Author: Chris Slight

Streaming can seem like it’s a pursuit purely for showcasing your skills in the videogame world but more and more people have seen it for what it is, a medium just like television with the ability to go live whenever and wherever you are. Got an idea you think might work in a live environment? Live streaming may well be the avenue for it! Looking to diversify what you already do on your channel? We’ve got some ideas for you!

Podcasts

Live recordings of podcasts have become more and more common and a big factor in this is how much easier it’s becoming! With programs like Skype supporting NDI and XSplit Broadcaster not only supporting it but coming ready with pre-made templates to get you started it’s never been easier!

One of the big advantages of taking your podcast live is the ability to answer live questions directly from the audience who can react in real-time to what you’re talking about. Or, as some people do, just make it a live talk show! Interview people, discuss the big topics of the day, and more! The possibilities are endless with what you can do!

Music

Streaming live music might not be the same as being live in the room it can bring a different kind of atmosphere that you can only get on a live stream. It honestly doesn’t get more intimate than an artist playing acoustic, to a track or a full electronic set with the chat getting excited when you pull a deep cut out. Also, why not take some questions from the chat while you’re there? Discuss the process of the songs creation, answer questions, and connect directly with your audience! Devin Townsend is one artist who has delivered some unique streamed concerts and also shared how he connected everything together!

Not only that, but we’ve seen a big increase in artists making new songs and showing the process while live streaming. Making a beat or a full song from scratch not only shows how you do your thing but it also involves the community in where the song goes and you have the full story of the song from start to finish, together. Mike Shinoda has been doing brilliant streams in this vein lately, coming up with a theme from the community and making a song around it!

Tabletop

Using the same NDI setup you used for streaming a podcast you could create a live tabletop show! Dungeons and Dragons is the most commonly used ruleset, we’ve even recently seen The Guild get back together for some live streamed games. Felicia Day, in fact, recently spoke to us about how to get the best out of streaming Dungeons & Dragons.

You can also make your own games, like John Robertson, a comedian known for The Dark Room which has successfully translated to live streams. It’s a choose your own adventure where John is the adventure and the chat chooses what happens next to escape the Dark Room. These streams are not only hilarious but they have the feel of a big event where the narrative and story of the night is only the way it is because of the choices you and the rest of the chat have made!

Live Art

Creating art, both digital and physical can be a great way to connect with your audience while you work on something new! Photoshop or similar programs are easy to capture in XSplit so your audience can, much like what we talked about with music, can see your process while you chat or take requests on what you should draw next! I’ve been a big fan of Doig and Swift, an artist couple who have been doing daily morning streams of what both of them are working on, all on the same screen!

Physical art also translates well in its creation to a live stream, from pottery, making DIY style art with things you’ve found to electronics are all fascinating to watch and learn from! Beyond teaching, you could slowly build out an exhibit in your room or garage that the chat has been a part of the creation. Every week the room evolves and you could use it as a good opportunity to learn new skills along with the chat that you apply to the art you’re creating! All you need is a camera with a mic going into XSplit and you’re ready to go!

We hope this gives you some inspiration for other things you could stream to your audience or just open up the idea of what live streaming can be. As we said at the top, think of it like a medium and the possibilities are almost endless! 

I’d imagine it wouldn’t surprise many people but the team here at XSplit watch a lot of streams! We wanted to take some time to highlight a few of the streamers we’re watching the most at the moment and why you should check them out! First up, it’s me, Chris Slight, in what will hopefully be the first of many lists like this from members of staff here at XSplit!

*Note from the author: Some of the clips below will have swearing or spooky games in them. So ya know, take that into account if you were going to play them on a giant screen in front of children!

Pumpkinberry

I have been watching Pumpkinberry for about three years now (subbed for two of those years!) and from the first time I watched to this day it feels like listening to an old friend have a chat. PB (as her viewers know her) is very funny, honest, and open with her emotions, something that makes watching her play through a story-driven game a treat! Also through series like Gone and Nocturne, she is making amazing tabletop RPG stories that are live-streamed through various channels! There’s always time for a cup of tea, a chat, and some good games when Pumpkinberry is on!

