Twitch and Youtube streaming is getting hotter and hotter day by day. We like to play videogames every once in a while, but what if you would actually make it your full-time work? By now most of us know that there are quite a lot of people who make serious buck out of gaming and not just professional esports players but basic “normies” as well.
Starting a channel is not that hard as one might think, getting it rolling on the other hand may seem impossible. However there still are those who rise above that starting level which just proves the point. You, me, anyone can make their living out of it. The only question is, are you willing to work for it, to achieve that goal?
In this article, we are gonna tell you about the key elements that help a channel grow and also what’s it like to actually stream full-time. Make sure you have a comfy position on your chair, sofa, bed or wherever you may be.
What do you need to start Streaming on Twitch?
As we live in such marvelous time in technological advancements, streaming games is becoming all the more easier. Of course the main parts you will be needing are a PC/Console, Headset and preferably a desktop microphone. Those are the deep core of elements involving a streaming career but, as you may have already guessed, you will be needing a bit more.
Good audio and video quality are vital for a channel that aims to success. If yours is aiming for that too, you might want stay tuned and read our other articles about good gear for gaming. Here’s one about Roccat! Another great place to look for these kind of reviews/news is Tier1 Games
Webcam is also a good thing to have but that is still completely optional peripheral. However if you do decide to include a webcam on your stream, you might find it useful to get a greenscreen. It allows you to have a custom background in your webcam, price for greenscreens are around 150€.
For streaming itself you will be needing a broadcasting program if you play with PC, currently best one available is Streamlabs OBS and it’s completely free and easy to use. Setting it up isn’t rocket science either as the app itself pretty much holds your hand through the setup.
If you wish to have music on the background of your streams, it would be wise not to use Spotify/Soundcloud This is because many streamers, big and small have gotten into trouble due to copyright claims. Instead of Spotify/Soundcloud, you need to download Twitch Soundtracks app to your PC, this way you will stay out of any copyright trouble.
One of the biggest parts of streaming is your brand, creating your own image is that what makes you pop out from the masses. This includes your very own, personal and custom channels graphics such as panel images, banners, alerts etc. But as you may know, a brand is much more than just pretty pictures, right? Well yes but also no, not atleast when it comes to streaming and social media platforms.
Of course you will still have to be unique as a streamer, thus you should just be the best you. That may sound like confusing, but consider asking from your friends for example: “When am I the most enjoyable to hang out with”. There lies the key to keep those passing viewers to stay and maybe even press that pretty little follow button.
What happens next – A full-time streamer
While playing games as a job may be tempting, it’s still a job and harder than one might expect. Having a income from such a job has lot of tangibles which contribute how much you earn, how often and for how long. Keeping your job as a streamer is a lot harder than keeping your job in most other professions. It requires for you to keep yourself clean, that means that any sort of a fallout may lead to loss of followers and thus loss of viewers. The bigger the fiasco, the bigger is the damage as well. And as this job is pretty much just keeping your followers, your community happy, it will be a lot harder to make up for the past mischiefs.
You also have to make that content everyday and try to keep it fresh at the same time. That will surely take its toll mentally speaking. Being a streamer isn’t easy nor is getting to a point of actually making a living out of it. So before you start to plan your career, make sure this is what you really want because streaming is about passion. That passion may lie in games/gaming or entertaining and connecting with people. As long as that passion exists, you should be just fine. Hope you’ll have a nice future on Twitch or someplace else if you so choose.
Tonight we will be also sharing our thoughts about Playstation 5 and 4 streaming and how different it is from PC streaming. Stay tuned on esportshelp!