Youtube Thumbnails For Game dev video

These are some of Youtube thumbnails that I created for a video.

Since 2023, there has been a massive amount of layoffs in the games industry. From small studios all the way up to big AAA corporations, hard working talent has been let go for various reasons. Me included. So to highlight this issue and create a following to help me continue creating games I decided to make a Youtube channel and content.

RESEARCH

For the thumbnails I wanted to create I needed to do some research on some popular ones within my niche; Gaming. As it currently stands, it seemed as though a popular method of thumbnails would be incorporating some sort of Meme that bridges the image and the title of the video together. In essence, my thumbnails end up being a bit satirical in nature as you'll see further down



Video titled: "You should watch this if you're a Game Developer"

As you can see, the thumbnail is simple in nature but secretly is evoking an emotion. This takes advantage of the community of people caught in this precarious position and uses that as a driver to get them to watch the video. By using the words "Game developer" in both the image and the title I'm not only helping Youtube's algorithm push out the video using SEO but i'm also directly talking to this group. Then I'm highlighting the issue of "Industry Layoffs". Finally, I'm using the mountain as a symbol to personify the struggle and journey of trying to navigate the "Overwhelming amount" of layoffs happening. Simple, yet effective.



Here's another example

Video titled: "Pov: You applied to a Game Development studio"

Again, simple in nature but evoking a strong emotional response. Psychology tells that we are attracted to faces, which makes sense given the fact that we are always looking at them. Because of this, I know that the viewers eye will be drawn to him first, which is what I want since Ben here looks to be the opposite of happy. We don't know for sure but Ben Affleck's face here looks to evoke multiple emotions. Could be confusion, sadness, doubt etc.. Then the Eye makes its way towards the glowing image in the frame literally highlighting a phrase very common in the industry right now. "We will not be moving forward with your application". It hits hard which then makes you realize why Ben's face is so relatable in this image.



Video titled: "Watch this if you want to quit"

Here's one more example. Same strategy as the last two. Simple and minimalistic picture but impactful wordage that makes the viewer want to click on the image. Repeating the message in both the description and the image will also render a higher chance of the video being watched.

What did I learn?

Essentially, If you can evoke an emotion in people, whether its through words, images or something else you can trigger an action. As they say "less is more" so keeping things simple is just as important to hit it home.