Tune in at twitch.tv/pumpkinberry

Clips

• https://www.twitch.tv/pumpkinberry/clip/AttractiveColdbloodedPigeonSoonerLater
• https://www.twitch.tv/pumpkinberry/clip/SpicyHealthyPelicanDatSheffy

(She went to NASA one time to stream a launch and here she is high-fiving an astronaut!)

Okaydrian 

Okaydrian is the best stage and TV presenter in the game’s world I’ve ever met. You might know him from GameStop TV, hosting stages for Twitch at E3, or interviewing pop culture titans like Stan Lee or CM Punk at C2E2! He’s hilarious, for starters, like honest laughter hilarious. You know how some people are funny but in that “yeah, I see there is a joke there” little “hah” kind of laugh? That’s not Okaydrian, he’s gut-busting kind of funny. He can also talk about serious subjects in an educated manner with principle and conviction while never closing the door to learning something new about himself or others. He also loves Shenmue so you know I’m gonna love every other game he’s playing!

Tune in at twitch.tv/okaydrian

Clips

• https://www.twitch.tv/okaydrian/clip/TameVainScallionFunRun
• https://www.twitch.tv/okaydrian/clip/ToughSuspiciousMonitorBleedPurple

SteveFromGo8Bit

If you don’t know Steve McNeil you might know Dara Ó Briain’s Go 8 Bit, a UK panel show based around comedians playing video games against each other! Steve was one of the team captains! (He was actually one of the people who came up with the entire idea but that’s a story for another blog, or the Comedians Comedian podcast he was on).

He’s great!

Steve not only plays games and is a lovely funny person his channel also hosts Wi-Fi Wars, the world’s only interactive game show (the tech of which was created by King Rob, someone being referenced when Steves chat type “AHKR” which stands for “All Hail King Rob!”) where you can play games on your smartphone against everyone else in chat. This tech is also used for the Video Game Game Show Show (imagine Go 8-Bit but on the internet), a Pub Quiz using the WiFi Wars tech, TableTop gaming online, and more!

Go watch Steve and grab the whole family for fun games and good times! Steve is also lovely, kind, and will insult you on a personal level for a redemption of stevebucks! Also, Steve has one of the best communities around. So, you’ll always find the chat welcoming, funny, and ready to have a good time!

Tune in at twitch.tv/SteveFromGo8Bit

Clips

• https://www.twitch.tv/stevefromgo8bit/clip/StormyWealthyKaleWholeWheat
• https://www.twitch.tv/stevefromgo8bit/clip/CarefulAuspiciousPandaWholeWheat

Bonus clipped by me when he first started streaming
https://www.twitch.tv/stevefromgo8bit/clip/DeliciousHelplessBeanBrokeBack

Robbotron

John Robertson is a comedian you might know from The Dark Room, a live interactive text adventure that he’s now successfully translated to Twitch (and streamed for 48 hours for charity!), he also runs his Arrgh Pee Gee! show on Twitch where the chat decides what happens. Beyond that though, John is, without doubt, unlike anyone you’ve seen streaming before. Energy radiates through your display of choice just watching him. You will be able to power a small home with the vibrations from your laughter. Chatter, game playing, songs on the ukulele by request, and hanging out with your Step Dad (really, check out his streams)! John is strongly in the NSFW category and all the better for it! Seriously, I wrote that little warning at the top mostly thinking “yep, I’m putting John in this list”.

Tune in at twitch.tv/robbotron

Clips

• https://www.twitch.tv/robbotron/clip/VibrantPeppyPanEagleEye
• https://www.twitch.tv/robbotron/clip/SpoopyRoughTarsierMikeHogu

This list should hopefully introduce you to some brilliant new streamers and communities to get involved with! Be sure to let us know who you have been watching in the comments or on our socials. It would be great to get a reader list going as well! Until next time, friends. 

Having seen American Psycho years ago what I, like you, mostly recall from it is two-fold; that when Huey Lewis and The News put out Sports in 1983, they really came into their own and, that Paul Allen has a very nice business card.

