January 2020 - XSplit Blog

Everything You Need For A Good Game Streaming Setup

Gaming is more than just pressing buttons on a controller in order for you to get to the next level. For any gaming content creator who wants to be able to make a name for themselves; as a gaming influencer, you’re going to need a lot more than just a console in order to do it. Being a gaming influencer requires you to have the right personality and the right setup to make it happen. For the setup, there are a few things that you definitely need to have for good player experience.

A Private Room

The first thing that you’ll need is a private space to play in and record the content for your channel. The size of this room can vary between the size of a standard single-person bedroom, or something twice that size. You can also do game streaming in your living room, where there is more space for guests on your stream. Or enough space to allow you to experiment with streaming VR games.

What’s important in choosing your space is – if it has enough legroom needed to create content for your channel. It doesn’t mean you have to keep filming in the same place every time. There will be occasions that will require you to move locations if you plan on streaming for mobile broadcasts.

Strong Internet Connection

This is essential for every online gamer who wants to frequently do live broadcasting, a strong net connection will help allow you to keep streaming on your channel for as long as you want to, especially if you plan on streaming for hours on end more than once a day. A weak wifi connection can have serious effects on your video and quality, and more often than not, result in your stream getting spontaneously cut-off prematurely after less than five minutes.

A strong internet connection with XSplit’s Broadcaster, you can maintain a seamless combination that will allow you to be able to stream for as many hours as you want, without interruptions.

Two Monitors

For people who plan to do a lot of serious game streaming, it’s important for you to have two monitors for your gaming setup, one for you to use for gameplay, and another for you to monitor your social feed. Some people might think of it as a bit of a hassle, but any professional streamer will tell you that it’s better for you to have two monitors, so that you won’t get distracted by message alerts, or chat flow popping up on the same screen.

Two monitors can be optimal to get a better view of your game and stream without switching tabs all the time. While one screen’s used for gameplay, you can also use the other monitor to upload your content; while chatting with your followers or other streamers or schedule your next session.

Gaming Console And PC

This is obviously important for anyone who wants to do gameplay streaming online. You might want to use the same online console you’ve been using to play games in your living room. We recommend getting one that is specifically used for streaming, to avoid running out of memory in between sessions.

You have the option of using a wide variety of consoles for your streaming channel – like a Playstation, an X-Box, a Nintendo Switch, or the main PC you plan on using for your setup altogether. This depends on what your console of choice is, but that doesn’t mean you have to limit your gaming setup to just one. A lot of well-known content creators are known to use more than one console for their playthrough videos.

High Def Web-Camera

In order for a streamer to be more recognized among his followers, and have a more noticeable brand campaign, an HD camera can help with his promotion, and serve as a good mirroring device for practicing his facial expressions when he’s recording.

Game streamers can get more than one use from having a high functioning camera for their streaming setup, one of which is that it serves as a great device to use for promoting their own personal branded merchandise, like their t-shirts, or hats, or sweatbands. A lot of streamers would connect a green-screen with their camera set up so that they can remove the surrounding box of their chat window in order to make more room for their gameplay screen.

Gaming Headset With Microphone

Along with being able to make visual presence with your online audience, it’s also important that you be able to have a verbal connection with them as well, which is why when you’re online, it’s recommended for you to have a gaming headset with a built-in microphone so that you can have better sound quality to project to your listeners.

Having a headset with a microphone attached will allow you to have a more personal impression with your gameplay, while also giving you the opportunity to work on the kind of vocabulary you want to use when you’re streaming. Gaming headsets are also important for when you plan on doing a multiplayer live stream with two or more other gamers, in order for you to be able to have proper communication with the other players on your team.

Gaming Chair

While having a well functioning gaming console and communications equipment is important, it’s also important that your setup includes your own personal gaming chair, like that of an office chair, your game streaming setup needs you to have a chair that you can be comfortable sitting in for hours on end. Professional streamers like “Ninja’ or “Myth” do game streaming for at least twelve hours a day, and at that time they need a sturdy chair that can handle the kind of hours they put in, and be able to adjust to the height and positioning they want.

An individual chair is great for single-players, but for channels that use more than one player for their videos, have more of a group dynamic, it’s okay to want to switch that setting to a couch, for more than one occasion.

