With regard to my history with YouTube, I had already been a member of YouTube since 2007. When I signed up for Gmail, I was automatically granted with a YouTube account as well because they are both tied to Google. I had only posted on YouTube for the first time in 2010 with gameplay from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and from Star Wars: The Old Republic. All of this was done without video capture hardware or any kind of dedicated streaming setup. All I had was a MSi gaming laptop equipped with a GeForce Video card and screen recording software.
In 2015 and 2016, I really struggled with home life and my relationship, and I also struggled with sustained stability in my employment, which led to financial struggle, and issues with my mental health. I needed to make some changes, and I became motivated. I had been watching various streamers on Twitch for at least a year and began researching how to go about using Twitch. That same year I quit my main job and focused on my own side-business Phresh New Media which I started in 2000.
For years, I had really wanted to figure out how to stream video games
and put my gameplay on the internet. In 2016, I researched, and bought
various types of video capturing hardware and finally got everything to work.
However, it was always an uphill battle even up to now after 6 years. I
primarily wanted to figure out the technology which I did, but I also
wanted to see if I could catch a lucky break and get a big following
online. Once I had everything set up for streaming, I first started out with Overwatch and then moved onto Destiny and The Division.
Starting out on Twitch, I realized that it was very difficult to get followers and subscribers, and I also had to broadcast myself while playing games. I had joined a Facebook group for Twitch Streamers from the Vancouver and lower mainland areas and was greeted pretty coldly when I asked people to check out my channel. I couldn't understand why others were greeted so warmly and why I was getting slapped by negative comments and cold shoulders. It still boggles my mind and I felt like I was being treated like an immature teenager rather than a grown adult by others in the streaming community and it really turned me off but I kept at it.
By 2017 I had over 300+ followers on Twitch but decided I wanted to switch my focus to YouTube instead. Twitch had various limitations in place and the biggest thing that changed my mind was gaming itself. I felt that having to do commentary, or talk while I played, massively took away from my gaming experience. I did not feel immersed any longer and I could not concentrate on playing a game well. To me IMHO it was like having to talk through a movie I was watching but not really being able to enjoy it because I couldn't concentrate on the story or the visuals as I would if I could just be silent and absorb the experience.
On top of that I was limited to low bitrates and low quality video streaming in Twitch until I hit a certain subscriber threshold, which I was never able to get to.
However, by moving to YouTube, I was able to produce considerably higher quality videos with much higher bitrates, and without limitations. It also freed me from having to do commentary, that took away from my enjoyment of the game I had been focusing on.
Fast forward to 2022, 5 years later and I finally have over 120+ subscribers on YouTube, nearly 800 uploaded videos, and nearly 90,000 combined views on all internet sources. I still feel however that this number is incredibly low compared to other people and their channels, considering the amount of work and effort I've put into my own YouTube channel.
There are still issues with how the YouTube algorithm works and how it handles traffic and redirects. My channel and videos receive far less views than other channels that have much lower quality. Those lower quality channels and videos somehow receive far more views and hits numbering in the thousands. When I post a video, I couldn't understand why I only received 12 or so views while someone with similar content was getting 12,000 views or more. It is something that is still ongoing and is really unfair. I'm struggling to get thousands of views on certain video clips while ten-year olds with iPhones are getting millions of views on their silly, effortless video clips.
Over the years, my hardware has gotten much more expensive but also much better. My company has transitioned from Phresh New Media to Phresh Digital Arts & Consulting. I'm still enjoying playing various video games and sharing the high-fidelity visuals with anyone and everyone on the internet that is interested. Gaming is not just for kids and is actually self-care. It provides an escape from stresses and hardships in real life and really improves mental health.
Check out my channel here:
(https://www.youtube.com/user/phreshninja)
also recommended viewing:
(10 Misconceptions About Gamers from Non-Gamers)
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