well it was moreso I happened to check your channel to see if you had anymore DnD alignment videos and this just happened to be pixel perfect up at the same time pretty crazy timing honestly
Imma be honest, I saw your Discord ping while I was working and I just saw the "Premiere" when I opened RUclips just now. So I just clicked it without checking the title. So far I've managed to catch the beginning of a single Premier since YT debuted the feature in *checks vague notes* TWENTY-EIGHTEEN?!?!
But it's also in a vast maze and you can be seen much more if the guy at the door tells people coming in where you are or points them in your general direction.
It's weird to think that so many of the D&D channels I once thought of as coworkers are now pretty much all just history. It's like an era is over that I didn't even realize I was in.
it's wild to think. however the future isn't set in stone. you can always come back later and do something else. that same freedom is open to everyone else. i'm hopeful of the future and know the story isn't over
some claims 3eand pathfinder are bad too. Not that I take their words for it since 3e-5E and pathfinder are good games. The best probably not, but not bad.
@@punishedwhispers1218 The spike in popularity happened with 5E though. Not to mention not too long ago there was a spike of old RUclipsrs in general retiring around the same time, including but not limited to MatPat.
@@TheProteanGeekYes but those jobs are required by law to pay you a certain amount based on your time working. You aren't guaranteed to get any return for your time on RUclips. You only make decent money if you succeed.
@@TheProteanGeek no guaranteed pay and can be demonetized by someone hitting a funny button with no proof you did anything. I can sue my job if they fire me and claim discrimination
@ yup that's very true, but it is also very true of many self employed people, especially creatives. I'm not saying RUclips is great and regular jobs are usually more stable (though no guarantee for people in the US with those weird "at will" employment laws.)
@@MisterRombus- Episode 1 is definitely the roughest to get through, as the pilot you can tell they hadn't quite found their flow yet and their were some kinda cringe jokes, but honestly I'd say Episode 2 does a good job at setting expectations for the series going forwards.
Honestly, this was a bubble that was always gonna burst. D&D's success was always artificial thanks to 2020, Stranger Things, and Critical Role. The people that came on were always going to bail when they had options more to their tastes were free'd up. Between the OGL fiasco, the economy opening up years back, and Critical Role phasing out D&D I'm frankly surprised the channels lived this long.
Those and the lockdowns. Then they ended and people went back to work and with stagflation, with less disposable income. Market shrinkage, firms exit. Fundamental economics.
It’s limited in other ways too. D&D is pretty deep, but not infinite. (3rd party stuff solves a bit, but it’s much more niche.) Channels that focus more on stories have always had a supply of content with more potential.
@skycastrum5803 I watch We Love TTRPGs and Aten talks about different settings from different game systems. He actually is a lot of fun to watch for at least the older stuff which ensures his fanbase are there because they already like the hobby and not because it's cool for now.
@@angrytheclown801 Yeah, I think that’s a strong way to go about it. Though hard to do that if what built you up was a trend. (Don’t know the history of these guys.)
There's only one factor that's worth mentioning, his other channel gets insane views compared to his d&d stuff and he's monetised so obviously he's gonna priortise making videos and streaming him playing elden ring.
I honestly don't blame him, Folks always found something to criticize in his builds no matter what he did. It was honestly a long time coming, and if anything we should be glad the breaking point manifested as peacefully and quietly as it did (as opposed to him exploding and cussing everyone out in a video that gets pulled immediately, for example).
5:20 i hate how true this is. this style of D&D content + humor is really daunting and can make or break or interest in the hobbie. but i cant denie how much attention short form content brings
@@TheLoadingCrew Being funny is hard in general. Not every needs to find you funny but a chunk do. But you really need to nail down what you want to do. No one actually cares about the sensitivity stuff. If you ignore those people they'll just keep getting angry and throwing it on twitter or reddit as a them issue. But the key is be funny and place to an audience. It's also what is funny because they are people out their still doing the doug walker loud and obnoxious = funny. But it really doesn't hit.
My problem with Tulok the Barbarian is that on multiple occasions when he did polls of what character to do next based on algorithmic trends, if something he didn't want to do would win he would tell the audience he wasn't going to do it My issue isn't him not doing it. But that he made it an option for his audience and then told the audience their opinion didn't matter If you don't want to do something, you're free to not do it. But if that's the case, then don't ask people if they want you to do it because if they say "yes" it only makes you look like a douche when you tell them no. This is also the reason I stopped buying Magic: The Gathering in 2003. They did a poll of if people like the redesign, and when the public said "no" the company told people they'll need to learn to like it It's better to not give the choice than it is to give the choice and then reject it
This is exceedingly insightful. As a Dnd tuber and talking head myself, I find your arguments compelling and your examples very well selected. I think it is important to stress the 'business decision' aspect of this situation, as you have. Even those prepared to try and make creation a profitable venture aren't necessarily ready to start employing more people, outsource more, or, indeed, hire a consultant. It's often easier to move on and try to build up something new, because that's how they started the channel in the first place. Anyway. Great video (and well packaged too!)
If you have multi part videos, please for the love of all that is holy, make it super easy for me to find part 1. If i have to dig thru a bunch of videos in you backlog, I'm just going to give up and move on to something else.
A much more thoughtful and well presented video than expected from this topic I actually unsubbed from a few channels because of their takes on this topic
This is a youtube wide issue. It's not just effecting D&D channels. Pretty much every channel is suffering right now, from breaking news channels, to reaction content, to gaming.
@@TheLoadingCrew I've seen several people say the algorithm takes a few days now too. So you don't even know if a video actually flopped, or not for several days. Not sure if that's a site wide issue though
@@TheLoadingCrew I can see how it have it's benefits. The channels I saw complain about it were all multiple video a week types, so for them I imagine the wait must be frustrating. Also thanks for the replies and insight.
