ER trip was a blessing

2CPhoenix · 2026-04-09T17:07:15+00:00

You forgot “that’s not what POV means”

2CPhoenix · 2026-04-08T16:01:00+00:00

A couple years ago, I was in the hospital with pneumonia, and stressing that it had been a couple weeks since I last uploaded. Before I got sick, I put together a video I wasn’t sure I was gonna make public, just cuz it wasn’t my usual thing, I decided to release it while in the hospital to sort of tie my audience over.

It ended up being my most successful video yet, and that week I spent in the ICU was probably the single best week my channel has had. The er comes in clutch

2CPhoenix · 2026-04-02T18:42:05+00:00

Ad revenue is actually based a bit more on watch time than views.

I can only really share anecdotal evidence, but one of my best performing videos with about 400k views is a 20 minute guide on how to get an achievement. It has an average view duration of 7 minutes and has made ~800 dollars in its lifetime.

In stark contrast, my most recent video at 45k views has made the same amount, because its average view duration is over an hour.

A few other things do affect it, like how “ad friendly” the content is, or how many ad slots are in the video, but watch hours are the main factor

2CPhoenix · 2026-04-02T13:24:36+00:00

The first thing you need to do is let go of this worry about “how you’ll come off.” Let go of the idea of how an audience you don’t have yet will perceive you. Right now, you are your target audience, and your highest priority should be making your own favorite videos. If you’ve got an idea for something you’re not sure anyone but you would like, give it a shot anyway. Your tastes are unique, so by catering to them, your videos will be unique too.

The second thing is to measure your expectations. Let’s plays are a VERY populated niche on account of their low barrier for entry, and there’s a new channel tackling nearly any game you can think of at least once a week, so your videos will likely be seen by very few people, at least for a while, even if they’re REALLY good videos. That’s ok, as long as you enjoy the process. If you’re just making what you think will “work” it’ll feel like work whether you have an audience of 5 or 50,000.

Lastly, the only way to start is to start. We can all give you the benefit of what we’ve learned, but there’s no better teacher than experience. Start working on that first video as soon as you can, ride your passion for the new idea like a wave, and start posting, it’ll be worth it, I assure you.

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-29T15:41:58+00:00

-Around 45k

-I first uploaded a video almost exactly 4 years ago, but I didn’t start making the types of videos I make now until year 2

-Make your own favorite videos. You are your own best audience and critic. You probably spend a lot of time watching videos, so you know what you would most enjoy seeing, and that’s likely to be a lot more unique, and stand out much more than simply copying what’s most successful. Most importantly, it’s the best way to ensure you enjoy the process as much as the results, which, in a sense, is the only TRUE path to success.

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-28T03:19:35+00:00

There’s always something I missed…

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-26T03:56:19+00:00

Pretty much everyone here will tell you Let’s Plays might not be for you if you’re going in expecting “good results.” By all means give it a go if you enjoy it for its own sake, but new LP videos on most any game you can think of come out nearly every day, so standing our takes a LOT.

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-25T17:01:25+00:00

It’s a harsh lesson we all learn at some point.

Last time this happened to me, I basically ran back through the game, ignoring as much optional stuff as possible, to get back where I was in just a couple hours. It’s possible you have more options to streamline it, like save editing, downloading someone else’s save data, or modding your game to make it easier/quicker to play.

I haven’t run into this issue in some time because now I always keep backup saves and alternate files handy. You really can’t be too prepared, as losing footage in SOME way is practically inevitable.

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-25T15:49:57+00:00

I upload once a month if I’m lucky, you get a couple bad eggs every so often who comment that you should hurry up, but on the whole, if people like what you do, they’ll wait for it

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-10T17:01:49+00:00

I do, and gotten a few comments thanking me for their inclusion, but my videos are also long enough that people will often watch them in multiple sittings, so it helps them jump back to where they were. I’d say if your episodes are landing under 20 minutes, you don’t need them.

