First Let's Play - can I get some critique?

[Jai the Gaming Cop]

Hi, I made my first Let's Play video.

I had to constantly remind myself of all the articles and videos I've seen that said, "Your first video is going to be really bad!" Regardless, I went through with it anyway. There's a few editing faux pas at the end, as well as a brief appearance of a watermark that won't be there in the future (I recorded in the wrong format to start, and had to pull a few tricks to get the right format, at the expense of a watermark).

Personally, I think I need to add a bit more commentary and try sounding a bit less stiff on video. I'm generally a lot more talkative but it is strange when there's a camera in your face!

Any input on how to spruce up the commentary? Should I talk more in-depth about the game?

Anyways, here is my grand masterpiece:

 

[MentallyGames]

- First of all: my compliments for game of choice. Not sure if you researched the game, but big search volume and not much competition, so good choice.
- Lose the first 40/44 seconds. You are explaining your channel and stuff, which is more something for a channel trailer.
- As far as your commentary goes. Giving vibrant commentary is something that you need to practice. The only way to do that is to record, evaluate and learn from that. Some people will probably say that faking emotions is the way to go, but most people don't get away with that, so I would not recommend that.

 

[Jai the Gaming Cop]

- First of all: my compliments for game of choice. Not sure if you researched the game, but big search volume and not much competition, so good choice.
- Lose the first 40/44 seconds. You are explaining your channel and stuff, which is more something for a channel trailer.
- As far as your commentary goes. Giving vibrant commentary is something that you need to practice. The only way to do that is to record, evaluate and learn from that. Some people will probably say that faking emotions is the way to go, but most people don't get away with that, so I would not recommend that.

Thanks for the tips! They are appreciated. I made another episode of This War of Mine which I'm uploading tonight, and it really does just take practice regarding commentary. This second playthrough felt a bit more natural than the first.[DOUBLEPOST=1510941223,1510937952][/DOUBLEPOST]

- First of all: my compliments for game of choice. Not sure if you researched the game, but big search volume and not much competition, so good choice.
- Lose the first 40/44 seconds. You are explaining your channel and stuff, which is more something for a channel trailer.
- As far as your commentary goes. Giving vibrant commentary is something that you need to practice. The only way to do that is to record, evaluate and learn from that. Some people will probably say that faking emotions is the way to go, but most people don't get away with that, so I would not recommend that.

One more question: how did you go about figuring out that it has a large search volume but little competition? Is that in the analytics section? Thanks!

 

[MentallyGames]

There are extensions for your browser that show you search volume and stuff. VidIQ is probably the most popular one. If you put a bit of time in, you can make a good estimate of search volume. One thing to remember is that you need to research it on a regular basis, because search volume changes constantly.

 

[LostTrigger]

alright jay

10 seconds in. this is my first introduction to you. i dont really care who you are and im not that interested in the fact that this is your first lets play. if you want to share that with me atleast do it while your playing the game(or atleast in the game menu). i dont mean to be harsh but if i randomly found this video trying to watch a war of mine lets play and the first minute is this guy sort of vlogging at me i would click off. i personally think all introductions atleast for small channels should have something interesting going on in the background for new comers to look at, in this case it would be the game your playing.

i not a huge fan of the game so i cant say that much about the gameplay(i also didnt watch the whole video) but maybe you could talk more about what its like being a cop? or tell some stories. you started off with saying your parents served the military(sorry i dont remember exactly what it was but it was interesting none the less) and i thought you were going to add this cop/military perspective to playing the game. maybe you do and i havent watched enough of the video. everything im saying is based off the first 2 or so minutes so sorry if i miss anything later in the video. also try to be yourself. if your funny be funny. if your interesting be interesting. if you have things to say(stories or otherwise) say them. i dont want to feel like im watching some guy play a game im watching to watch you. you said you were a bit stiff and i agree. you need to know that you only have a few minutes to convince the audience to watch the whole video. some people will leave if they dont like the first 10 seconds. some will leave if they dont like the first 30 seconds. so you want to make sure that in the beginning of the video the person knows who you are and what they're in for. pewdiepie is stupid so he starts off his videos with loud noises and pop ups. total biscuit is analytical and you can hear it in his vocab and the way he talks. its things like that