… Mann Shorts died because the GM openly supports AI and made fun of people who didn’t like his stance on TikTok. It was very much a symptom of the fact they didn’t change one bit but their open stance on AI was the final nail in the coffin. Actually ngl I’m pretty sure the reason they turned into this recursive self echoing pile of slop is because of their use of AI ngl.
The fear I had when I saw the discord… This turned out to be a very good advice video, not just for D&D content but RUclips as a whole and as someone who wants to eventually make a living or at least subsidize my life with content creation, I am very thankful to have given this the time of day
The formula is just played out. Brand with a D&D related name (include a pun for extra isolation in this genre), make the same video as everyone else (DM tips, here's a broken build to powergame, etc), and never branch out because you only cover D&D which isn't the endless well of content people think it is.
Forever thankful that I don't have to rely on the content I make for income. Huge amount of respect for the TTRPG creators who do, hopefully this video can help them learn so that this community can have more good content in it
Much appreciated this video. I've been repeatedly falling down on trying to do content creation but watching this video has helped me snap out of that downward spiral. I definitely agree with the multi-channel idea. I've had that idea for a while as well
That was a super insightful, and genuinely, thank you for giving your advice. I agree with a lot of the things you've said based on my observations of these channels. On the business side, I'm on a similar mindset of "RUclips is a means to advertise my business."
One of the real underlying things that I don't really see getting brought up in this discussion is demographics and how audiences tastes change over time. Like, yeah, sure, back in 2016 when the big DnD boom happened people getting into the hobby were fine with sitting watching content from the Old Guard, made up of dudes in their late-30's to mid-40's, who had years more experience than they did. But now the folks that came into the hobby a decade ago have all the experience they need to make their own channels, as well as being more savvy about what gets the clicks and audience engagement, and definitely a lot more relatable to their peers (and the younger folks finding the hobby) than a bunch of dudes in their late-40's to mid-50's who are still making youtube videos like it's 2011.
I was surprised to hear about the How to be a Great GM channel and wondered why I hadn't heard, so I went over and looked and discovered that at some point RUclips had unsubscribed me from his channel. There was a big hoopla about them doing this a couple years ago but I've been noticing another wave of it lately - I've gotten automatically unsubscribed from like a dozen channels in the last couple months.
Honestly I only found out about your channel recently because of your Waifu book (fantastic work on the PF2 side of things by the way, most books that do 5e and PF2 leave it as an afterthought) but this was a good and insightful video that gave me a lot to think about in how I approach my own content. Thank you so much.
Hey, I've been subbed to your channel for a long time when I originally started a Pokemon campaign. That campaign ended, and then I took a break. Here I am again, leaving a comment because this video was fun 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Great analysis! RUclips needs more channels about channels talking about channels! So the algorithm seeks out channels and destroys them- with extreme prejudice. Creators and influencers are often caught in their own echo chambers- the worst thing you can be as a RUclips influencer is BORING! In the day of limited attendance- no one has time for your boring videos. Remember- “dying is easy- comedy is hard. “
Especially graphic Tees. Like oh boy, another generic shirt with a random logo on it. I'll put it with the 36 others I already have that were probably all made in the same place
One thing i've noticed when it comes to viewers (myself included), is that we can often get into a mindset of following creators due to their specific niche. So when that person tries to break out of said niche, it can cause disinterest since the viewer might already have a guy who does that niche they're getting into. The algorithm realy enforces this and turns a lot of channels into One Trick Ponies. I feel bad when I don't watch someone's die project on their channel, but there's only a select few amount of people that I will actually do that for. Also, having to do the same thing forever, even if you love it, is exhausting. Even borders on the definition of insanity a bit. It's no wonder so many people are leaving.
When you make your living in something as volatile and subject to change as RUclips, to me, that's just a dumb decision. If content creation is just a side job and you have an actual job as your main income that's one thing. But to go all in on this? That's just begging for trouble. These channels are quick to blame the algorithm. No, that's not the whole thing. Much of it is audience taste changing or looking for something different. (This isn't a bad thing) I'm sure many look at MrBeast and think "yea that could be me" and go for it without thinking of what ridiculous amount of luck he had. Much of his stuff is garbage, and based on what's going on now, so is he. So if your aspirations are to become a RUclipsr, don't be surprised when in a few months to a few years you find yourself alongside the rest of us just looking for a regular job again.
My RUclips channel was DOA but I wasn't making videos to make money but to make a community and find like minded people and sadly RUclips is not beginner friendly.
2:09 I paused the video so I'm not sure if this gets brought up or not but....making silly videos about a table top game is good. Making silly videos about a tabletop game with snide comments about politics is a good way to make sure your career ends. Michael Jordan said it best, Republicans buy shoes too. So when you alienate potentially half of your audience in favor of a niche market that isn't necessarily financing you..... yeah, you wind up failing.
Would you ever consider doing an alignment video over Big Trouble in Little China? To me it has always given me wacky dnd vibes and I would be interested in your take on it.
@@TheLoadingCrew A favor to ask. I have been working on a book of my own for around a year now and should be done with it with in the next few months and would love to get your opinion of it once it’s done. If it’s no trouble of course.
I hope my repeated requests for Kain/Raziel in your What alignment series hasn't been too obnoxious, but it's something I really hope you cover someday, and you could use the engagement. I try to be considerate and respectful, but I have a goal I wanna see met, and you are my means to achieve said goal. I'll continue to support the channel in whatever way small ways I can, so long as you keep pumping that sweet, sweet content directly into my veins.
@ the 6:14 mark, yeah this is so true. Did a let's play of a Visual Novel and the first episode did really good over time! But you can see the drop off over time; some episodes did pretty good, like the finale, but nothing in comparison to ep 1. That's just how it be.
