How I Failed At Being A Dungeon Tuber
And happy I did.
Before I tell you the 3 ways I failed at becoming a Dungeon Tuber, let me first say this is not a post about “poor me” or to give me your sympathy. This is an honest reflection on my creative journey and how I am finding out, still, what I really want in life.
This is also not a I’m quitting YouTube because YouTube hates me or anything like that.
No, this post is about How I Failed At YouTube and kind of love it.
If you’re looking for a Youtube channel, or a Substack newsletter for that matter, that wants to satisfy an algorithm, my content is not for you; because there is no clickbait or drama. If you like random, and occasionally insightful, articles on the rpg hobby, then consider subscribing.
And this is the first step to how I failed at being a Dungeon Tuber.
I didn’t start a channel during Covid looking to cash in on Stranger Things, I started a dnd channel before all that, December 25, 2018 to be exact, because I thought I could pass along some knowledge and have some fun. I didn’t start a channel to become a Dungeon-tuber and I still don’t want to be one.
There have been reports of other Dungeon Tubers, like Guy from How To Be A Great GM to Mann Shorts and others who have recently moved on from their channels because they were no longer getting the views, clicks, etc, and for those who have moved on, thank you for your contribution, I enjoyed your videos.
I don’t want to make videos or articles for the algorithm. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be successful at doing this, I just have a different view of success, and I’ll tell you in another article how I really won at Youtube.
The second way I failed at YouTube is I make crappy thumbnails.
My thumbnails have no uniformity but, occasionally, they attract attention. When I am creating a thumbnail sometimes I laugh out loud because I think they’re funny or cool, even if no else probably will. Example
The no fun Youtube, algorithm voice chimes in and says, “No one is going to click on that, and I say, “That’s cool, it’s not for you, I think it’s funny.”
The third and final way I failed at Youtube is that I don’t take it seriously, anymore.
When I first started making videos, I thought I was curing cancer. I thought, “Dammit Jim I’m doctor not a party clown”. I thought my videos were important and the reality is, I make bubble gum and hope people, like you, will like some of the flavors I make.
In reality, my content is like a mom and pop game shop who loves rpgs but has to sell Magic Cards to keep the business afloat. So, I occasionally make a video about what’s happening in the ether- sphere like this one on Greyhawk or I get a boost from someone like Professor Dungeon Master who shared my review of Deathbringer, video with his audience. Thanks again Dan.
If you look at the average amount of views on my latest experiment, 30 Dungeons in 30 Days playlist. I’m 26 videos in and two of the videos are strong with one over 1k and there others over 500 and they may grow with time, maybe. The average for these videos is less than 100 views.
Before 30 Day Dungeons, if you add up my last 12 videos, minus the live videos, once again there some anomalies like The Ultimate Guide To Creating A Sandbox (over 2k) or The Dungeons and Dragons Setting every DM Must Have (over 7k) my average views are around 500 or less.
The reality is, I’m not making videos for hundreds or thousands, I’m making videos for one person, the person I think might like a video and those who are like them. In other words, I have someone in mind when I make a video. I make videos for about 100 people based on views.
So, have I failed at being a Dungeon Tuber, yep, by all the metrics of Youtube I have failed, but, like I said, it was never my intent to be a “successful” Dungeon-Tuber making thousands of dollars in the first place, so, did I really fail?
If you want to hear how I won at YouTube, hit the subscribe button and you’ll find out in a future post.
This newsletter, like my videos, are my love letter to a hobby that has been good to me and I’ll continue to push myself to explore and create and encourage others to do the same and I hope you’ll hang around.
If you’re a dnd creator, what does success look like for you in this hobby?