Making (Real Life) Money off SimCity 4

[Propfam 2,307]

Hello,

I want to start a YouTube channel to make (real life) money of SimCity 4. But, it looks like people who like SimCity 4 is small. Should I go ahead or should I go into TikTok, for instance? Should I move from SimCity 4?

Thanks.

 

[carlosmarcelo 982]

7 hours ago, chfzdn said:

want to start a YouTube channel to make (real life) money

The audience that likes SimCity is not as large as it is not the fashion game and, even if it were, the type and style of the game is not very popular. So, regardless of the format you choose, you should take this as a challenge. I suggest asking @Haljackey and @rob_mtl who already have channels with lots of videos if their profitability is worth the effort or if they do it just for fun.

I can't imagine tiktok as a platform for displaying games, but a platform that I consider much better than YouTube for games is Twitch. And one thing I noticed there is that, even big channels with trendy and popular games, they need to vary from games and, mainly, they need A LOT of interaction with the public, in the most diverse ways you can imagine. I've been watching Twitch for months and I suggest you do the same if you want to go that route.

Since my focus is not on making money, but on having fun, I already started broadcasting without commitment on my channel on twitch. Soon I will talk about here at Simtropolis. 

[Haljackey 17,398]

If you put a lot of time, money and effort into it, streaming SimCity 4 on a regular basis could provide you with passive income. Don't make it your full time job and it could be some time before you even see any money at all.

Youtube for instance needs your channel to have met specific criteria before you can generate any revenue sharing from it via ads. Benchmarks include 1.000 subscribers and I think 100 hours of watch time per month minimum. Most streaming has moved to Twitch and Amazon controlling it I am not sure of the specifics you need to earn revenue.

Based on what content I make (which isn't much) - I'll be lucky to earn enough to buy a coffee out a day at the most with what I earn. If I pumped more time and effort into it perhaps I could afford a nice coffee, or perhaps a meal

[SIM-ple Jack 17,450]

I could see a few creators making money developing games. Korver could make money selling posters, calendars, maybe even a coffee table book. He might actually be doing that, now that I think about it. Maybe assorted walk-through videos like Rob on YT. Most of the rest of us are in it for s***s and giggles.

[carlosmarcelo 982]

6 hours ago, Haljackey said:

I'll be lucky to earn enough to buy a coffee out a day at the most with what I earn. If I pumped more time and effort into it perhaps I could afford a nice coffee, or perhaps a meal

hehehehe!  exactly, it is not linear: double the effort will not represent the double audience that WILL NOT represent double the profitability. 

5 hours ago, SIM-ple Jack said:

Most of the rest of us are in it for s***s and giggles.

Yes. Earning a living as a hobby is much more difficult and challenging than it looks. 

[rob_mtl 435]

Hey so just to weigh in. My channel is up to nearly 800 subscribers, largely as a result of SimCity 4 gameplay and especially tutorials. I've taken a little break from making content for the past few weeks because of real life stuff, but I expect once I get a regular upload schedule going again, I'll hit 1000 subs by Christmas or so. (Not trying to be boastful or anything, just a fairly realistic outlook given the trajectory of the channel). At that point I can "monetize" my channel on YT--ie. put ads on videos--which I might do for the most popular tutorial videos.

Other options include mail-order merch, Patreon and similar donation services (things I will keep in mind in the future if things go well) as well as sponsored videos--these options look like better revenue than the built-in YouTube ad system which tends to pay out in pennies unless you are basically an internet celebrity.

Twitch also has some decent monetization options for live streaming and I would (and will) be looking into those as well.

In terms of what type of content--even just to build subscribers if not make money-- "evergreen" content like tutorials, modding guides, etc has been the key, for me, to building a subscriber base, while my regular weekly Let's Play content is where long-term subscribers hang out. The weekly episodes are less labour-intensive than the tutorials to produce but generate less views. From a "business" standpoint, they fill the channel with content to complement the more "lucrative" evergreen stuff. They're also fun and easy to make!

Feel free to reach out to me here to get more into details or ideas--I'm also open to collaboration ideas.

