I would say that I am currently experiencing the opposite, I am subscribed to a lot of wargaming hobby channels and I'm struggling to keep up with catching up on the videos that are being put out daily. I have always enjoyed watching hobby videos and I've been fortunate enough to meet a lot of these people and become friends with fellow creators through KZfaq. From my own perspective, I've been in the hobby since 1991 and set up my channel in 2018 and it's still a really small channel. These days, I'm not a prolific poster of videos due to other hobbies, real life etc but I still like to produce videos when I can and improving the quality of my videos has been just as enjoyable as painting miniatures. I find new channels on a regular basis relating to the hobby that range from a dude with a phone to others with very high production value. But I enjoy both and no channel should ever be looked down upon based upon how they choose to make their videos as they all have their own valid message.

YOOOO! Thanks for the shout out. Whether I agree or not, I love your rants, brother.

They still exist and i can give you an easy way to find them.. search your wargame then change the setting to most recent and youll find loads of new wargames creators

You made some really good points . There are quite a few channels out there but Obviously big sponsored channels take over the algorithms and smaller channels are getting lost and people are getting disappointed and leave or stop ...Glad you are following the channel.

I appreciate this video. Some of the commentors didnt get it but i understand completely. The same thing has happened in the ttrpg community

This goes beyong wargames. Original KZfaq around 2008 was like this channel. And now it's a culture of who can get the money fastest out of their peers on YT.

We have a small wargaming channel that’s not monetised, but is about our journey in the hobby. I’ve been in the hobby since the mid 80s and I’m lucky that both my wife and son are wargamers. We all like different aspects of the hobby, but the most important aspect for us is about having fun. We just like showing and talking about the things we do. Unfortunately as many of the comments on here has said, because we are a small channel that only puts out videos when we can, you are constantly fighting the KZfaq algorithm. This means that because we don’t post shorts or videos every day, it seems the algorithm puts you further back.

my non "GW" vids get 1/5 of the views of GW vids :(

Miniature Adventures (Big Lee) is probably my favorite miniature wargaming channel -- old school chat-to-you feel and lots of interesting topics.

Glad the algorithm served up your channel. Glad it did as I am finding yours and a lot of pages in the comments.

Spot on rant! I've been on KZfaq forever and doing the hobby since the 90s...but it hard for small channels like mine to get any traffic, becuase the big channels got graphics people, polished corporatized , content...the small content creator doing stuff in his hobby room sharing his latest paint job just dont get the eyeballs....so we give up

I think a lot of us are out there on KZfaq, but we’re all amateur KZfaqrs with microscopic channels, just doing things for fun. It’s KZfaq, so I take that as My Tube, a place to show off my various hobbies. So mine is a mix of videogames, miniatures games, toy collecting, and Kpop lol 😅. I don’t begrudge the pro level KZfaqrs. They have the skills and means to do it. Would like to get there some day. But for now, it’s just a way to chat and connect with people with similar hobbies. Basically saved my sanity during the pandemic. 🤓

There are times I think you're my spirit animal... Nice video & commentary good sir.

Another true and to-the-point video! Good to see you talking about legit topics. I also showed some love to our forgotten gaming brothers on the 'Tube, thanks for mentioning them.

Interesting. I've entered the hobby about 5 years ago(I'm 50 years old now). I did have a model kit channel that I regrettably deleted(Atomicdog Scale Model Freak, 3K subs). I simply fell in love with the tabletop miniature wargaming hobby cause you can play with the models/minis you have built. Ha Ha! I simply upload vids of what I like, unproffesional unboxings(lol), battle reports, and yes.. Zombicide, too! Love that game! I actually host a once a year painting challenge, nothing flashy just a way to motivate fellow hobbyist to get color on that grey mini. You all take care and have fun with the hobby.

I noticed that the channel like Blue Table Painting, Beasts of War* and Mini War Gaming (all game shop traders) never show up anymore in my suggestions. Back 10 years ago they were the main channels before all the new figure painting channels began. Also don't see any War Machine, Mantic, Flames or War, Infinity battle report channels appearing either. Maybe a bit unfair to Uncle Adam. He's been around since those days and did the conventions. (* know they changed their name) Although, I can't say all the Hate woke channels have done anyone in any hobby any favours. They make their living out of been enraged at the drop of a hat.

Love your channel mate, hope you keep posting vids :) I subscribe to channels like yours that I like, and often block the ones which seem to be the repetitive templated merch/painting/sponsored GW promotion channels of which there seem to be hundreds. This seems to help at least. I have a small channel updated infrequently, and just stuff I'm genuinely interested in that others might also be interested in, and fine if not. Mostly Kings of War from Mantic, but also started adding historicals which have been my main focus for many years - so a couple of big 28mm Napoleonics battles, and a new Medieval army. All less popular stuff (compared to GW which dominates You Tube feeds). Even though I also do some GW stuff at times, I don't bother posting anything about it given You Tube is already saturated with that content.

Do you follow Storm of Steel Wargaming, Joy of Wargaming, International Kriegspiel Society and Oldhammered?

