How to Build a Career as a Gaming Streamer
Some of the most-watched and followed sportsmen and women in the world now strut their stuff in the online lobbies of Esports as varied as COD, poker, and chess, as more people get turned on to streaming platforms such as Twitch and Facebook Gaming.
This, in turn, has led to many spectators wanting to have a go at becoming streamers themselves. As with most start-up career ventures, many such attempts fall by the wayside as people get disillusioned by their lack of progress or realize how much time and dedication is required to reach the top.
In this article, we aim to give readers a basic blueprint of how to make a meaningful mark in the world of online games streaming, whether you wish to contest battle royales, card tournaments, or blitz chess head-to-head.
Pick the Game You Want to Play
The first most obvious aspect to work out is what it is you actually want to show the world. That involves making some tough choices about the games you want to showcase your skills on.
This does not always mean picking the game you are best at, but should instead be a decision based on which game best allows your personality and exuberance to shine through.
To get a feel for how certain streamers adapt their content and delivery based on the games they play, it is worth checking out the streams of some market leaders like Lex Veldhuis, who crushes the online poker scene, Nickmercs, who flays battle royale lobbies, and GMHikaru, who wows chess fans with his complex strategies and gameplay breakdowns.
Once you know who you would like to emulate, just be careful to ensure your stream has a point of difference rather than being a carbon copy of one of the above.
Decide What Your Streaming Persona Will Be
While being yourself is always a good place to start when it comes to streaming, the medium does also allow people to live out their dreams and aspirations too, letting loose alter-egos they otherwise would have kept hidden forever.
A prime example of this is Dr Disrespect, a fictional streaming character created by Herschel Beahm. The result is a streaming experience quite like no other, as viewers become fully invested in this larger-than-life protagonist with a fake mullet, retro sunglasses, and who claims to be the x2 Blockbuster Video Game Champion of the world.
Amass All the Software and Hardware You Need
While it is not necessary to go out and immediately buy every piece of gaming software and hardware in existence, there are some things you will need in order to hit the ground running.
According to some top pro gaming streamer stars, the basics that will get people started include: a strong internet connection, a good software, a microphone, a webcam, and some sort of stream overlay so that viewers are kept informed of what the state of play is no matter when they turn the stream on. This latter point is particularly important when more pensive and tactical games, such as poker, are being streamed, as it is a good way to build an audience and community that will buy into a narrative and keep coming back for more.
Of course, as your stream’s reputation begins to make waves, you may want to update your setup, with many top streamers spending big bucks to install custom-built studios.
Enlist the Help of Dedicated MODs
Most gaming streamer celebs start out on their own, but as a stream’s popularity launches into the stratosphere it becomes impossible to run a chat room, update social media feeds, select music, and play a game to an elite level all at the same time.
For this reason, most of the best streamers assemble a dedicated team of MODs. Some of the MODs for top streams are even paid for their services, such is the time and effort they expend.
Resist the Temptation to Cheat!
Getting to the top of the Twitch or Facebook Gaming rankings is really difficult but throwing all your hard work down the drain is easy, as has been evidenced by streamers who have been caught cheating at their respective games.
It may be tempting to do it, but just remember that often there is no way back once your gaming skeletons are out the closet.
