Download Platform Gun for Free on Steam!: store.steampowered.com/app/25... song 1: opengameart.org/content/summers song 2: opengameart.org/content/encha...
I'm about 6 months behind you in this journey, and I can back up pretty much everything you've said. I've been more experimental with my formats, and the highest views on my channel are: -Reading the godot source code out loud (People want to see me be deranged I guess) -Teaching my grandma gamedev, parts 2 and 3 -Making my girlfriend play my 3D platformer -A mostly information-based video about making 3D text fall on the player's head So the upshot here seems to be that entertainment-focused videos do a lot better than education-based videos, at least in the gamedev space. Which is fine, I enjoy making that style of video, and I'm glad people are at least willing to learn what I'm teaching if I wrap it in something clickable, but it is a little sad that being a dedicated game development channel isn't really sustainable financially, at least not for our favorite engine.
@@Raccoon5 That doesn't work for this niche, their thumbnails just need some work as rn they're just screenshots. Like for the gf one f.e it would do a lot better if you could actually see the gf in the thumbnail so the title alone doesn't need to do all the heavy lifting of getting a person to click.
This is refreshingly honest. Love that you highlight that it's OK to do something just because you like doing it, while also tempering our expectations for it to become a full time gig. cheers
I actively chose not to do a CZcams devlog/gamedev and focus on making 'the game'. Now, 2 years later, I am having a hard time to find people to play my game. Even a small CZcams following would give a community to ask for support. While I agree with you that CZcams might not be the most time efficient way to do game marketing, you will need to have a community somewhere to give feedback along the way. What would you say is the highest "effort to outcome ratio" for finding fans?
I get the vast majority of my playtesting done by either my local game dev community, some online gamedev communities and people i know IRL. So if you just need play testers, you have options. For getting fans of your game, the only consistent way i know is making a game that people actually want to play. If i knew how to do that I would already be a successful dev. The answer is most likely 'it depends'. You're just going to have to experiment until you find something that works. I know people have had some success making short vids on tictock but once again, 'it depends' on whether you can make something actually interests people. TL:DR: I don't know
I've been looking for games to feature on a weekly-ish roundup I'm planning. If you reply with a link, I'll give it a look, and probably feature it in the next week or two. My audience isn't huge, but the last person whose game I played seemed think my feedback was helpful, at least.
I think the sad truth is that it's backwards: you don't promote your game, no matter how good it is, you make a game that is easy to promote. Basically memes and trends that you can use to exploit the algorithms. That is the easy and certain way for an indie to succeed
@@franciscosuarez4521it does make sense to think about what your game will look like in screenshots. I did assume too much that people would play the demo and see the potential even during development. And next time I will. But what is the point of making a game of you dont love the gameplay first? Even big funded Kickstarters that never were delivered must have started with the best intentions, surely. There are easier ways to make money.
i recently started to dislike the process of creating devlogs for some of the same reasons mentioned in this video, it was a strange feeling for me cause ive always enjoyed creating videos regardless of anything, its always been fun. the message you shared towards the end helped me realise that this feeling is completely normal lmao, i should keep my focus on creating more and more content i actually enjoy. thank you :)
Great video. Devs are definitely the main demographic for dev videos, which, on one hand, is awesome but, on the other, sucks for marketing. I am convinced there is a happy middle ground, but I am yet to find it.
As a counter-point, you have 2.71k subs, which is practically none in the grand scheme. That so few subs are generating any money at all should be very encouraging to someone that does gamedev that also wants to do CZcams. Or just anyone that wants to do CZcams.
dude branno you're fucking awesome. we may not be valuable views, but i guarantee you we really care for your videos which I hope is worth something keep kicking ass man, your vamp survivors playlist is really going to help me
I agree. I sometimes make tutorials not for the sake of fame, monetization, etc. I sometimes do it as a reminder to myself in case I need to go back and use them as references if I forget how to do something. But, at the same time while doing so, I figure that my tutorials help other people; especially if there are no tutorials on how to do certain things or if such tutorials were hard to find when I tried to implement certain things. And this my reason for GameDev youtube. It's just a way to help future self and extending it to others while I'm helping my future self. And I do it as a hobby.
I found a couple of videos about this topic before, and even it being fact after fact... A part of me didn't want to believe it until experience it on first hand. Talking to an empty room is demoralizing but having a bunch of devlogs as you said it's worth the effort. The fun thing about gamedev channels is that to be successful you have to find a way to talk about games without talking too much about games xD
I never considered documenting my learning journey, but you make some compelling points. Might help me more consistently make time for it if I'm uploading periodic logs. Incidentally, Platform Gun is a concept that I've contemplated from time to time, and I've always envisioned a game where you fire something like a harpoon gun through enemies and into walls, and can then use the harpoon's shaft as a platform. Maybe even a springy platform like the ones in Sonic games. I never once considered this time stop/release concept. It's cool to see.
My critique would be that you should do everything with the purpose of giving something of value to others, and therefor fulfilment for yourself. That in the end is the purpose of creative work or what any product _should_ be. Sure, that does not always mean it will strike gold, but it's the more meaningful path in my opinion.
@@SFotakos Either you don't have much of an ability to intrepret text and/or spoken language, or you have a bad memory. Either way, he never said anything about "giving something of value to other's" what so ever. He said some frankly very stupid advice about not doing dev logs, and then said, only do them for personal reasons, or as a snap shot of your progress. This person's comment is far more general (and hyper valuable) advice about content creation and general life goals. One should do what gives them fullfilment, but also what gives others something of value. Creating something that wastes people's time or doesn't offer them anything in return, is not good for other people, or for a creator. It fills the world with noise, not meaning, or value. This person's advice, and the videos advice, are completely seperate, and aside from the "do what you like doing" aspect, these two sets of advice...do not overlap. Please, pay more attention to...life in general. It will slip you buy if you aren't making an effort. There is a nuance to everything, and most meaningful information...is nuanced.
@@honaleri I'm sorry you felt the need to attack me to get your point across, and its very ironic because: At 00:25 Branno says and shows "Benefit #1 You get to contribute to a greater cause" which sounds quite a lot like what KoniWorx said: "...you should do everything with the purpose of giving something of value to others, and therefor fulfilment for yourself" Branno also says in the video (00:52) that he feels good that he contributed tutorials in the early stages of Godot. I agree information is nuanced, the video's main point was to avoid doing it for the money, not that there's nothing to be had except personal fulfillment, at least that's my take.
@@SFotakos Its unfortunate you feel personally attacked. Regardless, again, nuance, as these where his feelings about making tutorials, which were not apart of the main premise of the video discussing dev logs and why to or why not to make them. His reflections where not his suggestions for motives as to why to make dev logs or content in general. That's a conclusion you drew from his reflections, not his actual concluding recommendation. His reflection on "contributing to the space" was derivative of Godot tutorials, and not, dev logs which do not necessarily need an element of educational quality to them. Regardless the conclusion is never drawn that that's why you should do it, he states that's a benefit of doing it, which, isn't even necessary true, as dev logs are not directly educational to begin with. Advice of a general nature saying ones work, if offered to the public, should give them and the creator value, is at its core...a different statement then making tutorials makes you feel like you are contributing to something bigger, as a reflection. Again. Nuance. Please reread my prior comment for additional differentiation between this advice and that advice. Otherwise, I don't see much point is spending more time with you, as you've offered nothing to me, and you are already aware of your motives as...am...I.
I appreciate your take on this, as I have had these thoughts for a while. Doing tutorials can be a VERY slow way to grow, especially when the subject of your tutorials is incredibly niche. I've not been too fond of devlogs myself, but I've seen some very well-done ones. However, just like you said, it appeals much more to gamedevs than gamers, which can make it difficult to get conversions on what you want to sell. Ultimately, I continue to do Godot tutorials myself because it's what I enjoy making the most. Don't give up, my friend - there may be a day where your content will blow up when Godot becomes mainstream 😉!