They all have very nice business cards, something that our titular character should have understood in that scene. Nonetheless, it highlights the importance of business cards. I think the film might be about something else but we’re focusing on business cards here, so let’s move on.

Business cards are incredibly important for streamers if you’re looking to network at events. To make new connections at meet-ups, or you’re looking to talk to potential sponsors. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that you can just get people to follow you on social media and that’ll be just fine. I say this because, for a short while, I thought this was a good idea. So don’t worry I’m not judging you, I’m here to impart Knowledge Wisdoms. 

Why Business Cards still beat Twitter

So, the first problem with this, chances are, the person you’re talking to has just asked you for a business card and you have to fumble over a reason why you don’t have one. I know I could never think of a good one and ended up saying “Oh I just ran out” knowing full well that I never had any and to quote Saw Gerrera “Lies! Deceptions!”. 

Secondly, and the worst part, you’re not really giving them a choice. I’ve seen people say “okay so open twitter, search for me…yep..that’s me..okay give me a follow…yep…now I’m following you back..cool.” Maybe Brenda from Big Tech Firm didn’t want to follow you? Maybe their twitter is a personal thing? You just made a weird situation where they had to do it! Avoid doing this! But fear not, this is where your friend Business Card comes in!

Handing over a business card not only makes you feel slick (remember American Psycho, as established, a film about business cards) but you’re letting them choose what to do next!

“Reach out if you need anything” or “It would be great to talk some time”.

You’re giving them the choice is WAY better than the situation mentioned above. So now we’ve established why a business card is important what information should yours have on it? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Essential Info To Add To Your Business Card

Keep your business card simple! Don’t fill it with information that is not needed. Think to yourself, what would somebody I want to work with need to know? Chances are:

Name
Things You Do Sum Up Simply
“Content Creator” “Streamer” “Community Specialist”
Email
Primary Social Media Account
(Keeping this professional is important, but that’s another article for another day)

You need your name, because, well, I mean, I could go into the pros and cons of having an identifying symbol to distinguish yourself from the billions of other humans easily when you’re not in the room but that’d drag this article out a bit. You can put whatever name you like here, your Twitch name is fine if it’s what people know you by.

Remember kids, a name is a choice and you can call yourself whatever you want.

An email is the best way for people to reach somebody but make sure this email address looks relatively professional. I know you have held onto PS2sux@hotmail for years. Ideally, you’re looking for name@whateverprovider to complete the “I’m a professional” look we’ve been aiming for. Finally, your primary social media account. This needn’t be the one with the most followers, but the one you update regularly and have kept consistent with your brand. Because when I said professional above I didn’t mean keeping it bland. If your personal brand is fun and full of memes, go for it! Just know that in 2020, companies will look at your online footprint. And leading with it on a business card and keeping things consistent online is a good look. 

Make your business card an extension of your brand

The artwork is a good way to help your card stand out, but not everyone can do amazing stuff or get it commissioned. A card without artwork is also fine, while it might not stand out as a super cool card, hopefully, the impression you left with someone will be more than enough!

As a side tip, you can write something funny on the back of the business card. It can make it stand out just as much as cool artwork would. I got a business card from someone who worked in education and on the back of the card there was an interesting fact! I can still remember that card and that person, which is half the point of a card! It was on brand and stood out! Perfect!  

So, what things should you avoid? Firstly, keep it the same size/shape as everyone else’s business cards. It might seem like a good idea to get creative and make a business card that’s shaped like an origami crane. (Okay, that would be really cool). Chances are the person you give it to will either want to put it in their business card holder or a wallet and go through them after the event you’re at.

A weird shape is just going to get either crushed up or left behind because they had nowhere to put it.

Make sure it’s on relatively thick card stock, pretty much for the same reason. It’s much cheaper to print off your own business cards on paper at home. But, it’s going to get crumpled up and might not leave a good impression. Using somewhere like moo.com gives you a range of business card types and in our experience has always been good quality but there are plenty of alternatives out there!

