GameMakersToolkit
patreon
The road to 1 million subscribers
🕑 Added 2020-10-20 10:36:50 +0000 UTCHello everyone!
Very soon, GMTK will hit a staggering, mind blowing, unbelievable 1 million YouTube subscribers. In this article, I want to talk about how that happened - and what's next.
So at the end of 2019, I saw that I had reached 715,000 subscribers, which seemed pretty close to the big milestone. And so I wondered if I worked really hard, by making videos that attracted new audiences and then convinced them to subscribe, could I get the 285,000 needed before the end of 2020?
For some reason, I decided that this was probably doable - without checking something important: the total number of subscribers I've received in other years. If I had done, I'd have seen that the most I've ever reached was 205k in 2017, and that it was all downhill from there: 187k in 2018 and 175k in 2019. If I had seen that, I probably would have given up the plan entirely!
Thankfully, I didn't. Instead, through blind optimism alone, I set the goal and started tracking my subscriber growth on a spreadsheet. If I divided 285k by 12, I'd get my monthly target: about 23,000 subscribers per month, though this would change each month depending on whether I met or missed the target.
I started the year strong with 30,000 subs in January, thanks to The Two Types of Random. But missed the target in February, as the Shovel Knight video underperformed and I struggled with difficult family issues. March, April, and May were good, but I missed the target in June as the Mass Effect video didn't have the impact I was hoping for.
Since then, I have hit the target every month - thanks to the success of videos like The Games That Designed Themselves, the episode on motivation, and the Game Jam wrap-up. I've already surpassed my target for October, thanks to the lives episode, and now there's only about 21,000 subscribers to go.
By my calculation, that will happen in mid November.
So, wow. It's all gone staggeringly well! And while the lockdown probably helped (people who are stuck at home have more time for YouTube), I also put in a lot of hard work and determination, and had a better understanding of the YouTube algorithm than ever before.
And I've also learned a lot about goals and motivation while doing it.
When we set a goal (say, losing weight or buying a house), it's important to remember that reaching that goal is just one tiny moment in time, with two enormous stretches of time on either side: the time spent reaching that goal, and the time after the goal ends.
In terms of the time spent reaching the goal, it's really important that the processes you undertake to get to the goal are meaningful and interesting. Or else you'll lose motivation. You might set yourself a goal of losing 5kg, but if you hate the exercise regime you've set yourself you'll probably never get there. Goals are great - this million sub goal has given me something really fun to focus on and work towards in a nightmare year - but processes are more important to get right. Thankfully, I really enjoy making videos, so that was okay.
You also need to think about how a goal can change your approach to things. So for me, if my goal was squarely "get subscribers", it might cloud my judgement and force me to only make certain types of video. A video on, say, accessibility might be important but if it doesn't get subscribers it's not worth my time.
For the most part, I stopped this from happening by giving myself the time to work on stuff simply because I was interested in the video project, even if the video was unlikely to lead to subs (like the British episode of Design Icons) or were very risky bets (such as the Last of Us and Mass Effect videos). Not every video this year needed to be a big hit in order to meet the goal.
However, this goal did change my approach in one, unexpected way.
Normally on GMTK, I just play games for fun like everyone else, until I'm inspired to make a video. For example, I might play God of War, and then wonder "what makes a good combat system?" - which leads to a video.
But in 2020, because I put this extra pressure on myself to always be making videos (I saw first hand what happened to my targets when I slowed down!), I started coming up with video ideas first and then playing the games necessary to make it.
And then something weird happened. The thought of playing games for fun made me miserable. At the weekend, I'd load up Steam, flip through my library for a bit, then give up and go watch a movie or read a book. For many months through the summer, I didn't play games at all if they weren't for a video.
At the time, I thought I had just lost interest in games… which really worried me. Do I hate games? Is GMTK over? But then I made the video on motivation which made everything completely obvious! I was now playing games for purely extrinsic reasons (to gather footage or research), and that killed my intrinsic motivation to play video games! Whoops!
