How To Start A Youtube Gaming Channel

If you’re an avid gamer, you might be tempted to start your own YouTube gaming channel.

This will ensure you can build a community of game lovers and share your game insights with the world.

Is it difficult to start a YouTube gaming channel? It’s really not difficult but it will take time, passion, and patience.

You will also need important equipment, but we’ll get to that. Read on to find out our best tips and tricks to have a successful YouTube gaming channel.

What Equipment Do You Need To Start A Gaming Channel?

If you don’t have the right equipment to start your own gaming channel, you won’t be able to make a success of it. Here’s what you will need.

A digital camera or webcam. You will have to ensure you give your followers a video feed of your face. This will help to make you build camaraderie with them.
A microphone. Don’t skimp on quality when choosing a microphone! You need a high standard of voice audio so that it’s easy and enjoyable for your viewers to watch your videos.
Good lighting. You should never forget about the lighting in the room where you’re going to be recording yourself. You need to ensure you prevent screen glare and shadows. This will make your gaming videos look so much more professional.
Screen-capture software. You need to show your audience what’s happening on your device screen during gameplay, so screen-capture software is essential. It also makes your videos so much more immersive because your viewers will feel like they’re in the game. You can find free screen-capture software, such as Bandicam that will give you 10 minutes of free recording. However, you will have to sign up to and pay for its service as longer videos are a must to really engage with your followers.
Editing software. You will need to make your gaming videos as professional as possible, so invest in quality editing software. You don’t need to be a professional to edit your videos as there are tons of good editing software out there. An example is Wondershare Filmora, which is compatible with Windows and Mac. It has lots of features for gamers, such as over 300 effects, subtitles, trimming, cropping, voiceovers, and more.

The Importance Of Choosing Your Gaming Sub-Niche

Your channel niche and sub-niche are important because they allow you to target your audience in the best way and give them what they want.

They also enable you to zone into the type of gaming that you want to play and share, bearing in mind that you’re going to have to produce a lot of content. Here are some ideas of gaming sub-niches to consider for your YouTube channel.

Gaming PC Tutorials

You don’t have to limit yourself to playing games. You could have a channel that focuses on technical aspects related to the game, such as how to build a gaming PC.

Your video content could include helping viewers by reviewing hardware and offering them how-to guides.

Virtual Reality Gaming

VR is becoming huge but many people still haven’t had the chance to try it out.

By focusing on this gaming sub-niche, you’ll be able to offer your viewers something unique and exciting.

iOS And/Or Android Games

Playing games on iOS or Android is still very popular, so you could dedicate a YouTube channel to these games.

The options are endless. You could explore a ton of games for these platforms and provide in-depth information about them, such as how to succeed at them.

Indie Games

Another great sub-niche to consider is indie gaming. You can find specific games to play and offer gameplay videos to your audience, but you should find some unique ways to do this considering that indie games are quite popular on YouTube channels.

Reviews

It’s not always easy to know what games to buy, and that’s where you can come in and help as a YouTube game reviewer!

If you play a lot of games and you have tons of information you’ve learned in the process, you can create reviews that will give your followers valuable insights.

Skills

If you’re really good at the games you play, why not show off your flair?

Focusing on skills-based videos can be a great way to intrigue viewers who want to learn the tricks of the trade, whether that involves cool things that you can do, what you’ve learned is the best way to fight enemies, or hacks on how to proceed to the next level in a tough game.

Pro tip: If you’re interested in a specific gaming sub-niche, a good tip is to explore what YouTube channels in these sub-niches are already doing. This will help you to see what content is not being covered, which means you can find a gap to fill.

How To Create A YouTube Channel

Once you’ve got all the tools you need and you’ve figured out your gaming sub-niche, you should create a YouTube channel.

Here are the steps to follow.

Go to the YouTube website and sign in.
Log in with the account you want your channel to be associated with.
Click your profile icon and choose “Create a channel.”
Choose the type of channel you want. You could start a personal channel in which you can use the name and picture that’s associated with your Google account (if you don’t have a Google account, you’ll have to create one). Alternatively, you can choose to set up a channel that uses a business or other name. For this selection, you could use a brand picture.
Find a name for your channel. Make it snappy and memorable!
Once you’ve done the above, you can upload a profile picture, add a channel description, and add links to your websites. For example, you could have a link to your blog or social platforms.