Also, as a final parting tip, consider who you’re giving these to and where you’re leaving them. Not only are they not cheap to produce so you don’t want to throw them around. I’ve seen people leave business cards on tables in social areas at conventions.

Sure, this might seem like quick marketing to all the people who go by but did you really want just anyone having your contact details? (Really, I recall seeing business cards left by a streamer around the chill-out area at PAX which first of all, litter!

Secondly, random people have your phone number, anyone that might work there, and be annoyed that you have left litter everywhere! Don’t litter!)

With these tips I hope you see the value in business cards, which ultimately was the main message of the Christian Bale 2000 movie American Business Card, I think. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve watched it.

When you have your business cards, it’s important to learn a little about how to network at events. Take a look at our mini-doc we made that runs through some tips from the XSplit Community, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Making your production better is like a present to your audience. While there are many ways available to streamers to make the stream better, we think these six things are some of the most important to address first. 

Audio

Audio should be on the top of everyone’s list as the first upgrade to their streaming production. Your conversation is one of the main things people come to a stream for. Keeping it audible and clear is important. 

One of the first routes to look at would be a dedicated USB microphone, the Blue Yeti is a fine example of this. Already have a USB mic? Maybe an XLR microphone for you, like the Rode Procaster. Now, one of the downsides to this is you will need an interface to connect it like a Focusrite 2i2 or a GoXLR. This, in turn, will bump up the cost and add another layer of complication to your stream. For this reason, if you’re doing your first round of upgrades a USB mic is the way to go. Honestly, some webcams have great mics built into them so be sure to look up online comparisons and reviews before you buy!

Lighting

Before you buy a new camera you should look into lighting. While it’s true a fancy new webcam, or a DSLR / studio camera will make a big difference to the quality of your stream, it won’t mean a thing if your lighting isn’t right. Correct lighting can make a cheaper webcam look like a more expensive one!

Elgato offers a good solution, aimed at content creators, the Key Light, which is packed with features and integrates with the Logitech ecosystem. For a first upgrade, however, you can find cheaper ring lights and camera-mountable LED lights that will do a good job.  It’s also worth finding lighting tutorials online to find out how to position everything as well as set up your camera to make the most of your new lighting. 

Hotkeys & Macros

Tired of tabbing out of your game to do something in your streaming software? Want to mute your microphone quickly?

Want to mute your microphone quickly?

Using Hotkeys can make a ton of difference to the ease with which you can produce your content. This is especially true if you’re on a one monitor setup! You can find out how to set up hotkeys in XSplit right here.

Macros are the next step when it comes to automating things in your stream! Think of it as one action performing multiple steps, for example, when I press this key combination mute my mic, go live to my channel and start my intro. All, with one button press. The possibilities of what you can do with Macros are pretty wide so experiment with things you’d like to do! Find out more about the Macros extension here. Not only will these features save you time but they add a level of slickness to your live production!

Overlays

Having customizable overlays, with alerts, starting, ending and BRB screens can help differentiate your stream from others. As well as adding a polish if implemented correctly.

It’s even easier than ever these days, by jumping directly in with XSplit Gamecaster V4 you can have your overlays in moments. Adding your own graphics to these systems is easy as well, however, using the already created overlays is a great place to start!

Also, as they are all running in the cloud they won’t be a big use of system resources! Don’t, however, try to cram too much on your screen at once. While it might seem cool to have a ton of things happening on your screen at once, it can be pretty distracting for a viewer. Everything should have a purpose when you put it there, that purpose can, of course, be “because it looks cool” but try to keep this to a limit. Is it giving anyone information? Does it add flair that separates you from the others or establish your brand? Know what you want people to get from your stream and focus your overlays on that.

Transitions

Scene transitions can take a standard broadcast and add a television-like feel. Go from one scene to the next with a flourish while also giving the viewer a sense of moving from one thing to the next. XSplit Gamecaster V4 and XSplit Broadcast both have these built into the program and can be implemented with ease. You can even create your custom transitions to add a layer of personality! They also give a sense of motion, you’re going from one scene to the next sure, but you’re also going from one place to the next. The transition is always a reset moment. Something crazy just happened? Okay, let’s go over here and talk about a different place. It’s only a few seconds but it can honestly feel like a reset for a viewer! 

