How To Become a Gaming YouTuber: A Gamer's Guide

Breaking into YouTube is a massive step in creating your own gaming empire, but it’s also a step that can seem extremely overwhelming at first. We’ll break it down into an easy-to-follow plan so you can feel confident taking control of your Destiny — pun intended.

Do a Little Planning

Sure, you could just throw caution to the wind and start a YouTube channel without a plan — plenty of people do!

But spending a little time thinking about your approach before joining up can help you make the best use of your channel, finding an audience that’s into the same things you are and creating a space to share with your community.

Your first step is sitting back, relaxing, and watching some YouTube videos! There are so many different channels out there, with endless content, that taking the time to dig through them and see what people are doing can help you plan a little better.

Better yet, take notes! What games do people seem to be playing the most? Who seems to have the most engagement, and what are they doing? What format are they using? Paying attention to those little details can help you find a formula for success.

You should also look up the most popular gaming channels — there’s a reason that they have so many viewers, and you can learn a lot from seeing how they do things. While you’ll never want to copy how they stream, the insight can help you be more successful when discovering your voice.

Pick a Lane

When you game in the privacy of your own home, you probably play whatever sounds fun to you at the time — that’s part of the joy of gaming. But it’s much better to decide on a single game (or game series) when you're trying to learn how to become a gaming YouTuber.

Think of it like developing your brand and giving your viewers a consistent insight into who you are. Once you have a loyal viewership, you can branch out a little bit more.

However, we don’t recommend just picking a random game and going with it. Hopefully, based on the gaming research you’ve already done, you have a decent idea of what games are getting the most views.

From there, think about what games you’re good at — most people watching gaming YouTube channels do it at least partially out of a desire to learn how to be better at them themselves. And finally, and this is perhaps the most crucial part, you need to decide on a game you love.

Viewers can tell if you’re just doing something to get views or for clout, and legitimately enjoying yourself makes all the difference.

The game you decide on can also help you choose a good name for your gaming channel. You want a memorable name that pops — one you could easily see on killer merch down the line.

Choose a Format

Once you’ve decided on a game to focus on, the next step is to choose a format for your videos. There are plenty of ways to format your videos, and you shouldn’t feel you have to always stick with one (people like diversity in their gaming!).

Still, while you’re developing your channel, we recommend you hone your skills in one specific content format — the goal is to become an expert in your “field” before branching out. Here are a few of the more commonly seen formats in gaming YouTube channels:

Walkthroughs

Let’s face it; some video games are just tricky (and sometimes that’s part of the fun!). However, if you’re playing on your own and are getting frustratingly stuck at a specific part of the game, YouTube walkthroughs are an excellent resource to help you get through it.

A walkthrough-based YouTube channel turns you into that helpful expert and makes your viewers trust you can help them if they need a hand.

Playthroughs

If you want to focus on actually playing the game instead of more slowly walking people through it, you may be more interested in a playthrough-based channel. When you do a playthrough, you provide a running commentary as you just play through the game at your own pace.

You can also do a “speedrun,” where you play through your game (or a level of that game) as quickly as possible — and then see if you can beat your best time!

Tips and Tricks

Some people don’t want to watch an entire series to find out how to improve their gameplay — they would prefer you just get right to the point.

For those viewers who don’t have the time to watch an entire video to learn what they need to know, tips and tricks videos can give them that bite-sized information in a concise package.

Multiplayer Games

Love playing MMOs like Overwatch, Fortnite, or Apex Legends? Share that with your viewers by streaming while you play them!

Whether you play with a team or enjoy going solo, the competitive spirit always rakes in the views. You can even host your own tournaments if you get a big enough following!

Reviews

You can always do review videos if you don’t want to stick with a single game. That lets you play various games — we recommend using clipping software so that your segments have your “greatest hits” — and then tell the world what you think about them.

Some of the better-known reviewers may even get early or beta access to upcoming games or even have studios send them swag just to rep their brand.

Be Ready To Invest

Starting a YouTube channel is technically “free,” but if you want to go somewhere with your channel, you have to be willing to invest a little money. Specifically, there are a few pieces of tech that you should drop some cash on to start your channel out on a high note:

A Webcam

Plenty of streams out there don’t involve video of the player’s face, but be honest — are you more likely to watch one where they just talk or one where you can enjoy watching them play the game?

Most people choose the latter because it’s just more exciting to see the facial expressions of the gamer in their element. Investing in a high-quality webcam helps your loyal fans enjoy your beautiful, entertaining face in more detail. Give them what they want.

A Microphone

While webcams can be essential to starting a YouTube channel, microphones are even more exciting.