Honestly man I think it depends on whether or not you're going to work on a project that people are going to find to be fascinating or fun. You are correct in that tutorials are going to be aimed at a fairly small audience of tech savvy people who likely have Adblock. However if you are doing your game Dev on CZcams devlog style and you have a game idea where there is a market for that game type and your development shows off interesting mechanics. Well, now we're talking about something entirely different. If you just make another game, then yeah I mean it's just another game. However if you bring new mechanics to a genre that bring fun gameplay to that genre and you post up your Dev logs on CZcams then it works as advertising for your game.
great insights Branno. I'm curious if there is a niche for game dev insights within CZcams Shorts - although shorts would suck for technical detail, it may be a great format to talk about concepts, design and maybe even coding solutions (abstracted to a non-technical level).
I'm glad i watched this video. I've been in sort of a dilemma with my own game dev content myself. *Would love to know people's opinion on it.* For my channel, MOBA/RPG tutorial videos is what i'd say helped me get the views and subscribers. Although that can have a downside to it. Any content i put out that isn't MOBA related just flops even after putting so much time and effort into it. I was quite disheartened and i ended up just bouncing back into MOBA tutorials since that's what my viewers subscribed to see. I don't hate making the MOBA tutorials. thankfully i'm quite passionate about the MOBA Genre but if i wasn't. It would've been a drag to make videos. It's just i feel as if my channel is solely revolved around MOBA and nothing else and it's hard to transition out of it if i wanted to. Right now i just feel as if i'm getting to the burnt out stage and need a break from MOBA tutorials. I want to make other tutorials and work on my own separate game ideas that aren't MOBA related but idk if that's something i should make videos on or just do it behind the scenes. Then again, i feel as if i work on my own thing behind the scenes, people will be waiting for more MOBA content. What should i do?
Most people subscribe for a particular type of content and not for you unfortunately. You see a lot of cases where youtubers transition to new types of content and they take a massive hit on views. VideoGameDunkey took a couple years to get back to his previous audience size after quitting LoL despite making a lot of variety gaming videos before that. EmpLemon basically burnt the bridge towards his previous YTP audience and was bleeding subscribers for over a year or two before experimenting to the point where he makes the video essays that he does now. Now both of those creators have good ending but it took a while for them to finally surpass where they started. I've seen a lot of people switch gears and never regain the size of the audience they had. Though a lot of this was people who just happened to be at the right place and right time accidently pioneering genres without really realising it. The reality is that you gotta do what feels right since making content for something you're not passionate about is never going to work long term. You just burn out, make worse content and become irrelevant in the niche you started in. Being able to reinvent yourself on youtube is basically a requirement if you care about channel growth. If you decide to pull off the band-aid, you're going to have to realise that you have to win over the new audience you're trying to gain and be grateful for the minority of viewers who are willing to give your new content a chance. Anyway those are my thoughts, no idea what the right thing to do it but making videos you don't enjoy making is probably the worst thing you can do for long term success.
@@BrannoDevI use the CZcams app on my phone usually. Sometimes there are ads sometimes there's none. Not that many videos trigger ads. Probably like every 5 random videos I watch.
I hope your future titles go well. But ya making game dev videos is a struggle for sure! The main way to get funding on CZcams is to build up your Member base basically Patreon but Google takes 30 percent instead of Patreons smaller percent.
So true, people nowadays are so addicted to mrbeast style videos they think there is something wrong with people who make good teaching content,i myself most of the time dont do or just BS my way through intro to just save time for viewers who want to learn the engine,yet i get comments on why im not screaming and over reacting, i think sometimes lying is good
I always admire the dev that do regular devlogs because of the effort that it takes to do while also making the game itself. Sadly to be successful you have to cater to the wider audience which require highly edited videos and also to be very entertaining, but at the cost of any technical depth. And in the end all that takes alot of effort, most likely effort that could have being put in the game itself. As Randy said about his early devlogs, is that in the end he felt more like a youtuber than a gamedev. I might do a devlog once I got something cool to show off in game. Or I may not and just let the game talk for itself. We'll see...
Good stuff. You may have talked me out of doing a devlog. Haha. I figured it would be the best way to promote my game, but I think I need a new strategy.
never seen you before. I'm gonna download Platform Gun. cool mechanic. good video. I watch a lot of gamedev videos and honestly never considered what the CZcams landscape looks like for a "Gamedev channel". so this video was an interesting insight to something I take for granted. Ive never used Godot so the fact I'm watching this is a testament to the fact I wouldn't have even seen your channel if it wasn't for the interesting/proactive subject. I'm going to subscribe as well I enjoyed your take. thanks.
I think Thomas Brush is a good dev to follow for being honest with yourself in the game dev journey. Making enough money off youtube alone is unlikely, but even doi g it with actually selling your video games is still unlikely
But it's pretty obvious that the purpose of Thomas Brush's YT channel is not for people to care about his games, is for people to look at him as a gamedev guru so he can sell his courses and stuff. It's basicly the "entrepreneur influencer" that will sell you his course on how to get rich and the first step is to sell a course on how to get rich, just the gamedev version of it. His videos are about trusting him enough that you think his course is good. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure his course is valuable, but clearly he doesn't do that for the youtube money, he doesn't do that for awareness of his games, most people watching are gamedevs, not gamers, people want to know about his expertise, so they can make games like he does, people don't care about the actual games, the actual game exist to give him credibility, but when it will be the time to market his game, his own youtube channel wont be what makes it successful or not.
@@randomrandom450 I see what youre saying. I do think often times indie devs have to ask themselves if they are trying to be an influencer or a game developer, and Thomas' content does reflect a lot that he has become more of an influencer rather than a game developer. At the same time its almost impossible to be a full time indie game dev without having side gigs to survive off of and I do believe thats were you have to draw the line. Are those side gigs side gigs or are they your primary focus? Granted, Thomas definietly was a indie game dev and solo developer back in the day and was one of my biggest inspos for learning and pursuing a indie game dev career so I can see where my opinion may be biased. Nonetheless, I think he is maybe finding what works for him and I still watch his content, but have never bought into the courses and probabbly never will.
Totally, just as you, I got my first (and only so far) payment of 100 bucks after 6 month of monetization and since I pay for stock footage, I'm simply losing money from youtube. That being said, youtube makes me get off my butt and make games. So many abandoned side projects that I just forgot about, so many afternoon/evening doing nothing that I could've been making games, but why ? Why should I make games that nobody cares about ? That's my motivation, an external incentive to get off my butt and work on my hobby. I love making games. I want people to play them, I want people to care about them, I want to want to make them and youtube allows that. I know most people don't care much about my games while watching, they want to be entertained, but the fact than more than 0 people care, that's good enough for me and that's good enough to make me keep going. That being said, if people do gamedev youtube because they want to be a successful youtuber... hum, they chose the wrong niche. I'm not a youtubers who makes games, I'm a gamedev who makes youtube videos.
For the whole "most people won't care about playing the game you're making" point, I think there's exceptions to this. Jonas Tyroller has been doing videos about Will You Snail for years, and when it finally came out, it generated a lot of discourse and interest. The thing is... Jonas made an actual great game that is extremely unique and interesting game. It might sound harsh, but I think most people don't seem to care about the games of gamedev youtubers because the games don't look very original or otherwise don't look very fun.
I have another channel that makes coding tutorials and gamedev videos, I am doing this mostly because I found it ironic that I was teaching people who were doing tutorials. If your goal is viewership ads on youtube that is your downfall, because anyone talking about gamedev that much should be able to actually make and complete a game. Having an actual game for sale in the background of your channel would make this entire scene different for you which means you are GIVING advice on a topic you actually NEED advice on, a common situation here on youtube.
