I would guess that the YTers who make a killing are doing it by adding a lot to the experience with personality and commentary. If you just sit back and play the game, you're not going to get the kind of traffic it takes for Google to write you a check.
I learned to distance myself from this. One trick is to always hold a pen and pad, so you can approach it scientifically. Also creating a mental barrier between myself and the game is crucial... playtesting in person isn't even so bad, because people are generally really nice and supportive. Online is another story--people can actually be pretty mean. Unlike here, where everyone is being positive... I wouldn't have guessed this is on the internet, but here we are! You guys are all ama...
You are the first person to mention this--the bleat button *almost* made it in. I think Randy still thinks it's worth spending the time on...
I get asked this a lot, and I never came up with a clever answer for it... it just seemed like the right color at the time, and I never even consciously thought about it.
We were experimenting a bit with "blend" tiles that connect the walls together, but it was one of those features that just didn't make it in. There is also kind of an advantage to seeing some markings for quick measurement in some of the puzzles.
I'd love to have a Vita version as well--I'm just waiting for MonoGame support to come there the way it has for PS4. My game is in XNA, so I would need the ground work to be there, otherwise I'm looking at a code rewrite in C++...
The weird thing is that Catherine remains on my "must play some day" list...
It's best not to worry about how hard it is up front, or you'll talk yourself out of trying. Just aim for something basic, even just cloning a simple game like Pac Man. No need to even show it to anyone--but you can learn a ton by following the motions. Kinda like following a recipe book when you learn to cook.
It can be a huge task if you let your feature list grow too big... but if you start with something basic, these days it's manageable. Just get a basic understanding of programming and art, and put in the time a little each day.
I definitely found this to be true in my many hours of playtesting and showcasing the game. Even something like jumping high by holding A longer, I take for granted having grown up with games. But not everyone has that lineage! So I did my best to put things in the right place for players to demonstrate all these things naturally.
If we devs saw let's plays harming sales, we would probably be on board with a movement to curb it. But since it has such a positive impact on revenue, we're not going to start invoking copyright law... well, I can only speak for myself. Some indies might prefer to keep the game experience within the game itself.
A PS4!? Count me in too.