Today I was looking through the recent YouTube videos of a content creator, and I happened to notice that a certain type of video garners significantly more views than other videos. It’s a type of video I don’t make or watch, so it really stood out.

I decided to look at a handful of tabletop YouTube channels that post a variety of videos to see if their audiences were just as interested in this type of video. And they are!

Here are the channels I looked at, each of which features at least 4 different types of videos on a regular basis, along with an image showing a content cross-section:

Stonemaier Games

BlackBoardGaming

Board Game Buzz

Tim Chuon

Allies or Enemies

TheGameBoyGeek

Tantrum House

Man vs Meeple

Before You Play

For each of these channels, I looked at average views for different types of videos posted over the last few months. This was a very un-scientific process, as there are a variety of factors that can impact the views of any single video.

Here are my three biggest takeaways from this very small dataset:

People Love Anticipation

This is the type of video that surprised me the most. It’s by far the most-watched type of video on these channels.

It doesn’t surprise me that people like anticipating things; I love to look forward to specific games, books, movies, restaurants, etc. Rather, I’m surprised that videos about anticipation are so highly viewed, as they are the one type of video on this list about games that the content creators haven’t even played yet. They’re mostly talking about a game’s potential, not their experiences playing the game.

I’m truly happy that these content creators and their audiences enjoy the anticipation-style videos. However, it isn’t content that I’m personally interested in making–I want to share my excitement for games I’ve played, not games I might someday play–but it’s a great reminder about the marketing power of anticipation.

Lists Are Still Great

In an era of 30-second clips on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, people still seem to enjoy the option to learn about multiple games over 10-20 minutes in a single video. As much as I love a focused deep-dive into a specific game–in fact, that’s my heavy preference for podcasts–for videos I like the efficiency and order to longer lists.

The data was a good reminder that top 10 lists aren’t the only way to do this. Various creators have their own twists on variety episodes, including “if we could only keep 5 games,” “comparing these 3 games,” and “let’s talk about games we recently played.”

Playthroughs Are the Most Valued Sponsored Content

Just recently I wrote about how content creators can (if desired) earn a little revenue from paid, non-opinion content like previews and rule videos. However, it seems that playthroughs are the clear winner if a publisher is considering a content sponsorship.

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Data aside, my motivation for creating YouTube videos is almost entirely driven by the intersection of two factors: (a) What our audience enjoys and (b) what I’m passionate about filming. I’m not going to make something that isn’t true to me (e.g., absolutely no hate-bait) or if very few people engage in it (considering not only views, but comments and likes too).

What’s your takeaway from this data? Again, it’s a very small cross-section, so I’d love to hear your observations from other channels too.

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Also read:

• The Psychology of Anticipation
• How Tabletop Content Creators Pay the Bills

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