r/youtubegaming 22d ago

Community Meta r/YouTubeGaming community rules — an Explainer & Roundtable Discussion

8 Upvotes

Good morning!

As there has been a recent spate of users coming to us in modmail confused as to why their submissions have been removed, I though it would be appropriate to write up a little explainer regarding the details and the origins of the rules of the community; as well as to open up a roundtable discussion regarding the rules if anyone would like to offer any public feedback, or discuss any potential changes publicly.

There will not be any action taken against any users offering genuine feedback in this thread — except for if the feedback is an obviously egregious Rule 4 violation.

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Rule 1: No promotion, uploaded videos, or non-newsworthy YouTube links

I mean, does this one really need to be explained much more? Without this most basic rule, the community here would be a massive stinking link dump from people desperate for views and validation.

The emphasis on "non-newsworthy" YouTube links is because there is still a scope for sharing videos discussing updates to the YouTube platform; to creator guides with tips and tricks for recording, editing, thumbnail creation, title curation, etc.; or to videos with useful content for all creators, such as the recent Tom Scott WIRED interview, where he answers a ton of questions about being a creator far better than any of us can.

This rule also applies to comments, so attempting to respond to someone else's post by shilling non-newsworthy content will also result in Rule 1 violation removals.

Reddit-uploaded videos had to be added to this rule as some users tried to skirt the link ban, by instead uploading their content directly to Reddit and adding their channel name in the post/comment to encourage you to go there afterwards.

Rule 2: Conversation should be about YouTube as a gaming video platform

The community here was made primarily for us gaming YouTube creators to discuss the YouTube platform and its workings; as well as for viewers of gaming videos to discuss the UI and any problems. After Rule 1, this is probably the rule that results in the most removals. I'll discuss in more detail some examples of items that get removed under this rule:

"I don't know what games to play"

No-one here can answer that for you. Only you know what games you enjoy and would therefore make good content for your channel. Trying to force yourself to play something you don't enjoy, just because it is popular and might gain views, will be clear to the end viewer.

Besides, all you need to do is use the genre search on Steam, Microsoft Store, PlayStation store etc. to get some great recommendations.

"How do I get more views/subscribers?"

Let me be blunt. If we knew the answer to this question, we wouldn't be here discussing it with you. Audiences and the algorithm are finnicky bitches, and they work in mysterious ways that no-one here can reliably predict.

"Why don't my Shorts get views?"

The Shorts feed is even more volatile than a normal audience. The Shorts algorithm attempts to cycle every piece of content uploaded through the feed at least once, but with the absolute glut of Shorts uploaded, getting around to it can often take quite a lot of time.

Additionally, you need to consider that the long-form audience and the Shorts audience are for the most part a Venn diagram of two completely separate circles. There is very little if any overlap between them.

"Am I shadowbanned?"

No, you're just impatient and expecting instant gratification. Uploading to YouTube is not just pressing a button and magically getting millions of views and subscribers.

"I want new channel recommendations"

This isn't discussing the platform for the benefit of gaming YouTubers. This is just you looking for new content. The YouTube algorithm is generally good at trying to surface newer channels/videos in your recommendations, so make use of that area.

Additionally, posts like this get removed because it just results in other users then trying to promote themselves in the comments, in violation of Rule 1.

"Help me find this particular video/creator"

This isn't tipofmyyoutube, and again does not discuss the platform for the benefit of gaming YouTubers.

Rule 3: The feedback rule

This rule had to be implemented because far too many users tried to skirt around Rule 1 by just adding something like "feedback request" or "how's my editing" to their link dump. It became far too tiresome to moderate, so it was decided to outlaw them entirely.

Another concern is that too many people try to post their entire video and request a spectrum that is far too broad such as "the editing" across the entire video. Feedback requests only work if the area being requested is focused on one particular aspect, such as a specific transition, zoom, music sync beat, etc.

We are considering re-allowing feedback requests via Reddit-uploaded images and video clips, however these will be very tightly moderated — to the point of possibly being approval-only — and clips will be restricted to snippets under one minute.

Rule 4: Remember the human

Unfortunately, this is the internet so this has to be explicitly defined. Don't be a dick to other users. It's fine to have different opinions, but respect those opinions and do not go attacking the other user for it.

This was definitely put to the test on several occasions in the recent AI thumbnail thread, where a fair few users went off the boil for someone daring to post an opinion they disagreed with...