Being 100% honest, I skipped half of the video just to see whether or not you were quitting, and it's still not quite clear. I'm assuming no, but I'm sure a lot of people would still appreciate a TLDR on that
Kinda funny I don't really care much for DnD beyond a passive interest. The only DnD channel I watch is this one and it is mainly the Alignment videos lol. Because talking about characters in a story is interesting to me. But as you said it's barely a DnD channel in the first place XD Idk about the successfulness or not of stuff, I just watch what I am interested in and 9 times out of 10 the algorithm does a good job of that. I like a whole bunch of channels, but few are the ones I consistently watch everything they put out lol. I feel like I had a point but I forgot what it was. Anywho, hope things go well for you and all the people you mentioned.
PS: I stopped watching Dungeoncraft because of the negative tone of his videos. He went from "heres some interesting ways to run old school table top games" to "Hasbro sucks, part 22"
Guy did post another video talking about he is going to have 2 RUclips channels going forward, just not DungeonTube stuff. One will be on Star Trek & the other had to do with stories from the traveling he wants to do & how you can adapt that data into RPGs.
"Telling me what I should see is as valuable as being told good job." Do an alignment video of Leon fro Bartford from Trapped in a Dating Sim. Also, good job.
@@TheLoadingCrew One season on Cruncyroll, 12 episodes, no season two yet. Short version of a synopsis; guy is forced to play his little sister's otome game, dies, ends up in the game and hates it. While a lot of the isekai tropes are there Leon isn't your standard protagonist; dude has *attitude* and more then a bit of an ego. It's glorious, watching him is half the fun.
the guy who said my videos are shit did nothing, but help me, its amsuing when people want to hurt you but end up helping you instead. :3 Also, when it comes to parts - part 7 for some reason on my own content, always ends up with more than most other episodes, even part 1.
@ sorry had a doctors appointment that i only just returned from. but yeah, Id like to get away from the part X series, but its not easy when running a series.
With Matt Colville I don't think his content was ever created with any real interest in monetising the videos but they have been a good interaction point for his business and their customers.
Profs vid youre talking about was good. RUclips doesn't show me any of his vids though, i like his content so i check his channel once or twice a week. Ive heard this similar breakdown a couple times now, but if i watch almost all of the profs vids, but RUclips will not show me any of his content unless i look specifically, i think there is something more going on than just each persons search algorithm.
This is the first time I've heard of a Saving Throw channel. I know of a Saving Throw. But it's the name of the D&D game run by Save Data Team. They're primary focus is videogames. The biggest problem with RUclips is that it's a business. The You in RUclips used to be about letting people be creative. What made RUclips appealing was it's openness to creativity. The site wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for that appeal. But like any other business, it became all about money and not about the people (or in some cases, not even about the people making RUclips money). It's a site that has a TOS that they don't enforce if a channel is making them money.
Alright, you have my curiosity good sir. Also, as a side note, have you ever considered doing a video on Lina Inverse and/or the other Slayers cast members?
If something's whole purpose is to bait you into clicking (usually that you wouldn't otherwise click), that's clickbait. Just because he isn't outright stating a falsehood, I wouldn't avoid calling it clickbait. Sensationalism is still bad. Like when Dungeons & Discourse made a video titled something like "the critical role allegations just got worse...." with the standard hand on head looking tired pose and "JUST GOT WORSE" on the thumbnail. That very clearly makes you think something bad has happened and CR/Matt Mercer did something horrible. But no, it was just a video about the blades in the dark and daggerheart twitter drama. She didn't lie, it was sensationalism, but that's still reprehensible. Limiting clickbait to being just outright lies is too narrow. There can be different kinds of clickbait. Sensationalism is a kind of clickbait and is still scummy. I've stopped watching both dungeoncraft and dungeons & discourse because of this nonsense and i generally avoid similar channels, like DM lair and deficient master who've started getting into it more and more.
@@TheLoadingCrew painful, but true, though perhaps it'd be better to say "D&D Beyond" killer, given that one of the main strengths of the system I mainly play has a really damn good website for the mechanics and character sheet stuff!
I feel like a lot of online D&D creators are failing specifically because of that. They narrowly focus on D&D, meaning your content is tied to a very specific game and you ride or die with the reputation of that game. I've been on RUclips a long time and I've seen so many content niches come and go based on game franchises that simply lose their appeal and thus all their audience. It's also very disheartening as a general RPG fan to see people fall down into the trap and perpetuate this idea that D&D is the only ttrpg and any other alternative game is just an offshoot of D&D that does something a little bit differently. Tl;dr try to talk about a variety of games and break out of your tunnel vision
@@TheLoadingCrew not that my view counts were overly high to begin with but my view count on with exception of the usual january drop off of views that seems to be common for january my impossible difficulty melee only mechanicus series was getting consistant numbers outside of one video i did on a different day of the week. up until january my view count for that series fluctuated at around 31 to 35 views with the exception of a video after a pause from the series due to life getting busy which was down by around 10 on that . though the first video in that series did seem to be the most popular
There were 3 D&D comedy channels i loved, Craetive7's "D&D PHB PSA" videos, Mann Shorts "D&D Edition videos" and Deerstalker Pictures "1 for all" and "Choose Your Own Misadventure" D&D videos! Deerstalker Pictures is the only one that still produces content! Mann Shorts and Deerstalker Pictures also produced non D&D content!
I'm an avid fan of Professor DM! Thanks for the work you put into this but you need to do something about your shaky camera, its a little difficult to watch.
