A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Gaming Videos

So you are interested in creating gaming video content. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. 

As you already know, gaming has become much more than something to do or participate in; it’s become an engaging world of content that is more popular than ever. While live-stream videos of gamers are a part of the equation, there is a whole world of gaming video content that is waiting to be consumed. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating gaming videos, why they matter, and how Promo can help.

Why Gaming Video Content Is So Powerful 

Gaming videos have been around almost as long as YouTube’s launch in 2005. Though it was much less widespread than it is now. With its rising popularity, YouTube launched YouTube Gaming in 2015, a video gaming-oriented vertical, that today has over 91.4 million subscribers. Yes, you read that right, 91.4 million! 

While gaming content is growing in popularity across social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook, YouTube is still the #1 platform where gaming aficionados flock to discover content about their favorite games.

If gaming videos in the past were watched mainly by self-proclaimed gamers, today their popularity has spread far and wide beyond. In 2021 gaming video content (GVC) broke record views with over 1.2 billion viewers!

Here are some statistics about gaming that will probably surprise you:

• Nearly 70% of Americans play video games 
• The average gamer is 34 years old
• Over 46% of gamers are women

With 15% of all YouTube content related to gaming, there must be some significant demand. And there is. ​​In the third quarter of 2021 alone, YouTube Gaming Live generated an accumulative 1.31 billion hours of content watched. 

How to Create Gaming Video Content With Promo

Now that you know how popular gaming content is, it’s time to learn how you can capitalize on one of the hottest types of online content available. With Promo, you have the power to create an engaging gaming video, no matter what video type you choose. You also have the tools to build and grow your YouTube gaming channel, should you decide to have one. 

Here’s how:   

Step 1: Set a clear goal and message

The first step in the video creation process, or any video, is to set a goal. To avoid complicating your message and confusing your viewers, you must understand what you’re trying to achieve with the video before creating it.  

There are many objectives you can achieve with the power of video, especially when it comes to gaming. From driving engagement on social media my tapping into a trending game to getting new viewers to subscribe to your channel – you should always set your goal before you begin your video creation. 

A significant part of setting your goal is composing your video’s message. What do you want to say to your viewers? What do they need to know? How can you make your video as engaging as possible? Ask yourself these questions, and create an outline for your video. 

Gaming content videos are in no way limited to gamers or businesses in the field of gaming. With such a large portion of the worldwide population interested in the field, there is gaming-related content that virtually anyone can create.

For example, if you are in the real estate business, you can create a fun social media video highlighting the video games with the most unique house designs. If you are in fitness, share the top fit gaming characters that inspire you. The options are endless.

Step 2: Bring your gaming video to life

Now, the fun stuff begins. It’s time to bring your gaming video to life! You’ve set your goal, formed a clear message, and now, it’s time to bring them together. There are three steps to creating an amazing video. When creating each gaming video, remember these four aspects: footage, text, branding, and music. 

Footage:

What’s great about Promo is, our video editor allows you to easily upload your footage, so if you have a clip or photo you’d like to showcase in your gaming video, you should. 

If you’re looking to use Stock footage, we got you covered. Promo’s photo and video library is home to more than 110 million assets. That said, we’re sure you’ll find the footage you need to communicate your message. Use bright, colorful, and impactful footage to ensure your message gets across. Don’t forget to play with the aspect ratio. If you’re planning on uploading your video straight to YouTube, you’ll want to select wide. If you’re planning on creating a YouTube Short, on the other hand, remember to choose the vertical aspect ratio. This will save you a lot of time and effort later, trust us. 

Text:

Once you’ve uploaded or selected your footage, it’s time to get your message across. Write text that will accompany each frame. Make sure the text coincides with your footage in seamless rhythm, not random or out of place. One way of ensuring your text and footage match is by customizing the text styles, fonts, and font colors.  

Our selection of video text styles was designed by our in-house creative and design teams to bring a professional look to any video. Developed to help you bring your gaming vision to your videos, choose from 45 unique styles that can be customized by color and font, and bring your gaming captions to life! Keep an eye out for limited animations released on special occasions that will take your gaming videos to the next level and keep them relevant with trending dates! 

Branding:

Generating brand awareness in your gaming video is a must. Luckily adding your watermark with Promo is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Add your watermark, a picture of yourself, or your gamer name to your video, and get creating! 