Hey man, really interesting take on the gamedev youtube space. I tend to agree with your opinion on being "gamedev oriented", but i knew this going in and tried to be more gamer oriented, which does take more time, but my rpm currently sits at $2.5 and ive been monetised less than a month, i think gamer oriented is more fullfilling in that sense, and i quite enjoy making content for it, and if money is what someones after, i think youtube in general is a bit of an questionable choice
I have a question with regards to that "Tech Literate Viewer" I class myself as a tech literate viewer, Ive used the ad blockers, and a few months ago went yt premium because I was sick of having to change ad blockers when the yt updated and got around them, so I have my £20 per month going to yt, it sounds steep, but Its got all my family on as users and yt is my main form of TV now, not satellite or cable, anyway, the question is, if you lose revenue from ad blockers, do you make money from premium members watching your videos, or is all that money going to yt and missing out the channels completely
CZcams splits revenue from the premium subscriptions to the creator of the video. So far the revenue split has been 84% ads, 16% youtube premium. CZcams doesn't give me the exact numbers, but it wouldn't surprise me if your view is worth anywhere between 50-100 views from my standard audience.
I have go to steam and trying your game. The way of using the gun is good and fun. I am trying to solve the big purple enemies puzzle. At least I learned many Godot knowledge from you, so I will go to try your game. If I don't know you from youtube, I will not give it a shoot. May be it is not an effective way to promote the game, but still a way let us know we can support you on Steam.
You have some really good points! Most people on CZcams just want to watch a really interesting video and then move on to the next one. Most of them won't care about buying or playing your game. The gamedev demographic is really small and again they are not your target audience for selling your game. I found this the hard way, as my most successful video by far was a low effort one where I tried Godot for the first time as a Unity dev. So yeah, entertainment > educational when it comes to gamedev on CZcams.
Anything I do, I do for the love of it. I used to believe that wasn’t a good enough excuse. But over the last couple of years I’ve come to realize that everything you do without love is vain. That applies to more than just coding and/or game dev.
I can confirm that doing game dev CZcams to monetize your game is the worse thing you can do for your game, instead doing a channel for average casual gamers is much better.
Sup, I looked at intro video for platform gun that you have on steam and the idea is creative. Another thing - you can do Dani and create entertainment, rather than dev-logs - later has much smaller audience than the former. Edit - did you ever consider anime art style for your game?
I respect the creator for making this video! Takes a lot of guts and he's very articulate. This is great advice if you're doing GameDev as a HOBBY. If you're trying to get somewhere with it then this is detrimental. I've learned that gaming is 70% marketing and proving that you're not a snake oil salesman and 30% making a game. CZcams is a great way of building an audience for your game. Of course, you're not guaranteed but that's with anything in life. It's about maximizing all your micro and macro efforts efficiently and not having CZcams is not only hurting your visibility but is also denying you the ability to hone your skills and get feedback.
Just from first glance, your material is actually aimed at being entertaining, and thus, you are more successful. You know the game, and you play it well. Congrats.
How do you suggest finding and getting an audience for your game without youtube though? Even if i were to make a great game people need to know it exists. It seems the only option is to get good at youtube and gear the videos towards a general/desired audience rather than dev audience. Which is sad to me honestly and unfortunate because I personally as a dev have zero interest in youtube and being a youtuber I just wanna make games but Idk how to get people to play my games without the youtube part. So I have to do a job that takes a way from dev time
one question that i have: how do these popular ytbers lie/stretch a truth in ther podcasts? I usually watch em and never come across anything that could be considered "lying" (except in one of Barji's vid)
This is what stops me from doing gamedev on youtube. I might post a thing or two....very rarely, but to actually do tutorials or a real devlog seems like it would be more time consuming than making games. Because what's my job? Am I a youtuber...is that my income? If so then that's my job. But that's NOT my job, so I think that just doesn't make any sense.
to be honest i have plan to become GameDev CZcams for i different reasons i don't expect to earn money for it the few reasons i have plan to do that 1. ther some techniques tutorial ect that i know that i haven't see eny one elss use 2. im already game solo game development why to not share some off this contents on the others 3. because very little people know about the project (game) im try to make what is the game i try to create so because off this i thing i will be great idea GameDev CZcams and no i don't thing i will change for the worst but only time will tell
I seen all i need wen u said that game got 60k fundraiser😭 totally worth it. In my opinion game dev seems like the only thing u can do and get multiple sources of money 🧠
I love making game Devlogs they are a creative outlet that come every two weeks compared with a game which is years. I am getting better and better all the time too. But yes if you want to make money on CZcams then that probably isn't going to happen. Because I watch Devlogs and have no interest in buying other peoples games! I'll keep making devlogs as long as I am inspired to do so, it's never been about the money.
you are missing key point, having even small-medium sized games-related channel and being able to promote your game with videos with 20k+ views is a huuuuuge advantage for promoting indie projects without huge money investments, getting magic 10k wishlists with and without 20k per video coverage is a big big big difference
Do you know Randy the gamedev? He makes really entertaining devlogs and is somewhat successful for a gamedev youtuber but he never released a actual game and really struggles to make a game. So, only being charming helps you win the youtube game I guess not being actually skillful.
Thank you for being so honest. I think I should also be honest with you. Don't read this as being mean or something. I actually agree with many points you make, BUT: I had a look at your channel. Your thumbnails aren't that good. Your editing isn't "that" good. Your channel has pretty average content. The CZcams game is won if and only if you master what is needed to manage a successful CZcams channel. I'm not claiming I "am" a successful one, but at least I've studied A LOT and tried HARD to be one. Still not satisfied with my content. I criticize my channel every single day. Because that's what makes one grow. And it's not even about money, as the first priority. The #1 passion of a CZcams MUST be to give value. Soooooooo passionate that even if he doesn't get anything in return, he continues on. It's hard. It's tough, I know. But that's what is required to win the CZcams game. Insist enough, and you get "an audience". And trust me bro, "audience" is the currency of the new era. It brings "trust", and trust cannot be bought by spending money. Here are 2 links I suggest you to have a look at, so you can elevate your CZcams Journey: www.youtube.com/@isaacverse www.youtube.com/@ThatNateBlack The first one, Isaac, has 4 videos and nearly 100k subscribers. Why? He's explaining why and how. Compare it to your own content (and MY content) and you see why you and I are not getting the growth we desire. Thanks again for your video, dedication, and honesty. :)
unrelated but DAM seeing the minimum wage in your country really hit me hard. Over here in the land of the hamburger, it's still $7.25/hour. so sad. god bless merica
I don't think this video is a good case for or against doing GameDev CZcams. Firstly, your viewership is solely reliant on how good your actual content is and how frequent you upload. It is no different from trying to be a CZcamsr in any other niche: you have to be entertaining. Secondly, viewership isn't really anyone's primary form of revenue on this platform, selling time to advertisers is. Thirdly: The money you have made from CZcams on content related to the platform gun game is likely incredibly more than the game itself would earn. You mention BlackThornProd in your video about how they were transparent with the release of their games, but you didn't mention how they have found a niche source of content and have been milking it for months instead of doing their typical CZcams videos while simultaneously trying to sell their tutorial series, GDR. BTP is an excellent example of how to use CZcams and GameDev to create a livable income. Anyone who has spent five minutes in game dev circles will realize for a lot of these folks creating their game and getting community funding is their source of revenue, not releasing the game. Then there are the countless amounts of devs who aren't doing research to learn how to have a successful launch. They aren't starting channels and devlogging, they aren't reaching out to content creators to try and get people to play their game and make a video on it, they aren't reaching out to publishers to try and secure funding, they aren't crowdsourcing, etc, etc, etc. The reason I bring all of that up is because my criticism of your video is that you're essentially pointing out that just turning on a camera won't make you a popular twitch streamer, or just uploading shoddy videos won't make you a successful youtuber. When you do this it comes across like you don't want more competition in the space because that cuts in on what you're trying hard to earn. Instead you should present the pitfalls but then present the information you could learn from talking around in various game dev communities on the internet. Thomas Brush is an excellent example of a creator who does that and focuses more on "How You Can Be Successful" instead of "Why You Should Quit Before You Start." Sorry for the wall of text, I just wanted to share some stuff I've picked up on over the years. I hope it can help you or anyone else to find more success either with CZcams or GameDev ♥
I will tell you why I will not play your game despite seeing it as interesting idea (flying on the bullets, using this as platform) so you might understand how typical viewers thinks and why sometimes views don't translate to engagement. First and foremost, it's graphics. I don't feel appealed to it, it's not pretty, not polished, not interesting enough. Second is variance. You didn't show me different biomes, not enough enemies, different platforming puzzles with colorful themes etc. You didn't let me hear audio effects or cool soundtrack that would be part of the game either. All of this + my favorite themes and games to go are RPGs, not platformers or shooters. I still like to play platformers I used to love in 2D like Felix the Cat, Mario or Adventure Island. Anyway, hope that helps. I also agree that most successful videos are usually enhancing the truth and compromise it in favor of telling interesting story and making video more emotional or easier than it could be in reality (example is lying about how much time X person spent on making the game, not having prior experience or adding some time restraint and always finishing just in last seconds)
I think you should do game development on youtube and/or twitch. Just don't make tutorials, just use it to get attention to your games. My advice to people looking for tutorials is to always pay attention to what the people have achieved in their lives already. Full time tutorial youtubers generally have very bad advice on how to be successful as a game developer. They might know how to survive on youtube, but that's about it.
