If you’re a millennial, a generation-Zer or the parent of one, you’ll know all about them: those ‘youtubers’ that spend their days playing video games and commentating on what they’re doing. While this may not sound like a productive way to pass the time, for a handful of ‘Let’s players’ (LPs) – gamers that record themselves playing video games on YouTube and who comment on what they’re doing – the rewards are huge. These youngsters are gaining millions of followers, and, in some cases, making millions of dollars as well. It’s a gaming enthusiast’s dream come true.
PRANKS
It is not just gaming, eitherr. Some youtubers become famous for the pranks they pull on their friends. Others do sports challenges or scientific experiments. Then there are those who broadcast everyday things like making breakfast or playing a board game with their family.
FORBES RECOGNITION
The most popular youtubers turn gaming into a business. So successful are they, that American business magazine Forbes now publishes the YouTube rich list. In the last list at the time of writing, half of the top ten were LPs. Six were newcomers who entertain with videos. Together, they earned €106 million.
ADVERTISING
It may not be immediately obvious how online gaming and home videos translate into dollars. Basically, most of it comes from advertising revenue. The more views a video gets, the more ad dollars the youtuber receives. As they become more famous, they get better content deals. The Google Preferred program creates packages of its most popular channels for advertisers, paying lucrative rates to its members. The more sophisticated youtubers sell merchandising and promote themselves off-screen too, with tours and events.
THE GENERATION GAME
So what is the fascination with watching these youngsters play video games online? After all, their commentary is not especially witty or sophisticated. The best LPs are admired for their gaming skills, much like watching sports on TV. Followers can also pick up useful tips and strategies for their own games. What is certain is that the most popular LPs can seriously boost the sales of video games.
PLAYING TO THE PUBLIC
More important, perhaps, is the fact that these youtubers connect on an instinctive level with their audience, in their native internet environment. They are like one of their friends online. In a society with diminishing social contact, many followers feel a connection with their favourite gamers. Regular video uploads and live streams can make them feel like an actual friend.
AN APOLOGY
The gamers themselves tend to be young millennials, too, growing up together with their audience. They are having to learn that, with great influence, comes responsibility. Swedish gamer PewDiePie, for example, felt the consequences of that responsibility when he made some racist comments last year. He dropped to number six in the rankings and Google pulled him out of its Preferred program. As a vlogger committed to his sixty-two million fans, he posted an apology. “I’m really sorry if I offended, hurt or disappointed anyone with all of this. Being in the position I am, I should know better,” he said. “I owe it to my audience and myself to do better than this.”
secrets of the trade
YouTube is full of gaming videos. You can watch the masters at work in Minecraft or pick up tips on games like Fortnite. However, the top gamers also use YouTube to talk to their fans. When DanTDM first reached eighteen million subscribers, he was ecstatic. He immediately sent out a message to his followers.
DanTDM (English accent): We did it! We did it! We made it to eighteen million subscribers! That is absolutely insane!
CONNECTING PEOPLE
He was quick to praise his fans, declaring he felt a connection with them beyond a shared love of gaming.
DanTDM: I just feel like we’re on a great level together, where we properly connect every single day. I feel like, through the silly videos that I make, whether it’s pretending to be a baby in VR or playing The Escapist or doing a stream, I just feel like there’s that connection every single time.
GOOD ADVICE
Another big league gamer, PewDiePie, offered advice to his fans on how to get started on YouTube. One of the key things, he said, is to find ways of promoting yourself.
PewDiePie (mild Swedish accent): Market yourself. Most youtubers that you are watching got a helping hand to get where they are. Maybe they don’t admit it. Maybe I’m just wrong. Most youtubers had some helping hand ... The hardest part of YouTube is to establish your very first audience.
FOR LOVE NOT MONEY
He also says that it is important you do it for the right reasons. The most successful youtubers are those who do it because they love it.
PewDiePie: Make YouTube with the right intention. I see so many people wanting to make YouTube videos because they want to get famous, they want to make money, which is all great stuff. And YouTube really is an amazing place for that, but make YouTube videos because you enjoy making them.
DEDICATION
Success does come at a price. As a full-time youtuber, PewDiePie offers a word of warning to those starting out.
PewDiePie: YouTube is a hobby and a job at the same time, which can be really hard to balance. I think a lot of people don’t realize this, but you get to set your own hours, you get to set your own pace. But it basically means you’ll be working 24/7. It’s really hard to turn off YouTube in your brain … I guess my advice here is to try and separate it. I treat YouTube with a lot of respect, because I feel so lucky to be in the situation that I am.
CHANGING THE WORLD
DanTDM feels the same. He’s in the fortunate position of making a living out of doing what he loves to do. He even claims they’re somehow changing the world! Once again, he acknowledges his fans with a heart-felt message.
DanTDM: I honestly feel like one of the luckiest people in the world and I know that sounds cliché but it’s so true! I get to do something I love every single day and that is all thanks to you guys, because, if you didn’t watch my videos, I wouldn’t be able to do this on such a grand scale. We wouldn’t be able to change the world together, wouldn’t be able to do the big things that we do and we won’t be able to hang out together, which I kind of like.