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The Beginner’s Guide to Game Streaming
How aspiring video game streamers can cover their bases
The idea that gaming is only meant to be a hobby or pastime no longer applies. With the rise of eSports leagues such as the M3 World Championship and the ESL One Major, along with the birth of streaming platforms like Twitch, more and more avenues have become accessible to gamers so they can play and earn at the same time.
With gaming very much becoming a viable career, many are now looking to establish their own streams. To ease interested professional streamers into the process, here are steps they can consider:
Get all the essentials ready—hardware, software, and accessories
Before jumping into your first stream, you’ll need to secure the necessary equipment. Start by researching gadgets and platforms; then, make a game-streaming equipment checklist to help you shop accordingly.
Here, investing in quality items is vital. After all, you don’t want to fumble in the middle of a stream due to your equipment malfunctioning. If you’re an aspiring streamer and want to know the essentials of building a PC, check out this PC building guide for a detailed look at the different parts.
Find your niche and focus your attention on the titles you intend to play
Budding streamers want to stand out, and naturally, they will want to play a game that garners the attention of viewers. If you’re wondering, “Which game is best for streaming?” the answer is simply: it all depends on you.
While playing popular games such as Valorant or Dota 2 can jumpstart your success, it’s still recommended that you play games you know you’ll enjoy. Whether it’s a first-person shooter, a story-based thriller or a grindy RPG, always remember that viewers come to your stream for your personality, how genuinely connected you are to the game and your authentic reactions. Regardless of the gaming genre, stick to the titles you genuinely love playing.
Work out a schedule and stick to it
Before you can start looking into building your community of followers, you have to lock in returning viewers. And naturally, if viewers enjoy your stream, they will want to continue watching. To ensure they don’t miss out, establish a stream schedule.
Now, you may be wondering, “What is a good streaming schedule?” Nights, early mornings and weekends are the perfect time for streamers who are just starting. Going live between midnight and 9AM is an optimum window for those who want to get noticed. Consider the weekends, too. This is where Twitch, touted as the best game streaming service, historically sees a spike in viewership.
Once you’ve finalized your schedule, power up your stream by availing any of Globe’s Prepaid WiFi promos for gamers. These packages are perfect for the Twitch app and its subscription plans, so check them out.
Know that character building and viewer engagement are crucial
Great streamers set themselves apart when they know how to showcase talent and personality, and encourage active engagement among viewers. Game streaming is built on connection, and popular streamers garner success by being relatable personalities.
While gaming content is the backbone of any successful streamer, loyal audiences often gravitate toward the gamer—and not the game. By being authentic, fun and engaging, you can build a dedicated fanbase that will closely support you as you progress.
Scale up as you build your audience
As your venture into video game streaming, you will need to upgrade eventually and market yourself to widen your reach. To start, upgrading your hardware is essential, as game developers tend to create more resource-intensive games that require high-powered machines to run. If you’re into multiplayer games, pairing your PC with one of Globe’s Fiber Plans is one way to go.
Setting hardware aside, marketing your stream with “pay-per-click” campaigns and other related ads will help you broaden your stream in no time.
Set clear, timely and attainable goals
Any good streamer will tell you that it’s essential to set goals. If you want to make this a financially viable career, you need to achieve your goals clearly and timely. Continue following the steps stated above and work at this consistently in order to achieve the self-defined goals. (Remember: work through everything at the pace that, well, works for you.)
Keep these tips in mind to jumpstart your streaming career, and hopefully, you’ll be among the gamers on the rise to watch out for next. To help you attain your video game streamer dreams in no time, make sure to check out Globe’s broadband plans for a stable, fast, and reliable internet connection.