SIDE NOTE for any of my viewers who might be here: My YouTube channel, for the time being, is purely a hobby and I don't make any money from it as I'm writing this. I am certainly open to monetization possibilities if things go well. If I do go down that rabbit-hole I will try to be as transparent about it as possible and make judicious choices about how/in what way I ask viewers to contribute. I think asking for money for making online video content is perfectly fair and reasonable--but I would never want to spam or pressure viewers to contribute or lessen the quality of content for the sole purpose of making a buck.

[carlosmarcelo 982]

On 14/10/2020 at 9:12 PM, rob_mtl said:

Twitch also has some decent monetization options for live streaming and I would (and will) be looking into those as well.

Thanks for following me there! 

In my opinion, the biggest advantage of Twitch is that you don't have to have the obligation to edit the video later: editing takes a lot of time and is a bit tedious. Perhaps for tutorials, previously recorded videos are the ideal format, but to have a quick result and to interact with the public, Twitch is a powerful and stimulating tool. 

As for the remuneration part, which is not my focus since I just want to expose a hobby without commitment, I consider it much better than youtube because it is something direct "spectator to streamer", giving much more power and flexibility to both. 

I haven't officially released my channel yet because I'm having a lot of traffic problems, the connection is not stable.  I'm trying to solve this, at least.

[Propfam 2,307]

The challenge is too few people is caring SC4. I mean, truly few. For instance, @Haljackey channel doesn't have even at least tens of thousands of subs. Rob is in the thousands, not tens of thousands yet. So, how should I do to gather a large mass of audience?

[Haljackey 17,398]

...You likely won't.

SimCity 4 is an old game and isn't properly setup for streaming. Only a few have done it well, such as @Strictoaster.

SimCity 4 predates Youtube by a few years, and games get most attention on Youtube, Twitch and social media sites at launch. My channel saw the most growth when SimCity (2013) came out even though most of my content is for SimCity 4. I saw a similar growth spurt when Cities Skylines came out.

After launch, most games die out as people's attention moves to other new games coming out. Only a few games have managed to maintain a significant following after several years and they all came out after sites like Youtube and Twitch were created. They include Minecraft, GTA V, Starcraft II, League of Legends, etc (and Skylines to a smaller extent). The companies that make these games also support their online base by releasing new content, patches, etc and actively support online showcasing of the game. EA / Maxis didn't really do that all that much.

SimCity 4 is a niche game. One of the larger niches but still won't see a huge growth spurt in attention. What it does have going for it is a dedicated core base, and it's still relitively stable even after 17 years and competitors have come to the scenes. While there are some cracks in the walls here and there (sharing plugins which I have mentioned, barriers to entry for new players, and community legends becoming less and less active or absent) this game still has a solid foundation.

-Heck even I'm less active here these days, but I still frequent the SimCity 4 reddit a lot. That's another site that didn't exist when SC4 came out.

[rob_mtl 435]

Great points @Haljackey! I think SimCity 4 is still an interesting (if modest) niche for content creators. I have tried to make tutorial videos that make it easier for completely new players to get into the game.

One point I would make is that city builders are an appealing genre for non-hardcore/casual gamers. SimCity (2013) was obviously a failure and Cities:Skylines is not ideal for many because of the DLC situation. SimCity 4 is inexpensive and can run on virtually any system with a little bit of work.

The easier we make it for non-computer savvy people to apply a basic mod/bugfix setup to modernize the game, the broader the audience will be going forward. Many of the people who make mods or who discuss the game here are quite adept at the more technical/development side of things. While their contribution to the community is inestimable, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that mods created for the game often feel like they're created for an audience of peers with a similar skill-set. Dependency lists, for example, are a total non-starter for casual players, and any work that can be done to merge dependencies into a single download will only be beneficial. The Network Addon Mod gets better and easier to work with with every update, but the endless menus, drag patterns, and maze of puzzle pieces are not what I would call a user-friendly experience for most. I know that several people are working on this stuff completely voluntarily--I don't mean to be ungrateful for their hard work at all! Just pointing out my view of the situation with regards to audience and players.

Another aspect, something that has been discussed regularly on my Monday evening Twitch stream: it goes without saying that there will never be an official patch from Maxis/EA for this old game. One thing the community might want to consider is an open source engine re-implementation. This can likely be done without infringement by requiring a legal Steam/GOG copy of the game to run.

