The Power and Influence of YouTube as a Streaming Platform for Gaming

 

 

By Dilan Mehemodov

 

 

 

In this report, I [AC1] will be providing different strategies that streaming platforms such as YouTube use to generate views within the gaming community. This report will be focusing on the theme of ‘gaming’ as it is a subculture of modern technology that is growing rapidly on an international level. This report aims to explore various strategies that the media and gaming platforms use to generate views and the effect it can have on different niche audiences as in streaming culture.

In a society where the internet and virtual platforms are become a necessity[AC2] , YouTube is a streaming platform that consists of an archive of vast information[AC3], especially gaming.  YouTube allows individuals to explore and gain further knowledge regarding game step up, [AC4] player modification and gamer reviews. The significance YouTube has, has left an imprint with its rise in content and audience since its launch in 2005[AC5]. Research from previous [AC6] studies has suggested that in America alone, ‘nearly two-thirds of the population (64%) play video games on some device’ which has ‘remained stable since about 2010’ (Snider, 2014). This study is suggestive that there is gaming content accessible for gamers on YouTube[AC7] . The gaming subculture has a massive influence on people’s lives and helps the gaming industry. An article by Ramdurai (2014) [AC8] found via a google Consumer Survey that individuals who watched YouTube, did so for the “entertainment” and “humour” but equally for the “gaming tips” and the opportunity of “learning new strategies”. This suggests that although there were only 34% of this group who considered themselves “gamers” there was an influential role YouTube played in the aspect of its outreach and engagement it has on a global level.

A game that is widely known is Minecraft, which came into fruition [AC9] by using a first-person multiplayer platform in which boxes must be placed[AC10]  to create your own individual virtual game world and environment at will that allows players to use a survival and creative mode. In the survival mode players need to create a shelter environment and gather weapons to survive environments in which enemies are spawned and need to be eliminated (Ekaputra et al., 2013). Minecraft has been a popular search on YouTube since 2015 (Williams, 2021). Minecraft is a game from Mojang that entails destruction and creation.[AC11]  It is the first game to officially have over a trillion views on content.  [AC12] 

Minecraft as a game has a story mode setting in which the game is explored in depth and takes players on a journey. One reason that has been put forward is that ‘YouTube videos are a way to tell stories’ [AC13] (Parrish, 2021) in which audiences are able to explore this story mode for knowledge gathering purposes. Having YouTube as a platform that gives creative freedom when communicating gameplay is beneficial as there are different ways gamers interpret the setting and in turn allow the gaming community to see things from multiple perspectives. [AC14] For example, Tobuscus’ music video ‘I can swing my sword’, (Minecraft music wiki, 2020) has over 90 million views. The music video is Minecraft themed and comedically expresses how the content creator communicates his insight into the Minecraft world. Minecraft generates views as it provides alternative sources of entertainment in the gaming community. [AC15] 

The artistic opportunities it provides for younger generations is remarkable in the sense that it is also considered an educational tool, such as Minecraft that replicates real life scenarios such as bank stimulation (Ekaputra et al., 2013). Teachers have reported that ‘“significant improvements in creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and computational thinking skills” in their students once they incorporated Minecraft into their teaching. Findings showed that 98% of teachers said that problem solving was the top skill that students were able to take away.[AC16] ’ (Engineering for kids, 2021).

In addition to this by watching Minecraft videos on YouTube, it allows younger generations to explore alternative methods in problem solving through an entertaining means. (Family zone. (2016), which is an effective way to generate views as 65% of children (specifically aged 0 to 8) use YouTube to access content. This is beneficial as it provides children with skills they can adapt into the real world as well as show gamer loyalty to Minecraft via the influence that YouTube has[AC17] .

Whether it's teaching people how to do or comprehend something, or simply keeping them engaged and entertained, video content is meant to deliver value and entertainment to the people watching. When users find a creator’s content useful, they will come back, watch, and share the creator’s content, increasing the number of views on your future video content.  Showing the power of tutorial videos[AC18] .  A study conducted by Vesa (2022) conducted a study to look at the impact of enjoyment on learning a video game and found that players who were having fun were able to learn quickly as they paid attention and were engaged in a relaxed, personal setting. Therefore, suggesting a comfortable setting like the comfort of an individual’s own home would be ideal when accessing YouTube to stream and watch gaming content.  A popular way to generate views on a YouTube gaming channel is by uploading pre released and walkthrough videos. Pre-released videos are videos that explore and implicitly advertise games that have not been released to the public yet. [AC19] 

Following on from this there are a wide range of walk-through videos which are also viewed by gamers although these are usually specific to 1-player [AC20] story games (Thorpe, 2019). Gaming brands use YouTube creators to upload content on pre released games as it is an effective form of branding. This acts as an advertisement to ‘showcase their products and find new potential customers’ as viewers are more likely going to invest in games that their favourite content creators approve and are invested in. (Industry Trends, 2021). Walk through videos serve both an entertaining and educational purpose, guiding stuck viewers into navigating the game. They have a distinctive type of content as the style of gaming they focus on is puzzle based which means each video will provide a unique experience. Furthermore, as the games that the walk-through videos are based on will still exist afterwards. This means that gamers that have come across the game later can still use the content (Creator Handbook , 2017). Both styles of YouTube content are considered the most successful type of gaming content due to their ability to assist and entertain.[AC21] 