why you shouldnt do game dev yt: all the game dev yt vids are "ME MAKING MY DREAM GAME!" (it looks like shit) solarmoon or whatever his name is, polymars doing "competitions" (it always ends in a draw) and jonas troyler unfunny clickbait montage with stock assets sprinkled throughout.
Interesting take, it's always good to hear an opposing opinion. But I wanted to chip in. As someone who wanted to start "gamedev youtube" for years, I finally did this year and honestly is been one of the best things I've done. I enjoy it so much, and I've earned 0 so far. I appreciate that it's difficult and from data I've seen, money fluctuates drastically. At the end of the day I think it comes down to who you're trying to serve with your videos and products. Is it a personal passion project? Or born out of a genuine desire within the market? There's levels to the niche, but for me it's not about ad revenue or selling courses, it's about the community and support you can build around your project. You get to see people react to new ideas in real time and be involved in the process. It's pretty incredible. It's a great way to surround yourself with likeminded people. I don't think anyone should be deterred by a few examples of low RPMs or games that didn't do as well as expected. As there are plenty of success stories out there also. And also assuming you would earn X if you had so many views also assumes you don't continuously improve, reach new audiences, try new things. There's also lots of other avenues that bring people income outside of ad revenue that are common within this space. Anyway, as the saying goes, if you don't try it, then it definitely won't work out, but if you at least try it, then at least it might.
Honestly, a lot of gamedev yt also feels homogenized, with a lot of them acting "silly and quirky" in order to replicate Dani and try to get better views, and it feels annoying when I see one, as well as the repeated "dream games" that you mentioned, inspired by undertale, mario64, banjo kazooie, and the likes.
To be fair Tom, your at the high end of game dev channels AND like he pointed out, your channel has a lot for tutorials, your current game dev plus courses your selling. If all you make are devlogs about your current game, its a time consuming job to do youtube with it WHILE working full time AND doing game dev as a hobby. Your a full time self made game dev, you've done it, your on the other end.
If ppl make their youtube for cash they are generally doomed to fail, game dev or not. This applies to any form of content on this platform. Make what you want and do not make it for the money. Let the money be a bonus for doing something you love.
It's actually remarkably bad advice. The Dev Log, is the single most effective low cost marketing strategy to turnover in the indie game space....actually. The issue is, you make boring content. Being a dev log, does not exempt you from the needs of the medium here on CZcams. Boring videos, do not get traction. But none game developers also enjoy dev logs, when they have entertainment quality at the center of their design philosophy, and many games on Steam I've researched only achieved their successful stats thanks to the marketing optuintities of game dev logs. More importantly, the psychology of game dev logs is remarkable. Many people will buy the game, soldly because after months of watching it be made, it is "their game" in their minds. The personal sentiment is key. I've seen subpar games get a few hundred thousand sales, simply because of a dev log journey. But each successful series, at its core, knows how to balance general audience intreat and entertainment value, alongside technical detail, while also narrativizing the experience. It's never a showcase of "look at this feature" it's always a "I barely survived the bugs, had to stay up for 30 hours straight, then I saw it, the glitch, it was a single semicolon! And then the feature just...worked." Being able to turn development into a story of human interest is more important than just coldly documenting the process. Also, no one lacking personality should bother, as personality sells on CZcams, more important than a single viral video, is staying power, and that requires personality people want to return to. Regardless, dev logs work, for those with entertainment quality, but those without such qualities...shouldn't bother unless they are willing to adapt. Game dev is a hard hobby, but those who succeed have a similar process. Those who fail, don't pay attention to that process. If one has any intention of making money with a final game, dev log is almost necessary unless one has a marketing budget. And one shouldn't over emphasize their personal experience and recommend behavior based solely on that. Generalizing an isolated experience is...dangerous and irresponsible. Give advice from your perspective as well as from the general outcomes of others who have done similar. The general outcome is actually strongly in favor of doing dev logs. Among the rare successful games...CZcams marketing or organic attention, have always been a factor. Even games like Stardew Valley only saw such success from the dev documenting the process online publically, gaining hype and commitment prior to release. So, yeah, can't say I agree. One should market any project they expect to sell. Dev logs are paramount for most people in that process.
my "dsp gamedev missed" video got 806 views in 5 days, and then 11 views ever since :) off course, i say all kinds of words i'm not supposed to say, like w3st p4pu4, and j.q. adams antim450nic party. aamof, if you used to audio dev, you may remember when i had to be made invisible.
I have an idea for a game thats going to require me to make my own custom coding language that's both obscenely user friendly, and can modify animation files *_in-game_* so that you can make your own movements in the game *_as custom as you want._* And thats a planned *_optional feature._* As in "this can make you completely useless in combat if you choose to just roll around on the floor spasming for every move." This would take a chunk of time irl to familiarise yourself with if you've never coded before. Tutorial channels like yours are the only reason that system could ever *_hope_* to be made!
Your brutal honesty is not what we asked for. It is what we needed.
I'm about 6 months behind you in this journey, and I can back up pretty much everything you've said. I've been more experimental with my formats, and the highest views on my channel are:
-Reading the godot source code out loud (People want to see me be deranged I guess)
-Teaching my grandma gamedev, parts 2 and 3
-Making my girlfriend play my 3D platformer
-A mostly information-based video about making 3D text fall on the player's head
So the upshot here seems to be that entertainment-focused videos do a lot better than education-based videos, at least in the gamedev space. Which is fine, I enjoy making that style of video, and I'm glad people are at least willing to learn what I'm teaching if I wrap it in something clickable, but it is a little sad that being a dedicated game development channel isn't really sustainable financially, at least not for our favorite engine.
If you improve your thumbnails (you could literally generate an image on midjourney and use that) you would get more views instantly.
@@Raccoon5 That doesn't work for this niche, their thumbnails just need some work as rn they're just screenshots. Like for the gf one f.e it would do a lot better if you could actually see the gf in the thumbnail so the title alone doesn't need to do all the heavy lifting of getting a person to click.
This is refreshingly honest. Love that you highlight that it's OK to do something just because you like doing it, while also tempering our expectations for it to become a full time gig. cheers
I actively chose not to do a CZcams devlog/gamedev and focus on making 'the game'. Now, 2 years later, I am having a hard time to find people to play my game. Even a small CZcams following would give a community to ask for support. While I agree with you that CZcams might not be the most time efficient way to do game marketing, you will need to have a community somewhere to give feedback along the way. What would you say is the highest "effort to outcome ratio" for finding fans?
