The Benefits of Live Streaming vs Recording Gaming Videos
There are many different ways to go about making a gaming video. This article takes a look at some of the best methods available, as well as a few important things to consider, such as whether or not the gaming video should be live or recorded, and which platforms work best for each.
We’re going to discuss the two options more closely, and I’ll also highlight a few pros and cons associated with each choice. If you’re ready to learn how to make a gaming video but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, I’ve isolated the best platforms for creating both live and recorded gaming videos.
Choosing to Live Stream Your Gaming Videos or Pre-Recording Them
The first thing to consider before creating a gaming video is whether you want to go live or record a video for later viewing. Both choices come with their own unique benefits.
Live Gaming Videos — Connect to Your Audience in Real-Time
The advantages of live streaming your gaming videos is allowing your viewers to follow along as the game is played in real-time.
In turn, if your viewers have any particular questions about how to complete a certain task, find a special weapon, or literally anything else, you can take their questions directly and show them right then and there.
This, of course, helps the viewer directly and gives them a very real reason to tune in and follow along.
Additionally, it allows you to converse directly with your viewers, transforming them into fans, followers, and even brand ambassadors who may share your livestreams on social networks, helping you to grow the reach of your videos and brand.
Recorded Gaming Videos — Optimize Your Digital Marketing Mix
Despite the benefits of live streaming, there are some disadvantages to these types of gaming videos. While they allow your followers to watch in real time, you lose the ability to edit, optimize, and create more evergreen content with your gaming videos.
For this reason, recorded gaming videos should be considered as an alternative when considering how to make a gaming video.
Because these videos are recorded, they can be edited in a wide variety of ways to generate multiple pieces of unique content that can be shared across all your digital marketing channels.
You can use short sections of a particular video to focus on certain levels, tasks, quests, or the like. These can be archived on YouTube or embedded within blog articles. These, in turn, can easily be shared on social networks, email newsletters, and much more.
Additionally, you can create online courses using content from your recorded gaming videos. Edit it together and you can have a whole series of lessons on using different characters, defeating difficult bosses, completing fun side quests, or whatever else your heart desires.
Get the Best of Both Worlds —Make the Best Gaming Video Content
While you can choose between live or recorded gaming videos, the best route is to use both. One way to do this is to record your livestreams and then edit them later to create various pieces of unique content.
However, livestreams can go on for several hours, and editing these can be a very time-consuming process. So you could record short segments of your gameplay and optimize these for different parts of your digital marketing mix while also live streaming at scheduled times.
This way, your followers can watch you live while also viewing newly recorded content between livestreams. Personally, I think this is one of the best ways to save time while creating tons of diverse live and recorded gaming video content that your followers will love.
“Our live gaming videos keep our existing users further engaged on the site, while our recorded ones attract new users and spread awareness about us.” -Bruno Marrota, runner of online jigsaw puzzle platform, I'm A Puzzle.
Best Platforms for Live or Recorded Gaming Videos
Below, we take a look at some of the top platforms for gaming, assessing their usability for both live and recorded gaming videos.
Twitch: Best for Live Streaming Games
Twitch is a popular social media platform that helps gamers live stream their videos with ease. The site displays information about your total followers and total views, as well as live viewership for all your updated videos.
Some of its key features include:
- Easy set-up and flexible user interface
- Compatible with most major video streaming utilities
- Video playlists are accessible
- Can be used for free
YouTube Gaming: Best for Pre-Recorded Gaming Videos
This platform has a great layout and supports 4K resolution videos at a 60 FPS frame rate. There are a ton of transcoding facilities for streamers, and the site helps users stay well-organized by making their streams and videos a lot easier to organize.
Some of the platform’s key features include:
- A broad audience of over 90 million users
- The mobile app adds support to iOS and Android platforms
- Modern and appealing layout
- High-quality content
Conclusion
Now that you know which platforms are best for live streaming and publishing pre-recorded games, you could opt for an all-in-one tool like Kapwing to help you take care of all your gaming video creation and video-editing tasks from one dashboard. With Kapwing, you'll have a wide suite of features ranging from a screen recorder with a camera to transitions and subtitles.
No matter which platform you choose, one thing to remember is that you can use these videos to help increase brand awareness. One of the best ways to do this is by watermarking the videos and capturing images with a copyrighted logo. If you don’t do this, other people may try to steal your content and share it without your permission.
Are you ready to create modern gaming videos in the simplest, and most effective way possible? If so, use the information in this article to help you get started on the right platforms, and with the right tools for the best results.
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Ron Stefanski is an online entrepreneur and marketing professor who has a passion for helping people create and market their own online businesses. Since 2014, he's been able to generate over $1 million from his own business and wants to help others do the same. You can learn more from him by visiting OneHourProfessor.com. You can also connect with him on YouTube or Linkedin.