As soon as I realised this, the problem started to fix itself. I gave myself time to play games, and forced myself to play games with no intention of turning them into videos unless inspiration struck. And it totally worked! I played Crash Bandicoot 4 just for fun, but it inspired the video on lives. Another game I played for fun ended up being the missing puzzle piece in a video I'm working on right now.
So the other part of the equation is the length of time after the goal is hit. What's next?
I think it's important to think of goals as "I want to achieve X, so that I can do Y". Thinking about the consequences of the goal - the new avenues it opens - is really important because if you don't, you'll reach the goal and either feel immensely hollow or just reset the goal to the same thing but bigger ("I made $1 million… I guess my new goal is to make $10 million?")
In terms of YouTube, getting a million subscribers doesn't really do anything. I'll get a shiny gold plaque from YouTube but I won't be able to do anything that I couldn't do before. So what's next? 2 million? 10 million?
Well, the answer is that while I'm not sure - it's definitely not that! I'm no longer interested in subscriber milestones, so I won't be actively working towards the next one. When it happens, it happens.
I do want to do some bigger video projects, which might take a month or even two to create. I enjoyed making the Mass Effect video, but put off doing any more in 2020 because I knew it would throw me off target. In 2021, without a spreadsheet to track my growth, I'll be able to take the time to dedicate to these larger projects. I'll let you know when that happens, as you deserve to know when my output will slow down.
I'm also interested in doing more game dev. I know I say this a lot, but it really does feel like the natural next step for the channel - for me to try making some games and share what I learn. How do my theories and ideas actually work in the real world? I've downloaded Unity, but have so far been too scared to start it. Maybe over Christmas?
Most importantly, though, I'm gonna give myself a break. No targets, no spreadsheets, no goals. Just play some games, see what tickles my fancy, and go from there. So far, GMTK has done really well by just doubling down on the stuff I find interesting - so that's what I'll be holding onto.
Oh. But there is one other thing. What do I actually do to celebrate the 1 million subscriber milestone? I should probably do that video I've been putting off for years. You know, that one where I made a whole series of videos in preparation for one final video… Yeah, that one. Watch this space.
Comments
Cluedrew Kenfar Ink
I run a (small, local) game developer's club and when new people come in and ask about tools I tell them to try different ones. Unity may be the big name in indie game development now but I find Godot much more approachable in many ways, Unreal is available now too and Gamemaker's Studio is a good choice for 2D (does have an up-front cost, but it shows up a lot in the GMTK jam). Then there are more specialized engines like Twine 2, Inform 7 or Solarus (and many others I can't name off the top of my head). So for anyone who is reading this who is thinking about getting into game development, research your tools and pick what is best for you and your project. - Yes all of this was sparked by that one line about game development and Unity and I wouldn't be surprised if Mark already did some research. But I've seen people gravitate towards the big name for that reason alone. Also even though this is an impromptu PSA I have never left a comment before I would like to also say I really enjoy your videos and a lot of my favorites are the weird ones so I am glad you are going to continue to make those.
Théo
Great update, I don't regret I've just joined Patreon recently! Love your videos, such a great balance between fun and theories. Funny you've mentioned you couldn't play games unless it was not for work, I'm in the exact opposite position: I'm afraid to start a game because I'm afraid it will took too much time, and because I'm awkwardely ashamed of gaming... I guess it's just the culture we live in. I should work on that!
So excited for you, Mark! My wife is getting into YouTubing now, and even in the early days as a new creator, she is feeling a lot of the things you are talking about. Thank you for sharing! Also, speculation time: is the video going to be the Boss Keys retrospective? I feel like it has to be, right?
sethmsparks
Congrats on finding your joy in just playing games back! :)
Reading this I’m glad it looks like you’ll get there and that everything’s going okay. I was moved to comment, because...I feel like you shouldn’t be scared to start Unity. Launch it! Start a new project! Try it out! Fail hard! And fast! And keep on failing! It’s the only way to succeed. Aside from maybe looking at other people’s failures. Bah. Just start it up! Try it! It’s nothing to be afraid of! Have fun! Enjoy it! I am bad at concise comments. ;P
Paolo Torelli
Kudos for the "No targets, no spreadsheets, no goals." It's not worth it to ruin your enjoyment for some extrinsic motivation. It's the chasm between "I want to" and "I have to"
Congrats Mark I really enjoy the videos you make the careful presentation and rigorous reasoning you put into each one. Great to see you're growing and doing well without burning out.
