Since there are so many people trying to be Gaming YouTubers in Malaysia, I thought I should give as much advice as I can. So this post will cover most of what you need to know when starting out. It is possible to earn a following and to make enough money from YouTube to live in Malaysia, but it will take HARD WORK and TIME. I have been running my channel for 3 years while working a full time job. As a rough guide, living on ad revenue alone, you need at least 300,000 - 400,000 views A MONTH to live, and this will only pay you between RM1,200 to RM1,600 a month. Roughly speaking anyway.

Source for all this? I am a trained multimedia designer with industry experience and you can check out my channel.

Quick tips (tl;dr in bold):
0. If you want to be successful then you have to be professional! Even Pewdiepie is professional behind the scenes. How he is in videos is his character/persona.

1. Talk! Without commentary (talking) you are technically breaking copyright laws with raw gameplay footage. Also, your videos will be boring (unless it's something really special). People don't watch gameplay footage because they want to see gameplay. They watch videos on YouTube for the PERSONALITY!

2. Audio quality is more important than video quality, but video should be at least 720p. 1080p is always preferred. Also, 1080p (SIZE) doesn't mean it's good. Bitrate (QUALITY) is also important.
Proper sound recording equipment doesn't have to be expensive or difficult. You can see that a studio mic can cost just around RM300 (330 in this case):
http://cmmusic.com.my/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=3232
Pop filter RM85
http://cmmusic.com.my/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=2896

3. Recording software can be Fraps, XSplit, or Audacity. I like to record vocals and game audio on separate tracks so I can reduce noise and increase the contrast of my voice in post-production.

4. Music is a B**** to deal with copyright. Even if you aren't making money you can't use copyright songs. You need royalty-free music that you have permission to use. EVERYONE starts using music from incompetech.com. Just put 'Music by Kevin MacLeod' in your video description and it's all okay. Though, because so many people use incompetech.com, a lot of videos become very similar. You can also use the music provided in the YouTube video editor.
Sometimes, you also have to disable music in games because the songs are owned by a 3rd-party (not the developers), like Botanicula or GTA.

5. Branding is important! You should have a logo, consistent colour scheme, consistent design styles, a 3 SECOND (MAX) intro clip of your logo at the start of your videos, AND a 15 second closing screen that shows off your channel or links to other videos. Also, use good video thumbnails and have awesome channel art!
This makes your channel seem PROFESSIONAL.

6. MAKING VIDEOS and MAKING CONTENT is completely different. VIDEOS are just random things you record to show people. You can make THOUSANDS of these and people won't care. CONTENT is planned, with an objective, release schedule, and executed in a certain style. If you play a game with no objective (Minecraft), then make up an objective and say it at the beginning of the video. This gives the audience an objective to aim for too. Create a story!
Look up 'tent-pole programming' and 'evergreen content'. When you start, you don't have any followers. If you release a video that's only relevant for a week then no one will ever see it. Make videos that are relevant forever so that people could discover it even a few years from now.

7. Once you have some good content uploaded, make the best damn channel trailer you can! It should be less than 59 seconds long. In your channel settings, put this video in your 'InVideo programming' and the 'Fan Finder' too. YouTube will advertise for you for FREE.
Here is my new channel trailer:
GamerZakh Channel Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWvF1CyO2co

8. DON'T join a network unless you know exactly what you are doing! Networks will approach you and offer you deals. Joining a network is a legally binding contract that lasts 1 or 2 years! This is not play-play! They can STEAL your money! You should partner with YouTube directly first and see how you do monetising your content.

Finally,

Here is a video on the best advice I can give to new channels:
GamerZakh YouTube Advice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOXuOc7ida0

Hope this helps you guys out some. Good luck!

This post has been edited by GamerZakh: Oct 19 2014, 11:17 AM

GamerZakh
about point no.8


care to elaborate on that??
because previously i got offer from zoomin.tv games and TGN...
but i ignored them...
because im not really serious into this, just doing it for fun and only when i got time for it...

so i want to know in depth whether my decison to ignored them is actually good or rugi lol...
currently on youtube partner...


anyway...
good info on other points...
already had those in my mind when im going into serious mode in future lol...

This post has been edited by Darkz01: Oct 20 2014, 02:05 AM

Sure thing!

Here is the idea of networks:
You join a network so they will give you benefits. In turn, you give them a share of your ad revenue, but being part of a network is supposed to get you more targeted ads to play on your videos, which is supposed to earn you more, so you don't lose any money.

So, usually when you join a network they will offer you 60:40 or 70:30. This means they will take 40% or 30% of your ad revenue. THIS IS NOT A SMALL NUMBER! Some networks give you great benefits. Personally, I'm with MakerGen, and they give me unlimited access to Epidemic Sound, Epoxy, Spreadshirt and a few other things which are paid services that I get for free. They also have partnerships with some companies so if you advertise for them through MakerGen you get a cut of the profit. Maker has also contacted me twice to collaborate with other Maker partners, which led to successful videos and YouTube connections.

Other networks have really useless benefits, like access to already free services or just not very good ones. Some networks even say in their contract that you MUST upload at least once a day! This is unreasonable and tiring. You can end up paying 40% to 30% of YOUR earnings to a network that doesn't do anything useful for you, for a YEAR!

You also have to take into consideration the career ladder. Maker owns Polaris, which is where TB, Day9, The Yogscast, etc. all are. Me being with MakerGen means that if I get big enough, they will promote me to a more important network. So if I ever want to be in Polaris, I need to become successful in MakerGen.