These are just a few of the important equipment pieces needed in order to make sure you have the best streaming experience possible, in order for you to make it as a professional game streamer yourself, the rest is up to you. Good luck.

인터넷 방송인으로써의 멘탈 관리법

사회의 다양한 험한 분야들에 비해 “인터넷 방송” 은 매우 편안해 보이는 직종이다. 자택 근무 보장, 가끔 이벤트성(?) 외근을 나간다고 하여도 근무지는 근무자 임의 설정, 업무 시간이나 내용 또한 자유로우며, 눈에 보이는 수입이 적지도 않다. 인터넷 방송인들이 가끔 곤욕을 치르는 모습조차 어딘가 우습고 즐거워 보인다. 야외에서 작업을 하지도 않고, 악기상, 악조건 등에서 고군분투하는 일도 없다. 일단 눈에 보이는 것은 그렇다.

허나 이에 대해 걸러 생각하여야 할 점이 몇 가지 있는데, 물론 인터넷 방송이 물리적 육체노동보다 몸의 피로는 적을 수 있으나, 실제 비용은 그보다 크다는 것을 간과하여서는 안 된다. 인터넷 방송은 생각보다 편한 일이 아니다. 자신이 하고 싶은 컨텐츠만 해서 방송을 이끌어가는 방송인은 극소수이며, 그렇게 보이는 방송인들조차도 실제로는 절대 그렇지 않은 경우가 훨씬 많다. 하고 싶지 않은 일을 해야 하는 것이다.

사례를 하나 들자면, 트위치, 유튜브, 아프리카TV 같은 인터넷 방송 플랫폼에서 개인 방송을 주 직종으로 삼은 한 스트리머는 모든 방송준비가 완료되고 프로그램의 송출 버튼만 누르면 되는 상황에서, 그게 하기 싫어서 의자에 우두커니 20분을 앉아 있기만 했던 적이 있다고 한다. 방송 분야가 적성과 맞지 않은 것도 아닌데다가 그의 주 방송 컨텐츠는 게임이고, 그는 타 게임 방송인중 가장 게임을 좋아하는 사람이라고 하기에도 허언이 아니다.

또한 꼭 기억하여야 할 명제가 있다. ‘사생활은 생각보다 비싸다’ 라는 말이다. 많은 인터넷 방송인이 방송 초기에 신이 나서, 넘치는 열정으로 이것저것 자신의 사생활을 공개하는 경향이 있다. 그 때문에 인터넷 방송을 오래 하다 보면, 인터넷 방송에 내 개인적 공간이 매몰되는 듯한 느낌이 든다. 공개 행사에 출석했을 때, 얼굴도 모르는 사람에게서 나의 방 구조에 대한 품평을 듣는 것은 별로 유쾌한 경험이 아니다.

인터넷에 한 번 남은 데이터는 되돌릴 수 없는 이유도 한 몫을 한다. 나에 관하여 어떻게든 남게 된 자료를 악의적 편집 등을 통해, 누군가가 다른 목적을 가지고 사용하는 장면을 보면 소름이 돋을 수도 있다. 여기 앉아 있는 내 자신과 다른 자신이 움직이는 것을 보는 것은 이상한 느낌이며, 현실적으로 그것에 대해 어떠한 제재를 하는 것도 불가능하다.

타인과의 관계에 의해 우울증이 생기기도 한다. 직업 특성상 다른 사업자와 감정적으로 얽히는 일이 타 직군에 비해 훨씬 많기 때문에, 동업자끼리의 트러블이 다른 직업보다 일어나기가 쉽다. 트러블의 원인은 다양하다. 가장 흔한 사례로는 금전, 치정관계 등이 있고, 조금 더 복합적인 인간적 문제로 발전하기도 한다.

심지어 본인이 잘못한 일이 없어도 타 방송인이 앙심을 품는 경우도 있다. 그 중 사소하지만 많은 비중을 차지하는 사례는 고작 “게임을 이겼다” 는 것이었다. 그런 타입에게는 져 준다고 해서 될 일도 아니다. 저런 경우 대부분은 실제로 게임을 패배했기 때문에 감정을 가지는 것이 아니라, 자신의 자존심과 연결된 문제라고 생각해서 그러는 것이기 때문이다 (게임의 승패는 구실에 불과하다). 어떤 일로 그들의 어떤 자존심을 상하게 할 지 우리가 계산해서 행동하는 것은 불가능하므로, 예방 자체가 되지 않는다. 잘 이해는 되지 않지만, 어쨌든 자주 일어나는 일이다.