I get the vast majority of my playtesting done by either my local game dev community, some online gamedev communities and people i know IRL. So if you just need play testers, you have options.
For getting fans of your game, the only consistent way i know is making a game that people actually want to play. If i knew how to do that I would already be a successful dev. The answer is most likely 'it depends'. You're just going to have to experiment until you find something that works.
I know people have had some success making short vids on tictock but once again, 'it depends' on whether you can make something actually interests people.
TL:DR: I don't know
Thanks for sharing. @@BrannoDev
I've been looking for games to feature on a weekly-ish roundup I'm planning. If you reply with a link, I'll give it a look, and probably feature it in the next week or two. My audience isn't huge, but the last person whose game I played seemed think my feedback was helpful, at least.
I think the sad truth is that it's backwards: you don't promote your game, no matter how good it is, you make a game that is easy to promote.
Basically memes and trends that you can use to exploit the algorithms. That is the easy and certain way for an indie to succeed
@@franciscosuarez4521it does make sense to think about what your game will look like in screenshots. I did assume too much that people would play the demo and see the potential even during development. And next time I will. But what is the point of making a game of you dont love the gameplay first? Even big funded Kickstarters that never were delivered must have started with the best intentions, surely. There are easier ways to make money.
i recently started to dislike the process of creating devlogs for some of the same reasons mentioned in this video, it was a strange feeling for me cause ive always enjoyed creating videos regardless of anything, its always been fun. the message you shared towards the end helped me realise that this feeling is completely normal lmao, i should keep my focus on creating more and more content i actually enjoy. thank you :)
Great video. Devs are definitely the main demographic for dev videos, which, on one hand, is awesome but, on the other, sucks for marketing.
I am convinced there is a happy middle ground, but I am yet to find it.
As a counter-point, you have 2.71k subs, which is practically none in the grand scheme. That so few subs are generating any money at all should be very encouraging to someone that does gamedev that also wants to do CZcams. Or just anyone that wants to do CZcams.
dude branno you're fucking awesome. we may not be valuable views, but i guarantee you we really care for your videos which I hope is worth something
keep kicking ass man, your vamp survivors playlist is really going to help me
I agree. I sometimes make tutorials not for the sake of fame, monetization, etc. I sometimes do it as a reminder to myself in case I need to go back and use them as references if I forget how to do something. But, at the same time while doing so, I figure that my tutorials help other people; especially if there are no tutorials on how to do certain things or if such tutorials were hard to find when I tried to implement certain things. And this my reason for GameDev youtube. It's just a way to help future self and extending it to others while I'm helping my future self. And I do it as a hobby.
I found a couple of videos about this topic before, and even it being fact after fact... A part of me didn't want to believe it until experience it on first hand. Talking to an empty room is demoralizing but having a bunch of devlogs as you said it's worth the effort.
The fun thing about gamedev channels is that to be successful you have to find a way to talk about games without talking too much about games xD
I never considered documenting my learning journey, but you make some compelling points. Might help me more consistently make time for it if I'm uploading periodic logs.
Incidentally, Platform Gun is a concept that I've contemplated from time to time, and I've always envisioned a game where you fire something like a harpoon gun through enemies and into walls, and can then use the harpoon's shaft as a platform. Maybe even a springy platform like the ones in Sonic games. I never once considered this time stop/release concept. It's cool to see.
My critique would be that you should do everything with the purpose of giving something of value to others, and therefor fulfilment for yourself. That in the end is the purpose of creative work or what any product _should_ be. Sure, that does not always mean it will strike gold, but it's the more meaningful path in my opinion.
Finally, someone giving good advice on this video!
@@honaleri But the video said the exact same thing?
@@SFotakos Either you don't have much of an ability to intrepret text and/or spoken language, or you have a bad memory. Either way, he never said anything about "giving something of value to other's" what so ever. He said some frankly very stupid advice about not doing dev logs, and then said, only do them for personal reasons, or as a snap shot of your progress. This person's comment is far more general (and hyper valuable) advice about content creation and general life goals. One should do what gives them fullfilment, but also what gives others something of value. Creating something that wastes people's time or doesn't offer them anything in return, is not good for other people, or for a creator. It fills the world with noise, not meaning, or value. This person's advice, and the videos advice, are completely seperate, and aside from the "do what you like doing" aspect, these two sets of advice...do not overlap.
Please, pay more attention to...life in general. It will slip you buy if you aren't making an effort. There is a nuance to everything, and most meaningful information...is nuanced.
@@honaleri I'm sorry you felt the need to attack me to get your point across, and its very ironic because:
At 00:25 Branno says and shows "Benefit #1 You get to contribute to a greater cause" which sounds quite a lot like what KoniWorx said: "...you should do everything with the purpose of giving something of value to others, and therefor fulfilment for yourself"
Branno also says in the video (00:52) that he feels good that he contributed tutorials in the early stages of Godot.
I agree information is nuanced, the video's main point was to avoid doing it for the money, not that there's nothing to be had except personal fulfillment, at least that's my take.
@@SFotakos
Its unfortunate you feel personally attacked. Regardless, again, nuance, as these where his feelings about making tutorials, which were not apart of the main premise of the video discussing dev logs and why to or why not to make them. His reflections where not his suggestions for motives as to why to make dev logs or content in general. That's a conclusion you drew from his reflections, not his actual concluding recommendation. His reflection on "contributing to the space" was derivative of Godot tutorials, and not, dev logs which do not necessarily need an element of educational quality to them. Regardless the conclusion is never drawn that that's why you should do it, he states that's a benefit of doing it, which, isn't even necessary true, as dev logs are not directly educational to begin with. Advice of a general nature saying ones work, if offered to the public, should give them and the creator value, is at its core...a different statement then making tutorials makes you feel like you are contributing to something bigger, as a reflection.
Again.
Nuance.
Please reread my prior comment for additional differentiation between this advice and that advice.
Otherwise, I don't see much point is spending more time with you, as you've offered nothing to me, and you are already aware of your motives as...am...I.
Thank you so much, this is extremely helpful.
I appreciate your take on this, as I have had these thoughts for a while. Doing tutorials can be a VERY slow way to grow, especially when the subject of your tutorials is incredibly niche. I've not been too fond of devlogs myself, but I've seen some very well-done ones. However, just like you said, it appeals much more to gamedevs than gamers, which can make it difficult to get conversions on what you want to sell. Ultimately, I continue to do Godot tutorials myself because it's what I enjoy making the most. Don't give up, my friend - there may be a day where your content will blow up when Godot becomes mainstream 😉!
the background music made this more uplifting than it should have been :D
Thanks for a great and informative video! Congratulations on the achievement and thanks for your work!
Honestly man I think it depends on whether or not you're going to work on a project that people are going to find to be fascinating or fun.
You are correct in that tutorials are going to be aimed at a fairly small audience of tech savvy people who likely have Adblock. However if you are doing your game Dev on CZcams devlog style and you have a game idea where there is a market for that game type and your development shows off interesting mechanics. Well, now we're talking about something entirely different.
If you just make another game, then yeah I mean it's just another game. However if you bring new mechanics to a genre that bring fun gameplay to that genre and you post up your Dev logs on CZcams then it works as advertising for your game.
Thanks for this! You’ve probably saved someone hundreds of hours leading to heartbreak.
great insights Branno. I'm curious if there is a niche for game dev insights within CZcams Shorts - although shorts would suck for technical detail, it may be a great format to talk about concepts, design and maybe even coding solutions (abstracted to a non-technical level).
No, they are not. That's a bit like putting a tutorial on twitter is a single tweet. Tutorials should be condensed, but shorts are just garbage.
