By now, I'm sure, we're all aware of the new Google product YouTube Gaming. And by now, I am very sure, we have all made up our minds exactly what it will be. Complete shit right?

Honestly, ye...no.

Experience has taught us that, yes, Google is interested in the bottom line. As a company, they want to make money. That's what businesses do. That's what Steam are doing (at time of writing) right now with their Summer sale. The only difference is in how they go about these things. Which, whilst we're on the subject, is no better or worse when you really think about it. The major difference is that Google are very aggressive and self-serving in their approach. The be all and end all of their business model is to get as much money out of us, the users, as they possibly can. Be that via directly hitting our wallets, or slewing monetisation and copyright in favour of its partners.

After all, everyone who has used YouTube for more than fifteen minutes has experienced how easy it is for, for example, inGrooves to make a claim, and how virtually impossible it is for the user to fight against it. So you can bet your bottom dollar, their new system is going to be no more favourably inclined towards the end user. The gamers, who they are claiming this new platform is built specifically for.

It's not, don't kid yourself. It's built for Google to make more money out of the fastest growth industry in the history of Humanity. And whilst you're at it, bet that bottom dollar on it being a roaring success as well. Because, remember, Google are interested in making money. And they are very, very good at it. Even Google Plus, hated as it still may be, has inevitably helped them in the long run. So if you're expecting this to be any different, heh, more fool you really.

You are probably wondering, then, why I say it won't be a bad thing. Which I can assure you, it won't. It simply won't be such a great thing for the end user. You and I. The largest channels will still be the ones who benefit and, most likely, those of us on the lowest end of the pecking order will be shafted more than ever. Because despite the assurance that searching for something will lead you to games, and only games. The listings will all be at the higher end of the scale. Why wouldn't they be? They're the big money earners already, so it makes sense to push them further. It's a catch 22.

Honestly, what this new service will benefit most is the users. Not the content creators, the actual users. Those who browse the videos and watch through them. Those who click to subscribe and follow, and generate all the ad revenue by suffering through those infernal advertisments. Because, here's the thing, that was always YouTube's audience. It's purpose has always been to get as much content to as many people as easily as possible. The lure of riches, of becoming the next smash hit global phenomena, no matter how fragile it may be, will keep new people coming in with big dreams and desperate hopes.

The content will always be there, and there will always be those lucky few who break out and become an international sensation. Because here’s the thing, the success doesn't happen on YouTube. It never did. Google are merely offering the platform, by which, people can see it. It's all about knowing the right people, about making the right contacts and being in all the right places. A little face time, as they say, can go a long way. This fact cannot be stressed enough. YouTube is the end, not the means.

So ultimately, the only significant impact YouTube gaming will have, for the majority, is making it easier to find the big names for those who are just starting out. Which gives them more views, earns them and Google more money, and further incentivises Google to promote the ever loving shit out of them. For the rest of us, those who actually utilise, not just use, the YouTube service, it will do naught but make our content more easily available to people who, probably, aren't going to watch it anyway. Because they want to be where the action is, they want to be part of the crowd.

Having said all that, that isn't the end of the story. There are actually some perks to come along, drip-fed to the hopefuls to encourage them to keep trying, work harder, and make the service as a whole more profitable. And that's where we come in. The disaffected youth, the pariahs. Because your content, our content really will be easier to find. And maybe it'll take ten thousand new subscribers to PewDiePie before we get one, between us. But if those ten thousand find our content in a week, rather than a month, it still has the knock on effect. And, eventually, when someone steps down, grows bored, or moves on with their live in a more final way, that opening will be more easily filled by someone waiting in the wings.

But wait, there's more. The ability to stream directly through YouTube, at the drop of a hat, is not something to scoff at. Whilst it's unlikely it will truly take over from Twitch, there's the possibility. And it does have the added advantage of a significantly higher userbase for the final product. Yes, Twitch allows you to transfer your videos to YouTube, but unless someone is already on Twitch, chances are they won't set up an account to watch you live, and will simply wait for the cliff notes version.

With YouTube streaming shifting to an immediate, rather than scheduled event, and tools to allow you to immediately separate your recorded versus live, in the form of a direct link specifically for the latter. There is much more chance of someone, on YouTube, checking out one of your videos as an idle fancy, seeing that you are online right now, and jumping over to the new url with a click of a button. Ready to jump right in and engage in real time, without needing a new account and a new platform to engage.

Actually, this last has a great deal of potential. If, for example, Google incorporate a system whereby you can keep a livestream open, ala picture in picture, on any YouTube page you browse after starting it. The possible retention rate is significantly increased. So, in short, YouTube Gaming is a solid framework, with some genuine potential. Most of which will never be realised I'm sure, but it is there all the same. And it does offer just enough to make it worth your attention no matter how far up the ladder you are.

Basically, it isn't going to do a whole hell of a lot for most users. If anything at all. And even those who throw themselves in, wholeheartedly, and make use of every minute facet of what it grows into, will see little to no returns. But it won't hurt you either. And it will go a step towards bringing back what made YouTube so great in the first place. A sense of community. A niche community at that. A place for the games to game and meet and shit-talk and enjoy being a gamer.

And I say game on.