이런 사례는 개인적인 것이 아니다. 경력이 어느 정도 있는 스트리머라면 방송 규모가 작든 크든 누구나 이런 경험이 있다고 공감할 것이다. 이렇게 행복하지 못한 상태가 계속된다면, 우울증이나 공황장애 등 수많은 실제적인 정신적 문제가 동반될 수 있다. 분명히 내가 하고 싶어서 시작한 인터넷 방송이지만, 방송에 삶이 매몰되는 것이다.

이럴 때 입은 데미지는 어디서 회복해야 좋을까? 다행히 다양한 방법이 있으나 그 효과는 모두 천차만별일 수 도 있다.

첫 번째는, 방송 밖에서 해결책을 찾는 것이다. 내 주변 타인이든, 내 자존심이든, 종교든, 취미든 무엇이든 내가 의지할 수 있는 무언가 하나를 가지는 것이다. 영원히 가는 것은 아무것도 없다. 인생에서 인터넷 방송을 제외한 무언가는 남아 있어야 한다. 그렇지 않으면 언젠가 삶에 아무것도 남지 않았다는 절망에 빠져, 극단적인 선택마저 할 수 있는 위험이 있다.

둘째로는 본인이 받는 스트레스를 최대한 경감시켜 보는 방법이다. 인터넷 방송을 실제 진행할 시 많은 것들이 내가 통제할 수 있는 범위 밖에 있다는 것을 미리 인식하여야 한다. 내가 사람들에게 보이고 싶은 특정한 이미지가 있겠으나, 내가 원하는 이미지의 100%대로 사람들이 나를 인식하는 것은 불가능하다는 것을 미리 알아야 한다. 누구든간에 다 가질수는 없다. 하나를 얻으면 하나를 놓아야 할 수 밖에 없다. 조금 욕심을 줄이는 것도 방법이다.

정신적 위안을 받고 휴식을 취하는 방식은 개개인마다 전부 다르기 때문에 전부 언급하기란 불가능하다. 자신이 무엇을, 누구를 좋아하는지, 자신을 자신으로서 존재할 수 있게 하는 것이 무엇인지, 자신이 사랑하는 것이 무엇인지에 대해 곰곰히 생각해 보고, 부디 그 사실이 당신에게 도움이 되기를 바란다.

이런 개인적인 선에서 해결이 되지 않는다면, 신속히 전문가와의 상담을 진행해야 한다. 절대로 너무 늦었다고 생각하지 말고, 위기감을 느꼈을 때 바로 행동하는 것이 중요하다. 방송을 켰는지 아닌지와 상관 없이, 우리는 여전히 계속 살아가야 하기 때문이다.

꾸준히…

#엑스플릿 #엑스스플릿

Tipping is now in XSplit Gamecaster V4

Tipping has arrived! Start getting tips from your viewers through this new feature in XSplit Gamecaster V4!

Tipping has been around for quite some time and is actually a very popular way to make money from your stream. But it hasn’t been always straightforward, as you would usually have to use third-party services and ultimately connect them all together. Having said that, we know it’s been popular so we’re not really trying to convince you to make any change if you’re already used to that set up. What we want to do is provide an alternative that is less complex to enable and is readily available to everyone.

Setting up tipping on XSplit

You can set everything up in less than 5 clicks. To enable, login to XSplit Gamecaster V4, click the settings cogwheel button at the bottom right, go to Tipping, input your details, and you’re all set!

That’s pretty much it! You can now promote your tipping page on your stream and your social media channels!

All is good, right? We can just leave things there and have you figure out how to actually start getting tips and donations from your viewers? Of course not!

Tips for getting tips (or donations)

Getting tips from your viewers is just one of the many ways you can earn money from Twitch or really any other streaming platforms. Having an option to do it directly from XSplit is nice and all but it’s not even half of the work needing to be done. Here are some of the things that you should both look into and work hard to maximize your chances of getting tips from your audience.

Make it visible

Simple, right? You’d be surprised how many people don’t make it available and easy enough for their audiences to give them money. One area you can readily add it in your streaming panel.