Getting your bitrate/resolution right. 

Streaming at 1080p 60FPS might seem like a move to step up production but sometimes it can make the viewers experience worse. Not all streaming sites offer encoding options to every level of streamer and without them, your viewer may be unable to watch your stream due to buffering. Even worse, if your internet connection and computer can’t handle encoding a stream at those settings you will start to drop frames. However nice everything looks on your end, the moment you’re dropping a ton of frame the viewers experience just got worse. XSplit will run a test the first time you set up a new streaming output and recommend settings based on your computer and internets ability. XSplit Broadcaster can also use an Adaptive Bitrate system which will automatically change your bitrate if your connection is moving around. 

Implementing any of the above tips will make a big difference in the quality of your production. One of the biggest tips we can give, however, is never spending too much. You can throw a lot of money into your live stream but the reality is you don’t need to. Nail these fundamentals and your stream will be set up for a good long while.  

Streaming games is an easy proposition when you’re a pro player (well, as easy as becoming a pro player is which I’m told is “very hard you have no idea”), you can rely on your skills and pro plays to make a good stream. What if you’re like me, however, and are average at best at competitive games but like chatting with your audience? Well, fear not friends, here is a list of some games that I have found have the magic combo of space, fun and the unexpected. Perfect for chatting with your audience.

Euro Truck Simulator 2 / American Truck Simulator

These games have grown and grown in popularity on streaming platforms and the ability to chat with your audience while you play is a big one. There’s a whole layer of gameplay where you can grow your trucking business but honestly, for me, it’s all about the road trip. Pick the longest journey, put on some relaxing music and sit and chat with friends. The chat is your co-pilot, the person on the other end of the CB Radio keeping you sane as you barrel down the road that never ends. The game keeps you focused enough while leaving your brain free to converse. Either of the Truck Sim games will work, though there is more variety and a larger modding community in ETS2 due to it being the older of the two. 

Chris’s Top Tip: Play this game offline with your favorite music, it’s the most zen-like experience you can have in a video game. I imagine it’s the same experience people who like to “go for a drive” have but being a city dweller I never had a car. The brain is focused enough to disengage but free of distraction enough to just enjoy your music.

American Truck Simulator on Steam

Jalopy

Imagine the advantages of a Truck Sim but with the need to keep both your car and elderly grandad in good health along the way? Keeping a chill atmosphere but with added drama such as your car running out of gas in the middle of a wooded dirt road, leaving you to walk forward hoping you find a gas station. Get to the gas station and find you only have enough money for half a can only to have to walk back in the dark. Tires will blow, engines will start to billow smoke and it all creates a wonderful emergent narrative that you and your audience have experienced together. There’s a narrative element to the game which happens around you, and I won’t spoil it here. Honestly, as far as chatty streaming games go this delightful indie is one of the best. 

Chris’s Top Tip: You get asked if you want to take your grandpa with you at the beginning, do this for your first playthrough but after that leave him behind. You have your co-pilots in the chat and I think this is the game at it’s best. 

Jalopy on Steam

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. 

Honestly, you could pick any adventure game but this one held a special place for me and my audience. Laughter, puzzle-solving and some of the finest B Movie acting you will ever see. Adventure games let you work with your audience to play the game while having a unique and, mostly, relaxing atmosphere where you have the time to figure things out. Finding older, more obscure FMV like adventure games is my jam and Titanic: Adventure Out of Time ticked that box mightily. Stop WW2 by finding a necklace? Or something like that? Who knows, but boy did I and my community have fun together as I streamed it. 

Chris’s Top Tip: Go weird, old and wacky. GOG.com is the hook up here and the adventure yourself and your audience will be talking about for years awaits! 