OpenMW for Morrowind is a brilliant example of a community project designed to make that game more future proof and stable for a broad user base and I can easily imagine a similar piece of software being created for SC4. You would want to rebuild the entire engine from scratch, with a well-designed, user-friendly UI, supporting 64-bit, multi-core systems, higher resolution displays and removing vanilla bugs natively. Imagine Android tablet support, for example! Imagine programmable hotkeys, multiplayer or a built-in mod manager and region downloader! Obviously this would require a lot of volunteers, but as time goes on and new OS get released would likely be more fruitful than continuing to work with the original engine.

Just my thoughts, of course.

 

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

On 19.12.2020 at 12:57 PM, chfzdn said:

The challenge is too few people is caring SC4. I mean, truly few. For instance, @Haljackey channel doesn't have even at least tens of thousands of subs. Rob is in the thousands, not tens of thousands yet. So, how should I do to gather a large mass of audience?

A little late to the show, but if you don't mind me tossing my two euro-cents in...

If you feel like it could fill your desire for passion and fill your "pocketsess" at the same time, just do it. Don't think too much.

If you don't get enough audience, you will at least have an extra purpose in your life. YouTube channel is a wonderful way to share your creativity and many people are full-time committed to these channels, even if not making any money off it. Like this guy.

If you do get audience, you will make money off adverts, which is a cool way to supplement your income.  Or make your first money (depending how old are you). If I'm not mistaken, you need to have at least 1000 subs and some playback time on your channel overall to be eligible to enter a partner program on YouTube. Due to the playback requirement, it might be prudent to cover some more discussion topics in your channel to swell your playback counter. If one topic is not too interesting for people, there is a chance other topics will be. Of course, this paragraph is of any interest only if you seriously plan to make money from adverts (I believe this will be the bulk of your potential income).

I myself had some plans regarding a podcast on YouTube and Spotify. We have planned to make a sort of a "Hot&Not" channel with my friend but there was a tax-related ambiguity in the way so we were somewhat afraid to launch it. But I know more about these issues these days and I think it could still work out if properly written down in formal agreements and stuff.

In any case, this is also an important point for your consideration. If you plan to earn money from advertising or Patreon, for the love of Gods, make research regarding any legal and tax-related caveats before being hit with a hefty penalty for bypassing or outright avoiding the law. Do you need to register as a company? Are you allowed to gather income from other sources than your current work (mostly if already employed in a gov sector)? What is the limit beyond which you need to pay VAT?

And make this research by reaching out to your NRA, local government et alia. Not by browsing forums...

I am actually in the middle of such research these days, so there is a lot of riddles to solve. Take my word for it. But it is also reassuring and satisfactory when you see some of these issues being solved bit by bit.

[SIM-ple Jack 17,450]

On 10/5/2020 at 4:33 PM, carlosmarcelo said:

Yes. Earning a living as a hobby is much more difficult and challenging than it looks.

I once repaired a house for a rich guy who owns a music instrument chain out in Cali. I asked him why he got into that racket. He said "To make money. I have no interest in music. I can't even play a harmonica. Never love what you make money at." He had the mansions and the yacht, so I wasn't going to argue with him.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

1 hour ago, SIM-ple Jack said:

"Never love what you make money at."

It depends really. A claim like this, should definitely not be treated as an axiom.

Because, as a counter-axiom, I could provide a number of examples of the artists I know who make a living for themselves exactly from something they love. 

But I agree with the following - if you intend to make money just from one thing that you truly love but jump right into it, "all hands on deck!" fashion, then yes - you might be in trouble. A passion which is not backed up with a thorough research might be a pitfall really. Especially when you invest a lot of money in it.

[SIM-ple Jack 17,450]

1 hour ago, TheMurderousCricket said:

Because, as a counter-axiom, I could provide a number of examples of the artists I know who make a living for themselves exactly from something they love.

And I could show you herds of artists eating a can of beans on Thanksgiving because they couldn't part with(insert art piece) for any less than(insert ridiculous price). I used to work for galleries, building installations, during the first 5 ArtBasels in Miami, so I met many an artist with unrealistic expectations about their work. Picasso used to sell his stuff for $5, because he knew the value of hard work and determination. He died a millionaire. 