It’s just natural for new viewers to get curious about you if they happen to like your content, and there’s nothing closer to look at than your stream panels located at the bottom part of your stream. It doesn’t mean you’ll get tips guaranteed (duh!) but you’re making it easy for them to do it whenever they want.

Stream panel or channel profile is just one of the many places you can show it. You can also link to it in your social media channels as mentioned above and more.

Remember, the key is not spamming it all over the place. It’s about making the option available. It’s not just about you getting a tip, it’s also about making it easy for them to do it whenever they feel the need to do it.

Incentivize and reward donors

While viewers donate to show support for their favorite creators, they also do it because they appreciate being mentioned or credited in the stream. Incentivizing your donors is important as this achieves two things namely: 1). It rewards your audience for tipping but 2). It also reminds your other viewers that they can also get the same reward by doing the same.

A simple shout-out is cool but you can take it up a notch by doing the following:

Use custom alerts to showcase donors/tippers on your stream
Create a stream panel that lists your top donors for a specific period of time
Hold a mini raffle that aims to reward those who have given you a donation

Create a goal for you and your viewers

Stream goals — *Photo by* *Estée Janssens* on *Unsplash*

Everyone loves goals and this is one of the more interactive ways to engage with your audience. It makes them feel they’re a big part of what you’re trying to accomplish. And of course, they are more likely to tip or donate since they know where their money is going to.

The goal doesn’t have to be too ambitious, to begin with. It could be you buying new equipment to upgrade your gear or getting the latest AAA game available so you can share your content with them further. If you think about it, almost all of the goals are about allowing yourself to provide an even better experience to your viewers. So it’s a win-win situation for all

Finally, there are services such as Player.me and StreamLabs that allow you to visualize your progress and share them with your viewers. Something as simple as a progress bar, alongside incentivizing them as we mentioned above can motivate your audience to help you reach your goal.

Ask your viewers what they want

As you build your viewership up, you’ll start getting more interactions with your audience and at times, they’ll make suggestions on what they want you to do or what they want to see next. You can take this opportunity to poll them and get their input on various things. If you’re playing a specific game, it can be about the approach you need to take to move forward, or it can be what in-game item to buy. While this isn’t directly about getting donations, it helps in creating that trust that is important long-term.

You can even combine this with whatever goal it is you’re working toward. Say you’re goal is to get this much money in order to buy a game, you can very simply ask your viewers beforehand what’s the upcoming game they want you to see playing and work from there. Sure you won’t be able to please everyone, but you still get to keep the majority happy.

Aim for consistency

Being consistent in many areas can help bring loyal viewers which is where most of the donations will come from. While it may happen sometimes, people don’t just tip or donate after watching a certain stream or content for the first time. You’re probably tired of hearing this cliche from your parents but trust is earned over time and the way you get that is by providing exceptional content with great value to your viewers on a consistent basis. That’s how you get them to watch you for your second, third and fourth stream. That’s how you get them to follow your channel and eventually support your channel more by donating, giving a tip and supporting whatever endeavors you have.

Does it mean you have to be spotless in everything that you do? No. It just means giving a consistent effort to what you’re doing enables you to connect more with your audience which is how you essentially build a loyal viewership for your channel.

Final thoughts

Getting tips from your stream is just one of the many benefits that you can enjoy if you build and cultivate your viewership the right way. At the end of the day, it all goes back to you providing great entertainment value. Having an audience that likes your content extremely well gives a lot in return and getting donations is just one of them. We hope those five things we listed above can help you and your stream.

Don’t forget to try out the new tipping feature in XSplit Gamecaster V4 and share with us any feedback that you have. We’re looking forward to those as we want to improve and expand this feature further down the line.

Stop waiting for the perfect moment, and start streaming now

We’re now in 2020. New year, new me? Or finally, the year where you start streaming? So what’s stopping you from creating the content that you want?

Fear is an obstacle that everyone faces regardless of profession. Whether it be fear of failing or rejection, or not being good enough for our chosen path – even the fear of the unknown can play a role in you pursuing or not the things that you plan or want to do. They say that you can never be fully ready unless your mind is determined to push through it.