Music:

Check out Promo’s fully licensed music library and choose the perfect soundtrack for your gaming video. Music has the power to set the tone, so make sure you’re choosing music that compliments your message. If you wish, Promo enables you to upload your music or voiceover. 

Example:

Step 3: Lead up to and set your call-to-action

In the last frame of your video, or what we at Promo call your “outro,” it is crucial that you include two key details: A powerful CTA and your company logo. Your logo tells the viewers who you are, and it’s essential for brand recognition. The CTA tells them what they should do once the video is done. Your CTA will tie back into your video’s goal, which is another reason why it’s important to set one. Do you want your audiences to comment, share, subscribe? The ability to evoke action is in your hands, so it’s important to make an effort when forming your call of action.

Step 4: Review your video

Congrats! You’ve created a great gaming video. Now it’s time to view it as though you were one of your followers. You’ll want to make sure your visuals, text, music, and CTA all do their part in supporting your message. Don’t hesitate to go back and edit your video; that’s what we’re here for! Rewatch the video and ensure that all the elements are in place and correlate with your vision and statement. With Promo, you can even send your draft to your peers and friends to see if they have any input.

Keep in mind that most videos are watched on mute, so your message must come across both with and without sound. If you have added a voice-over, it is important to include captions as well.

Example: Our gamer went back and (after rewatching) noticed that they forgot to add a YouTube intro and that the outro (CTA) didn’t contribute to the action they were trying to achieve. They also realized that the music they chose didn’t fit the video’s gaming vibe. They tweaked and improved until they created the following (awesome) version:

Step 5: Share your video 

Now is the moment to get your video out into the world! If you’re planning to post your gaming video straight to YouTube, you can do so from our Publish Page! With our Publish Page, you have the power to instantly share your video to your social media channels, download or upload to cloud services, amongst other things. 

Gaming Videos You Can Create With Promo

If you already have a YouTube channel or are thinking about starting a YouTube gaming channel, know that the competition is intense. That being said, there are different types of YouTube gaming videos, so find the niche that works best for you, put your unique spin on things and stand out! Connect and engage with viewers from all over the world.

Gaming Reviews

How do you know if the game you’ve heard about is any good? Like most things in popular culture, every recently released product is highly anticipated and quickly reviewed after it’s come out. Games are no different. 

Video Tip: When reviewing a game, you need to consider several aspects. The main ones are story, design, and gameplay. Some reviews only focus on the story without examining the game’s art, just as some only review games in terms of mechanics. The perfect game review balances all three. 

When creating a video game review, you’ll need to determine whether you want to include spoilers and warn viewers if there will be. If you manage to gain gamers’ trust and form a reputation as someone who creates reliable review videos, you’ll see the number of subscribers to your channel will start to grow.

Listicles 

Whether you’re sharing the “Top Five Games of this Month,” or creating a list of “The Top Five Female Video Game Characters,” there’s always a relevant listicle to be made. Listicles videos are an amazing way to create short and informative videos while driving engagement. Your listicle videos can be educational, inspirational, or even humorous.   

When your viewer watches your gaming listicle video they know that it will progress in a numerical fashion and supply short pieces of information. Listicle videos drive engagement as your viewers know exactly what they’re about to see, and they’re anticipating to see it. It’s a win-win, your viewers are hooked, and you’ve provided them with valuable information.

Gaming News

Gaming news videos are an excellent way to gain views by covering a currently trending topic. Large companies create and release gaming videos that deal with gaming news, teasers or hold press conferences. Seeing as gaming is a dynamic and ever-growing industry, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take part in this trending content. 

Whether it’s breaking news about a new game or sharing information and opinions about a highly anticipated game, there’s always something new in the gaming world to talk about. Beyond reporting the facts, make sure to include your reaction and thoughts on the news. Your subscribers are interested in your opinions; that’s why they’re subscribed specifically to your channel! 

Game Analysis

While many people may be under the impression that gaming is all about fun, there’s a lot more to it. Gaming requires a lot of complex thinking, problem-solving, and fast-paced learning. If you’ve got clever insight or a more extensive understanding of the game or want to share your unique perspective on it, you may find that making analytical gaming videos is right up your alley. 