I don't really understand the point you are trying to make. Is it that if someone has only been wargaming for a short while they are not allowed to make KZfaq videos? At what point are they allowed to make videos? 2 years, 5, years, 10 years? 20 years? When exactly?

I’ve got a KZfaq channel. It gets updated sporadically, mostly because my work schedule isn’t convenient for regular posting. But then, because my work schedule isn’t convenient, I have to decide whether I want to allocate some of that precious time to KZfaq or actually work on my hobby. TBH: if I had enough time to put into KZfaq to garner enough interest that I could get sponsorship, I’d do it, though I’d probably go the Patreon route. At least that way the money I’d be getting would be from people who like the content I already make.

I also don't like the dominance of these commercial hobby influencers. My channel gets low views, though I like it because I have some regular commenters and other guys whose videos I watch

It is a lot of work to shoot and edit a video. It isn't surprising people would drop out, especially if the algorithm starts to penalize them. It does seem like there is a thumb on the scale to promote certain channels that are in the GW orbit, or are promoting a certain in vogue message or point of view. Groupthink is poisonous to good wargaming.

These reasons are exactly why I recently started doing videos. I have noticed that unless you were subscribed to people who continued to do videos over the last ten years the influencers have taken over the web.

The good ones are still out there Deano, but you are right, the KZfaq algorithm does not promote them. I'm still one of the "little guys", even though I've been making videos for years - but I'm cool with it. 🙂

I make occasional videos on hobby stuff. I don’t view it as anything more than a hobby itself. I got a job and college work so I do what I can, when I can.

I just started a channel about 2 months ago, and it's just me posting what I've been painting lately. I try to post every week, but a few times life gets in the way. No promos, no asking for likes or subscribes, just a fifty-something bloke and his toy soldiers. I watch a few similar styled ones as well - Vonketteringham, Leon T66 and the like. We're out there.

God speed solowar gamer👻👻👻

Thank you for the presentation and sharing your thoughts nice rant slso..good to see the passion... 😄

Dude that was an epic rant! I concur with your core sentiment. It's really sad as this has happened all over youtube. I have been using this channel for 14 years and my other channel is 17 years old so I have witnessed this pretty much from the beginning. I started this channel to show people how to train their dogs with zero intention of getting any money out of it and it just got crushed by channels as you described for wargaming, many of whom don't even give correct information from experience just from what they read in a book or received in college, theoretical garbage that only works in a lab for example. You tube in general used to be so good for exactly the reasons you stated, now it's just another high production tv show with as many ads and everything. :( The saddest part is your vid won't get much exposure for the same reasons but just know there are loads of us out there that think the same.

I think it's a matter of "bar to high". They see these polished channels and probably compare. And maybe, because 3D printing and tech advanced so fast that it became confusing.

My boy holy diver(angry tabletop nerd) got shadow banned hard and went over to rumble

I think the community has been swamped by members going commercial as such it drastically alters the nature of their presentations and brings an all a bit samey to many of them. Same products and formats , music lights and free product seeking presentations. Also out To max views and subs. It is a real shame as I enjoy the amateur format the hobbies who do what they want to do wether views of not. Their are some where the stars seem to align and traditional format also gets massive views a recent campaign by prestonpans showing a 25mms Jacobitewhat if campaign was a good example also LeagueofAugsberg is quite commercial but remains quite traditional miniature wargame hobbyist at the core. . I think covid19 took its toll on a lot of people's mojo and focus I for one just could focus to paint afterwards and only in this last year have I wanted to get back into it full throttle. I retire next year so will have more time to hobby which is my problem at the moment time. I agree also that KZfaq may not want folk to watch my ok d of channel so make me less easy to find....I hope not But hey ho if so...they are commercial enterprise I suppose.

I haven't finished your entire video yet, so sorry if you address this. I fundamentally agree, i see lots of channels that are superficially about wargames. Maybe even by people who play more than me/been into the hobby longer (due to virtue of their age, not necessarily proportion of their life invested into the hobby) but are not hobbyist channels, they're professional Content Creators and their platforms are a way to boost their other side projects/money making ventures. I don't really respect these people or feel that their presence adds anything to the hobby. They do everything they can to draw a target audience and funnel them back into themselves. This comes from the changes in the KZfaq format from being a hobby/side project in its inception in a to a viable business venture in the modern day. People can say that their success or popularity is good for the hobby as it brings more eyes to it, but is it really good that we now have the space that was once filled with people talking about their passions taken up by people who are doing paid promotion for corporations or simply trying to sell you some proprietary line of miniatures or paints or often even non-hobby related garbage like shirts and coffee mugs? I really don't think so. I think the convenience they provide by making a "how to play 40k" video or the 10,000th "how to paint your first miniature" video is overwhelmed by the fact that we constantly have to deal with the fact that oppurtunistic businessmen now control the face of something.

lol the kick starter generation :). Great video :)

I think a lot of the smaller channels decided to quit once people started figuring out you can do KZfaq as a job. Once KZfaq is your job now you need to have the sponsorships, the fancy video production, and follow what ever the latest formula is to please the algorithm. In other words, if you don't play by KZfaqs rules and do what everyone else is doing you just won't make it. I've unsubscribed from a lot of channels over the past 2 yrs because like you said, they weren't making hobby videos, they were just making advertisements.