We talk a lot about streaming on the blog and how we can help content creators make the most engaging content there is with our software. You may be a skeptic, why streaming? Should you do it too? I mean, why not right? In previous articles, we’ve made lists on what else you can stream, what to say in-camera, things to check before every stream and many more to help you get started.

Now, let’s chat about why you should be streaming and why you should do it now. No more excuses.

It’s all about the timing

When are you ready to start your streaming journey? Is there such a thing as perfect timing? Personally, if you’re lucky, yes there might be perfect timing, but for the not so lucky people on earth, we need to create opportunities and make that perfect timing ourselves!. When there is none, we create one.

Waiting is a waste of time. Again, it depends on luck on whether we receive a sign that will prompt us to start doing what we’re supposed to do. Issac Newton had the opportunity to discover the law of gravity when an apple fell on his head. But Einstein created a new study where he studied gravitational waves that do not exist in Newton’s law of gravity. Same with content creators, some are lucky to receive an opportunity to discover but most of us must create those opportunities ourselves because it cannot be made for us. Pave our own way and start this adventure with one step at a time.

In the wise words of Nike, just do it.

Regret

You don’t want to be that person who keeps on referencing the past, right? If only you started this back then, and it might have grown to be something bigger by this time. Most of us have gone through the same experience, the same conversation in our minds with the what-ifs and what could’ve been. The regret is killing us slowly, figuratively.

We, humans, have a thing for the past. We love to reminiscence and explore the what-ifs – what if I did this or that when I was younger, we can only imagine the possible outcomes. Reality is, not to burst your bubble, it will all remain an idea if you don’t do something about it. You’d love to explore the options but are too scared to actually put things into action. That’s what separates the successful people of this generation – putting things into action and taking the risk of doing what they want to do. If it fails, then it fails – you cannot change that. But the lesson here is that you have no regrets because you were able to do it anyway.

Be brave enough to do the things you’d want to do, if it fails then it’s bound to fail. It’s up to us if we want to stand up and make it better. There will be no more room for regrets since we’ve done it! No more what-ifs or it could’ve been me.

Who is your audience

People are intimidated to start their streaming journey because they feel that they have no audience. Who will watch my stream? Would I look like a loser and stream with no viewers?

It depends on your purpose – who are you streaming for?

Some are looking into streaming and building a community around it. There are also those who stream because it’s fun and it doesn’t matter whether they have viewers or not. Essentially, it’s up to you.

Share your knowledge

If you stream, what benefit can you give the audience aside from humor and entertainment? Most gamers tend to stream for fun and showcase their game experience. But underneath the fun is sharing how they play a game.

Gamers show their progression in the game, how to complete quests and tasks, where to farm an item and how to defeat a difficult boss.

Game streaming is more than playing a game, it is also a way to share knowledge and strategy without you knowing. Ingenious eh?

Have fun

What matters most is that you’re having fun and you enjoy what you do. At the end of the day, it’s your happiness and fulfillment that truly matters.

We at XSplit encourage content creators to continue making awesome content – not just for games but in entirety. Might it be for personal use or for professional/business, you can try our software and see which one fits your needs.

Start creating today and don’t let your fears stop you from becoming the person that you aspire to be.

If you have any questions about our software, you can contact us at xsplit.com/support or join us on our socials: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.

Personal Branding: Tips to Develop and Improve it

Whether people notice it or not, everyone has a personal brand. If you’re thinking “oh sure, that’s easy. I’m the Twitch streamer with the beard who plays shooters.” While that may be technically true, it might not be completely accurate. Remember, your brand isn’t just what you say about yourself – that’s only a small portion of it. Your brand is not just how you describe yourself, it’s mostly how others perceive you. Let’s see what we can do to improve personal branding.

What is personal branding?

Perception is everything. I know it may seem disingenuous and a little bit dishonest, but think about it like putting your best foot forward instead of wearing a mask.

Take Dr. Disrespect as an example. I think he’s a master of personal branding. He’s consistent with his character and reinforces it throughout all his other online and offline touchpoints, but at the same time, he is very clear that the Dr. Disrespect persona is just a character and that he and Herschel Beahm IV are not the same person.

As a streamer, you’re partially an entertainer, partially an educator, among other functions you fulfill, and as such, you are a public figure to a certain extent. To build up a good personal brand, the goal is to try and control the narrative and shape the perception around you.