Preview an Upcoming Game

Video games are released regularly, and with thousands released each year, there will always be something to talk about. Creating videos that focus on the anticipation for an upcoming game is an excellent way to stand out in your niche. Be sure to add commentary on your hopes, expectations, and even worries about the forthcoming release. It’s a great way to drive search traffic. 

How-to Videos

A how-to video isn’t exactly a tutorial on the whole game; it is more focused than that. Rather than explaining a big section of the game, your video focuses on one aspect. How-to videos are a great way to generate engagement as you can ask your followers for input, see what they’re having trouble with, and give them the answers they need. You can also create videos about aspects of the games you have mastered, helping your viewers master it too. 

Gaming YouTube Intro

YouTube intros are an important tool for captivating audiences, keeping them on your gaming channel, and turning them into subscribers. Along with audience captivation and retention, YouTube intros also instill a sense of brand consistency. 

The fun thing about YouTube intros is that if you take the time and effort into creating a good one, you can use it in all of your upcoming gaming content. With Promo, you can create the perfect YouTube intro for your gaming channel. Adding an intro to all your gaming videos will ensure your audiences recognize your channel immediately and know exactly what to expect.

Create a gaming intro from scratch fit perfectly for your channel, or use one of our ready-made YouTube intros, waiting for you to make it your own.

What are the Benefits of Creating Gaming Videos?

If you’re still not sold on the advantages of creating gaming videos, let us break it down for you. Along with serving as entertainment, community, and companionship, there are many benefits to creating gaming videos.  

Drives Engagement 

Since the pandemic, video consumption has been on the rise – with gaming videos being the vertical sitting at the forefront. Engagement rates have also surged. The gaming video trend offers an engaging activity and a sense of community in a way that doesn’t require groups of people and encourages you to stay home. Gaming videos allow people to find connections and remain engaged in the most accurate way possible in our current climate.

Become a Thought Leader in Your Niche

Establishing credibility in your niche is not something to be taken for granted. Adding value to your viewers’ gaming experience with your commentary and unique view while demonstrating knowledge and understanding will impact brand perception and compel viewers to take action. Building brand awareness and credibility through leadership leads to authentic audience engagement.

It Pays

Though the competition is heavy and the odds may be against you, creating gaming videos can become a source of income. Producing and uploading quality and engaging videos to YouTube can rack up thousands or even millions of views, rendering advertisement and promotion revenue.

Tips for Growing Your Video Views

Upload at Least One Video a Week 

Consistency is key when it comes to social media. Gaming videos are no different. Aim to post at least one video a week.

Don’t post a new video every week; decide on an exact day and time. If your subscribers expect new posts from you Sundays at 4 pm, they will check your channel for those new posts every Sunday at 4 pm. Posting videos at a specific time and day will do two things. Make it easier for you to maintain your view count close to your subscriber count and ensure you don’t procrastinate. Your viewers are counting on you!

Make Your Video Authentic and Entertaining 

Audience attention and retention are everything. If you lose your viewers’ attention, they’ll move on to the next video, and you may lose them as subscribers. Have a strong YouTube intro, make sure your audience knows exactly what to expect, and make it impossible for them to click away. If the title of your video promises “X,” deliver on that promise early on in your video. 

Don’t Forget A Great YouTube Thumbnail

A moment before you think you’re done creating your gaming video, consider one thing: Your YouTube thumbnail. One of the easiest ways to ensure more views is to create an amazing video thumbnail. 

To make a stand-out thumbnail, include colorful images related to the game you’re featuring. Adding text to your thumbnails will also increase the likelihood of viewers clicking, so make sure the text you add is short and clear. In essence, the most significant part of making a thumbnail is to make your viewers want to click! Make them feel like they’ll miss out on something if they skip your video. FOMO is real, use it to your advantage when creating a thumbnail!

Utilize YouTube Shorts

If you aren’t acquainted with YouTube Shorts, now’s the time to do so. These vertical, minute-long videos are perfect for the gaming community. With YouTube Shorts, you can film tutorials for viewers looking for short content, capture funny moments, and give sneak peeks into what’s yet to come in the gaming world. Since the algorithm works differently, with YouTube Shorts, you’ll reach audiences that may have overlooked your content until now. 

Final Words 

If you want to create amazing gaming videos, take this advice to heart. Remember to keep your goal in mind when creating your video and focus on the CTA. Though it may sound like a lot of work, Promo is here to help. Our footage library is waiting for you to dive in and create your next gaming video. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!