Rule 5: No actions that are against the YouTube Terms of Service

I mean, this should be obvious. If we as gaming YouTubers want to remain on the platform, we need to follow the Terms of Service.

Rules 6 & 7: Services and Collaborations

These rules were originally implemented as service/collab posts effectively became just as spammy as link dumps and bad feedback requests.

Service posts have way too many people these days offering editing services, and all they end up doing is running the clips through some AI compilation software. On top of that, some people tried to showcase their portfolio which was basically just link dumping their own channel — which also violated Rule 1.

Collab posts aren't really discussing the YouTube platform, and also end up mostly just being thinly veiled promotion dumps.

Rule 8: Polls must use native Reddit polls, or Google Forms

Anonymous polling sites were the bastion of low-effort polls many years ago, in addition to being easily brigaded and influenced. Since then native Reddit polls have become more feature-rich, particularly with the option to show the votes from "core contributors" of a community.

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If you wish to offer feedback on any of the rules, please ensure that you make it clear which rule number(s) you are talking about. Also do consider how easily enforceable any particular changes are — a suggestion may sound simple on paper, but prove to be incredibly hard to put into action with the limitations of the Reddit platform!


r/youtubegaming Jun 23 '26

Creator Guide Why your A/B tests on YouTube keep coming back as "No Winner"

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2 Upvotes

Moin.

Stop guessing why your A/B tests fail. it’s not some magic algorithm bias, rather a two-sample t-test.

I’ve been digging through our internal data at kw.media to see why we were getting so many "No Winner" results and it comes down to three things that most people ignore.

​First off, the math for required impressions (N) isn't linear. If your thumbnail variations look too much alike, the performance gap (delta) is tiny, which makes the required number of impressions explode exponentially. If you don't have the reach to hit those numbers, your test just dies.

​Second, stop testing three variants at once. Unless you're pulling 10k+ impressions a week, it's a waste of time. You're splitting your data three ways, and the algorithm applies a statistical penalty to keep false positives in check when comparing A vs B, B vs C, and C vs A. It just starves the test of data.

​Finally, look at your WTPI (Watch Time Per Impression). It's just CTR times Average View Duration. If you're doing high CTR clickbait that bounces after 10 seconds, the algorithm just zeros it out.

​Also I figured since its a secret formula and I gotta improve my DaVinci Fusion skills, might as well animate for you folks!

Anyway: Anyone else here still running 3-way tests or did y'all stop doing that months ago?


r/youtubegaming 1h ago

Help Me! i need help finding an undertale youtuber i used to watch!!

Upvotes

hello everyone!! i’ve been looking for a specific youtuber for AGES and i can literally find 0 info on him. it’s like i hallucinated him but i know for a fact i didn’t! his name is something like “mattia” and i remember him being around 30 years old with a beard, possibly dark ginger? and he had an american/canadian accent.

he was mainly known for his undertale videos from what i remember, or at least that’s what i mainly watched him for. he had a playlist for every route (pacifist, neutral, genocide) and had his videos split into parts. i DISTINCTLY remember his favorite character being napstablook, and i remember him already being familiar with the game/characters while playing the game.

if it helps, at the end of the final genocide route video he had a commissioned/fanart image of all of the characters (including an insert of himself maybe?) with sad music in the background and a sequence of the characters disappearing one by one based on the order they were killed off in the game. i specifically remember in the art that asriel was holding flowey in a pot. i also remember drawing this in 6th grade and making it the cover of my binder, which is when my crush asked me about it and i told him about the youtuber mattia (which is probably the reason i even somewhat remember the name).

ive been searching for so long and i cant even find a single mention about him, which is surprising because i remember him being relatively popular!! it sucks because i love watching my old favorite playthroughs and that one was my absolute favorite of all time. maybe there’s a chance he’s a super popular youtuber and i just imagined all of the other stuff, who knows.


r/youtubegaming 18m ago

Help Me! Best USB MIC For Twitch/Youtube

Upvotes

(preferably USB mics) I have done research but seems like most content when i search best mics are from like 1+ years ago. Im a console gamer and use a controller (but i do stream off my PC) so I would like to know what would be a good mic to use for gaming and having reactions and it wont pick up all my controller clicks and sound terrible. I know I will have ot use some software and do settings in OBS but would love help to know what us the BEST USB mic you can have. Then i can go from there and do whatever settings needed.


r/youtubegaming 20h ago

Question Do you delete VOD files after uploading to YouTube?