YouTube actually cracked down on the really useless networks about a year ago. They changed their T&C so that networks MUST give benefits in some way, and they gave a button to opt-out of a network, but opting out is pending approval and can be messy because you are actually opting out of a legally binding contract. The network must be found to be in violation of the T&C for you to be removed.

i see...
so whats the difference between network and youtube as partner other than share percentage??
and how many percent does youtube actually takes??

sorry...
i cant really understand the analytic thingy in ad revenue for my youtube lol...

This post has been edited by Darkz01: Oct 20 2014, 04:36 PM

I'm not sure of how much YouTube takes because I think it depends on the deals they make with the advertisers.

As for how much money you're making, that depends on a lot of things:
1. If people see your ads. If the viewer has AdBlock then no ad plays and you don't get money. That's why you have 'views' and 'monetisable views'.
2. What kind of ads are playing. Banner ads, skippable video ads, and non-skippable video ads. In that order from least to most in terms of how valuable they are.
3. If ads are playing at all. If no one is buying ad space then no ads will show on your videos and you don't get any money.
4. The value of the ads being played. Some ads are worth more than others depending on the advertisers.
5. If people click the ads/do what the advertisers want you to do.

This is why you will earn almost twice as much during November/December compared to January/February. A lot of companies advertise for Christmas and New Years, so as soon as it's January 1st a lot of ad campaigns end and ads stop playing on your videos.

i see...
thanks a lot for your explanation...

and i just realize now even new account already can monetize...
previously i have to achieve x subscriber or y views then only entitle to monetize lol...

My Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/bazet


mostly on Simracing

Interesting tips there!

Although I do provide commentary, it doesn't apply to all videos because I'm not those who like to talk alot on my videos; only apply to mini reviews. But would my contents speak for themselves if I'm one of the fastest uploaders?

For instance, when people have discovered item A and search for it on YouTube, my video would be listed on the first page usually.

Also for partnerships, can we apply for another one inclusive of YouTube?

This post has been edited by UserU: Oct 23 2014, 02:15 PM

Hi guys, newbie here need guru's advice. I recently upload a video on youtube, I use nvidia shadowplay to record, the game is in 1080p. After upload it only can show up to 240p, there is no selection for 360p and above. I try twice also same result, google search for hours no solution.
Any idea will be very appreciated

Uploading something fast without commentary has a few problems:
1. It's almost impossible to upload something first because big channels like TotalBiscuit and The Yogscast get early access and review copies of the game. You will notice The Yogscast has had a Civilization: Beyond Earth series with the developers for weeks now and TB's review goes up the moment the NDA is lifted. Anything you can get early access to everyone else can as well, unless you're a really big channel with connections. Unless you can cover games that are VERY niche, like I did with Salem, then you will get some attention but your channel won't become huge with those.

2. Raw gameplay without commentary/talking is breaking copyright laws. Talking over your gameplay makes the content transformative. This is not usually enforced, but it's still not considered professional and YouTube specifically mentions not to upload raw gameplay or 'gaming montages'.

3. Not as many people are looking for raw gameplay. People watch gaming videos usually for the personality, not the game. Look at Pewdiepie, he can play anything and people watch it, or even my channel, my games are mostly 10 years old or older. I'm definitely not the first to upload videos of those games, but my commentary draws people in. You seem to have found some success with your CSO videos without commentary, which is awesome! This does seem to be a niche market though and you'll need a plan on how to transition on to other things.

As for partnerships, I'm not 100% sure what you're asking? All partnerships are through YouTube, they will always take a cut of your revenue. If you also partner with a network, the network is considered your manager and they take an additional cut in exchange for services and benefits.

First, check if you are recording in 1080p, just because the game is running in 1080 doesn't mean you are recording in 1080. Second, check if your rendered video is still in 1080p, after you record, once it exports the video, it might be exporting smaller. Third, YouTube can take 5-30 minutes to render the video on their servers, it doesn't upload in 1080p straight away. It starts with lower resolutions then goes up over time. If the video is still not 1080p after half an hour, then your video file is faulty.

If you want more help with that I'll need screenshots of the rendered file details/properties. Like this:


This post has been edited by GamerZakh: Oct 24 2014, 10:46 AM

Thanks for sharing, below is my screenshot. Please advise what had gone wrong


Attached thumbnail(s)

Could I have a link to the video on YouTube as well? Need to check how YouTube has handled the upload.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxpcAONdXPA

Please feedback whether you able to view in HD or not. tx

Nope it's not HD. You seem to have uploaded previous HD videos before though. Are you using a new method? Maybe the way the current software renders videos isn't optimised for YouTube?

What format is the video? AVI/MP4? Try putting the video file in a video editor and rendering it out again.

Previously using Fraps, now changed to shadowplay, but I manage to upload an 1080p video last night, probably something had gone wrong with this video, i'll try to edit and reupload, it's in mp4. Thanks alot.

Just realized this thread... I kinda have few Let's Play (in Malay while at that) for fun featuring my friends but stopped after a while to cater other stuff I had planned in my pipeline.

Link is below:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ampentium2

Some of these are really old, even done with Windows Movie Maker.

I really want constructive comments in making the videos more fun to watch, other than making commentaries on my gameplay (truth is, I'm still learning to make good commentaries.... I'm not at my best whenever I opened my mouth)

ah ok if anybody wants to be on the first post to promote their page, respond here!

my channel takda pun on 1st page...

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia...rce=twitterfeed

We are becoming like China with Great Firewall soon if this is true.

think link needs to be fixed... the url not correct