@@TheLoadingCrew LUL sorry, I was referring to something to mentioned in your video. Forgot the timestamp xD but I was moreso expressing what caused me to subscribe to your channel which you described as a niche and wasn't a main focus. xD
Im glad you brought up the multiple part thing killing potential new subs because I was gonna talk about that. Part of it is people dont got time for dat. But another part is I dont want to wait a whole week for you to upload episode 2-100 of a video game or whatever. Im like that with shows too. I just wait for a season to finish before checking out a series, so i can shotgun the whole thing. And the algorithm is the same thing as your friend seeing you watch Frieren and say "if you like Frieren, you should check out Dungeon Meshi." Its taking what YOU watch and giving you content that matches. If people arent being recommended your content. Its either too much like something thats popular, so itll just recommended the proven popular thing. Or its too niche it doesnt know who to recommend your content. I love Ragnarok online. It was my first mmo. But if i were to start making content on it, Id have to come to terms im probably not gonna hit high numbers because people aren't looking up videos for a game made in 2003. And I can't expect youtube to promote me just because people look up Fortnite.
The original title of this video was called "How to Resurrect a D&D Channel"...
But this is the video you clicked on, so I did something right
You should make a video on how to make a successful D&D channel with the likes of your channel and the dungeon dudes channel as examples
well it was moreso I happened to check your channel to see if you had anymore DnD alignment
videos and this just happened to be pixel perfect up at the same time pretty crazy timing honestly
Imma be honest, I saw your Discord ping while I was working and I just saw the "Premiere" when I opened RUclips just now. So I just clicked it without checking the title.
So far I've managed to catch the beginning of a single Premier since YT debuted the feature in *checks vague notes* TWENTY-EIGHTEEN?!?!
The power of titles and thumbnails!
Ah, clickbait. And yes, that *is* clickbait.
Reminder that content creation isn't a job RUclips hires you for. You are effectively a Busker on a street with a billion other buskers.
That's a really good way to think about it! very well put!
It really SHOULDN’T work that way to be fair.
But it's also in a vast maze and you can be seen much more if the guy at the door tells people coming in where you are or points them in your general direction.
@@Arufonsa1
Why not?
@@Arufonsa1that's being in the entertainment industry. You're an entrepreneur until the day you decide to stop selling yourself.
It's weird to think that so many of the D&D channels I once thought of as coworkers are now pretty much all just history. It's like an era is over that I didn't even realize I was in.
it's wild to think. however the future isn't set in stone. you can always come back later and do something else. that same freedom is open to everyone else. i'm hopeful of the future and know the story isn't over
Its because WOTC's game has been trash since 4e and people are starting to realize, has NOTHING to do with youtube. No on wants to play a bad game.
some claims 3eand pathfinder are bad too. Not that I take their words for it since 3e-5E and pathfinder are good games. The best probably not, but not bad.
@@punishedwhispers1218”back in my day”
@@punishedwhispers1218 The spike in popularity happened with 5E though. Not to mention not too long ago there was a spike of old RUclipsrs in general retiring around the same time, including but not limited to MatPat.
I would argue putting your entire livelihood under RUclips’s control is very dangerous.
I mean those of us with "normal" jobs put our entire livelihood under control of one business/person all the time.
@@TheProteanGeekYes but those jobs are required by law to pay you a certain amount based on your time working. You aren't guaranteed to get any return for your time on RUclips. You only make decent money if you succeed.
@@TheProteanGeek no guaranteed pay and can be demonetized by someone hitting a funny button with no proof you did anything. I can sue my job if they fire me and claim discrimination
@@TheProteanGeek You don't really get how it works, do you? Only one of those two things in being employed by someone.
@ yup that's very true, but it is also very true of many self employed people, especially creatives. I'm not saying RUclips is great and regular jobs are usually more stable (though no guarantee for people in the US with those weird "at will" employment laws.)
And now we wait to see how many people call you wrong without actually watching.
my last two video essays are non-watcher bait it seems lol
@@TheLoadingCrewDo you think you could do an alignment video for Murder drones?
I tried watching it. wasn't in love with it
@ how far did you get? Episode 3 and onward is where the story really takes off
@@MisterRombus- Episode 1 is definitely the roughest to get through, as the pilot you can tell they hadn't quite found their flow yet and their were some kinda cringe jokes, but honestly I'd say Episode 2 does a good job at setting expectations for the series going forwards.
Honestly, this was a bubble that was always gonna burst. D&D's success was always artificial thanks to 2020, Stranger Things, and Critical Role. The people that came on were always going to bail when they had options more to their tastes were free'd up. Between the OGL fiasco, the economy opening up years back, and Critical Role phasing out D&D I'm frankly surprised the channels lived this long.
Those and the lockdowns. Then they ended and people went back to work and with stagflation, with less disposable income.
Market shrinkage, firms exit. Fundamental economics.
It’s limited in other ways too. D&D is pretty deep, but not infinite. (3rd party stuff solves a bit, but it’s much more niche.) Channels that focus more on stories have always had a supply of content with more potential.
@skycastrum5803 I watch We Love TTRPGs and Aten talks about different settings from different game systems. He actually is a lot of fun to watch for at least the older stuff which ensures his fanbase are there because they already like the hobby and not because it's cool for now.
@@angrytheclown801 Yeah, I think that’s a strong way to go about it. Though hard to do that if what built you up was a trend. (Don’t know the history of these guys.)
@@skycastrum5803true. There are only so many videos you can possibly want to watch about how good Guidance is, and how a lot of players use it wrong
To add to the list, Tulok the Barbarian also severely ramped down his D&D main channel due to a combination of factors.
very reasonable, yeah. I totally get it and i'm happy he's successful and free of his content that he felt trapped by
There's only one factor that's worth mentioning, his other channel gets insane views compared to his d&d stuff and he's monetised so obviously he's gonna priortise making videos and streaming him playing elden ring.
I honestly don't blame him, Folks always found something to criticize in his builds no matter what he did. It was honestly a long time coming, and if anything we should be glad the breaking point manifested as peacefully and quietly as it did (as opposed to him exploding and cussing everyone out in a video that gets pulled immediately, for example).
I unsubbed once he decided to stop with the character sheets because that was the entire point of watching him.