A common technique that is used to generate more viewers is YouTube keywords, which is a method of targeting viewers through key mapping. It is similar to hashtags; where keywords are used to target or get attention from specific niche audiences. There is a variety of ways that keywords can be used effectively such as ‘key mapping’ where you are ‘matching specific keywords to content pages, or in this case, YouTube videos. It comes hand in hand with doing background research as well. [AC22] When a user types in a specific keyword, search intent refers to the material that they wish to see, giving a bigger variety of content to choose from. If used successfully, content can be navigated correctly to [AC23] the audience you are trying to appeal to. (Lahey, 2021). A detailed and [AC24] engaging and unique keyword accomplishes two goals: [AC25] it provides keywords for the algorithm to filter for relevancy, and it attracts viewers and informs them about the video's content. You can utilise, [AC26] SEO (Search engine optimization) which is a technique used by boosting the quality and quantity of search engine traffic to a website or a web page and usually focuses on unpaid traffic (Anon[AC27] , 2022). When using this technique, you are using YouTube bots and algorithms to your advantage at a low cost. The only potential issue is the fact that YouTube bots are developing to recognise behaviour rather than views. [AC28] 

YouTube as a platform as a lot of attributes [AC29] available to curate [AC30] more views. Creator’s may utilise YouTube's capabilities to attract viewers, boost their viewing time, encouraging them to subscribe, [AC31] and encouraging audiences to interact with your business or website. Audio is substantial when creating video content as music enhances the entertainment value of videos by evoking the appropriate emotions in viewers. There is a beneficial collection of sounds known as YouTube audio library which can add an effect to your videos by using free music tracks. In the library, you can apply filters such as duration, mood, genre, and even preview tracks. 

Creators can link their websites directly from the movie player using associated website annotations. When using annotations, there are two basic steps: Verifying your channel and creating annotations. Building a brand identity and producing credible material on a regular basis are essential for keeping people engaged in a Youtuber’s content. This is possible using a process called InVideo programming, which gives you the option to add a clickable thumbnail to your channel's logo and videos. You may use InVideo Programming by navigating to the video manager's channel settings and then adding watermarks to videos you wish to draw attention to. A logo, a basic call to action, or a short description can all be used as a watermark[AC32] . (Gaitho, 2021)

Cross-platform promotion, particularly on YouTube, can help drive traffic to the content creator. [AC33] By sharing links on other social media platforms, it gives creators the potential to reach their specific audience and direct them to the creator’s content. To increase their views, they share links as a post or include it to the description of their social media profiles. Additionally, by bringing attention to YouTube from their social media profiles[AC34] , they gain favour with the algorithms by becoming the source of many session beginnings, which are sessions that begin with specific videos on the YouTube platform. Sessions beginning on your video present that their content is driving visitors to YouTube, resulting in a higher rating of viewers. Cross-promotion is the ideal approach to get the word out about your YouTube channel because Facebook has 2.23 billion monthly active users, Instagram has 1 billion, and Twitter has 330 million. (7 YouTube Social Media Strategies Vital for Success, 2020). If a creator has a large Facebook or Instagram following, they already have a large audience waiting to watch and share your YouTube videos.

Overall, the theme ‘gaming’ [AC35] has a broader [AC36] culture as it has intertwined into aspects of sports, television, and music (Ramdurai, 2014). The benefit of YouTube that makes it so influential and a strong edge against other streaming platforms is the global outreach it has as well as the age accessibility it provide[AC37] s. This likable attribute makes it a key platform for kids as well as adults to use to again knowledge and be entertained in the gaming categories[AC38] .

 

 

References:

7 YouTube Social Media Strategies Vital for Success. (12/11/2020). Juicer. Available at: https://www.juicer.io/blog/7-youtube-social-media-strategies-for-success. (24/05/2022).[AC39] 

Anon (2022) What is SEO? Basics of Search Engine Optimization | Mailchimp. [Online]. Available at: https://mailchimp.com/en-gb/marketing-glossary/seo/ [Accessed: 30 May 2022].

Connor, LC. (01/21). Semrush blog. Available at: https://www.semrush.com/blog/youtube-keyword-research/. (24/05/2022).

Creator Handbook. (01/06/2019). Creator Handbook. Available at: https://www.creatorhandbook.net/how-walkthrough-videos-can-grow-your-gaming-channel-e4d66e4e6c46/. (24/05/2022).

Ekaputra, G., Lim, C. and Eng, K. (2013) Minecraft: A Game as an Education and Scientific Learning Tool. Information Systems International Conference (ISICO), 2 (4), p.2. [Accessed: 30 May 2022].

