Starting YouTube
I started a YouTube channel recently.
This is not something that happened out of the blue. I have a lot of hours under my belt when it comes to gaming. I have played video games since I was six years old. My father's PS2 was the first console I ever played, and he would not get to play very often because I was on it playing Crash Bandicoot. Eventually, I got my first Xbox 360 in middle school. My friends and I had a clan in high school and we would terrorize people on Call of Duty and Halo. We playfully mentioned starting a YouTube channel back then, but it never came to fruition.
Fast forward 8 years to 2021. I was talking with one of my friends a couple of months ago, and mentioned I wanted to build a community of people who love games. YouTube is the perfect platform to do this (even though it can be difficult when you first start). Thus, I bought all of the equipment I needed to start my gaming channel.
I waited for three days while everything was delivered, second guessing my decision the entire time. I realized I couldn't start recording right away because I still did not have everything I needed. I ordered the second round of parts. Then I ordered a third round because I yet again did not realize I would need them. When everything arrived I was overwhelmed. Boxes littered my apartment. When I opened them, even worse than the boxes, cables littered my apartment. Steeling my resolve I set everything up.
Believe it or not, this took 4 hours to set up. However, once it was set up my thoughts of "I shouldn't have done this" and "I don't know how to be a YouTuber" went out the window.
All of us have reasons not to do something. It's a basic human behavior to doubt ourselves and think we cannot succeed. I had all of the equipment I needed, and it was much less frightening to start. My message is whether it is a high tech set up with everything you could possibly need like two 27 inch monitors, top of the line custom built computer, and a stream deck, or if it is something like my set up, you have to start. This is the single best thing I have learned being a new YouTuber, just start and continue posting content that you love. Viewers will come, subscribers will come, your community will come as long as you start.
I hope this helps others who are on the fence about starting a channel and building a community. I would love to hear your experiences!
-Matt
P.S. If you want to follow my adventures check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/imyurfather/featured