5:20 i hate how true this is. this style of D&D content + humor is really daunting and can make or break or interest in the hobbie. but i cant denie how much attention short form content brings
it's hard to be funny online anymore. not just for sensitivity reasons either
@@TheLoadingCrew Being funny is hard in general.
Not every needs to find you funny but a chunk do.
But you really need to nail down what you want to do. No one actually cares about the sensitivity stuff.
If you ignore those people they'll just keep getting angry and throwing it on twitter or reddit as a them issue.
But the key is be funny and place to an audience.
It's also what is funny because they are people out their still doing the doug walker loud and obnoxious = funny. But it really doesn't hit.
My problem with Tulok the Barbarian is that on multiple occasions when he did polls of what character to do next based on algorithmic trends, if something he didn't want to do would win he would tell the audience he wasn't going to do it
My issue isn't him not doing it. But that he made it an option for his audience and then told the audience their opinion didn't matter
If you don't want to do something, you're free to not do it. But if that's the case, then don't ask people if they want you to do it because if they say "yes" it only makes you look like a douche when you tell them no. This is also the reason I stopped buying Magic: The Gathering in 2003. They did a poll of if people like the redesign, and when the public said "no" the company told people they'll need to learn to like it
It's better to not give the choice than it is to give the choice and then reject it
This is exceedingly insightful. As a Dnd tuber and talking head myself, I find your arguments compelling and your examples very well selected. I think it is important to stress the 'business decision' aspect of this situation, as you have.
Even those prepared to try and make creation a profitable venture aren't necessarily ready to start employing more people, outsource more, or, indeed, hire a consultant. It's often easier to move on and try to build up something new, because that's how they started the channel in the first place.
Anyway. Great video (and well packaged too!)
bro. it's the hardest part. i've been very fortunate to be in the position i'm in
Correction: Guy isn't quiting. He moved to 2 other channels. He just moved subject and thus channels. Everyone I see keeps missing that little detail.
Who's the guy?
@@Dualbladedscorpion7737 How to be a Great GM
He literally mentioned it in the video dude. That he thought he was moving to other topics and mentioned him uploading on another channel.
If you have multi part videos, please for the love of all that is holy, make it super easy for me to find part 1. If i have to dig thru a bunch of videos in you backlog, I'm just going to give up and move on to something else.
A much more thoughtful and well presented video than expected from this topic
I actually unsubbed from a few channels because of their takes on this topic
i've been told i'm very good at explaining controversial topics. maybe i'll dedicate this year to that
This is a youtube wide issue. It's not just effecting D&D channels. Pretty much every channel is suffering right now, from breaking news channels, to reaction content, to gaming.
it really is. you can't have a series anymore. half of it is the meta of culture and the other half is algorithmic trends
@@TheLoadingCrew I've seen several people say the algorithm takes a few days now too. So you don't even know if a video actually flopped, or not for several days. Not sure if that's a site wide issue though
this video flopped in the first three hours. however it's picking up FAST! I actually prefer a slower algorithm
@@TheLoadingCrew I can see how it have it's benefits. The channels I saw complain about it were all multiple video a week types, so for them I imagine the wait must be frustrating. Also thanks for the replies and insight.
Wait, even the goddamn breaking news channels?!?!
I don't have anything worth saying I'm just posting so the algorithm sees you have good engagement.
Keep up the good work.
aww. thank ya!
… Mann Shorts died because the GM openly supports AI and made fun of people who didn’t like his stance on TikTok. It was very much a symptom of the fact they didn’t change one bit but their open stance on AI was the final nail in the coffin.
Actually ngl I’m pretty sure the reason they turned into this recursive self echoing pile of slop is because of their use of AI ngl.
wait...WHAT?!
The fear I had when I saw the discord… This turned out to be a very good advice video, not just for D&D content but RUclips as a whole and as someone who wants to eventually make a living or at least subsidize my life with content creation, I am very thankful to have given this the time of day
i've been doing that lately with my title and thumbnails
@ still good regardless
Can confirm the thing about Let’s Play views falling off hard after ep 1, even on a small channel like mine
The formula is just played out. Brand with a D&D related name (include a pun for extra isolation in this genre), make the same video as everyone else (DM tips, here's a broken build to powergame, etc), and never branch out because you only cover D&D which isn't the endless well of content people think it is.
Forever thankful that I don't have to rely on the content I make for income. Huge amount of respect for the TTRPG creators who do, hopefully this video can help them learn so that this community can have more good content in it
I'm intrigued mostly because two of those featured are tubers I didn’t particularly care for. Will check it out shortly.
I respect them :)
Truly the D&D games were the friends we made along the way.
naturally xD
Much appreciated this video. I've been repeatedly falling down on trying to do content creation but watching this video has helped me snap out of that downward spiral. I definitely agree with the multi-channel idea. I've had that idea for a while as well
I got nothing but respect for you. Thanks for shining a light on this stuff.
anytime man. i've been wanting to shift content for a while anyway
@TheLoadingCrew well your alignment videos got me here, changed how I look at it, but your attitude keeps me here. Rock on.
Hey thanks so much for the shout out!
not a problem bud! I just wish I could have done a better job in the video itself
@@TheLoadingCrew I felt the same way about my own video. It's a journey, brother.
That was a super insightful, and genuinely, thank you for giving your advice. I agree with a lot of the things you've said based on my observations of these channels. On the business side, I'm on a similar mindset of "RUclips is a means to advertise my business."
just checked out your channel and twitter. can I sponsor some episodes in the near future?
@@TheLoadingCrew Oh my goodness, yes, absolutely!
It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them.
my Wyll video did well. we'll see
@TheLoadingCrew hopefully, liked your book so, hope for your success as long as there will be some kobold rep next book 🙏
One of the real underlying things that I don't really see getting brought up in this discussion is demographics and how audiences tastes change over time.