You are confusing art with commerce. Players are not artists. We are puzzle assemblers. Some of us make the puzzle better than it was originally packaged, but, bottom line- Maxis and their employees were the artists. We just spent our $20 and bought their canvas and paints. You can make art out of a box of toothpicks and a bottle of glue, but unless you own a toothpick mill and a glue factory, you can't say 100% it's your own original creation.

I've had many cars I didn't want to sell, but I did, because when the dog eats more than you do, it's time to get rid of the dog.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

In that case, you simply must have met different artists. The ones I know are either contract artists or reasonable people who sell their work for 15-45€ apiece.

I should have probably mentioned that I consider a regular job plus a passion job to be a perfect mix.

Either way, we are drifting off topic and slowly hijacking @chfzdn's topic, so I'll just leave it as it is.

[Propfam 2,307]

16 hours ago, TheMurderousCricket said:

A little late to the show, but if you don't mind me tossing my two euro-cents in...

If you feel like it could fill your desire for passion and fill your "pocketsess" at the same time, just do it. Don't think too much.

If you don't get enough audience, you will at least have an extra purpose in your life. YouTube channel is a wonderful way to share your creativity and many people are full-time committed to these channels, even if not making any money off it. Like this guy.

If you do get audience, you will make money off adverts, which is a cool way to supplement your income.  Or make your first money (depending how old are you). If I'm not mistaken, you need to have at least 1000 subs and some playback time on your channel overall to be eligible to enter a partner program on YouTube. Due to the playback requirement, it might be prudent to cover some more discussion topics in your channel to swell your playback counter. If one topic is not too interesting for people, there is a chance other topics will be. Of course, this paragraph is of any interest only if you seriously plan to make money from adverts (I believe this will be the bulk of your potential income).

I myself had some plans regarding a podcast on YouTube and Spotify. We have planned to make a sort of a "Hot&Not" channel with my friend but there was a tax-related ambiguity in the way so we were somewhat afraid to launch it. But I know more about these issues these days and I think it could still work out if properly written down in formal agreements and stuff.

In any case, this is also an important point for your consideration. If you plan to earn money from advertising or Patreon, for the love of Gods, make research regarding any legal and tax-related caveats before being hit with a hefty penalty for bypassing or outright avoiding the law. Do you need to register as a company? Are you allowed to gather income from other sources than your current work (mostly if already employed in a gov sector)? What is the limit beyond which you need to pay VAT?

And make this research by reaching out to your NRA, local government et alia. Not by browsing forums...

I am actually in the middle of such research these days, so there is a lot of riddles to solve. Take my word for it. But it is also reassuring and satisfactory when you see some of these issues being solved bit by bit.

I'm 17. I'm in Indonesia. Recently, there's a VAT on online transaction. But it's usually automatically burdened. Also, no company requirement here but business permit may be needed. I don't know the permit applies for individual as a YouTuber. But, there are people out there that just apply for Adsense and they're OK as long as they're paying taxes as usual. I'll start my channel in 18 or 19 so I may have to pay my taxes myself.

Thanks for info!

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

6 hours ago, chfzdn said:

I'm 17. I'm in Indonesia. Recently, there's a VAT on online transaction. But it's usually automatically burdened. Also, no company requirement here but business permit may be needed.

If you know that already, it means that you have approached the subject responsibly. Keep asking yourself these questions and reach out to your local institutions and government in case you have any doubts - you should be fine!

One thought that may help you in case you are lost. I don't know much about the Indonesian regulations. However, in Poland we have an institution which is specifically tasked with answering citizens' inquiries regarding tax legislation. The best part? If they don't answer you in three months, your interpretation is considered correct and legally protects you.   Perhaps there is a service like this in your country as well in case you need it.

In any case, just do whatever you like and develop your channel to the best of your abilities. Just make sure to leave a link to it here (if it's not against the forum rules?).

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

24 minutes ago, TheMurderousCricket said:

Just make sure to leave a link to it here (if it's not against the forum rules?).

I can answer this...

