Sweet Genius
Member
Creating a let's play channel can seem intimidating, but it really isn't that difficult. Since I am a let's player, I know a lot of things that should be considered when creating your channel. There are many things to think about; I know I said it isn't difficult, but it is very time consuming. You must be dedicated to let's playing, while considering the following.
1.) You Must Have A Capture Card of Some Sort:
Having a capture card is absolutely essential, as any other way of recording is unprofessional and unclear. I have learned a lot from my very first let's play: my first let's play had good commentary, but the quality wasn't very good. My first let's play was the Playstation Vita version of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (I didn't have the Playstation 3 version). All I did was put a camera in front of the screen, turn on my Vita, and started recording. Even though my commentary was good (again), my quality was not very good. In my earlier parts, you couldn't read the subtitles of what the characters were saying, and sometimes, the camera went off focus and off the screen, and I didn't even notice! I know there are many people who cannot afford a capture card, and that is perfectly understandable (that was my situation). But there are many capture software that you can use for free! But there is a catch: these free capture software can only be used on your PC. If you have a couple of video games for you computer, and you enjoy them very much; download one of these following capture software: Snagit or Debut Video Capture
When picking any one of these, you know you will get good quality on your videos. Everything will be clear, and you cannot go wrong with any one of these!
DISCLAIMER: CAPTURE CARDS AND CAPTURE SOFTWARE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS! CAPTURE CARDS ARE PIECES OF HARDWARE USED TO RECORD CONSOLE FOOTAGE. CAPTURE SOFTWARE ON THE OTHER HAND IS USED FOR PC GAMING!
But if you don't have any PC games or PC gaming in general, and can't afford a capture card, it is not advised that you create a let's play channel. Yes., you may have good commentary, but people care about quality as well. Unless you can be superhuman, and make super clear quality with an HD camera by putting it in front of your TV screen, I wouldn't recommend creating a let's play channel. Or I would just wait until you can afford one.
2.) Good Commentary is Essential When Making Let's Play Parts:
I mentioned video quality in the previous point, but commentary is just as important. When creating a let's play video, I recommend doing "live-commentary" (commentary while playing the game). Live commentary is extremely important because when something happens in the game, you can act with genuine enthusiasm and/or anger. Use this scenario as an example: you are in a middle of a fight, and you are almost finished with it, but an enemy you don't notice sneaks up behind you, and kills you; now you have to re-do the entire battle. Now what do you think will be your reaction to that? Anger of course! When live-commentating, all of these things will come as a surprise to you, and you will show genuine anger towards the game. When you post-commentate (unless you are a very good actor), people will notice. You already know what you did in the game; nothing will come as a surprise, and you won't be as angry or enthusiastic about certain events in the game. Live-commentary won't just benefit the viewers, but you too What sounds better: playing a video game, commentating on how you feel about certain parts of the game and feeling like you are giving people a commentary that shows your legitimate feeling; or sitting down on a chair, watching something you already recorded, and making up stuff along the way. You decide....
Another important point to think about is: creating your own distinct style. Your commentary may be inspired by your favorite let's player (and that is perfectly fine), but you have to make sure that you do not copy someone else's commentary style. To become an original, respected let's player, you must create your own style of commentary. Try experimenting with different styles, and see what best fits you and your personality. Remember, the way you behave in your commentary gives the viewers an idea of who you are. DO NOT GIVE A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION!
Now, I am not done yet, there is still something I want to mention before we move on to the next point. You must understand that you have to be enthusiastic when creating commentary for a video game. Don't just sound like a person who thinks of his job as boring and tedious; sound like a person who had just found out a hot girl likes you. I recommend writing down ideas on a piece of paper; this can be used as your guide as to what you will be talking about in that particular let's play part. Trust me, this method is very helpful and has encouraged me to be more enthusiastic in my videos.
3.) Pick Games That You Enjoy:
Minecraft, Call of Duty, Super Mario 64, Terraria; all of these games are fantastic, and are absolutely appropriate for a let's player on YouTube. But do you enjoy these games? Do you want to let's play these games? If you do, that is great, but if you don't, don't feel bad! I always tell my friends: never let's play a game that doesn't appeal to you. Do not allow the pressure of popular games influence your opinion of what you should have on your channel. Remember, this is all you! This is not Chuggaconroy, PewDiePie, or any other YouTuber; this is you! Let's play any game you want, no matter how unpopular or controversial it is. If you let's play a game that you don't really care about, you won't have good commentary, and you probably won't give a rat's hat about your quality either. Picking the right game is just as important as the other points I mentioned above.
4.) Advertise Your Channel:
You have finally uploaded your first let's play part....now what? Your video doesn't have any likes, comments, or subscribers, and the only view on your video is yourself. Now, you may be thinking: what can I do to get more subscribers, views, and create a following? The statement I am about to make is very important: don't expect views to suddenly appear on your video. YouTube is the biggest video-sharing website in the world; don't expect to become the next PewDiePie (I am not saying you won't be, but come on, let's be reasonable here)! You must understand that advertising is super important when creating your YouTube Channel. I recommend using Google+, Twitter, Tumblr, or Forums much like this one.
Now as to how you can advertise, there is so much to talk about that it would be hard to fit it in this thread. But, to make it easier for some people, I will give a few suggestions.
1.)Try getting the attention of the "popular" people on social networking sites (this works great on Google+).
2.)Share your videos on forums or different communities around the web. Do not be afraid of people critiquing your work (it is all about the improvement process of your YouTube channel.)
3.)Try finding people who have similar interests as you do, and add them to your circle; friend list; etc. This method is also very affective, as this gets the attention of people who have similar interests as you do, which will result in more views, comments, and possibly subscribers!