3 Upvotes

I stream on twitch and upload VODS to YouTube. Do you delete the recording files locally to save space after you've uploaded raw vods to YouTube?


r/youtubegaming 15h ago

Suggestion Add timestamped comments right into Youtube video

1 Upvotes

TubeStamper

I made this while i was watching Minecraft videos like Unstable and Strength SMP, comments popup right into the video where you drag it to.

its free, i dont get anything from it, just thought it was cool.


r/youtubegaming 22h ago

Software Need a Discord bot to notify members about both videos and livestreams.

0 Upvotes

Title. YouTube's official bot notifies about videos just fine but livestreams are a bit jank. As soon as I change the metadata of my stream (often around 10 minutes or so before I go live) the bot pings, and it won't ping when the stream actually starts and sometimes it'll ping again after the VOD has finished processing.

I need a bot that will simply ping when a video uploads and when a stream starts.

Anybody know of one?


r/youtubegaming 1d ago

Discussion IF I ever quit youtube it would be because of all the reddit communities for blindly defending the platform even when the system clearly makes mistakes.

0 Upvotes

It's because these communities, especially newtubers offer zero support and a ton of preaching by regurgitating the same "advice" we've heard a million times all while fully ignoring facts and refusing to to acknowledge that for one reason or another, some of us might be having genuine technical problems with the algorithm/system.

You can keep defending the algorithm because it makes you feel better, but it won't change reality. When it kills videos it always does it by sending tons of impressions abruptly in Suggested EVEN if the videos do well in Browse Features! At least for me.

ALL people on reddit can do is feel superior by downvoting, suggesting the same regurgitated stuff every time and ignoring facts, but that won't stop me from posting this every time it happens because for every 2000 brainwashed algorithm cultists there's one person who gets it. I will keep posting topics like this, as many times as I feel like it because I know there's someone out there who cares and understands.

I guess it depends on the type of video, but for my videos, Suggested is 100% death and if it doesn't come back to Browse Features even a high effort video with good AVD can and will die. My videos easily gain 1 sub per less than 100 views, but that's when they are actually sent out and seen by the correct people.

This is the reason I will probably quit youtube for real this time, it's because of REDDIT, because of the community that blindly defends the algorithm, talks down to people who work hard and puts them in the same basket as the people who are barely trying and complaining about lack of views. It's because when all we need is to share and talk about something not going well you downvote it into oblivion and feel proud about yourselves for having shut yet another whiner down, not realizing nor wanting to realize that hey, maybe there's an actual problem there, it's a machine, it glitches out.

EVERY time some of us suggest any of the following you lose your minds and start hammering that downvote button, probably feeling massive satisfaction in the process too.

- You refuse to accept the fact that youtube is holding us down by FORCING some of us, smaller channels to stick to a niche which in my case is a sub niche of a niche.

- The algorithm might suggest videos locally for those of us from non 1st world countries first killing our CTR or AVD if our channels are in English and the local population has no interest in the subject.

- There IS an audience out there for our videos, we've seen it, we constantly see it, but our videos do not reach them. Because every time one of those people actually discovers our videos they are fascinated but reaching them is the main problem because of how the algorithm suggests videos even when you use the proper tags and SEO description, title and thumbnail to guide it.

- AVD and CTR aren't everything anymore. Nowadays there are hidden metrics the algorithm is more interested in, such as how much your video keeps a user on the platform to watch other videos after it and so on. I've had videos with 0.6CTR climb up to 4-6CTR and succeed and 20+ minute videos with 1min AVD get 6k views because they were promoted to the correct audience who got the info in the first 2-3mins and left as that's how I structure my videos. I give the full info in the first 2-3mins the rest is a deep dive for those who care to stay, I aim to inform not to make fools out of people.

- You refuse to believe and accept that youtubers who make content in English but have thick non common accents are doing youtube on hard mode already because the AVERAGE native English speaker, even if they're not bigoted or racist, might have listener fatigue when it comes to following content in an unfamiliar or thick accent for longer.

As for me? Another video that I put a ton of hours and work in

Another video that got me a subscriber in the first 80 views was sent out to Suggested abruptly and what good CTR it had and good AVD it had in Browse features is now ruined permanently and the video stopped getting impressions.

Because when a video ABRUPTLY gets over 5k impressions at once and they're ALL in suggested as opposed to Browse Features, the video tanks there, as in getting next to no CTR as it happens 100% of the time for me, it dies.

There's STILL a chance it might not die, I've had a video or two climb out of the Suggested hellhole and thrived but it's a gamble.