What you say may sound harsh or pessimistic, but it's the reality in most cases. Good video
This was awesome, you were so correct and insightful. Keep it up man!
I'm glad i watched this video. I've been in sort of a dilemma with my own game dev content myself. *Would love to know people's opinion on it.*
For my channel, MOBA/RPG tutorial videos is what i'd say helped me get the views and subscribers. Although that can have a downside to it. Any content i put out that isn't MOBA related just flops even after putting so much time and effort into it.
I was quite disheartened and i ended up just bouncing back into MOBA tutorials since that's what my viewers subscribed to see. I don't hate making the MOBA tutorials. thankfully i'm quite passionate about the MOBA Genre but if i wasn't. It would've been a drag to make videos. It's just i feel as if my channel is solely revolved around MOBA and nothing else and it's hard to transition out of it if i wanted to.
Right now i just feel as if i'm getting to the burnt out stage and need a break from MOBA tutorials. I want to make other tutorials and work on my own separate game ideas that aren't MOBA related but idk if that's something i should make videos on or just do it behind the scenes. Then again, i feel as if i work on my own thing behind the scenes, people will be waiting for more MOBA content. What should i do?
Most people subscribe for a particular type of content and not for you unfortunately. You see a lot of cases where youtubers transition to new types of content and they take a massive hit on views. VideoGameDunkey took a couple years to get back to his previous audience size after quitting LoL despite making a lot of variety gaming videos before that. EmpLemon basically burnt the bridge towards his previous YTP audience and was bleeding subscribers for over a year or two before experimenting to the point where he makes the video essays that he does now.
Now both of those creators have good ending but it took a while for them to finally surpass where they started. I've seen a lot of people switch gears and never regain the size of the audience they had. Though a lot of this was people who just happened to be at the right place and right time accidently pioneering genres without really realising it.
The reality is that you gotta do what feels right since making content for something you're not passionate about is never going to work long term. You just burn out, make worse content and become irrelevant in the niche you started in. Being able to reinvent yourself on youtube is basically a requirement if you care about channel growth. If you decide to pull off the band-aid, you're going to have to realise that you have to win over the new audience you're trying to gain and be grateful for the minority of viewers who are willing to give your new content a chance.
Anyway those are my thoughts, no idea what the right thing to do it but making videos you don't enjoy making is probably the worst thing you can do for long term success.
@@BrannoDev Thank you for your input. It's actually given me a better idea of how i should pursue future content! Thanks heaps
very insightful. thank you for this.
i assure you i do not use ad block as i want to give you full support for all your efforts.
no shame in adbock! I appreciate your support
@@BrannoDevI use the CZcams app on my phone usually. Sometimes there are ads sometimes there's none. Not that many videos trigger ads. Probably like every 5 random videos I watch.
enabled ads for this channel after watching this video
Platform gun is an extraordinary example of emergent gameplay, and easy to understand hard to master at the same time. It should be polished and sold.
I hope your future titles go well. But ya making game dev videos is a struggle for sure! The main way to get funding on CZcams is to build up your Member base basically Patreon but Google takes 30 percent instead of Patreons smaller percent.
true, make only if you like it and want to share
So true, people nowadays are so addicted to mrbeast style videos they think there is something wrong with people who make good teaching content,i myself most of the time dont do or just BS my way through intro to just save time for viewers who want to learn the engine,yet i get comments on why im not screaming and over reacting, i think sometimes lying is good
I always admire the dev that do regular devlogs because of the effort that it takes to do while also making the game itself. Sadly to be successful you have to cater to the wider audience which require highly edited videos and also to be very entertaining, but at the cost of any technical depth. And in the end all that takes alot of effort, most likely effort that could have being put in the game itself. As Randy said about his early devlogs, is that in the end he felt more like a youtuber than a gamedev.
I might do a devlog once I got something cool to show off in game. Or I may not and just let the game talk for itself. We'll see...
Good stuff. You may have talked me out of doing a devlog. Haha. I figured it would be the best way to promote my game, but I think I need a new strategy.
never seen you before. I'm gonna download Platform Gun. cool mechanic. good video. I watch a lot of gamedev videos and honestly never considered what the CZcams landscape looks like for a "Gamedev channel". so this video was an interesting insight to something I take for granted. Ive never used Godot so the fact I'm watching this is a testament to the fact I wouldn't have even seen your channel if it wasn't for the interesting/proactive subject. I'm going to subscribe as well I enjoyed your take. thanks.
this is amazing, it gives me motivation to make more youtube videos :D
I think Thomas Brush is a good dev to follow for being honest with yourself in the game dev journey. Making enough money off youtube alone is unlikely, but even doi g it with actually selling your video games is still unlikely
Thomas Brush is just type of guy that advertises his course on every video and on top of that using fake thumbnails and making clickbait videos.
its called branding and it works. If you want to run a business by yourself thats what you do. But i can agree with the clickbait thumbnails
But it's pretty obvious that the purpose of Thomas Brush's YT channel is not for people to care about his games, is for people to look at him as a gamedev guru so he can sell his courses and stuff. It's basicly the "entrepreneur influencer" that will sell you his course on how to get rich and the first step is to sell a course on how to get rich, just the gamedev version of it. His videos are about trusting him enough that you think his course is good. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure his course is valuable, but clearly he doesn't do that for the youtube money, he doesn't do that for awareness of his games, most people watching are gamedevs, not gamers, people want to know about his expertise, so they can make games like he does, people don't care about the actual games, the actual game exist to give him credibility, but when it will be the time to market his game, his own youtube channel wont be what makes it successful or not.
@@randomrandom450 I see what youre saying. I do think often times indie devs have to ask themselves if they are trying to be an influencer or a game developer, and Thomas' content does reflect a lot that he has become more of an influencer rather than a game developer. At the same time its almost impossible to be a full time indie game dev without having side gigs to survive off of and I do believe thats were you have to draw the line. Are those side gigs side gigs or are they your primary focus? Granted, Thomas definietly was a indie game dev and solo developer back in the day and was one of my biggest inspos for learning and pursuing a indie game dev career so I can see where my opinion may be biased. Nonetheless, I think he is maybe finding what works for him and I still watch his content, but have never bought into the courses and probabbly never will.
I live in a country where there aren't ads, (youtube blocked us) so sorry
Interesting, I agree if you want money and success it's not gonna help much with either. The thankless heroes that make life easier for others.
Totally, just as you, I got my first (and only so far) payment of 100 bucks after 6 month of monetization and since I pay for stock footage, I'm simply losing money from youtube. That being said, youtube makes me get off my butt and make games. So many abandoned side projects that I just forgot about, so many afternoon/evening doing nothing that I could've been making games, but why ? Why should I make games that nobody cares about ? That's my motivation, an external incentive to get off my butt and work on my hobby. I love making games. I want people to play them, I want people to care about them, I want to want to make them and youtube allows that. I know most people don't care much about my games while watching, they want to be entertained, but the fact than more than 0 people care, that's good enough for me and that's good enough to make me keep going.
That being said, if people do gamedev youtube because they want to be a successful youtuber... hum, they chose the wrong niche. I'm not a youtubers who makes games, I'm a gamedev who makes youtube videos.
For the whole "most people won't care about playing the game you're making" point, I think there's exceptions to this.
Jonas Tyroller has been doing videos about Will You Snail for years, and when it finally came out, it generated a lot of discourse and interest. The thing is... Jonas made an actual great game that is extremely unique and interesting game.
It might sound harsh, but I think most people don't seem to care about the games of gamedev youtubers because the games don't look very original or otherwise don't look very fun.
I have another channel that makes coding tutorials and gamedev videos, I am doing this mostly because I found it ironic that I was teaching people who were doing tutorials. If your goal is viewership ads on youtube that is your downfall, because anyone talking about gamedev that much should be able to actually make and complete a game. Having an actual game for sale in the background of your channel would make this entire scene different for you which means you are GIVING advice on a topic you actually NEED advice on, a common situation here on youtube.