How To Promote Your YouTube Channel

Once you’re ready with your YouTube channel, you will need to start uploading videos and promote them.

Customize Your Channel

In the dashboard of your channel, select “Customize.” In this section, you’ll be able to fill out information that will leave a good impression on visitors and make them want to return.

Try to use descriptive keywords so that your account will show up in searches, such as words related to your industry and topics your channel will be tackling.

You’ll also have a chance to add branding to your YouTube channel in this section. Upload icons and channel art so that you personalize your channel’s appearance. This will set you apart from the crowd.

Tips for branding your YouTube channel:

Choose brand colors that match the mood you wish to create on your channel. Research colors and their meanings to help you settle on the best choices.
Create a logo. You want a logo on various elements in your channel to help you become recognizable online. It’s also good to have the logo in different colors and variants so you can place it wherever you need to use it without requiring a lot of editing.
Put up a banner. This is the perfect spot on your channel where you can put your company logo and provide some information about your gaming channel and what it’s about. Pro tip: share social media and website links in your banner so that they’re immediately visible to visitors.
Check YouTube’s specifications for branding and customization so that everything will be acceptable and of a high quality. And so you don’t break any rules!
Don’t forget about custom video thumbnails. These should always have the fonts, images, and color scheme that are associated with your brand so that the videos will be recognizable and professional.

What About YouTube SEO?

Just like with any other content you create online, you should pay attention to building SEO on your YouTube gaming channel so that your videos will get more attention. Here are some important tips to follow.

Add keywords to your video titles and descriptions. A good tool to help you in this regard is KeywordTool. You want your titles to be descriptive and clear, and they should contain Google-friendly keywords so that the search engine will have a clear understanding about what your content is going to be about.
Mention your keywords in your videos. This is a pro tip that will be useful to inform YouTube of what your videos are about.
Make use of categories and tags. These also contribute to helping you make it clear what your videos are about so YouTube can categorize your videos properly, but make them count! Don’t just throw a bunch of tags in and hope for the best. They should always be meaningful.

Top Tips For Posting Videos

Ready to get started with posting your gaming videos on YouTube? Excellent!

Here are some tips to ensure that you give your audience engaging content.

Stick to a regular posting schedule. Your viewers want to know that you’re going to be uploading videos consistently, and they will be put off by you if you only post once in a while.
Create gripping introductions to your videos. Your viewers are tuning in to enjoy your videos and learn something, but you have to make it worth their while otherwise they’ll get bored and click on someone else’s video. A strong introduction should therefore be standard for every video you upload. Make it interesting for viewers by thinking about what they can expect to gain from the video. It’s also a good idea to move your game characters around their game landscape during the intro instead of just showing your viewers a boring menu screen.
Find good video topics. It’s not enough to show yourself playing the game and having fun with it. What are viewers talking about when it comes to the game you want to profile in your video? To find out, it’s good to check out online communities, such as those on Discord. Here, you’ll be able to find out about the games people are playing, what game updates they’re excited about, and what questions they have about games. You can use this information to your advantage to produce exciting videos.
Make sure you provide EEI content. What’s EEI content, you ask? This stands for content that’s Entertaining, Educational, and Inspiring. If you can meet all those requirements, you’ll have quality videos that your followers will love and they will keep coming back for more.
Be patient and persistent. When you start uploading your gaming videos, you might have tons of ideas and feel excited, but this could fizzle out a bit over time. That’s okay! Just keep persevering and make time to work on content as well as to improve your skills, such as when it comes to recording video, speaking on camera, and making the most of your content. This is why you should choose to upload video content you feel passionate about as it will ensure that you stick at it!
Be curious. Another important trait to have, other than passion, is curiosity. If you’re curious about the latest games, what’s trending in the niche, and how to improve your craft, this will take you far and ensure that you continue getting better – and getting more subscribers to your channel!

What’s the benefit of using a unique hashtag or catchphrase in your channel?

This is good to set you apart from other gaming channels. You should add one of these to your video descriptions and mention them a few times in your latest video. Don’t forget to use the hashtag on social media!

What’s the most popular YouTube gaming channel?

As of March 2021, PewDieDie is the most popular gaming channel on YouTube, with over one million subscribers.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever wondered how to start a YouTube gaming channel, know that it will take time and effort, as well as the right equipment, for you to share high-quality videos with the world.

In this article, we’ve given you everything you need, and need to know, about how to get started. Go out there and have fun!

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