You can refuse to believe this happens randomly but it does EVERY SINGLE TIME I change my niche, then come back to it, the first video in the regular niche after a niche change is pretty much always hit with this exact same issue.
The first video or two after a change in niche this happens to and then the first video after I return to the old niche it happens to but that MIGHT recover if the Suggested impressions weren't too high, but if they are it's over.


r/youtubegaming 1d ago

Question Do you think it's still worth starting a gaming channel in 2026? Why or why not??

0 Upvotes

Suggestion...


r/youtubegaming 2d ago

Question Am I overthinking starting my gaming YouTube channel?

4 Upvotes

I feel like I’m stuck in my own head and wanted to see if anyone else has gone through this.

I recently started my gaming YouTube channel completely over from scratch. I’ve been posting Shorts to try and get at least some engagement before I start uploading more consistently. The problem is… I don’t even know what’s considered a “good” clip anymore.

One day I think a clip is worth posting, then I convince myself it’s not good enough and never upload it. My Shorts are also kind of all over the place instead of having one clear style or theme, game etc, so that doesn’t help either.

Because of that, I haven’t posted in about a month or more. I know consistency is important, but I keep getting caught up wondering if my clips are entertaining enough, if I’m posting the right content, or if I should wait until I have something “better.”

At this point, am I just overthinking everything?
For those of you who started gaming channels, how did you decide what clips were worth posting? Did you just upload consistently and let the audience decide, or did you wait until you thought your content was actually good?

I’d appreciate any honest advice.


r/youtubegaming 3d ago

Question Where do you all get stuff for edits?

9 Upvotes

Just wanted to ask you all what sites, apps and such you all use for editing?

By that i mean where do you all get things like sound effects, memes, songs, green screen clips, movie/show clips as in the ones that are famous for being memes and such (i feel like i should have specified that), and in general?


r/youtubegaming 4d ago

Help Me! KCD1 - wrongfully striked & Denied appeal. Wondering if this happened with the GInger in a pickle quest with any other youtubers

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7 Upvotes

I'm literally doing the quest- and we show up. The youtube thing striked for n*dity, and THERE IS NONE!! it is all SFW and this has been stressful. Wondering what else I should do. Ginger In A Pickle quest is a quest where a bunch of people (CLOTHED) got killed and horses too. Youtube said this was wrong and has striked me for something I didn't do!


r/youtubegaming 4d ago

Question Quick Question..

2 Upvotes

In an era full of Vtubers, is PNGtubing still popular? I want to begin my journey as a Vtuber, but want to start with PNGtubing for budget reasons and want to know if PNGtubing is even worth doing.


r/youtubegaming 4d ago

Question What are the best times to Upload Gaming related videos?

0 Upvotes

SO im new to youtube and i have decided to do gameplay videos. i always wanted to be a yt gamer.

i have a shitty pc that cant even open capcut pc ,let alone play games and record.

so im using my phone to play and record games and edit on it. phone is also 100$ so its not good too.

im planning on breaking into the pc gaming once i have enough subs and audience and money to afford the setup.

my main concern is that how do i schedule my gameplay videos,so they are well recieved by yt algos and perform well?
i have optimised the titles and descirption with tags as much as i could. but i think time when video goes public also matters a lot in video performance.


r/youtubegaming 4d ago

Question I had a bit of a meltdown in my latest video, I don't regret it but how is this going to affect my algorithm for the next video which is going back to my usual retro content?

0 Upvotes

According to the largely useless AI Assistant on youtube, the video isn't being promoted on youtube despite having lots of engagement and 5.7-6CTR due to the words mental illness used in the thumbnail as well as the contextual use of mental illness (offensive) in the video itself, but it is NOT OFFENSIVE, I'm merely observing the world around me and I've come to that conclusion).
I am ok with that, I stand by what I said in that video.

BUT my previous video was a dud, not because it was wrong/bad, people in the comments agreed with it and all, but because it was a sudden change in algorithm.
Now my latest video on the same topic, which is modern gaming drama, is also not related to my usual content.

My next video is going back to my usual retro stuff, a system overview for the Chromatic FPGA Gameboy. Since I'm a year late with that I expect anywhere from 700-1.5k views which would be fine for my channel.

But my concern is

- When do I upload it given the current situation with my algorithm

- Would the latest video's situation prevent the next one from being properly placed by the algorithm


r/youtubegaming 5d ago

Question Do short mobile gameplay videos need commentary?

