Channel is almost a year old, I have less than 100 total views, Please read if you have the time :)

[evnanonymous]

Let me preface this post by saying that I do no commentary walkthroughs.

If that's not your thing, that's cool.

Because I've been a part of YTtalk for quite some time, but never made an account till now, I know there's some prejudice for the type of content I bring, so for brevity's sake, I thought I'd copy-paste a couple of excerpts from an article I just came across to give you an idea of what draws people in:

"RabidRetrospectGames, one of the biggest no commentary channels on YouTube, is of the opinion that “some YouTubers out there have a tendency to ruin whatever it is that they are playing by talking over key elements to whatever it is that they are playing”."

"Just like movies, to a certain extent playthroughs are about acting too. Creators maintain the personality of the character they’re controlling throughout their gameplay. Using skills and exploiting perks which match their character’s disposition, they’re showing people the potential of the game whilst also making sure
they’re watching one constant stream of action, rather than disrupting it with deaths and fumbling gameplay.".

"No-commentary playthroughs exist to turn games into movies, making them one big spectacle you can sit back and watch in one go. For some, having someone talking over playthroughs
is like sitting next to a chatterbox in the cinema.".

"Many YouTubers realise that their viewers are hankering for the story, so some have started to hold key notes, text, and objects up on the screen for a couple of seconds. Users can pause and read them for themselves, maintaining the quick pace during an efficient playthrough without overlooking a substantial part of their audience. Small actions like that are just one of the reasons why they’ve got such a loyal fanbase.".

"Observing that you “have to communicate and engage with [the] viewer via their playing”, Bolloxed mentioned how they have to “show off a bit of skill and basically keep it entertaining so the viewer will continue to watch and not get bored. This can be quite time consuming at times as you often have to do several 'takes' of a level if you die or do it badly for example”.".

"Sometimes it’s because - and I can sympathise with this - they simply can’t bring themselves to play. Paralysed by fear isn’t just a turn of phrase: walking through the asylum in Outlast takes a lot of guts. But they still want to watch the story unfold, intrigued by trailers or people singing its praise online. It’s somewhat comparable to watching a horror film - you wouldn’t want to find yourself inside one, but you still want to see what happens all the same.".

"Showing the potential of a game is one of the most important aspects of creating a playthrough, especially when the creators stay silent and rely on gameplay to start a dialogue with the audience.".

These examples highlight several main points that speak to the strengths a no commentary playthrough has over a commentated one.

In the end however, it's all preference

-

I've never done any type of self-promotion before, even though I've had my channel for almost a year.

I've only ever focused on the YouTube side of things, and tried to do everything in the most legitimate way possible, but I've reached a point where I feel like that's no longer enough.

Over the span of almost a year (not including the preparations I made in the previous year before I started uploading), I have less than 100 total views on my channel: not a single comment, a single like, or a single subscriber.

I'm not discouraged, if anything it is almost expected, but not quite to this degree.

I thought by now there'd be at least one person who would've commented, or made a subscription, but it doesn't look like that's ever going to happen without doing some type of self-promotion, and possibly getting word-of-mouth traffic.

If you take the time to view any of my videos, know that I deeply appreciate it.

I put a lot of effort into every single detail of my channel, be it the video editing process, SEO, thumbnails - everything.

My aim is to create a community comprised of those who enjoy no commentary walkthroughs, with an emphasis on getting an amazing experience through the types of videos I put out, and the comments and likes and hopefully an ever-increasing subscriber base.

I believe that my channel offers real value to the viewer, in that the games I cover focus solely on complete and total immersion.

My channel isn't restricted to only a certain type of game, like AAA releases or indie games, nor do I limit myself to only showcasing horror games.

Any game that I consider good enough will be played, as long as viewer immersion is enhanced, regardless of the genre it falls into.

Again, I've literally never done any type of self-promotion until now, and would hugely appreciate any feedback or comment either here or on YouTube, but please only say what you genuinely think or feel.

I would never want or expect anyone who doesn't like my content to watch anything I upload, and I mean that with the utmost sincerity.

Here's my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7LEfuevI6L5OXouQPXprVA

If you took the time to read everything, thank you.

 

[Divine Authority]

So in the end, what are you getting out of this? I felt like it better if you just keep it short on what you wanted to say, nobody is gonna read a lengthy text. If you are looking for a feedback, all I can say is that your video is too long. Having a no commentary is fine but not on a length walk through videos. That all I can say

 

[eroM]

It was a turnoff to see a merchandise link in your header. With such a small channel, this is screaming you're entirely in it for the money. It's a great aspiration to have but build a following first.

Also, I think it would be difficult to build a following on YouTube where there is no personality. You can, I'm sure, but your hill might be more of a mountain to climb. You have to ask yourself, "what is the viewer getting from my channel that they can't by just playing the game on their own?"

It is very difficult to get noticed on YouTube when there is so much content. Inventing the wheel becomes a tremendous task. So, if you're not trying to re-invent the wheel, what separates your content from someone else's is YOU.

 

[Wyrd Wayfarer]

I think you need to have at least some commentary. Just a little introduction at the start of each video would be fine, and as Divine Authority already said maybe make them a bit shorter. It doesn't mean you have to miss stuff out, you just have to be brutal in the editing process.

If you're into survival type games, maybe make it one character one life? Play through with a bit of commentary here and there, and play it like you are the player character - with the exception being once you're dead, that's it. It gives you a chance then to move to different games to change the content up a bit before returning to it with a new character after a few weeks/months.

Thats what I would do anyway.

 

[videoeditgr]

No idea on gaming. But as long as you can express yourself that good in written words, so you can in spoken i guess. Here is an example. Imagine a boat on the sand with clouds passing by. What a non attractive honest title of a handpicked quite beauiful scenery video. zero reaction. Attempt #2: Loneliness!!! boat left to DIE out of the see with only WITNESS a clout that was PASSING BY. A balance between clickbating and (claiming as) fantasy or poetry or something.

Guess, this is how Youtube works

 

[Sammie]

I personally like your videos you have a great screen recorder. I just think you should keep the content you have going make each part 20 mins long and also another section of games that is more in the public eye right now like make a Black Ops 4 commentary playlist or Fortnite. You don’t need to add commentary as someone who likes both with and without. Just have another gaming playlist that will get the viewers to get to know you. Very good stuff keep up the good quality.

 

[ShinobiAisu]

Having a TLDR part to this post may have been a it more helpful, but I do appreciate the time and effort put into the post. Self promotion will definitely help you, and you should totally put yourself out there. I also suggest maybe playing games that have a bigger audience to reach the most viewers. Just my opinion; I subbed to your channel, best of luck!

 

[PixelGuitar]

I appreciate your concept and i really love immersing in a game by playing. You mentioned RapidRetrospectGames as a reference for your channel. So i looked at his most popular videos and some of them are montages, which probably got people onto his channel. And the question is: Why should anyone subscribe to your channel if there are many others? So if I want to watch a game without commentary, I would search it on YouTube and would probably go with one of the first results which will probably be a big channel. There is no motivation for a viewer to dig in more or search for other personalities.

Or is there a possibility to set you apart from other channels? Why should somebody watch your channel over RapidRetrospectGames? I thinks you should focus on this question.
One way is of course the choice of game which you did special. But it won´t get you much views in the long term.

PS: I like the simplicity of your thumbnails!