Providing the content would be of interest to the Simtropolis community (as in being city-building themed), then linking to one's YouTube channel link is perfectly acceptable. For example, it would depend on it being at least a partial focus of what the channel is about. So one could have other videos showing different games, but as long as some of them are about SC4 or another city-builder, then that would match the interests of the majority userbase here.

Of course, if unsure and the best idea is to ask Cori and myself (or any staff member) and we'll make a judgment call either way.

[Propfam 2,307]

Should I be extremely popular here on Simtropolis like @korver and @CorinaMarie to funnel my subs? Or, should I make it when my CJs are well established? Or, ...? Let me know below.

Also, SimCity 4 is very slow moving subject. Look at Rob's statistic, https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCue7D0dm2SilBhbVe3SB75g/monthly. The weekly sub gain is just 50. That's 200 subs per month. Run it a year and "only" gains 4K. And to gain this with a grain of salt, https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCue7D0dm2SilBhbVe3SB75g/futureprojections, he's "only" gains 100K (aka the verified threshold) in 2025. That's pretty slow. Wish he can get the milestone soon than later.

Also, again take this with a grain of salt, but it looks like his Adsense isn't very profitable yet. Wish SC4 can brings profit from Adsense.

Sorry for my words. Thanks.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

4 hours ago, chfzdn said:

Should I be extremely popular here on Simtropolis like @korver and @CorinaMarie to funnel my subs? Or, should I make it when my CJs are well established? Or, ...? Let me know below.

I'm afraid you've set yourself a trap of thinking that you can make "big money - fast!". With all due respect, that will probably not happen overnight. This is only possible in advance-fee schemes. 

You will not get popular right from the start. Everyone just has to begin someday. If you keep hesitating like this, trying to get the best "launch window", you'll just waste time. Then, you will be disappointed that despite all the research and meticulous planning you've made, you are still barely making a buck for yourself.

With no YouTube videos, there are no viewers, with no viewers, there are no subs. No subs = no money. Start creating to get closer to your goal. And don't you dare loose heart if instead of 200 subs monthly you get 2!

This is actually akin to the SIM-ple Jack's Pablo Picasso example. He was okay selling his pieces cheap. He did what he felt was right for him but also made a few peseta without expecting too much.

I'm actually in the same situation as you are. I plan to start a small, unregistered, art business. Can't advertise it here though as it is not city-related.  (Though I do make some house models... )

Anyway, I am very relaxed about it and consider it a supplementary income. At least for now. I am aware of the competition, advertising efforts and all but, as they say, I "don't quit my day job". And even if I make a $30 total sales per month, I'll consider it a success! 

Now, I know how "unregistered" sounds, but it is perfectly legal. It just depends on the amount of money you make per month. If it is low enough, you don't need to register. So for my own convenience I should, in fact, actually avoid getting rich. 

All in all, if there is no financial pressure looming above you, I think it pays to be more relaxed about the subject, don't have too high expectations and just follow-through on your initial idea. Point in case, even if I "fail" to monetize my work, the art will be there to stay with me. And I will still do it, regardless of others.

I may eventually consider cutting my ear off to accelerate the sales. I will die a beggar, but at least my grandchildren will live like kings. 

[Propfam 2,307]

39 minutes ago, TheMurderousCricket said:

I'm afraid you've set yourself a trap of thinking that you can make "big money - fast!". With all due respect, that will probably not happen overnight. This is only possible in advance-fee schemes. 

You will not get popular right from the start. Everyone just has to begin someday. If you keep hesitating like this, trying to get the best "launch window", you'll just waste time. Then, you will be disappointed that despite all the research and meticulous planning you've made, you are still barely making a buck for yourself.

With no YouTube videos, there are no viewers, with no viewers, there are no subs. No subs = no money. Start creating to get closer to your goal. And don't you dare loose heart if instead of 200 subs monthly you get 2!

This is actually akin to the SIM-ple Jack's Pablo Picasso example. He was okay selling his pieces cheap. He did what he felt was right for him but also made a few peseta without expecting too much.

