Starting a Gaming Channel - Is it Worth It?

[heartnet02]

I have $50 and I would like to buy a Roxio Game Capture which can record your gameplay from PS3, Xbox and PC. I have a PS3 and a PC where I can play games. Do you think its worth it? I am planning to do some gameplay videos with Assassin's Creed IV and GTA V. Would it be worth the time and money?

 

[Aluminium]

Long story short; no. That niche is so saturated it's ridiculous. We all can't be PewDiePie, he just got incredibly lucky.

 

[mindlesswizard]

That should be fine to go with. But you need to have some kickass strategy as well

 

[TimothyEyton]

It is most definitely possible to make a living (and be very wealthy) from gaming and posting videos on Youtube. You don't have to use Youtube either. You can even do live streaming with a site like Twitch, which is full of gaming fans wanting to watch people play live.

It's not as easy as it sounds though. Firstly you need to put a lot of work into uploading many videos. You need to build up a fan base, although I'm sure a bit of blackhat can help with that. But if you want to be really successful, then you have to be really good at games, in addition to being entertaining and having a good personality.

If you think you fit those qualities, then I would go for it. You could always just start it out as a hobby, and gradually try to accumulate a following.

 

[VastheBo$$]

Either be very entertaining or extremely good. Entertaining gets more subs. Go to twitch.com/trick2g this dude has like over 9000 twitch subs not to mention donors but it is because he is very entertaining. Short story its a long road to make $$$ by gaming. Not impossible but hard. LOL is most played game in the world so the market is there but... not efficient use of your time if you only want $$$$. I'm gonna stream for fun first and then for $$$ when some new games come out.

 

[heartnet02]

What if the game that will be recording are some of the newest games? How hard to earn from youtube using this method?

 

[TimothyEyton]

What if the game that will be recording are some of the newest games? How hard to earn from youtube using this method?

Some of the big-timers on Youtube actually got their channels noticed after being one of the first people to post content for a specific game. I can't say if that will work now adays though, because it is very saturated with people who now know that. It's still a good idea to do though.

Edit: I wouldn't be worried about earning right away though. I don't think I've seen a lot of people earning much without having a ton of subscribers. It's all about building the fanbase at first I'd say.

 

[AquaticGamer]

I seriously doubt you're going to make any money of gaming content. Recently with the bitchy youtube Content ID system tearing through all the gaming youtube channels salary mostly by halves or even more. It's really not worth your time.

 

[Tyrannis]

It's worth it as a hobby, or to have fun. You can expect less than $100 a month , if you are lucky. Only do it as a side-project and for fun. Do not expect to make ANY real money off of it. It is extremely, extremely unlikely you will make anything.

 

[heartnet02]

So any ideas or suggestion what game capture device should I invest my $50 in?

 

[Vonais]

Could be successful. You need to be entertaining for the viewers. Think of yourself as the viewer. Would you want to watch your own gameplay?

Forget GTA V and AC4. Wait for the next big game like Titanfall, either pre-order it or wait in line a couple hours for it(this will probably be better), make your gameplay commentary, be one of the first to upload it to YouTube, rank it with good on page SEO, and buy some HR views, subs, likes, and comments to give your video a good kickstart. The kickstart will make your videos look "superior" in stats so viewers would be tempted to watch you video instead of the others. Good luck OP .

I would do this, but I really can't entertain anyone better than a dead horse xD

EDIT: OP, since you only have $50 to invest, I strongly suggest you commentate a PC game, like Titanfall. You can easily get a screen capture software like Camtasia for free (search it up on YouTube), and use that money to buy the game. Hope my post was helpful to you

 

[noca$h]

If you were to start a gaming channel, you shouldn't think about making one to just make money. Do it as a hobby and actually HAVE FUN playing the games. A lot of gamers lack that asset.

 

[heartnet02]

Could be successful. You need to be entertaining for the viewers. Think of yourself as the viewer. Would you want to watch your own gameplay?

Forget GTA V and AC4. Wait for the next big game like Titanfall, either pre-order it or wait in line a couple hours for it(this will probably be better), make your gameplay commentary, be one of the first to upload it to YouTube, rank it with good on page SEO, and buy some HR views, subs, likes, and comments to give your video a good kickstart. The kickstart will make your videos look "superior" in stats so viewers would be tempted to watch you video instead of the others. Good luck OP

.

I would do this, but I really can't entertain anyone better than a dead horse xD

EDIT: OP, since you only have $50 to invest, I strongly suggest you commentate a PC game, like Titanfall. You can easily get a screen capture software like Camtasia for free (search it up on YouTube), and use that money to buy the game. Hope my post was helpful to you

This really helps. I also have a free version of Camtasia and might try it out first with some pc games. Thanks for an informative comment. It's just my brother also wants to make youtube videos with his gameplay in GTA V and just thought is it worth the investment.

If you were to start a gaming channel, you shouldn't think about making one to just make money. Do it as a hobby and actually HAVE FUN playing the games. A lot of gamers lack that asset.

I do enjoy playing video games and the only concern I have is will it be worth it in terms of the investment because it might not be worth it like some of you are saying in the earlier post.

 

[noca$h]

I do enjoy playing video games and the only concern I have is will it be worth it in terms of the investment because it might not be worth it like some of you are saying in the earlier post.

In all honesty, through my personal experience, it is definitely not worth it. I could upload and upload over and over, and maybe in 5 years, it'll be worth it.

 

[Tommy Lawrence]

I'm sorry but the gaming niche is overly saturated, since every newbie is getting into it like some sort of get-rich-quick scheme. You might gain a handful of views and subscribers but this is not enough to earn you any significant revenue stream. Therefore I would say it's a crappy business investment although it's a good, fun hobby to do on the internet.

 

[Darigaz]

Im working on a network that connects streamers to traffic. I think streaming and video casting in this niche is possible to monetize if you funnel your traffic in the right way.

 

[heartnet02]

Anyone of you can recommend a good video recorder for PC? I use camtasia but the video turns black once I start recording while playing the game. Thanks

 

[ORM]

Anyone of you can recommend a good video recorder for PC? I use camtasia but the video turns black once I start recording while playing the game. Thanks

Did you try FRAPS or GameCam ? You can find it fully activated for free and keep those $50 for kick-starting your YT vids (support developers later when you start earning).

 

[heartnet02]

I will try those 2 softwares. Thanks

 

[tangento]

waste of time unless you pump tons of cash into boosting your views to the front page the chances of you making naturally are slim to none. Plus right now the Id content check is killing gamers on youtube