Like, yeah, sure, back in 2016 when the big DnD boom happened people getting into the hobby were fine with sitting watching content from the Old Guard, made up of dudes in their late-30's to mid-40's, who had years more experience than they did. But now the folks that came into the hobby a decade ago have all the experience they need to make their own channels, as well as being more savvy about what gets the clicks and audience engagement, and definitely a lot more relatable to their peers (and the younger folks finding the hobby) than a bunch of dudes in their late-40's to mid-50's who are still making youtube videos like it's 2011.
I was surprised to hear about the How to be a Great GM channel and wondered why I hadn't heard, so I went over and looked and discovered that at some point RUclips had unsubscribed me from his channel. There was a big hoopla about them doing this a couple years ago but I've been noticing another wave of it lately - I've gotten automatically unsubscribed from like a dozen channels in the last couple months.
I would *LOVE* to see you do more content like this!
honestly...it's kinda what i've always wanted to do
This is terrific analysis - you definitely earned my subscription.
As far as How to Be a Great GM - his content has never been good.
"do good things, avoid doing bad things"
Honestly I only found out about your channel recently because of your Waifu book (fantastic work on the PF2 side of things by the way, most books that do 5e and PF2 leave it as an afterthought) but this was a good and insightful video that gave me a lot to think about in how I approach my own content. Thank you so much.
9:24 I am surprised they didn't ever try to make a small campaign guide for any of those "editions"
Hey, I've been subbed to your channel for a long time when I originally started a Pokemon campaign. That campaign ended, and then I took a break. Here I am again, leaving a comment because this video was fun 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I really appreciate you saying that :) thank you
I actually like Yahzick's music so I hope he gets to continue making them.
Great analysis! RUclips needs more channels about channels talking about channels! So the algorithm seeks out channels and destroys them- with extreme prejudice. Creators and influencers are often caught in their own echo chambers- the worst thing you can be as a RUclips influencer is BORING! In the day of limited attendance- no one has time for your boring videos. Remember- “dying is easy- comedy is hard. “
A great video thank you for the advise
Guy isn’t quitting You tube he’s literally making two new channels
Man Shorts had a series called "drunk before noon" that was insanely fun.
“Lemme tell ya somethin’, Yaussin…’
That was what got me into their channel
Very well organized video, inspiring even, +1 algorithm dmg from me!
hurray! thank you ^_^
I feel like if theres one thing this audience doesnt need, its more themed t shirts
Especially graphic Tees. Like oh boy, another generic shirt with a random logo on it. I'll put it with the 36 others I already have that were probably all made in the same place
Great job, echoes my thoughts.
oh hey! I remember professor dm talk about you. "best dressed" indeed!
@@TheLoadingCrew Thank You. You did a really great job on this video. I respect your approach.
I said it before and I'll say it again, the yt algorithm (ooh spooky) is satiated (is it ever?) that you kept putting out alignment videos
One thing i've noticed when it comes to viewers (myself included), is that we can often get into a mindset of following creators due to their specific niche. So when that person tries to break out of said niche, it can cause disinterest since the viewer might already have a guy who does that niche they're getting into. The algorithm realy enforces this and turns a lot of channels into One Trick Ponies. I feel bad when I don't watch someone's die project on their channel, but there's only a select few amount of people that I will actually do that for. Also, having to do the same thing forever, even if you love it, is exhausting. Even borders on the definition of insanity a bit. It's no wonder so many people are leaving.
Solid insights.
Not gonna lie, when I saw the title I thought you were taking down your channel and I kinda panicked. Glad I was wrong😅
nah. not me :) i'm done announcing that stuff lol. you got me for a while
When you make your living in something as volatile and subject to change as RUclips, to me, that's just a dumb decision.
If content creation is just a side job and you have an actual job as your main income that's one thing. But to go all in on this? That's just begging for trouble.
These channels are quick to blame the algorithm. No, that's not the whole thing. Much of it is audience taste changing or looking for something different. (This isn't a bad thing)
I'm sure many look at MrBeast and think "yea that could be me" and go for it without thinking of what ridiculous amount of luck he had. Much of his stuff is garbage, and based on what's going on now, so is he.
So if your aspirations are to become a RUclipsr, don't be surprised when in a few months to a few years you find yourself alongside the rest of us just looking for a regular job again.
This
Ah, we’re doing RUclips drama now.
Not really lol. The original title of this video was "How to ressurect a D&D channel"....but I just got a click and comment out of you lol
@@TheLoadingCrew the algorithm is cruel huh
@@TheLoadingCrew …I hate that you’re right.
@@TheLoadingCrew Congrats, that's the kind of attitude that loses you subscribers. Like this one. Later.
@@CoralCopperHead don't worry, I subbed just now purely out of spite for your unsolicited entitled BS take. Your gesture was meaningless. Good day
Can you keep doing what you're doing?
Because you're doing a good job!
My RUclips channel was DOA but I wasn't making videos to make money but to make a community and find like minded people and sadly RUclips is not beginner friendly.
it's hard to find your groove. after 15 years i'm still a nobody
How was this supposed to cancel your channel exactly? This is great advice!
i'm sure the internet will find a way. I have faith
Thanks for the video
thank you for watching :D
That was really informative. Thanks guys 😄
thank you for the comment ^_^ always helpful. thank you!
2:09 I paused the video so I'm not sure if this gets brought up or not but....making silly videos about a table top game is good. Making silly videos about a tabletop game with snide comments about politics is a good way to make sure your career ends. Michael Jordan said it best, Republicans buy shoes too. So when you alienate potentially half of your audience in favor of a niche market that isn't necessarily financing you..... yeah, you wind up failing.
I wasn't aware of political statements being made. is that also happening?