Ryder
This was a really inspiring write-up, and really helpful guidance on how to achieve goals and not lose yourself along the way! Thanks for sharing, I needed this!
C.J. Smith
For some games it's because I plan on playing later and don't want to be spoiled.
C.J. Smith
Just noticing that the videos you claim are "underperforming" are videos about specific games. I think this is perhaps more expected than you think, as personally I'm much less likely to watch a video if I know it's about a game I haven't played (or watched others play). Other videos cover many games, so seem more likely to be relevant to people.
Chris Lopo
I'm seeing myself in this situation. I'm working on a game and, for the past 2 months, I only played games with the purpose of learn how the developers solved the problems I'm having. The games are not being fun to play, but I know this will finish by the end of December, when I plan to release the first public beta and relax about the game. And, it's important to mention, that GMTK is being an important source of information for my game. I'm 100% sure that my game is what is is because GMTK's analysis on a lot of fields in the game making.
thanks for the update, mark! congrats on making the most of this year! your intentionality has been very apparent in your releases this year, and i've enjoyed them tremendously. i've always loved games, but have become so interested in game design, largely from your content. i'm not really sure what a good next step is as i have very little technical/coding know-how at all, i just love the creative side of it all and tend to favor world building and conceptual stuff. i would be super interested to watch you take on actual game development, whether it's on your own, or in collaboration with others, to see how to take these concepts from being the theoretical to actually bringing several of them together to make a cohesive gameplay structure that supports its narrative. just my two cents. either way, i'm all in for whatever you want to make! you've got great sense in all this, so i have no doubt that you'll continue to create content that engages me!
Daniel
I’m very happy you achieved your goal! I’m also happy to hear you’ll take some time to slow down and allow yourself to have fun and reconnect with the reasons you probably started this journey in the first place. Always take care of yourself first :)
Matteo @Paleblue Narratives
As you said in the last video: "intention, thought, and care". This is GMTK to me, and perhaps its winning formula.
Oskar van Velden
Love to get some more behind-the-scenes information about your videos. Always fun to see what videos did well and what didn't... and often I recognize that I had the same taste and also did/didn't enjoy the particular video 😁 I do think dot on the horizon can help in getting motivated, but - like you discovered yourself - that shouldn't be the only motivation. Glad you encountered and recognized that yourself and now just play games for playing games, instead for video-ideas. And just like what everyone said: just do what you like to do and do the best - the subscribers will come.
Paul Andrei
Congratulations for the milestone and yay for the gamedev videos, I can't wait to see them! One reason that the Mass Effect might have underperformed is that it's 1h long, I didn't watch it either :D
Mark M
Great post, it always motivates me when people who's work I enjoy talk about how they do it. I definitely relate to the 'productivity mindset'. I'll have cycles where I'm productive but then burn out, as I'm not intrinsically motivated, as you say. I'm trying to be a little looser now so that when I'm into something, I'm intrinsically and extrinsically motivated, not just going through the motions because I think I 'should' be doing it. Congrats on the million, pleased to hear you'll be continuing to do the longer and more fringe videos. I enjoy them all but really appreciate the variety. I'd also be curious to see what kind of game you'd make! Not just 'how can I apply design principles', but what sort of thing you would love to make, if that makes sense. And the long awaited video would be great too!
michael mccarthy
I feel the next thing to do would be to stop caring about subscriber count. Let it grow organically, but turn the focus to other meters. Game Development is a pretty great direction - it would be really interesting to see videos focused more on the "how" rather than the "what" of design.
Ben Byford
Game dev is hard :) you might want to look into collaborations instead and help "design" the games instead of having to beat your head against what data structures to use, or whether your fighting the unit animator or not...
ZoidbergForPresident
Don't let the numbers manipulate how you do things. You're doing well, you're having fun doing it? Well keep on then, that's it! :)
