Well hey, if you got the time I'll take an insightful review.
To help save you time or trouble there are thing I am aware of and am working on.
1. Getting a background or greenscreen.
2. Sometimes my audio peaks, I am in the process of fixing that.
3. Some of my tags are unnecessary. I've been going through and working on them to help clear up un-needed stuff.
4. I am putting back money for sound foam for my walls. (Currently at $100 still need more) Unless you have a suggestion for foam.
Also, my commentary is still a work in progress, I only started 2 months ago so I haven't really found my "niche" if you will. (Though I don't mind critiques or feedback on it.)
Hi Wigglenator,
I’ve had fun watching your stuff and getting to know you a little bit. Thanks for asking me to review your channel and trusting me to offer feedback.
First off, I want to compliment you on your good decision making because you chose to put yourself in your videos, and on your bravery for being willing to really put yourself out there in your on-camera persona. Being on camera is hard and it’s way easier to look stupid than it is to constantly look cool, and if you’re going to be in your own videos you have to just lean in to your own goofiness and embrace it. I suppose in general, that’s what cool is. Some of your antics and voices don’t hit, but most do, and those parts that feel a little weaker are totally overlookable because you’re having fun and taking risks with your presentation. Video game footage is boring and not special when you’re not playing, but adding in that human element creates interest and connectedness. I think part of the reason it’s nice to see people playing on gaming channels is that it gives us a break from the anonymity that we all experience when we play online. It’s fun to see what’s happening on the other end.
My favorite stuff from you is actually when you’re being a hint more like your regular self, but I enjoyed a lot of the shtick as well. Whether the delivery is always perfect or not is irrelevant at this point; what is relevant is that you’re on camera and you’ve got a good high-energy delivery.
I’m glad you play more than one game and that you seem to edit. A good rule of thumb is that you can almost always edit more. It’s just like writing – there’s always a better rewrite if you’re willing to just keep rewriting. Likewise, tighter is better especially when you’re trying to build an audience. You’ve got good stuff, but it’ll be even stronger if you ditch everything but the best on most your videos. Be ruthless when deciding what you show us and what you don’t. Remember the magic of editing. We don’t know if you were actually playing that part of the game when you recorded your visuals. You can always go back after the fact and put your best stuff over the ideal game footage to give us the best of both worlds in terms of great takes from you and useful footage from the game.
I like that you don’t just fill your videos with you being awesome. It’s fun to see you suck at performing surgery (although I think everyone sucks at that game which is why it’s fun) and panic in some pressure situations. You’re obviously a good gamer and it’s fun to see you succeed as well.
I know I’m a little broken-recordy on this one, but here I go again. I’d really advise against the swearing especially in your featured video right off the top. Your immediate narrow audience and circle of friends don’t care, and I personally couldn’t care less, but large portions of your audience (like kids with moms listening in) do find it off-putting. You’ll gain little with it, and potentially lose viewers. Whereas without it, your product isn’t diminished and you can connect with more viewers. I think a lot of people write channels off quickly when there’s lots of profanity as being some kid on the internet. Your stuff is better than that and you don’t want to give people a reason to dismiss you especially because you’re operating in such a competitive genre.
Before I wrap up, let’s talk general strategy. I can tell you’re putting in a lot of work, and I think you’re getting a lot right, but it isn’t translating into positive trends in views and subs (at least not in a manner that’s commensurate with your hard work). Have you tried taking your show on the road around the Internet? Your growth cycle tells me that you need to self-promote a little bit to move toward a critical mass point where your channel can start to make itself grow. Another thing that might help is to make some videos specifically designed to drive traffic. Come up with something super-super-short and funny or that offers value and see if you can get it to trend a little on Facebook or Twitter. Maybe you could start investing channel time each week in jumping around on some forums to see if you can build a reputation and get people to look at your stuff.
The bottom line is that this genre is very crowded and your stuff is good but not mind-blowing. You’ll grow and improve as you go along, but there isn’t a natural reason for people to seek you out and watch your videos, and even if they get there what you’re doing isn’t a big enough draw to make them immediately become loyal viewers yet. You’ve got a single program that basically works, but you need a format that’s a hook to draw people, and a recurring retainer to keep people. Don’t get me wrong, what you’ve got is a good start, but I think the odds are stacked against you if you’re going to depend on your current format to build a following – and building a following is what this is all about. Here are some ideas that might get you where you want to go:
1. Add graphics, intros, outros, and a predictable evaluation format for the games you’re reviewing. What you’re doing now is fun and boosted by your personality, but it doesn’t provide enough value to the viewers on those merits alone. You need to become a resource that people can turn to not just for entertainment but for information and insight.
2. You can accomplish that by enhancing the review parts of your videos and tightening up the game play goof around stuff (which is good – please don’t misunderstand).
3. Another way you could accomplish this would be to go back and use the footage you already have on every game you’ve done videos about and simply record yourself giving a scripted, air-tight two minute review with a rating system for all of those games. Then what you’ve already done would count for more as it would become a bonus resource for people who are looking for more information or gameplay.
4. Another option would be to do none of these things and come up with your own creative way to enhance the value your channel gives viewers, generate short, sharable hook videos, and build an audience who comes to trust and rely on you for content regarding fun indie-style games.
You’ve got a good thing cooking, but you’ll need to think like your audience to take the next step forward. I really enjoyed your stuff and I’m thankful for the opportunity to review your channel.
All the best,
Matt