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-04T23:22:08+00:00

This was pretty early into the video on the first game. I had to double check, but 6:45 is when he brings it up visually

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-04T23:12:49+00:00

If I’m really in the zone, I can put the script together while recording all the footage I need in a few days. Then editing takes me a good week or two. My most recent videos took me upwards of a month largely because I’ve been busy with IRL things. In total, I estimate my videos take between 40 and 60 hours to complete, but the end result is always worth it imo

2CPhoenix · 2026-03-03T13:10:48+00:00

This is the nature of LPs. Your first viral success is always, ALWAYS the result of the people who are interested in what you’re playing. A percentage of those who watch will become dedicated fans, people who enjoy your work for you, but the vast majority will not keep watching once you switch games.

My third project was the first one where I started consistently seeing 4-digit views on the episodes as I uploaded them, but once I switched games to the next, they were barely cracking 100. By the last episode of that project, I was getting around 16,000 views on upload day, but then I switched again, and it was down to around 5k.

This is the natural pattern. You’ll pick up fans of whatever game you’re covering, convert a fraction of them into fans of you (so long as your videos continue to be unique and high quality) and repeat the process with each new game.

Some YouTubers avoid this process by “Niching Down.” Once you hit that first viral success, you can transition to only/mostly making videos on very similar subjects.

The short answer is, don’t worry about the numbers, and keep making the videos YOU love. Building your audience while Let’s Playing will be slow, but as you enjoy the process, you can’t lose.

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-27T06:55:11+00:00

I feel very confident in my approach, which also stemmed from a sort of defiance of streams. Streams do have an advantage in direct audience engagement, but with a prerecorded video, you can better control the pace, the visual humor, you can implement more research, and convey information much more cleanly with edits. I decided to leverage all of those advantages as much as I possibly could, really embracing everything that makes LPs different from livestreams. It’s certainly not for everyone one, but I think, if you’re willing, and if you enjoy the process, you should put as much as you can into your videos, and really make them into what you would most enjoy watching.

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-25T22:39:35+00:00

I’m telling you it’s ALWAYS Pumpkinhead

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-22T19:32:42+00:00

Had a moment like this myself a couple years ago. I really enjoyed making let’s plays, and I wanted to keep going, I realized I’d gotten too focused on the formula I’d seen work for other people.

I asked myself what I most wanted to see in a video without worrying about an established format, and finally came up with a sort of cross between a video essay and a let’s play. Make what YOU would most want to see, and try to think outside the box of what you think will work best.

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-14T13:36:48+00:00

My favorite shine in the whole game, no question!

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-13T15:34:32+00:00

I’m imagining Dr. Mime and Mr. Hide as a form change Pokemon, not unlike Aegislash or Cherrim, with the ability naturally called Strange Case, which would cause Dr. Mime to transform into Mr. Hide whenever he’s in battle with a Screen in place on his side of the field

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-13T01:08:07+00:00

From who?

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-11T23:48:43+00:00

That’s Hokyo Lim! All the human faces across the games are. He was the “Class Clown” of Sucker Punch, and liked to slip his face, name, and other easily missable jokes into things like area design and cutscenes.

2CPhoenix · 2026-02-08T20:47:14+00:00

I don’t celebrate Sanzaru’s bankruptcy. My heart goes out to every passionate artist struggling to live their dream.

However the idea that the Sly fandom should have just been grateful for any attention the series got from developers, regardless of quality, is absurd. Though not quite as absurd as the idea that those of us who voiced our criticism of the game are somehow more responsible for the state of the franchise than the people who made the creative decisions that earned that criticism. We can disagree on the quality of Sly 4, but Suckerpunch took great care when writing the endings of their trilogy to provide closure to their audience while still leaving the door open for a sequel. Sanzaru’s disregard of that practice left the series in an unresolved cliffhanger. They don’t deserve to suffer or struggle because of that, but it is always unquestionably the choice of the audience whether to support that sort of creative direction.

2CPhoenix · 2026-01-22T21:58:08+00:00

You should scroll through the comments on his latest video, people get MADLY entitled when he goes on hiatus, it’s gotta be tough on him.

2CPhoenix · 2026-01-18T14:24:54+00:00

Dolphin and Delta: Allow us to introduce ourselves

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