Engineering for kids. (02/06/2021). Available at: https://www.engineeringforkids.com/about/news/2021/june/how-can-minecraft-be-used-as-an-educational-tool/. (24/05/2022).

Family zone. (2016). Available at: https://www.familyzone.com/anz/families/blog/what-kids-did-online-2016. (24/05/2022).

Gaitho, MG. How to Make YouTube Your Social Media Marketing Tool. (07/07/2021). Simplilearn. Available at: https://www.simplilearn.com/youtube-marketing-article. (24/05/2022).

Minecraft music wiki. (01/06/2020). Available at: https://minecraft-music.fandom.com/wiki/Toby_Turner_(Tobuscus)?action=history. (24/05/2022).

Parrish, PA. (15/12/2021). The Verge. Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/15/22838148/minecraft-1-trillion-views-youtube-mojang-microsoft. (24/05/2022).

Ramdurai, G. (2014) Think Gaming Content is Niche? Think Again. Thinkwithgoogle.com. [Online]. Available at: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/_qs/documents/230/think-gaming-content-is-niche-think-again_articles.pdf [AC40] [Accessed: 26 May 2022].

Snider, MS. (27/05/2014), USA Today Tech. Available at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2014/05/27/nielsen-tablet-mobile-video-games/9618025/ (24/05/2022).

Thorpe, MT.  (01/05/2019). We Video. Available at: https://www.wevideo.com/blog/for-work/getting-paid-to-play-6-steps-to-becoming-a-youtube-gamer. (24/05/2022).

Vesa, M. (2022) The Importance of Fun In Video Game Tutorials - A Case Study of Uncharted 4. Trepo.tuni.fi. [Online]. Available at: https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/125191/VesaMarkku.pdf?[AC41] sequence=2 [Accessed: 26 May 2022].

Williams, HW. (15/12/2021), Gamespot. Available at: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-just-became-the-first-game-with-over-a-trillion-views-on-youtube/1100-6499048/. (24/05/2022).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 [AC1]Again, the report must be 3rd person. “This report will”

 [AC2]This is a claim, and one which isn’t needed in the report – you would need to reference it, etc. Remove.

 [AC3]This makes no sense in English. It’s a video platform which is an archive of *content*

 [AC4]I’m not sure what you mean by this

 [AC5]Grammar, re-write this sentence

 [AC6]Unnecessary word

 [AC7]But you don’t want things which are *suggestive*, you can use it as background but don’t make these claims unless there’s EVIDENCE from sources!

 [AC8]You really want something more recent. A quick search gets me https://www.criticalhit.net/gaming/youtube-and-its-significant-impact-on-gaming-culture/ , for instance  

 [AC9]Re-write, without using the fairly obscure word “fruition”

 [AC10]True but rather misleading. It’s a building game *using box-shaped elements*

 [AC11]Remove, you’ve already described it

 [AC12]Claim, reference

 [AC13]Confusing – That there’s a story mode does not seem directly linked to youtube

 [AC14]This is a sentence more suitable for an essay. You nee to be relying on *sources* discussing this!

 [AC15]Again, this is a claim which you should be discussing based on sources

 [AC16]But how does this relate to *gaming*?

 [AC17]Ditto

 [AC18]Ditto

 [AC19]Okay and? This seems unrelated to the prior sentences, and more related to the next paragrapg

 [AC20]single player

 [AC21]Specific claim, which I don’t think you need to make

 [AC22]You could explain that, but I don’t think this sentence is useful - remove

can  [AC23]be targeted successfully at

 [AC24], (comma)

; -  [AC25]semicolon, not colon

 [AC26]No comma needed

 [AC27]There’s plenty of non-“anon” references  on SEO for youtube you can use!

 [AC28]If possible expand on this!

 [AC29]has many tools ?

 [AC30]generate

 [AC31]no comma, ahead of an “and”

 [AC32]Link this back to games

 [AC33]Be specific about games!

 [AC34]Again, talk about games – to other platforms like Steam, Epic, PSN, etc.

 [AC35]theme of ‘gaming

 [AC36]wider? This ties into the concept of intertextuality

 [AC37]I don’t believe you discussed this before – please don’t introduce new elements in the conclusion

 [AC38]Insufficient and not core to the report – summarise the tools etc. you have examined

 [AC39]Not correctly formatted, see CiteThemRight.

 

You don’t properly lead with the author, and data is year only.

 

Incorrect italics usage. You need to italicise, instead of the Available at: and the URL, the page title.

 

Also you need to put the *full* page title – in this case, “7 YouTube Social Media Strategies Vital For Success – Juicer Social”

 

You also don’t have accessed on for your access date (and it’s generally using a written month, i.e. May, to avoid confusion for readers from different countries which use different date codes!)

 

Please check and make sure you are consistent across all your references.

 

 [AC40]This seems to be an article at https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/video/think-gaming-content-is-niche-think-again/

 [AC41]The proper page for this is the website, not just the PDF, at https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/125191