How to become a successful game streamer: Tips and recommendations

• Game streaming, or broadcasting your gameplay in real time for an internet audience, is a popular pastime
• Streaming video games can be enjoyable regardless of your motivations
• You’ll have to overcome several challenges to become a game broadcaster

Game streaming, or broadcasting your gameplay in real time for an internet audience, is a popular pastime from a financial perspective. Streaming video games can be enjoyable regardless of your motivations, whether for fame, financial gain, or pure fun. However, there’s more going on with game streaming than meets the eye.

You’ll have to overcome several challenges to become a game broadcaster. After making it, you can create the perfect withdrawal method for your funds. This article provides information on getting started with game streaming, growing your audience, and monetizing your channel.

Choose a Platform

The first step in game streaming is choosing a platform. Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Facebook Gaming, and many others allow you to livestream your games. There are pros and cons to adopting each platform you should weigh carefully before making a final decision.

Video Game streaming. Photo/PacMagUK

Factors including audience size, level of competition, features and tools, and earnings potential all play a role. Consider all of your alternatives before settling on one. The basics of streaming video games in real-time on sites like Twitch and YouTube Gaming have been covered below.

Twitch

It has around 30 million daily users, 9 million of whom watch live video game broadcasts. Many available extras, raids, drops, etc., are helpful for streamers. A significant and active gaming community also exists there. However, the sheer volume of Twitch channels may make it difficult to attract a sizable following. Also, it would be best to obey Twitch’s policies, or you’ll get banned.

YouTube Gaming

Over 200 million unique users and 40 million channels make YouTube Gaming the second most popular platform for live-streaming video games. In addition to a potentially vast base, the seamless incorporation of the YouTube video platform is another major selling point.

Aside from multiple ways to make money, its policies are more open and forgiving toward streamers. It might be challenging to break through the noise and find an audience in the YouTube Gaming community because of the sheer number of people posting content there. It also lacks Twitch’s streamer-friendly features like chat moderation and emotes.

Select Your Niche

Once settled on a platform, you should zero in on a specific market subset. You’ll need to make some choices about the games you’ll broadcast, the content you’ll provide, and the viewers you’ll target. Games like “Fortnite” & “Among Us” and indie darlings like “Stardew Valley” and “Hollow Knight” are all available for streaming. Games from the action-adventure, horror, simulation, strategy, and more genres can be streamed. There are several subgenres within gaming, and you can specialise in speedrunning, esports, modding, etc.

Finding your niche and dominating is the key to getting noticed and gaining readers who share your hobbies and interests. Nonetheless, always be flexible and receptive to new demands. Try different games and approaches to see what works best for you.

Invest in Quality Equipment and Software

You need a robust gaming PC so that the games run smoothly and without stuttering or freezing. Additionally, you should have a dependable internet connection to stream high-definition music and video. If you spend money on a professional-grade microphone, camera, set of headphones, and lighting equipment, the quality of your audio and video recordings will be much better.

Game distribution and capture tools will also be needed for your preferred streaming service. XSplit, OBS Studio, and Streamlabs OBS are a few examples of well-known applications.

The following factors must be taken into account:

• You’ll need a solid-state drive, 8 GB of RAM, a dedicated graphics card, and a quad-core processor to play modern games at high settings.
• Your upload speed should be at least 1 Mbps, and your ping should typically be under 100 ms.
• Good microphones have characteristics like a cardioid or unidirectional pattern, a pop filter, and a shock mount.
• You need a webcam with at least 30 frames per second, a wide-angle lens, and 1080p resolution.
• Any good lighting setup should have at least one front soft box or ring light and one-side softbox.

Hardware and software choices directly affect your streams’ speed and quality. If your broadcast is slow, grainy, or choppy, your viewers will lose interest and leave.

Game Streaming. Photo/MacWorld

Create an Attractive and Professional Channel

Your channel is like a shop window for your stuff. It’s a snapshot of who you are, what you do, and the worth you contribute to the world. The layout and appearance of it require your undivided attention. Some things to think about are mentioned below.

Channel Name

The name you choose for your channel should be memorable and indicative of those you’re trying to attract. Choose a channel name that is easy to type, say, and remember. Your area of expertise or central theme should also be reflected there.

Logo

The logo for your channel should be distinctive and memorable. It should also adhere to the channel’s branding guidelines. It can be a stylized version of your name in colours that correspond to the mood of your content.

Banner

Create an exciting and valuable banner for your channel. A good one will double duty as an attractive and helpful advertisement. Include details like dates and times, social media handles, sponsors, etc.

Description

It should be informative without becoming boring or cheesy. The most engaging channel descriptions are brief but captivating. In addition, you should briefly explain who you are, what you hope to achieve, and why.

Panels

Your channel should have panels with valuable information like your schedule, regulations, social media links, etc.

An engaging and knowledgeable channel is essential for earning the respect and trust of your target demographic. You can let your style and personality shine through. It also helps your channel show up higher in platform searches.

Stream Consistently and Interactively

If you want to stream consistently, stick to a regular schedule. Once you start, going back is not an option; keep going. Also, chat, speech, and gestures can all be used to interact with viewers during a livestream.

Keeping to a consistent schedule will let your viewers know when to tune in again. Your channel’s popularity and audience size could increase dramatically. Connecting with and validating an audience through interactive streaming is key. Making the area active and exciting is a terrific approach to keep the audience interested.

However, there are a few challenges that come with regular live broadcasting. Find a happy medium between streaming and your other commitments, interests, and well-being. Trolls, haters, and others who contribute nothing but negativity to the stream can have an unfavourable impact on your mood. So, set reasonable and beneficial goals, and reward yourself with breaks when needed. Ignore or kick out of your chat any user who misbehaves.

Monetise Your Stream and Diversify Your Income

Even though there are opportunities to generate money from streams, that is just one of many possible sources of income. You can monetise your stream in many ways, some of which are:

1. Your supporters want to show their appreciation, and one way they can do that is by making a monetary donation.
2. Players will pay you monthly money so that they may avoid commercials while still having access to premium emotes, medals, and other benefits.
3. Users can “cheer you on” or “send you animated stickers” as a form of virtual cash.
4. Putting commercials in your stream can help you make money.
5. Through commercial sponsorship, businesses will pay to have their ads played during your program.
6. Merchandise refers to the items you make and sell to your followers, such as t-shirts, mugs, stickers, among others.

How to Diversify Your Income

Having to rely only on a steady supply of money might be precarious. Your earnings might go up or down based on audience size, platform rules, market fluctuations, and other variables. Consequently, it is recommended that you develop different streams of income, including but not limited to the following:

• Make a channel and share your gaming content, including gameplay videos, tutorials, reviews, and more.
• With patron, you can build a page where your fans can make monthly contributions in exchange for access to unique material, rewards, or advantages.
• Podcasts are a great way to have in-depth discussions about games with other broadcasters or special guests.
• Blogs are online diaries where you can discuss whatever aspects of video games fascinate you and your readers.
• Create a writing blog to share your interests, except gaming. If you like football and are a fan of a particular player, like Simone Inzaghi, you can share some insights there with your viewers.

Conclusion

A growing trend that has the potential to develop into a lucrative career is live-streaming video games. However, much vigour, zeal, and effort will be required. The tips that should be followed to launch a fruitful career as a game broadcaster are outlined in this article.

However, it’s essential to remember that success will take time to come. Effective channel development requires a lot of work and perseverance. If your accomplishments fall short of those of others, try not to give up too soon or to be too hard on yourself. Stop stressing and begin learning from and enjoying your work.