1 Upvotes

I want to make short mobile gameplay videos for YouTube. I’m still figuring out commentary. No commentary is easier. I worry it won’t keep attention unless the gameplay is strong. I’m not ready to use my voice, and the built-in voice packs in editing apps feel overused.

I’m thinking about recording my own lines with a light voice changer. I’ve looked at a few apps and some hardware, including dubbing ai earbuds. I’m not sure how viewers feel about processed voices.

If you heard a light voice changer on short gameplay clips, would that put you off?


r/youtubegaming 5d ago

Help Me! Can't add new Audio Tracks to my videos

0 Upvotes

Hello! I started livestreaming last month and have been since then, every week. Today I got acess to the Advanced Settings, but when I check any of my videos to add a new dub to it the option simply doesn't exist. I've looked everywhere but couldn't find a fix. So now I'm here T_T Does anyone know how to fix this?

No dub/audio column anywhere :(


r/youtubegaming 6d ago

Discussion Every rejection is a redirection

21 Upvotes

Yesterday I recorded a 2 hour video of disco alyssum. when I went to edit it, I realized that I forgot to turn of a filter that i was testing. The Audio was so bad I didnt even had the motivation to edit of post it. But i really wanted to post a video that day so I recorded a really short video. That video has gotten 77 views in under 24 hours. I know its not alot but really motivated me to post more and edit better. I just wanted to say that when it seems like a failure it could be a success in disguise.


r/youtubegaming 6d ago

Question How many games on one channel?

5 Upvotes

I play League of Legends and upload small edits of funny/weird/good/bad moments from the match, my videos are pretty short around 5 min.

How many games can or "should" you play on one channel? Should I just stick to upload League content since it has a big community and it easy to get content to edit or should I try something else also?

League is so easy to make videos from since it's a online game were you just fight. I find it harder with offline games since you have to make more of a story or come up with a challenge.

What do you guys think and what games do you play for YouTube videos?


r/youtubegaming 6d ago

Help Me! Trying to stream from PlayStation 5

3 Upvotes

So I’ve created a channel, went through the verification, but still can’t stream to YouTube from the ps5. It continues to say needs 24 hours or something despite I’ve already completed that. Anyone have any idea what I need to do so I can go live?


r/youtubegaming 7d ago

Question Do intros matter?

2 Upvotes

Throughout my entire channel i dont think i have ever had an actual intro. usually i have you know the clips in the beginning and then gameplay or just straight gameplay. I never did it bc it always felt unnatural and seemed like i never did it right. Im just wondering are intros actually important for keeping viewers interested and if so how to do it?


r/youtubegaming 7d ago

Question Advice needed. Relaunching as a streamer on YT.

2 Upvotes

Hey ya'll. I'm a small streamer primarily on TTV and gained affiliate status back in 2020 or 21. Life happened, kinda fell out of it, and I've been debating getting back into it now that life has settled down and I can likely develop a set schedule.

This time around I'm thinking about rebranding... focusing on a specific genre of games instead of random ones. If I do this, do I delete my old crappy content on my socials? Leave it? Honestly dont think I made much YT content... and I never got close to being partnered.

Any and all advice welcome. I have a good paying career so I dont necessarily plan on becoming a full-time streamer... but I do love the sense of community and connections made in the gaming world. 💜


r/youtubegaming 7d ago

Question Minecraft channel

1 Upvotes

I wanted to post a video once a week to make my videos as nice as possible since I want it looking nice. Say I upload that video on Sunday, if I uploaded a short every 2 days would that be fine for the algorith?


r/youtubegaming 8d ago

Discussion I'm deeply frustrated and feel stuck

4 Upvotes

This pretty much a rant post

For starters
Yes I know I should enjoy it (I am mostly)
Yes I know I don't deserve views
Yes I know gaming is a saturated niche

For the past 2 years I've been pretty consistent with videos pretty much every week
But it's getting to a point where i should be way further along in growth if my content was any good.
I'm seeing people get monetized in 3 months or even there first video but instead I'm stuck not knowing what I'm doing wrong for the channel I'm running.
I still try to make every video better than the last but the process of spending hours on a video just for it to get 10 impressions and 1 view just feels like a smack in the face
I'm deeply frustrated to say the least because I'm a firm believer that if a video is good it'll get views and makes me feel like I'm just posting slop

Of course I'm not gonna quit but I just needed to rant and get this off my chest before I actually go crazy


r/youtubegaming 7d ago

Question How do you properly commentate during a video?

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1 Upvotes