As I turn 60 I have reached the unassailable conclusion that everything in the past was better. I have a company and my channel is less commercialized than most. I have supplied army builder files, pc campaigns, .stl files for slot car conversions, etc. Never got a cup of coffee as of yet. But I still plan to keep putting out old game battle reports, house rules, slot car builds, and anything else that comes to mind. My guiding principle is to make videos that I would like to watch. If 5 people on the planet find them worthwhile it is good enough. To answer your question about why can't we have a channel like that; I say that we can. We just have to accept that very few people will watch it and be OK with it. The big channels have a different goal.

I was going strong, had 40 vids up, my original name was djmeeple, then the tube took them down for whatever reason. So i backed off. Always had just around 50 sibscribers, which was great , i thought, was having a good time with it. Decided recently to start up again, to try and enjoy my hobby and share with others on here again. Try to be a regular wargame hobby channel again. The tube needs us.

I dont think you have been looking very hard mate! There are lots out there. Sure some drop out after the initial rush but plenty still around. Not entirely sure what the point is you are trying to make tbh

Yeah man! The hobby is full tryhards , wannabe hobby celebrities and a whole host of other types. I actually think that all this has made the hobby worse , not better. Sadly , the oldguard are just getting greyer and pushed to the side. Good for you for calling it out.

As other commentors have stated, its all commercialised now. God forbid anything that isnt sci fi grimdark or fantasy get popular.

"You people come into the Hobby who are not invested in it" that is the issue everywhere. I experience this in IT. I call them Career Coders.

Love the rant, an I have very similar thoughts, but I think were just getting old, us blokes who started in the 80s or 90s were now in our 40s an 50s an youtube is sort of passing us by, we caw produce the videos that the viewers who are actually on youtube want to watch, they want the big channels coz they have the overproduced filming style with crystal audio an amazing lighting, folk aint into watching blokes in their kitchen or spare room anymore like its 2012, sometimes yo have to look at what the competition is doing an say, I just caw compete so yo carry on as a hobby, just sharing what your doing like always, or you give up coz its a waste of your time that could be spent better actually enjoying your hobby. Thats why after 12 nearly 13 years of doing youtube I've basically give up, I caw compete an not enough folk want to watch the lower quality channels like mine

Shots fired!

Generally, the Patreon numbers are something like 1 supporter per 300 subscribers. Like even Tabletop Miniatures has like 700 patrons and 239k subscribers. So, it's not really that everyone is supporting these big channels, it's more that they have enough subscribers for that tiny minority of supporters to become significant. And he's still getting like 800$ a month with 239k subscribers, so...

I don't know what's happened to a lot of them, because I unsubscribed and blocked all the channels that accepted or defended the custodes lore change.

I'd recommend giving Mish Mash a look, he makes some cool painting tutorials if you're interested

I'm into hobby for 30 years now if that change anything. Uncle Atom is here for years already. I see nothing wrong with his channel. He release games with Vince now, you can not be a fan of them but calling them not real games but just merch.. c'mon man.

Simply put hobby tourists have pushed the locals out. They flood their channels with GW content to hit the algo whether they like the games or not. This then pushes small niche stuff out of searches or puts them way back of the list. These people feel disheartened by low views or little engagement and stop making content.

you gotta be an influencer these days, even better if you're an attractive woman. I'll admit I'm guilty of giving them attention... only to discover they are an actual hobby tourist, still in the 2 years they've been aware of wargaming they've released their own game somehow lol I prefer your channel to uncle adam, he wastes my time rambling trying to avoid saying anything slightly controversial, dude can't take a stand on any opinion he might have, its painful to listen to.

I thought you quit this, so glad your back!! I watched all those channels too, but I got tired of them putting their liberal, and anti Christian views in the channel. And now so many of them have so many sponsors I just stop watching their videos. Glad your back!

Big ups to the Discriminating Gamer.

A number of these big channels often jump on the activist bandwagon for certain "progressive " politics and regularly inject this nonsense into the hobby ,and they pick up that crowd alot of which are not really hobbyists and just jump on the wagon for those reasons, theres a certain mould that youtube likes to promote if you don't fit that particular mould you don't get much of a look in .

where have all the mini wargaming channels gone? They haven't gone anywhere. There are seemingly more than ever on KZfaq. You can't watch a video without being recommended 20 or 30 related channels these days.

They all stopped being hobby fans and became 'content creators' $$$$.

Unfortunately the "social" internet is dominated by the blue haired people. I think most of the so-called wargame community has moved into more private chat areas like discord, where they can gatekeep. I have two KZfaq channels one for war games and one for role-playing games, and those channels have content specifically for the people in the discords that I participate in. Most of these people treat the hobby as a sort of lifetime investment. I have found that most of the KZfaq stuff is designed by and for the casuals, the tourists. People who treat the hobby as something to pass the time here and there. These people will watch a lot of videos, participating in the hobby vicariously, rather than actually playing games. That also goes for role-playing games just as much as war games and board games.

Lol, good rant. Bottom line is: we never should have given normies access to the internet. Simple as. :)