@@TheLoadingCrew some of the skits in manshorts videos did have political jabs in them.
good to know
Would you ever consider doing an alignment video over Big Trouble in Little China? To me it has always given me wacky dnd vibes and I would be interested in your take on it.
I watched it once. wasn't in love with it
@ Fair enough
@@TheLoadingCrew A favor to ask. I have been working on a book of my own for around a year now and should be done with it with in the next few months and would love to get your opinion of it once it’s done. If it’s no trouble of course.
@superbeat-mm7nr message me in discord bro
I hope my repeated requests for Kain/Raziel in your What alignment series hasn't been too obnoxious, but it's something I really hope you cover someday, and you could use the engagement.
I try to be considerate and respectful, but I have a goal I wanna see met, and you are my means to achieve said goal.
I'll continue to support the channel in whatever way small ways I can, so long as you keep pumping that sweet, sweet content directly into my veins.
lol it's not obnoxious xD that was some dialogue for the youtubers who are watching
@TheLoadingCrew thanx bud 👍🏿
The waifu handbook!!! Thats how I know this channel?! Also how is this the first video im seeing!? Wild.
lol I dunno. i'm not very good at marketing myself
@@TheLoadingCrew Cant fault you there, neither am I and Im making my own TTRPG I want people to buy.
Comment for algorithm, don't have anything to add, just want you to have success
3:10 - Hey Stewart, could you do IDW Comic Sonic Characters for your DnD Alignment videos? xP lol
eat a fat lemon ya dork!
@@TheLoadingCrew 🍋🍋🍋
Starly’s for the Starly pile, hope everone has a good day and safe travels.
thank you for the reddit starly kind stranger
Good video stuart btw going to a con in a few months i plan to get another new keyblade
have fun! lol. be sure to show it off in the discord servers!
@TheLoadingCrew no promises c;
@ the 6:14 mark, yeah this is so true. Did a let's play of a Visual Novel and the first episode did really good over time! But you can see the drop off over time; some episodes did pretty good, like the finale, but nothing in comparison to ep 1. That's just how it be.
Being 100% honest, I skipped half of the video just to see whether or not you were quitting, and it's still not quite clear. I'm assuming no, but I'm sure a lot of people would still appreciate a TLDR on that
i'm not quitting
Hey Stuart, you did a good job 👍
Good stuff
thanks for watching! subbed right back at ya
Kinda funny I don't really care much for DnD beyond a passive interest. The only DnD channel I watch is this one and it is mainly the Alignment videos lol. Because talking about characters in a story is interesting to me. But as you said it's barely a DnD channel in the first place XD
Idk about the successfulness or not of stuff, I just watch what I am interested in and 9 times out of 10 the algorithm does a good job of that. I like a whole bunch of channels, but few are the ones I consistently watch everything they put out lol.
I feel like I had a point but I forgot what it was. Anywho, hope things go well for you and all the people you mentioned.
oh wow! thank you very much!
Just commenting to appease the algorithm... ALL HAIL THE ALGORITHM!
PS: I stopped watching Dungeoncraft because of the negative tone of his videos. He went from "heres some interesting ways to run old school table top games" to "Hasbro sucks, part 22"
Guy did post another video talking about he is going to have 2 RUclips channels going forward, just not DungeonTube stuff. One will be on Star Trek & the other had to do with stories from the traveling he wants to do & how you can adapt that data into RPGs.
I do mention that later. but admittedly not well
@TheLoadingCrew I saw the page headers for both & assumed you knew, but I had already hit send by then.
I didn't figure I'd see Goofy in a dnd video....
bro. I love goofy. what a guy!
@TheLoadingCrew He got me into One Piece so what a guy!
There are just so many better games. Games that aren't just babies' first safe and clean fantasy world.
"Telling me what I should see is as valuable as being told good job."
Do an alignment video of Leon fro Bartford from Trapped in a Dating Sim.
Also, good job.
HAHAHAHAH! thank you. and i'll think about it. how long is it?
@@TheLoadingCrew One season on Cruncyroll, 12 episodes, no season two yet.
Short version of a synopsis; guy is forced to play his little sister's otome game, dies, ends up in the game and hates it.
While a lot of the isekai tropes are there Leon isn't your standard protagonist; dude has *attitude* and more then a bit of an ego. It's glorious, watching him is half the fun.
3:09 They were going to do a news-like series, if I recall correctly
the guy who said my videos are shit did nothing, but help me, its amsuing when people want to hurt you but end up helping you instead. :3
Also, when it comes to parts - part 7 for some reason on my own content, always ends up with more than most other episodes, even part 1.
how so? time to investigate!
looked into it. your videos mostly follow the rules I posted but sometimes you just get exceptions to the rule
@ sorry had a doctors appointment that i only just returned from. but yeah, Id like to get away from the part X series, but its not easy when running a series.
With Matt Colville I don't think his content was ever created with any real interest in monetising the videos but they have been a good interaction point for his business and their customers.
Profs vid youre talking about was good. RUclips doesn't show me any of his vids though, i like his content so i check his channel once or twice a week. Ive heard this similar breakdown a couple times now, but if i watch almost all of the profs vids, but RUclips will not show me any of his content unless i look specifically, i think there is something more going on than just each persons search algorithm.
This is the first time I've heard of a Saving Throw channel. I know of a Saving Throw. But it's the name of the D&D game run by Save Data Team. They're primary focus is videogames.
The biggest problem with RUclips is that it's a business. The You in RUclips used to be about letting people be creative. What made RUclips appealing was it's openness to creativity. The site wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for that appeal. But like any other business, it became all about money and not about the people (or in some cases, not even about the people making RUclips money). It's a site that has a TOS that they don't enforce if a channel is making them money.
I don't watch much D&d content, I do watch Mitch Burns from time to time though. One of the few 3.5e D&d channels out there.
