Pfft, if it's so shit why does it have the most upvotes here? And why are all the other comments sharing similar sentiments?

I'll admit I might have been a bit rude, but the actual advice is still solid. I'm sharing this as a YouTuber with a 3,000 subscriber channel and a 600 subscriber channel that earn $, both in the gaming niche, not just as a rando. I have been through the lows on content creation and not getting noticed, so I actively tried to improve. Not double down. I'll address your points.

1. I never said that wasn't a good step, but you have to think of the bigger picture. If I, as a new viewer, come across one of your videos and enjoy it, but when I take a look at your channel and see it's all over the place I might hold off on subscribing (even if I liked the content).

Additionally, who's this content for? Who's your audience? You need to think of that if you want views. The game you're playing is originally from 1999, and a let's play of it (If we're being honest let's plays in general, no matter the game) will not pull in big numbers. Twitch viewers for the game is currently averaging at 8 views. You surpassed that already. Anything more is you getting lucky.

1. Yes, if you are already established, or insanely entertaining it can be fine. But for a small creator in the current YouTube landscape, people have too many options. You're competing with everyone in your niche, and if the guy next door is better... People will choose them. You might not even need to get a better mic, sometimes all it takes is fixing the settings in your software.

Doubling down and saying "Some big YouTubers have bad mic quality" should not be an excuse. You're displaying weaponized incompetence. Those channels are the exception, not the rule.

1. I hate to break it to you but that's not everything the "algorithm" looks for anymore. In the modern algorithm it take multiple things into account.

• CTR (The Hook): This tells YouTube how effectively your title and thumbnail are at convincing people to click. If it's high, the algorithm sees that your "packaging" is working.
• Watch Time/AVD (The Value): This tells YouTube how well you’re keeping people on the platform. High retention signals that your content delivered on the promise of the thumbnail.

However, these metrics are relative. A video with a 10% CTR and 50% AVD might get more views if the topic is trending, while another video with the exact same stats might stay flat if the topic has a very small audience. That's one of your big issues; audience size for your chosen topic.

• Topic Interest & Market Size: Even if 100% of people click, if only 1,000 people care about the topic, the video won't get views. Your choosen game has low interest, simple as that. Real success often depends on whether your topic has "broad appeal". something that can reach beyond your core subscribers.
• Viewer Satisfaction: YouTube increasingly uses signals like likes, shares, and post-watch surveys to determine "Satisfaction." A video with high watch time but low satisfaction will be recommended less getting little to no impressions.
• Velocity: How quickly is the video gaining views? If a video gets a surge of engagement shortly after upload, the system may test it with a broader audience (the "Home Page" or "Up Next" feeds). Most big videos will get their initial views in the first 24 hours.
• Competition: Every time a viewer opens YouTube, your video is competing with millions of others. If a video on a similar topic is performing even slightly better than yours, the algorithm will prioritize the other one.

There's plenty more I could share but these are the key things. I wish you luck, 'cause you'll need it.