I hope you have taken this thread to heart, and have realized that let's playing can be fun. As I said, it is fairly easy to become a successful let's player, but it is very time consuming.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
1.) You Must Have A Capture Card of Some Sort:
Having a capture card is absolutely essential, as any other way of recording is unprofessional and unclear. I have learned a lot from my very first let's play: my first let's play had good commentary, but the quality wasn't very good. My first let's play was the Playstation Vita version of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (I didn't have the Playstation 3 version). All I did was put a camera in front of the screen, turn on my Vita, and started recording. Even though my commentary was good (again), my quality was not very good. In my earlier parts, you couldn't read the subtitles of what the characters were saying, and sometimes, the camera went off focus and off the screen, and I didn't even notice! I know there are many people who cannot afford a capture card, and that is perfectly understandable (that was my situation). But there are many capture software that you can use for free! But there is a catch: these free capture software can only be used on your PC. If you have a couple of video games for you computer, and you enjoy them very much; download one of these following capture software: Snagit or Debut Video Capture
When picking any one of these, you know you will get good quality on your videos. Everything will be clear, and you cannot go wrong with any one of these!
DISCLAIMER: CAPTURE CARDS AND CAPTURE SOFTWARE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS! CAPTURE CARDS ARE PIECES OF HARDWARE USED TO RECORD CONSOLE FOOTAGE. CAPTURE SOFTWARE ON THE OTHER HAND IS USED FOR PC GAMING!
But if you don't have any PC games or PC gaming in general, and can't afford a capture card, it is not advised that you create a let's play channel. Yes., you may have good commentary, but people care about quality as well. Unless you can be superhuman, and make super clear quality with an HD camera by putting it in front of your TV screen, I wouldn't recommend creating a let's play channel. Or I would just wait until you can afford one.
2.) Good Commentary is Essential When Making Let's Play Parts:
I mentioned video quality in the previous point, but commentary is just as important. When creating a let's play video, I recommend doing "live-commentary" (commentary while playing the game). Live commentary is extremely important because when something happens in the game, you can act with genuine enthusiasm and/or anger. Use this scenario as an example: you are in a middle of a fight, and you are almost finished with it, but an enemy you don't notice sneaks up behind you, and kills you; now you have to re-do the entire battle. Now what do you think will be your reaction to that? Anger of course! When live-commentating, all of these things will come as a surprise to you, and you will show genuine anger towards the game. When you post-commentate (unless you are a very good actor), people will notice. You already know what you did in the game; nothing will come as a surprise, and you won't be as angry or enthusiastic about certain events in the game. Live-commentary won't just benefit the viewers, but you too What sounds better: playing a video game, commentating on how you feel about certain parts of the game and feeling like you are giving people a commentary that shows your legitimate feeling; or sitting down on a chair, watching something you already recorded, and making up stuff along the way. You decide....
Another important point to think about is: creating your own distinct style. Your commentary may be inspired by your favorite let's player (and that is perfectly fine), but you have to make sure that you do not copy someone else's commentary style. To become an original, respected let's player, you must create your own style of commentary. Try experimenting with different styles, and see what best fits you and your personality. Remember, the way you behave in your commentary gives the viewers an idea of who you are. DO NOT GIVE A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION!
Now, I am not done yet, there is still something I want to mention before we move on to the next point. You must understand that you have to be enthusiastic when creating commentary for a video game. Don't just sound like a person who thinks of his job as boring and tedious; sound like a person who had just found out a hot girl likes you. I recommend writing down ideas on a piece of paper; this can be used as your guide as to what you will be talking about in that particular let's play part. Trust me, this method is very helpful and has encouraged me to be more enthusiastic in my videos.
3.) Pick Games That You Enjoy:
Minecraft, Call of Duty, Super Mario 64, Terraria; all of these games are fantastic, and are absolutely appropriate for a let's player on YouTube. But do you enjoy these games? Do you want to let's play these games? If you do, that is great, but if you don't, don't feel bad! I always tell my friends: never let's play a game that doesn't appeal to you. Do not allow the pressure of popular games influence your opinion of what you should have on your channel. Remember, this is all you! This is not Chuggaconroy, PewDiePie, or any other YouTuber; this is you! Let's play any game you want, no matter how unpopular or controversial it is. If you let's play a game that you don't really care about, you won't have good commentary, and you probably won't give a rat's hat about your quality either. Picking the right game is just as important as the other points I mentioned above.
4.) Advertise Your Channel:
You have finally uploaded your first let's play part....now what? Your video doesn't have any likes, comments, or subscribers, and the only view on your video is yourself. Now, you may be thinking: what can I do to get more subscribers, views, and create a following? The statement I am about to make is very important: don't expect views to suddenly appear on your video. YouTube is the biggest video-sharing website in the world; don't expect to become the next PewDiePie (I am not saying you won't be, but come on, let's be reasonable here)! You must understand that advertising is super important when creating your YouTube Channel. I recommend using Google+, Twitter, Tumblr, or Forums much like this one.
Now as to how you can advertise, there is so much to talk about that it would be hard to fit it in this thread. But, to make it easier for some people, I will give a few suggestions.1.)Try getting the attention of the "popular" people on social networking sites (this works great on Google+).
2.)Share your videos on forums or different communities around the web. Do not be afraid of people critiquing your work (it is all about the improvement process of your YouTube channel.)
3.)Try finding people who have similar interests as you do, and add them to your circle; friend list; etc. This method is also very affective, as this gets the attention of people who have similar interests as you do, which will result in more views, comments, and possibly subscribers!
I hope you have taken this thread to heart, and have realized that let's playing can be fun. As I said, it is fairly easy to become a successful let's player, but it is very time consuming.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Last edited:
, really useful for anyone wanting to start making quality Let's Plays!
