You’re on top of all the latest games as soon as they come out. You’ve always gotten enjoyment out of playing them. It doesn’t matter the genre.
What if we told you that you can take this passion for gaming and turn it into a pretty lucrative career? We’re talking about becoming a video game streamer.
It takes a lot of work to get started. You won’t be making tons of money right out of the gate, so you’ll need a day job to support your streaming. Also check video chat sites
We’ve got a few tips that will help you get your career off the ground sooner rather than later. Keep reading to learn more.
Set Your Goals
The first step of getting started with anything in life is to ask yourself the why. Again, streaming video games can be pretty lucrative, but it takes a lot of hard work to get there.
There will be times when you look at your paycheck and feel disheartened. If you don’t have set goals in mind, you may stop pursuing your passion before you even get started.
Consider if you want to stream as a hobby or if you want to make a real career out of it. Do you want to share your passion with a few friends or the entire world? Once you’ve answered these questions and have a goal in mind, you can set to work coming up with a plan of attack.
Get Your Equipment Together
Now that you’ve got a plan in motion, it’s time to buy your equipment. Playing video games for your adoring public is serious business.
You’re going to need the best gaming setup to facilitate your new career/hobby. It starts with buying an awesome gaming console or computer.
Gaming Console or PC
When choosing a console, you have to think about what type of games you want to play. Not all games have cross-platform availability. For example, you can’t play Mario on your PlayStation 5.
If you want to have a little more control over your stream, we recommend going with a PC instead of a console. Xbox and PlayStation do have streaming apps, but they aren’t as customizable as the ones you can get on your computer.
PCs also make it easier to multitask playing the game, recording the stream, and interacting with the viewer chat. Since you’re just starting out, we can understand if you can’t invest your money in an expensive desktop computer.
Laptops are a little more affordable for newbies and will suit your needs fine until you start making more money from your streams. You can go here to look for savings on the best gaming laptop.
Capture Device
If after reading the information above, you’re leaning more toward streaming on your gaming console, that’s fine, but there’s one extra part that you’re going to need.
This part is a capture device. It will allow you to send the feed from your console straight to your PC. These can come in the form of an HDMI cable or a card.
The cable is best for newer generation consoles like a PlayStation or Xbox. You plug one end of the cable into your console and the other end into your PC.
The computer will recognize the device as a webcam and display your feed so your adoring public can see it. It’s as simple as that!
Webcam
Your viewers are going to want to be able to tie a face to a name. This being said, you’re not going to get too far if you don’t have a webcam.
It will help your audience connect to you a little better. They can’t really judge your reactions based on your voice alone. If the story twist in someone’s favorite game makes you emotional, they’re going to want to see those delicious tears run down your face and probably cry with you.
This is the area where you can cut some corners for the sake of affordability. Unless you want to use a lot of special effects, you don’t need a top-of-the-line camera.
Software
You now have everything that you need to record the pieces of your stream. All you have to have now is something to tie all of it together into one cohesive broadcast.
You’ll need to download software to your computer to suit this purpose. We have good news for you in this regard. There are free options available!
Other
Once you download your software, you’ll have your setup ready to go. Before you get started, however, you may want to consider picking up a few additional things. These are nice to have, but they’re optional.
The overhead lights in your room or the lamp by your desk will work as far as lighting goes, but you may want to invest in a few video lights. It will make your stream look a little more professional.
The next thing you have to consider is your background. You don’t want to get your messy bed and unwashed laundry pile in the shot. Not only will that gross your viewers out, but it doesn’t look too professional either.
You don’t have to go all out with this. A bookshelf with a few nerdy figures and other collectibles will do the trick. It’s simple, and it fits your theme.
Choose Your Platform
Streaming video games is a little difficult if you don’t have a platform to stream on. There are three options available to you. These are Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook.
Twitch
When most people think of streaming, their mind goes straight to Twitch. It offers a ton of great features that are catered to streaming and nothing else.
There are no additional programs that the site tries to sell you that aren’t catered toward making your stream better. Twitch has a higher user base, so it might be a little easier for you to draw in a crowd too.
This being said, you’re going to have a ton of competition. Twitch doesn’t do much to promote its small fries, so it could be a while before you start getting any real attention.
YouTube
YouTube is a little more multipurpose than Twitch. You can stream and post regular videos to the same channel, whereas Twitch only does streaming.
It has a lot of resources that video makers can use that you can’t get on the other platforms, and the site will allow you to stream in crisp 4K quality.
Be warned that YouTube doesn’t have the streamer culture that Twitch has. It might be harder for you to pull in an audience and start making the big bucks.
If you already have a Facebook profile, you might as well make the most out of it. With a single press of a button, you can go live and begin your stream.
The good part about this is the second you go live, all your friends and family will get a notification telling them that you’re streaming. They may be willing to join in and bring along a few friends with them.
Facebook is only now getting its feet wet with video game streaming. That means you won’t run into the same level of competition that you would on Twitch and YouTube.
You won’t have the best video quality to work with. The Facebook algorithm is also pretty hardcore when it comes to copyright stuff, so you may run into some trouble there. Still, if you can get past all this stuff, it’s not a bad option for beginners.
Choose a Specialization
Once you make it big, you can afford to stream a different game every week. Until you get to that point, however, you may want to stick to a single brand.
When you’re starting out, your viewers are tuning in to watch the game. Not you. If you suddenly stop playing a game someone is invested in, they’ll turn to a different person who’s streaming the same one.
At the end of the day, play something that you’re going to love, though. If a game isn’t as fun as you thought it would be, it’s okay to drop it.
Promote Yourself
Promoting yourself is easier than you may think if you have a social media account. If you’re going to be streaming at 5 o’clock on a Wednesday, you can post that information on your Facebook or Twitter so your followers know when you’re active.
After you get a little bigger, you can start paying for advertisements or do a little affiliate marketing.
Become a Successful Video Game Streamer
Are you ready to share your passion with the world by becoming a video game streamer? With all the competition that you’ll run into, it can be hard to get your foot in the door.
Once you do, however, you may make enough money to turn streaming into a full-time career! Wave goodbye to that boring 9-5 and say hello to games. For more tips that will turn you into a successful streamer, visit the Tech section of our blog.
