YouTube Gaming Video Ideas

A lot of people want to make hilarious Let’s Plays and get as popular on YouTube as PewDiePie. Let’s Plays are essential to any gaming channel, but if they are all you post then it is hard to get attention. There is a lot of competition. Here is a list of YouTube gaming video ideas that might help bring in new viewers.

1. Reviews – Short or Long

People watch reviews not only while deciding whether to buy a game, but also to see what other gamers think of games they already own. People will like to hear whether you agree with them, as well as your reasoning. A lot of the audience for longer game reviews will be people who have already played the games themselves. You should still avoid spoiling things for viewers that have not.

Do not limit yourself to long, detailed, review videos. Remember that most of your Let’s Plays are going to be over ten minutes and that the average time for the most viewed videos on YouTube is 3 minutes. Consider making short, bite sized, reviews and using them as ‘gateway videos’ to generate interest in your channel and yourself as a gaming personality. You cannot cover an entire game in three minutes or less, but you can give your first impressions of it or review a specific part or feature you have a strong opinion of.

2. News

Making videos where you report or react to news about gaming is another way to break up your stream of long Let’s Play videos with some shorter content. Remember when making ‘news’ videos that nobody is expecting you to be a serious, dispassionate, reporter. These videos are a chance to show off your personality to newcomers who were looking into the news story and had not watched your actual gaming videos.

Remember to include not only the news, but what you think about it. Are you excited for that new game to come out, or do you think the concept is overdone? Sometimes all viewers will really care about is your reaction.

You can also do short videos about personal news, if it relates to your channel. If you buy a new microphone, or are going on vacation for a while, you should make a dedicated video to let people know even if you mentioned it in your other videos. It is good to have a lot of content, and this way people who do not watch every single one of your videos will not miss out.

3. How To Videos

A how-to video is not exactly a walkthrough or a Lets Play; it is more focused than that. Rather than covering a huge section of a game you are laser focused on one aspect. You can generate ideas for How To videos by asking your viewers for input once you have a bit of a following, by browsing through gaming forums to see what people are having trouble with, or by thinking about what you had trouble with in a game. Or, you could make a tutorial about something you are really good at. Maybe there’s a confusing weapons upgrading system in a game that you have mastered. Explaining it could make a great video.

4. Let’s Plays

Let’s Plays are the most common type of gaming video. They are a key element of any gaming channel, and a lot of people are trying to make them. The success of your Let’s Plays will depend a lot on your commentating personality, and it can take a while to start feeling comfortable while you are recording yourself. You may post a couple of very awkward-sounding videos before you start to get better at these.

Popular YouTube gamers can get away with posting pretty long Let’s Plays. While you are still trying to build up a good base of supporters you might want to consider capping your videos at the 10 minute mark so they are less intimidating to people who do not know yet if they want to watch you. If you play for two hours cut that down to the most interesting ten minutes of footage.