Feeding the big scary electronic monster 😂
After youtube channels will you be doing will you be doing a video about kickstarters as a video essay topic?
I could 🤔
Spoony walked for Matt Colville to run and sadly Guy can't keep pace..
way too true
Alright, you have my curiosity good sir. Also, as a side note, have you ever considered doing a video on Lina Inverse and/or the other Slayers cast members?
I'd love to...one day i'll think of a way to make that a good video
@
Noice! Also Sylphiel is best girl.
"demonac posts every other month"
its more like every 3 months, and the paranoia is starting to make me wonder if hes looking for a job again
last time I spoke to him he was hard at work on the animation
Seems like D&D in general is less popular than any point in the last 10 years. It's a small niche to try living in
I would love a DnD inspired Fire Emblem...
Instead of saying % chance, it gives you the numbers and shows rolls before the animations play out.
it's called Baldurs Gate 3 lol
@@TheLoadingCrew Was Baldurs Gate 3 turn based? I thought it was RTS.
One of the reasons why I couldn't get into Kingmaker or WotR, I suck at RTS...
with WotR, you can switch to turn based as well
The Baldur Gate's 3 is turn base, each character in combat waits until its thier turn to act
The first Two Baldur Gates were Real time with Pause
oh god it really is bizarre hearing demonac be described at chaddest
I wonder if I can mortify him by calling him this constantly.
Great intro btw
If something's whole purpose is to bait you into clicking (usually that you wouldn't otherwise click), that's clickbait. Just because he isn't outright stating a falsehood, I wouldn't avoid calling it clickbait. Sensationalism is still bad. Like when Dungeons & Discourse made a video titled something like "the critical role allegations just got worse...." with the standard hand on head looking tired pose and "JUST GOT WORSE" on the thumbnail. That very clearly makes you think something bad has happened and CR/Matt Mercer did something horrible. But no, it was just a video about the blades in the dark and daggerheart twitter drama. She didn't lie, it was sensationalism, but that's still reprehensible.
Limiting clickbait to being just outright lies is too narrow. There can be different kinds of clickbait. Sensationalism is a kind of clickbait and is still scummy.
I've stopped watching both dungeoncraft and dungeons & discourse because of this nonsense and i generally avoid similar channels, like DM lair and deficient master who've started getting into it more and more.
Man it feel soo weird seeing your face since six years ago
i'm very proud of my progress
@@TheLoadingCrew that is something to be very proud of. I need to follow your step.
hmmm, I wonder how this could be applied to getting new TTRPG systems more popular within spaces like youtube?
dnd-killer seems to be a popular thing to say
@@TheLoadingCrew painful, but true, though perhaps it'd be better to say "D&D Beyond" killer, given that one of the main strengths of the system I mainly play has a really damn good website for the mechanics and character sheet stuff!
I hope these creators watch this video and they take your advice.
I feel like a lot of online D&D creators are failing specifically because of that. They narrowly focus on D&D, meaning your content is tied to a very specific game and you ride or die with the reputation of that game.
I've been on RUclips a long time and I've seen so many content niches come and go based on game franchises that simply lose their appeal and thus all their audience. It's also very disheartening as a general RPG fan to see people fall down into the trap and perpetuate this idea that D&D is the only ttrpg and any other alternative game is just an offshoot of D&D that does something a little bit differently.
Tl;dr try to talk about a variety of games and break out of your tunnel vision
what if you've had a consistantly similar view count on a lets play series?
can I see an example?
@@TheLoadingCrew not that my view counts were overly high to begin with but
my view count on with exception of the usual january drop off of views that seems to be common for january my impossible difficulty melee only mechanicus series was getting consistant numbers outside of one video i did on a different day of the week. up until january my view count for that series fluctuated at around 31 to 35 views with the exception of a video after a pause from the series due to life getting busy which was down by around 10 on that . though the first video in that series did seem to be the most popular
Demonac is still one of my favorite D&D stories
There were 3 D&D comedy channels i loved, Craetive7's "D&D PHB PSA" videos, Mann Shorts "D&D Edition videos" and Deerstalker Pictures "1 for all" and "Choose Your Own Misadventure" D&D videos! Deerstalker Pictures is the only one that still produces content! Mann Shorts and Deerstalker Pictures also produced non D&D content!
Guy mentions he will be starting two new channels
Oh this aught to be interesting. You talking wizards/dnd official channels or content creator channels?
content creators
I'm an avid fan of Professor DM! Thanks for the work you put into this but you need to do something about your shaky camera, its a little difficult to watch.
Tbh... I'm just here for the alignment videos. QwQ sorry...
right...but give it the first two minutes. if I don't catch your attention I won't be offended xD
@@TheLoadingCrew LUL sorry, I was referring to something to mentioned in your video. Forgot the timestamp xD but I was moreso expressing what caused me to subscribe to your channel which you described as a niche and wasn't a main focus. xD
lol you're fine bro. I appreciate you xD
Im glad you brought up the multiple part thing killing potential new subs because I was gonna talk about that. Part of it is people dont got time for dat. But another part is I dont want to wait a whole week for you to upload episode 2-100 of a video game or whatever. Im like that with shows too. I just wait for a season to finish before checking out a series, so i can shotgun the whole thing.
And the algorithm is the same thing as your friend seeing you watch Frieren and say "if you like Frieren, you should check out Dungeon Meshi." Its taking what YOU watch and giving you content that matches. If people arent being recommended your content. Its either too much like something thats popular, so itll just recommended the proven popular thing. Or its too niche it doesnt know who to recommend your content.
I love Ragnarok online. It was my first mmo. But if i were to start making content on it, Id have to come to terms im probably not gonna hit high numbers because people aren't looking up videos for a game made in 2003. And I can't expect youtube to promote me just because people look up Fortnite.
Lets be honest, best of's are the real content and the lets plays are extra features
pretty much, yeah