Thank you. I'm not good at writing videos, nor am I good at taking feedback and applying it.
Hey man, really interesting take on the gamedev youtube space. I tend to agree with your opinion on being "gamedev oriented", but i knew this going in and tried to be more gamer oriented, which does take more time, but my rpm currently sits at $2.5 and ive been monetised less than a month, i think gamer oriented is more fullfilling in that sense, and i quite enjoy making content for it, and if money is what someones after, i think youtube in general is a bit of an questionable choice
I have a question with regards to that "Tech Literate Viewer" I class myself as a tech literate viewer, Ive used the ad blockers, and a few months ago went yt premium because I was sick of having to change ad blockers when the yt updated and got around them, so I have my £20 per month going to yt, it sounds steep, but Its got all my family on as users and yt is my main form of TV now, not satellite or cable, anyway, the question is, if you lose revenue from ad blockers, do you make money from premium members watching your videos, or is all that money going to yt and missing out the channels completely
CZcams splits revenue from the premium subscriptions to the creator of the video. So far the revenue split has been 84% ads, 16% youtube premium. CZcams doesn't give me the exact numbers, but it wouldn't surprise me if your view is worth anywhere between 50-100 views from my standard audience.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
I have go to steam and trying your game. The way of using the gun is good and fun. I am trying to solve the big purple enemies puzzle. At least I learned many Godot knowledge from you, so I will go to try your game. If I don't know you from youtube, I will not give it a shoot. May be it is not an effective way to promote the game, but still a way let us know we can support you on Steam.
You have some really good points! Most people on CZcams just want to watch a really interesting video and then move on to the next one. Most of them won't care about buying or playing your game. The gamedev demographic is really small and again they are not your target audience for selling your game.
I found this the hard way, as my most successful video by far was a low effort one where I tried Godot for the first time as a Unity dev. So yeah, entertainment > educational when it comes to gamedev on CZcams.
Anything I do, I do for the love of it. I used to believe that wasn’t a good enough excuse. But over the last couple of years I’ve come to realize that everything you do without love is vain. That applies to more than just coding and/or game dev.
That is true when you have a source of money from somewhere else
congrats on 100 dollars!
Some great advice bro
I can confirm that doing game dev CZcams to monetize your game is the worse thing you can do for your game, instead doing a channel for average casual gamers is much better.
Sup, I looked at intro video for platform gun that you have on steam and the idea is creative.
Another thing - you can do Dani and create entertainment, rather than dev-logs - later has much smaller audience than the former.
Edit - did you ever consider anime art style for your game?
But the algorithm really works with this public sometimes new gamedev videos are recommended with less than 100 views
Algorithm recommended this. Good vid.
What would you recommend instead?
Thank you!
I respect the creator for making this video! Takes a lot of guts and he's very articulate. This is great advice if you're doing GameDev as a HOBBY. If you're trying to get somewhere with it then this is detrimental. I've learned that gaming is 70% marketing and proving that you're not a snake oil salesman and 30% making a game. CZcams is a great way of building an audience for your game. Of course, you're not guaranteed but that's with anything in life. It's about maximizing all your micro and macro efforts efficiently and not having CZcams is not only hurting your visibility but is also denying you the ability to hone your skills and get feedback.
Damn I made $134 in 4 days, sorry to here your RPM isn’t as good… ❤
Just from first glance, your material is actually aimed at being entertaining, and thus, you are more successful. You know the game, and you play it well. Congrats.
How do you suggest finding and getting an audience for your game without youtube though? Even if i were to make a great game people need to know it exists. It seems the only option is to get good at youtube and gear the videos towards a general/desired audience rather than dev audience. Which is sad to me honestly and unfortunate because I personally as a dev have zero interest in youtube and being a youtuber I just wanna make games but Idk how to get people to play my games without the youtube part. So I have to do a job that takes a way from dev time
Dw we will make it thru
one question that i have: how do these popular ytbers lie/stretch a truth in ther podcasts? I usually watch em and never come across anything that could be considered "lying" (except in one of Barji's vid)
As I have also have a CZcams channel, I confirm all you say
But true teaching game channel won't make money
I only make videos for my passion
This is what stops me from doing gamedev on youtube. I might post a thing or two....very rarely, but to actually do tutorials or a real devlog seems like it would be more time consuming than making games. Because what's my job? Am I a youtuber...is that my income? If so then that's my job. But that's NOT my job, so I think that just doesn't make any sense.
to be honest i have plan to become GameDev CZcams for i different reasons i don't expect to earn money for it the few reasons i have plan to do that
1. ther some techniques tutorial ect that i know that i haven't see eny one elss use
2. im already game solo game development why to not share some off this contents on the others
3. because very little people know about the project (game) im try to make what is the game i try to create so because off this i thing i will be great idea GameDev CZcams
and no i don't thing i will change for the worst but only time will tell
I seen all i need wen u said that game got 60k fundraiser😭 totally worth it. In my opinion game dev seems like the only thing u can do and get multiple sources of money 🧠
Ah...
I love making game Devlogs they are a creative outlet that come every two weeks compared with a game which is years. I am getting better and better all the time too. But yes if you want to make money on CZcams then that probably isn't going to happen. Because I watch Devlogs and have no interest in buying other peoples games! I'll keep making devlogs as long as I am inspired to do so, it's never been about the money.
you are missing key point, having even small-medium sized games-related channel and being able to promote your game with videos with 20k+ views is a huuuuuge advantage for promoting indie projects without huge money investments, getting magic 10k wishlists with and without 20k per video coverage is a big big big difference
I find myself spending more time editing than developing...my dark future :)
You may be making too many dev logs, maybe lower your output some.
Do you know Randy the gamedev? He makes really entertaining devlogs and is somewhat successful for a gamedev youtuber but he never released a actual game and really struggles to make a game. So, only being charming helps you win the youtube game I guess not being actually skillful.
Thank you for being so honest. I think I should also be honest with you. Don't read this as being mean or something. I actually agree with many points you make, BUT:
I had a look at your channel. Your thumbnails aren't that good. Your editing isn't "that" good. Your channel has pretty average content.
The CZcams game is won if and only if you master what is needed to manage a successful CZcams channel. I'm not claiming I "am" a successful one, but at least I've studied A LOT and tried HARD to be one. Still not satisfied with my content. I criticize my channel every single day. Because that's what makes one grow.
And it's not even about money, as the first priority. The #1 passion of a CZcams MUST be to give value. Soooooooo passionate that even if he doesn't get anything in return, he continues on. It's hard. It's tough, I know. But that's what is required to win the CZcams game.
Insist enough, and you get "an audience". And trust me bro, "audience" is the currency of the new era. It brings "trust", and trust cannot be bought by spending money.
Here are 2 links I suggest you to have a look at, so you can elevate your CZcams Journey:
www.youtube.com/@isaacverse
www.youtube.com/@ThatNateBlack
The first one, Isaac, has 4 videos and nearly 100k subscribers. Why? He's explaining why and how. Compare it to your own content (and MY content) and you see why you and I are not getting the growth we desire.
Thanks again for your video, dedication, and honesty. :)
This is good feedback. I'll take some time to look at the channels you've posted.
CZcams is definitely not the easier part lol
unrelated but DAM
seeing the minimum wage in your country really hit me hard.
Over here in the land of the hamburger, it's still $7.25/hour. so sad.
god bless merica
I can corroborate what this video says.
I don't think this video is a good case for or against doing GameDev CZcams. Firstly, your viewership is solely reliant on how good your actual content is and how frequent you upload. It is no different from trying to be a CZcamsr in any other niche: you have to be entertaining. Secondly, viewership isn't really anyone's primary form of revenue on this platform, selling time to advertisers is. Thirdly: The money you have made from CZcams on content related to the platform gun game is likely incredibly more than the game itself would earn.