Before we go through the different ways we can improve and reinforce personal branding, let’s discuss why personal branding is important in the first place.

Why is it important?

With a very distinct personal brand, it will be easier for you to stand out from the crowd. On Twitch alone, there is an average of 3.3 million broadcasters every month. Each and every one of them is competing for eyeballs and view time, both of which are very finite resources. Keeping yourself distinct will help your recall and stickiness, your ability to be persistently remembered.

A distinct brand, being very clear of the value you offer, is going to help persuade some of those eyeballs to land on to you. An established brand lets viewers know exactly what they can get out of watching you. When your brand is clear about who you are and what you can do, people who are after what you offer are going to come.

Your personal brand will also help build trust. If you’re known as the go-to guy for specific things, then anything you say will have more weight. Reputation goes hand in hand with your personal brand. Of course, you’d still need to have the knowledge and actual expertise to back up that trust, but your personal brand helps people understand that you’re the subject matter expert.

If your personal brand resonates with certain groups of people, they will be drawn to you naturally and stick with you. Personal branding helps cultivate loyalty. It’s exactly why some people prefer Coke over Pepsi or Nike over Adidas. People will gravitate towards what speaks to them more.

How do you Build up Your Personal Brand?

There are a number of ways to improve, enhance, and amplify your personal brand.

The initial step, and I think one of the most important, is to figure out who you are. Your personal brand cannot be fake. It is an enhancement of who you are. It has to absolutely be genuine.

Ask yourself some basic questions.

“What am I most passionate about?”
“Are there things I’m very good at?”
“Am I excited by what I’m doing?”
“What do people say about me?”
“What are some of my most positive qualities?”
“Am I aware of my negative qualities?”

Try asking a friend for help if you’re having trouble answering any of these questions. Once you’ve arrived at your answers, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of what you stand for and what value you can offer to your audience.

Now that you’ve answered who you are, you should determine the value you can offer. It can’t be too far off from what you’ve already identified as who you are. Your personal branding is not a lie, it is not a front – it is just an amplification of who you are and what you love.

Once you have that, you will be able to identify your niche. Armed with the knowledge of what you’re selling (yourself), you can find people who’ll be buying. Who would you appeal to? For example, if you’ve identified yourself as a shy, introverted guy who gets really intense with Pokémon games, then lean into it. Your audience will be like-minded people. You’d have to find people who like chill streams who essentially like a more intimate stream.

Design your communications in line with your audience. You’d have to design your stream according to what you’ve identified so far. Let’s go with the intimate stream example again – you’d have to make sure to speak in a manner your audience would appreciate, maybe bring your webcam a little closer to your face, keep the music low, and the gameplay chill. Not everyone has to be the obnoxious screaming streamer. If that’s their niche, their branding, then great. But if it’s not you, then don’t force yourself to be.

Caring for your Personal Brand

Once you’ve built up your personal brand, it takes some doing to make sure it doesn’t drastically change or deteriorate. You need to control your brand’s narrative.

You have to remember that your brand isn’t only online. When you’re talking to your audience outside of your stream, you have to remember that things you say and the way you behave affects the perception of you. And things that happen offline eventually reach the internet anyway. That’s why it’s also very important to have a personal brand that’s genuine.

That said, it’s also very important to be very visible online. Design your online presence by how you want to be perceived. You’re the trendy social influencer type of streamer? Then always make sure to not be caught dead using whatever social media your mom uses, but be very active on apps she’d never even heard of. You’re the tech expert? Then show up on forums, have well-informed opinions on the latest tech, and make sure everyone knows what you’re talking about.

By virtue of being visible offline and online, don’t be afraid to network with people. Like in most industries, who you know is equally important as what you know, sometimes even more so. Ever notice how some streamers blow up after they squad up with popular personalities and streamers? That’s not to say it wouldn’t have happened otherwise, but it probably never hurt. But by being in tight with people with the same audience and the same niche, you’ll have access to more opportunities and more viewers. And when it’s your time to help out others in your circle, do so and that helps your personal brand, too.

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These little tidbits are just the basics of personal branding that I’ve picked up from 15 years of working in the marketing industry. It goes much deeper than this, but this is a very good start. And remember that your personal brand never stops evolving, so you should never stop developing it.