Google is positioning
YouTube Gaming as a separate experience from the rest of YouTube; according to
the announcement post, "you can search with confidence, knowing that
typing 'call' will show you 'Call of Duty' and not 'Call Me Maybe'" (for
the record, I'm seeing three Call of Duty suggestions ahead of "Call Me
Maybe"). More than 25,000 games will reportedly have their own landing
pages for related videos in addition to channels from game companies and
YouTube content creators. It doesn't seem to be, however, an altogether
separate platform — all the videos we're seeing today exist on YouTube proper
as well.
A SEPARATE EXPERIENCE
FROM THE REST OF YOUTUBE
While YouTube is a
behemoth when it comes to online video, livestream and broadcast gameplay has
been dominated by Twitch, which as of last year boasted 100 million viewers
each month. (Related: Google was rumored last year to be acquiring Twitch
before Amazon picked it up for $970 million.) Some of it has to do with
technology; Google launched 60 frames per second video playback earlier this
year — especially important for recording and watching modern games online —
and its 60fps live streaming debuted just a few weeks ago in early preview.
Google today is promising "an improved live experience that makes it
simpler to broadcast your gameplay to YouTube." That includes, according
to product manager Barbara Macdonald, improved latency, highlight clipping, and
more. And yes, you can monetize the streams through ads (including midroll ads)
and fan funding — no premium subscription options at this point.
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