You mention BlackThornProd in your video about how they were transparent with the release of their games, but you didn't mention how they have found a niche source of content and have been milking it for months instead of doing their typical CZcams videos while simultaneously trying to sell their tutorial series, GDR. BTP is an excellent example of how to use CZcams and GameDev to create a livable income. Anyone who has spent five minutes in game dev circles will realize for a lot of these folks creating their game and getting community funding is their source of revenue, not releasing the game. Then there are the countless amounts of devs who aren't doing research to learn how to have a successful launch. They aren't starting channels and devlogging, they aren't reaching out to content creators to try and get people to play their game and make a video on it, they aren't reaching out to publishers to try and secure funding, they aren't crowdsourcing, etc, etc, etc.
The reason I bring all of that up is because my criticism of your video is that you're essentially pointing out that just turning on a camera won't make you a popular twitch streamer, or just uploading shoddy videos won't make you a successful youtuber. When you do this it comes across like you don't want more competition in the space because that cuts in on what you're trying hard to earn. Instead you should present the pitfalls but then present the information you could learn from talking around in various game dev communities on the internet. Thomas Brush is an excellent example of a creator who does that and focuses more on "How You Can Be Successful" instead of "Why You Should Quit Before You Start."
Sorry for the wall of text, I just wanted to share some stuff I've picked up on over the years. I hope it can help you or anyone else to find more success either with CZcams or GameDev ♥
👏👏
I will tell you why I will not play your game despite seeing it as interesting idea (flying on the bullets, using this as platform) so you might understand how typical viewers thinks and why sometimes views don't translate to engagement. First and foremost, it's graphics. I don't feel appealed to it, it's not pretty, not polished, not interesting enough. Second is variance. You didn't show me different biomes, not enough enemies, different platforming puzzles with colorful themes etc. You didn't let me hear audio effects or cool soundtrack that would be part of the game either. All of this + my favorite themes and games to go are RPGs, not platformers or shooters. I still like to play platformers I used to love in 2D like Felix the Cat, Mario or Adventure Island. Anyway, hope that helps.
I also agree that most successful videos are usually enhancing the truth and compromise it in favor of telling interesting story and making video more emotional or easier than it could be in reality (example is lying about how much time X person spent on making the game, not having prior experience or adding some time restraint and always finishing just in last seconds)
I think you should do game development on youtube and/or twitch. Just don't make tutorials, just use it to get attention to your games. My advice to people looking for tutorials is to always pay attention to what the people have achieved in their lives already. Full time tutorial youtubers generally have very bad advice on how to be successful as a game developer. They might know how to survive on youtube, but that's about it.
why you shouldnt do game dev yt:
all the game dev yt vids are "ME MAKING MY DREAM GAME!" (it looks like shit)
solarmoon or whatever his name is, polymars doing "competitions" (it always ends in a draw)
and jonas troyler unfunny clickbait montage with stock assets sprinkled throughout.
Interesting take, it's always good to hear an opposing opinion. But I wanted to chip in. As someone who wanted to start "gamedev youtube" for years, I finally did this year and honestly is been one of the best things I've done. I enjoy it so much, and I've earned 0 so far.
I appreciate that it's difficult and from data I've seen, money fluctuates drastically. At the end of the day I think it comes down to who you're trying to serve with your videos and products. Is it a personal passion project? Or born out of a genuine desire within the market? There's levels to the niche, but for me it's not about ad revenue or selling courses, it's about the community and support you can build around your project. You get to see people react to new ideas in real time and be involved in the process. It's pretty incredible. It's a great way to surround yourself with likeminded people.
I don't think anyone should be deterred by a few examples of low RPMs or games that didn't do as well as expected. As there are plenty of success stories out there also. And also assuming you would earn X if you had so many views also assumes you don't continuously improve, reach new audiences, try new things. There's also lots of other avenues that bring people income outside of ad revenue that are common within this space. Anyway, as the saying goes, if you don't try it, then it definitely won't work out, but if you at least try it, then at least it might.
No need to watch video , here is your answer baby:- Game dev tubers :- WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE COMPETITION!!
Honestly, a lot of gamedev yt also feels homogenized, with a lot of them acting "silly and quirky" in order to replicate Dani and try to get better views, and it feels annoying when I see one, as well as the repeated "dream games" that you mentioned, inspired by undertale, mario64, banjo kazooie, and the likes.
CZcams has changed my life. Disagree with a lot in this video. Peace and love.
*Results not typical.
@thomasbrush ya gonna just leave that there and not qualify it at all? if you’re gonna bother to engage with the video at least be constructive
To be fair Tom, your at the high end of game dev channels AND like he pointed out, your channel has a lot for tutorials, your current game dev plus courses your selling. If all you make are devlogs about your current game, its a time consuming job to do youtube with it WHILE working full time AND doing game dev as a hobby. Your a full time self made game dev, you've done it, your on the other end.
If ppl make their youtube for cash they are generally doomed to fail, game dev or not. This applies to any form of content on this platform. Make what you want and do not make it for the money. Let the money be a bonus for doing something you love.
It's actually remarkably bad advice.
The Dev Log, is the single most effective low cost marketing strategy to turnover in the indie game space....actually.
The issue is, you make boring content.
Being a dev log, does not exempt you from the needs of the medium here on CZcams. Boring videos, do not get traction.
But none game developers also enjoy dev logs, when they have entertainment quality at the center of their design philosophy, and many games on Steam I've researched only achieved their successful stats thanks to the marketing optuintities of game dev logs.
More importantly, the psychology of game dev logs is remarkable.
Many people will buy the game, soldly because after months of watching it be made, it is "their game" in their minds. The personal sentiment is key. I've seen subpar games get a few hundred thousand sales, simply because of a dev log journey.
But each successful series, at its core, knows how to balance general audience intreat and entertainment value, alongside technical detail, while also narrativizing the experience. It's never a showcase of "look at this feature" it's always a "I barely survived the bugs, had to stay up for 30 hours straight, then I saw it, the glitch, it was a single semicolon! And then the feature just...worked."
Being able to turn development into a story of human interest is more important than just coldly documenting the process.
Also, no one lacking personality should bother, as personality sells on CZcams, more important than a single viral video, is staying power, and that requires personality people want to return to.
Regardless, dev logs work, for those with entertainment quality, but those without such qualities...shouldn't bother unless they are willing to adapt. Game dev is a hard hobby, but those who succeed have a similar process. Those who fail, don't pay attention to that process. If one has any intention of making money with a final game, dev log is almost necessary unless one has a marketing budget.
And one shouldn't over emphasize their personal experience and recommend behavior based solely on that. Generalizing an isolated experience is...dangerous and irresponsible. Give advice from your perspective as well as from the general outcomes of others who have done similar.
The general outcome is actually strongly in favor of doing dev logs. Among the rare successful games...CZcams marketing or organic attention, have always been a factor. Even games like Stardew Valley only saw such success from the dev documenting the process online publically, gaining hype and commitment prior to release.
So, yeah, can't say I agree. One should market any project they expect to sell. Dev logs are paramount for most people in that process.
Blah blah blah, he doesn't want your competition. I see through you
my "dsp gamedev missed" video got 806 views in 5 days, and then 11 views ever since :)
off course, i say all kinds of words i'm not supposed to say, like w3st p4pu4, and j.q. adams antim450nic party.
aamof, if you used to audio dev, you may remember when i had to be made invisible.
I have an idea for a game thats going to require me to make my own custom coding language that's both obscenely user friendly, and can modify animation files *_in-game_* so that you can make your own movements in the game *_as custom as you want._*
And thats a planned *_optional feature._* As in "this can make you completely useless in combat if you choose to just roll around on the floor spasming for every move." This would take a chunk of time irl to familiarise yourself with if you've never coded before. Tutorial channels like yours are the only reason that system could ever *_hope_* to be made!