No one will stick around and listen to a stream that breaks up, cuts out, or just sounds distorted. Spending cash on a high-quality microphone ensures your audience can hear your voice.

The Right Software

Screen capture software, clipping software, and other software that makes your gameplay smoother and more enjoyable are a must before starting a YouTube channel. Your viewers want to see your gameplay from as many perspectives as possible, and the right software can make that easy.

When you’re streaming, it’s all eyes on you — you don’t want to lose your winning moment by fumbling for your hotkeys. Instead, download Powder PC, a software that uses AI to capture the perfect clips automatically.

Plus, you can use our one-click montage feature to instantly stitch together highlight reels to share to your socials. This montage feature works both for streamers who want to show their faces and content creators who want to focus on the game.

Better Lighting

No one likes a dark YouTube video. Unfortunately, most standard lighting isn’t enough to really light up your amazing face.

To do that, you need to invest in better lighting gear, which can help prevent screen glare, minimize weird shadows on your face, and make your streams look far more professional.

A Green Screen

While investing in a green screen is unnecessary, it does significantly open up your options in terms of what you can do with your channel. If you think you will be experimenting with visual effects and making videos other than just streaming yourself gaming, it’s well worth the money.

Create Your Actual Account

To take steps down your path of becoming a gaming YouTuber, you need to start by creating your actual YouTube account. YouTube is linked to Google, so you'll need to create one if you don’t have one.

Even if you have a Google account, creating a brand new one for your YouTube channel might be worth creating. Once you’ve made your account, you just need to create a channel.

Spend some time working on your profile once you’re all logged in — upload a profile picture (preferably a logo with your channel name) and channel banner art, create your “about me,” and make sure you add links to any other accounts you may use, like Twitch.

Before diving into content creation, you should also take some time to look through the community guidelines.

While most video games won’t cross the line — most of the guidelines relate to shocking scenes of violence, fraudulent information, or anything with copyrighted materials — it’s always good to verify that your videos won’t be taken down after you put all that hard work into them.

Start Creating Content!

So, you’ve got your YouTube account ready to go, the best equipment at your disposal, and some epic ideas about the type of content you want to make — it’s time to start rolling it out!

It’s a good idea to start with some test content before recording the real deal. Doing some test runs can help you get a better feel for how your new equipment works and the lighting setup that looks best and help you get more comfortable on camera.

When you’re looking back at your test footage, make sure to also pay attention to what parts of your room are on camera, too. If there’s anything dirty or cluttered, you can clean it up and ensure everything looks how you want it to before you shoot the real thing.

Don’t be surprised if your voice sounds “different” when you play it back. Don’t focus on the actual sound of your voice — you can’t help that — but note how often you stutter or use filler words. You want to be yourself but also use a clear voice that people can understand.

Once you’re finished creating your content, you need to edit it. Spending money on some high-quality editing software is another excellent investment because editing can make or break a video.

One of the pros of using a service like YouTube instead of streaming live on a service like Twitch is that you have the opportunity to use multiple different mediums. For instance, you can post both full-length videos and 60-second YouTube shorts. These shorts are often a great way to pique viewer interest in your channel, so it’s important to make use of them if you can.

Stay Engaged!

Even though your content has been recorded, edited, and uploaded, your job isn’t done quite yet.

To really keep your viewers around and coming back for more, you need to have just as high of a level of engagement with your content as your fans do. Respond to their comments, give loyal viewers frequent shout-outs when you stream or record, and host giveaways for merch or special perks.

If the people who come to your gaming channel and watch your videos feel like they’re being heard and appreciated, they might tell their friends to check out your content. Nothing is more clutch than some classic word-of-mouth PR!

In addition to staying engaged with your viewers on YouTube, it’s also worth creating a few other social media channels to give your fans something to talk about.

For example, Twitter and TikTok are some of the more popular options — but you don’t have to go all out and overextend yourself. It’s all about creating a healthy balance for yourself.

With Powder PC, you can transform your live content or gaming content into both vertical and horizontal formats so that you can seamlessly start growing your different content channels. It’s never been easier!

Bottom Line

The steps you’ll need to take to learn how to become a gaming YouTuber may seem simple, but there’s much more required than just logging in and starting an account.

Having a successful YouTube channel takes time, patience, and hard work, not to mention a good amount of solid planning beforehand. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be able to find your niche and develop a loyal following that can appreciate the unique gaming perspective you bring to the world.

With the right software behind you, you can grow your platform with clips of your best moments. Thanks to Powder PC, you won’t even have to lift a finger. Plus, Powder for Creators will be with you every step of the way if you want to extract highlights from your long YouTube videos, transform those videos into Shorts, or create montages.

Have fun, and game on!

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