. Assuming they are equal passions, if I had to choose, I would definitely go for food as a Youtube channel. There is a universal and evergreen quality to it. I view the gaming genre as more cut-throat and subject to trends. I find that genre of youtube videos much riskier.

If you do shift over to food and leave gaming behind, I think you could keep your channel name (which I think is distinct) because food is your "game".

But if you really want to be "fair" to the gaming side, you only have 36 videos total so far. So, you don't have a lot of videos to pull the gamers in if that is your intent.

Maybe you can make food items look like game characters, for example. There is a Tiktokker who has attracted a large following and even Disney's attention for making her food items look like Disney characters in her videos.

Thanks for that advice and I'll look more into that side of it

 

[Barkey]

And there's always "gamer snacks" as a subject. That might give you a few video ideas (enough to make a playlist, anyway), and being a gamer, you'd have some built in cred. That could be a winning combination to at least visit along with your other cooking vids.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

There are a lot of different answers to this. Here are the best answers I can think of:

1. Change when there is a new, trending topic to latch onto. Like a new game that drops.
2. It's a good practice to experiment and push yourself creatively. This isn't necessarily a change, but from time to time these experiments may produce unique results that cause you to focus more in that direction. And that is ok.
3. When you have exhausted your material and you are losing the joy that once made you the creator that you are today. Don't let that happen. If you need to change you do it. There may be work involved and of course there is the FOMO associated with losing subscribers. Don't let that hinder you. And don't forget that while you should honor/respect those who decided to subscribe +/-90% of your audience is likely (and should be) non-subscribers... which makes non-subscribers your core audience. The actual subs need to be your superfans. Respect that. But the majority of what you do is for the people who are watching and have not yet subscribed.

 

[BraveStar]

I love PC gaming and I love food. Assuming they are equal passions, if I had to choose, I would definitely go for food as a Youtube channel. There is a universal and evergreen quality to it. I view the gaming genre as more cut-throat and subject to trends. I find that genre of youtube videos much riskier.

Gotta admit. This is probably the best description for the gaming vs food genres I've ever seen. Food is definitely an evergreen kinda genre that has an every changing audience. Take me for example. I've recently found myself looking for something new to try and have been exploring Asian cuisine, mainly Thai, Korean and Chinese food. I got tired of eating the usual rice and beans Puerto Ricans are known for and pizza and burgers are getting old these days. I'll eventually be looking to try other kinds of cuisine to try therefor there are channels out there that will eventually get my views as well.

Gaming, on the other hand, changes with the trends. I should know, I'm a gamer. Trying to find a way to keep a gaming channel growing is a lot of work because it sadly depends on one of two things in most cases. Either you pick one game or one type of game, say Fortnite or Battle Royal, and stick with it for as long as they are popular and hope you can eventually switch to another game or gaming genre without losing your audience when the videos start losing steam, or you make yourself the center of your content where viewers come to see you play no matter the game. That's where it gets trick because you might need to have a certain appeal to your potential audience and there are some who are naturals at that while others either work hard to make it work or fail completely. Not to mention that as opposed to cooking, where it takes a certain skill to make something other than scrambled eggs or white rice, anyone can be a gamer because not every game is difficult and can often still be entertaining to watch.

My best advice, as @Stanley OrchardBuddy suggested, follow the trends. Expand your library of games and make your channel about gaming in general and not about a game or genre in specific. Then, try to make yourself the brand for your channel instead of the games themselves. Try to get people viewers to come watch (or listen to) you regardless of the game. That will be your best bet for surviving an extremely saturated genre like gaming. Stand apart in your own way. Here are some examples:

Jacksepticeye are extremely funny.
Markiplier will try just about any game and somehow make it fun
Aculite and Shroud are amazing gamers who rarely lose.
WackyJackie101 is great at teaching how to play games
Dr Disrespect is the greatest entertainer ever
HollywoodBob loves interacting with his audience and celebrating every win like it's his first