Can a Youtuber Affect Game Sales?

[Jog]

No doubt in my mind this will happen.

If you take a look at lets say a game that is not CoD or CS:GO or a new FPS (eg World of Tanks or War Thunder). The youtubers with 50,000 to 1,000,000 subscribers will be able to influence what people go for in game, if they buy extras and DLC, and all this other stuff.

PEOPLE will follow their celebrities. Just like in real life where you have Kylie Jenner getting their outfits copied etc. People have this mental tendency to replicate what they like, so they go out and do shit like this.

 

[ValX]

Totally. I have downloaded quite a few apps and games after I saw youtubers played it, and especially when the youtuber can play it like a pro and makes it sounds fun to play. Usually, the youtubers also make people know of some games that if they had known it before, They'd play it just because it's their type of game or it's the game they've been looking for for years.

 

[BeardedMamba]

Yes, especially if they have a lot of followers or subscribers. If you trust the youtuber, then he say that a new game is good, there's a huge chance that majority of his followers would buy it.

 

[BethSztruhar]

Yes. I've already downloaded / bought games only because one of my favorite yoytubers played it and I thought it's a fun game. I'm sure they have a huge impact on their followers.

 

[Neiltarquin]

Definitely. Like me, I like to buy product s that I'm certain that has positive feedback and youtube is the best way to look for reviews about the product. This allows me to atleast have a glimpse on tye target game that i'd like to buy.

If there would be i higher rate of review on a game, there is a higher chance that consumers will purchase it because it is famous. YouTube is now the best endorser of products.

 

[prasanna kumar]

Definitely, gaming channels are among the most viewed along with maximum subscribers on youtube , so its obliviously a good place to advertise gaming products and its bound to increase your sales.

 

[Linen]

This has already happened multiple times. It's not uncommon to see sales of otherwise obscure or "wtf" games go upward after a well-known YouTuber begins playing it or otherwise draws attention to it - or downward for the same. Prolific LPers get cameos or some other notable presence in other games nowadays, too. They are as much celebrities as any other at this point.

 

[kenoobie]

Definitely, a youtuber can definitely affect sales. Of course, youtubers play games that I also want to play. Being able to see the game and have someone narrate how the game runs and how the controls feel definitely affects my decision if I would buy a game or not.

 

[Chinatown88]

Agree with most. Youtubers are a great way to know if a game is good or bad without having to purchase the game. It's another source of information that a potential buyer can use to develop their judgement on whether a game is worth buying or not. Sometimes you can't just trust some written reviews out there.

 

[Denis_P]

Speaking from personal experience I can safely say that YouTubers can definitely have an impact on game sales. Why? Because I can actually name a multiple numbers of times when I had watched one of my favorite YouTubers playing a video game that I initially may have had reservations about, but was ultimately convinced after seeing how much fun they were having playing it. Seeing an actual person play a game in a casual environment can be more convincing than watching a gameplay trailer or a professional review.

 

[Deen]

Youtube helps seriously because personally I like checking out youtube playbacks of popular action and adventure games before buying any. So go for it if you are planning to use youtube for marketing your game.

 

[AnthonyB]

I would imagine that it could. They probably do take away from game sales. Probably more or less add to a game's over-all sales too. I guess it all depends on the quality of the game. If the game is good, a let's play would get more people to go check it out. If a let's play would expose how crappy a game is too.

 

[Zyni]

I don't know. Youtubers are gamers too, so if it's fun for them, wouldn't it make sense that it's fun for other gamers as well?

I just meant that they shouldn't tick off the streamers that promote their games regularly. It was pretty clear with WoW that some of the loudest voices weren't pleased with the new direction. Apparently, it isn't as much of an issue for a game as big as WoW though. They still make money, despite some popular youtubers jumping ship. If those same people start promoting another game though that could end up hurting.

 

[StolenKid]

Yes he can, if the youtuber is famous enough, and has a lot of followers, he increases the chances of those followers to buy the game so they can experience the game for themselves.

 

[kenoobie]

A famous youtuber could get the game free in exchange for playing the game and sharing it to thousand of subscribers. This is basically a way for companies to advertise their product to thousands of subscribers cheaply and effectively. Sometimes the youtuber would get the game ahead of everyone else for publicity and this would help increase sales for the game.

 

[arachnophobik]

If he's famous, yes he can. We can state Amnesia as an example, it got a huge boost when Pewdiepie played it. This is why a lot of indie games allow youtubers to upload gameplays of their games with monetization turned on, mainly because it's a give and take situation. The youtuber brings in promotion, the game sells more, the more the game sells then the more likely they'll come across the youtuber playing the game.

 

[WildSpirit]

If the game has a quality printed on the market as a whole, no youtuber (no matter how famous he / she is) can affect - considerably - its development neither the final profit. The most that can be done is to cause a brief bad moment in sales because youtubers are just passing celebrities... Nothing more than that. :smirk:

 

[Ash]

Depending on the YouTuber and how many subscribers they have. If a YouTuber with millions of subscribers reviews a game and they say that they love the game, then obviously most of their subscribers are going to go out and buy the game. That obviously increases the games sales. And it's the same for the opposite. If a YouTuber with millions of subscribers shows bad gameplay and mentions that the game is disappointing then some people may decide against buying the game. It may affect game sales. Of course its important to consider that some people don't take too much notice of reviews and other people's opinions. What one person likes may not be something someone else likes

 

[jitendra0341]

Yes, a youtuber can definitely change the opinion about a particular game.When the video posted looks good with good review,we tend to follow that game.they have the power to influence us.

 

[EJ Burg]

Yes I thought no you tubers have a great effect on the market of games. I can personally think of a lot of times when I would consider buying a game and before I do I would do a couple of searches online and look at the overall gameplay of certain games over YouTube and I have to admit that my decision to buy a game or to rather not has almost always come down to what I see from the gaming experience of another gamer via YouTube. I think with all products whether it software or hardware your Vloging and blogging reviews play one on f the most important roles in product sales!