I'm actually in the same situation as you are. I plan to start a small, unregistered, art business. Can't advertise it here though as it is not city-related.  (Though I do make some house models... )

Anyway, I am very relaxed about it and consider it a supplementary income. At least for now. I am aware of the competition, advertising efforts and all but, as they say, I "don't quit my day job". And even if I make a $30 total sales per month, I'll consider it a success! 

Now, I know how "unregistered" sounds, but it is perfectly legal. It just depends on the amount of money you make per month. If it is low enough, you don't need to register. So for my own convenience I should, in fact, actually avoid getting rich. 

All in all, if there is no financial pressure looming above you, I think it pays to be more relaxed about the subject, don't have too high expectations and just follow-through on your initial idea. Point in case, even if I "fail" to monetize my work, the art will be there to stay with me. And I will still do it, regardless of others.

I may eventually consider cutting my ear off to accelerate the sales. I will die a beggar, but at least my grandchildren will live like kings. 

Don't get me wrong. I do strive for that position here on ST. But in case I do, I can just funnel to YouTube.

Another idea is even tho my YouTube is profitable enough, I don't think Adsense is best suitable for me. I think YouTube membership is a good idea. But, I still need to assess the situation beforehand.

[rsc204 21,866]

If your plan is to use YouTube videos to make money on the subject of SimCity 4, let me give you some down to earth advise, don't! I'm sorry if this tramples on your dreams, but the stark reality is that you will never get an audience sufficient to monetise SC4.

If you really want to make money, sell out. Find, latch onto and keep shifting to the next popular thing and maybe, just maybe you have a chance in hell of being the 1 person in 100's of millions that get's lucky.

Honestly, people read about a few people who make big money on YouTube and seem to think anyone can apply for the job. A handful of people get rich off YouTube and such, most if they are lucky, can barely cover their living expenses. Nothing wrong with having a passion, turning it into a paying job and living the best of both worlds. But back in the cold hard reality of the world we live in, you'll need to pay for a roof over your head, food, clothing and much more besides.

Get a good education, get qualified in a subject where you have a realistic proposition of getting a good job. In other words, look at what types of jobs are in strong demand that fit with your skills. Sometimes you have to take the path that makes you happy or the one that makes you money, some very lucky people have the opportunity to do both, but they are the exception. But let's not kid ourselves, for every 10,000 people that wanted to be a movie star, maybe one of them actually managed to achieve their goal. The numbers are probably way, way worse, most do a lot of shitty poorly paid work, desperate to "make it", then never do. You are young, there is time to find what to do with your life, but if you do insist on trying to be a celebrity, make fucking well certain you have a backup plan, i.e. an education. After-all if it doesn't work out and you've nothing else to fall back on, your options will not likely be either great nor particularly numerous.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

46 minutes ago, rsc204 said:

If your plan is to use YouTube videos to make money on the subject of SimCity 4, let me give you some down to earth advise, don't! I'm sorry if this tramples on your dreams, but the stark reality is that you will never get an audience sufficient to monetise SC4.

If you really want to make money, sell out. Find, latch onto and keep shifting to the next popular thing and maybe, just maybe you have a chance in hell of being the 1 person in 100's of millions that get's lucky.

Honestly, people read about a few people who make big money on YouTube and seem to think anyone can apply for the job. A handful of people get rich off YouTube and such, most if they are lucky, can barely cover their living expenses. Nothing wrong with having a passion, turning it into a paying job and living the best of both worlds. But back in the cold hard reality of the world we live in, you'll need to pay for a roof over your head, food, clothing and much more besides.

Get a good education, get qualified in a subject where you have a realistic proposition of getting a good job. In other words, look at what types of jobs are in strong demand that fit with your skills. Sometimes you have to take the path that makes you happy or the one that makes you money, some very lucky people have the opportunity to do both, but they are the exception. But let's not kid ourselves, for every 10,000 people that wanted to be a movie star, maybe one of them actually managed to achieve their goal. The numbers are probably way, way worse, most do a lot of shitty poorly paid work, desperate to "make it", then never do. You are young, there is time to find what to do with your life, but if you do insist on trying to be a celebrity, make fucking well certain you have a backup plan, i.e. an education. After-all if it doesn't work out and you've nothing else to fall back on, your options will not likely be either great nor particularly numerous.

