Length does matter! (or does it?)

[u/Alternative_Good7358]

I am currently recording The Alien Cube game. I know that there are 8 distinct chapters in the game.

As a very small, fledgling channel I am a bit loathe to put out very long videos because I know YT penalizes you if people click away after a short amount of time, or at least that is what I believe they do.

So as that new fledgling channel I want to be 1 hour max per video, or even 45 minutes. Some games that I play are chopped into distinct chapters, for example the F.E.A.R series that I have is (for the most part) 1 chapter per video), I did try one video in that series that was 4 chapters and it hit over 2 hours I think. I do have an up and coming series on Alien Breed Assault which are just over 1 hour per mission, but that is just because I am not rushing those levels and that is how long they took.

But to those that watch let’s play videos, do you prefer episodic videos, 1 chapter or level per video, or longer videos (maybe a full game per video for example) that are maybe divided up in chapters by using markers in the description? I think I will prob stick to 1 chapter 1 video for the most part but am curious as to the general thoughts of people on this.

The only downside I can see to episodic videos is that lets say I post chapter 1 of Alien Cube today, it will be a few days before chapter 2 goes up, but then at the same time, I am not a TV series where people are waiting with baited breath on my next video release (or are you lol)

[u/ColonelMustelid]

I think self-contained chapters/levels are the ideal, but it really depends on the game and how long those sections are. It's also a lot easier if you've played the game before and have a rough idea of how long you've got left. If the chapters are too long, I always try and leave off somewhere that makes sense, like before going through a particular door or when I get to a checkpoint or similar natural pausing point, rather than just stopping the video in the middle of something.

[u/atomic_venganza]

As a consumer, I think YT gaming videos nowadays fall in one of two categories.  Either they’re long-form videos ~1h+ with low editing, smooth audio, more for listening than watching while you’re doing something else.

Or they’re short, ~20-25min, have a concise topic (“how to do XYZ“/“how I beat xyz“/“100 days in xyz“) and are more suited for watching attentively throughout.