I didn't want to be too blunt, but I couldn't have said it better myself. @rsc204 has some very good and perfectly valid points @chfzdn that you should really consider.

One of the best things you can realistically do is to find a regular job with a stable, monthly salary first. In this scenario, apart from money, you also earn a peace of mind - should your YouTube channel turn out to be a bad decision, you still have enough income to pay for your rent, food or whatnot.

And YouTube channels don't cost money (except for the electricity bill). So you can make videos and create content all the way you want while having a steady income and not suffering poverty. Which you will if you just stick to a single endeavor.

To sum up - it's not Adsense vs. DoubleClick you should be considering. You should rather look for a job which will be an enabling tool for everything else in your life.

Point in case - I would have never been able to afford a render machine and consider starting a business, had I not earned money from a regular job in the first place.

[Propfam 2,307]

Thanks. Unfortunately, SC4 is pretty niche subject. It can be only be grown by sticking into a popular thing which I don't learn yet.

To clarify, YouTube Membership is a thing. It is located on the left side of Subscribe button named Join, which is available now in almost anywhere on earth. I prefer it over Adsense and sponsorship because I hate ads. I wish I can afford Premium but I can't. But, I could also use it aside of ads (and sponsorship), depending on the situation. Anyway, this discussion mayn't be useful because SC4 isn't popular in the first place.

So, I'll stick to more suitable jobs for my skill, which YouTube in anyway unfortunately isn't part of it.

[Haljackey 17,398]

I should also note that if you turn a hobby into a job, it may not become fun anymore.

I play SC4 to unwind/relax and express my creative side. If I want to make videos its almost always because I want to share what I made with the world in a video form for some reason.

 

I did a 'let's play' like series in 2013-2014 and gosh it sucked the life out of me. I felt the pressure and demand to keep a somewhat consistent upload schedule and I had to keep the quality consistent too. It was a grind trying to get a work/life balance because making videos was becoming work, and not as fun. Add to that questions/demands etc and it just adds up, stresses and taxes you from what should be a otherwise enjoyable experience.

I learned a lot from that, the main takeaway is that a Youtube career is not for me. You need the drive and stamina to keep creative day after day and that sounds very very exhausting. No escape and that's why many creators express burnout and either take long breaks or just suddenly stop producing content.

These days I just produce videos when I feel like it. Could be months between them at times. However this lets me create them properly at my own pace and I only want to show what I want to share. It's more rewarding for me that way.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

42 minutes ago, Haljackey said:

These days I just produce videos when I feel like it. Could be months between them at times. However this lets me create them properly at my own pace and I only want to show what I want to share. It's more rewarding for me that way.

That's a healthy approach. Striking a balance between visibility, content quality and free time.

[Propfam 2,307]

Also, there's a trend among YouTubers to slip out a "subscribe now" banner in the middle of the content. This was usually appear at the start or the end of the content. But now, they have to put that in the middle. Not only once, but twice or even more. There's even an emerging C:S YouTuber who remind to subscribe 4 times and more. The cause is maybe on the algorithm change but I don't know the exact detail.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

4 hours ago, chfzdn said:

But now, they have to put that in the middle. Not only once, but twice or even more. There's even an emerging C:S YouTuber who remind to subscribe 4 times and more.

...which results in an insta-ban and thumbs-down from Mr. TMC. 

[TheMurderousCricket 5,109]

There actually is a YouTuber who, if I recall correctly, had never asked anyone to subscribe and even if he did, he still poked fun at subscribing.

His subscriber count is around 1mln. He just produces a good, humorous content and this is enough.

He actually once made a parody of a poorly managed and annoying channel. He made a senseless minecraft video in which he reminded everyone to subscribe every 30 seconds. 

[Haljackey 17,398]

8 hours ago, TheMurderousCricket said:

There actually is a YouTuber who, if I recall correctly, had never asked anyone to subscribe and even if he did, he still poked fun at subscribing.

 

I thought you were talking about me initially. I've never asked anyone to "Like, Comment, Subscribe, Share this video with your friends and on social media, favorite it and don't forget to hit that bell icon to stay notified!". In fact I've joked about it in some commentaries.

Gosh I hate sell outs. Sad thing is it works.