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time on GOG.com

L.A Noire

So L.A. Noire itself isn’t exactly a slow, chill game but it has a lot of quirks. Again, there is an element of watching, listening and reacting with your audience. The strange facial expressions aside, there is a strong plot here and plenty of action. For me, this is also a great example of adding your own layer to a game as a streamer. An audience member of mine said, “you should do it all backward” and thus a new experience was born. Walking backward, driving backward, nothing is straight forward for Cole Phelps, The Backwards Detective. Something like this can be done with a lot of games and honestly made L.A. Noire an unlikely favorite of my audience. 

Chris’s Top Tip: As a chatty streamer, make games your own! Try a different type of run in a game to make the space for you to chat, give characters a new personality with your commentary. Do voices, experiment and have fun! 

L.A. Noire on Steam

Bonus Track: Shenmue. Play Shenmue, now, today. It’s weird, old, kinda tough to wrestle the controls but if you want to combine everything we have learned from the above games? Shenmue has you more than covered. Chill moments to talk as you walk from place to place or while you work at the docks, bizarre B Movie voice acting to enjoy, and a game you can add your own layers to. It’s even easier now with the rerelease out there.

Shenmue I & II on Steam

Game Types to avoid as a chatty streamer

Competitive games

These can be pretty difficult if you’re a chatty streamer, or at least if you’re me. I find you get too into a game, for example, Overwatch. I’ll zone in on the action and play it the way you’re meant to, which is giving it your full attention. At this point, however, your audience is just watching some who is, at best, basically fine at Overwatch play. I’m not talking to them unless it’s between matches and even then it’s mostly to catch up on what they have been saying. 

Narrative / Text Heavy Games 

Disco Elysium, I’m told, is a wonderful game, with brilliant writing and while it may be perfect for someone looking to practice voice acting I find with a text-heavy game you don’t end up with much time to chat. Most of your time is spent reading aloud. Some streamers enjoy this and many audience members get a lot from it but when it comes to talking with your viewers there, in my experience at least, can be not much time. There is a chance for discussion of what has just happened but this is a more analytical approach to streaming and less freewheeling chatter.

So there we have it, playing some of these games is a great way to allow and create great conversations with your audience. And hey, while you’re here, you can stream everything I mentioned right now, for free using XSplit Gamecaster! (XSplit Gamecaster is free, not the games, pay your game developers, friends.) Taking your streams to the next level? XSplit Broadcaster has you covered!

Today we want to take a look at the most popular games being streamed across all platforms as of August-September 2018.

Fortnite

Unsurprisingly, at the time of writing, Fortnite from Epic Games is being streamed by a ton of people. Fortnite streaming has been huge for a while now but it was really kicked in to a next level when pro player Ninja gained mainstream attention streaming the game with Drake on March 15th 2018.

playing fort nite with @ninja https://t.co/OSFbgcfzaZ

— Drizzy (@Drake) March 15, 2018

At one point the stream had more than 635,000 concurrent viewers, which set the record for a non-tournament stream. Fortnite has continued to gain popularity and we can’t see that changing any time soon!

League of Legends

League of Legends has been in the top spots for years with big tournaments happening seemingly every month. At the time of writing, LCK 2018 Summer is happening, the second split of the 2018 Season of League Champions Korea. Pulling in an average of 45,000 concurrent viewers this might not be the biggest tournament, for example the 2016 finals pulled in over 36 million unique viewers, it still shows the strength League of Legends has in the streaming charts.

Hearthstone

The first Blizzard game here but its popularity only seems to grow over time. Even out of tournament play, this game will stay lodged in a lot of sites top spots. 2017’s Hearthstone World Championships pulled in over 8 million total viewers with an average of 592,201 concurrent viewers.

World of Warcraft

Blizzard’s World of Warcraft has been a staple in streaming for a while now but it’s not always as high as it is this month. We are currently headed towards a brand new expansion, Battle for Azeroth, which launches August 14th. Big channels known for MMO play have been playing the pre-expansion patches and showing off a lot of high level play.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

A surprise entry at the start of September is the PS4 exclusive, Spider-Man. Having launched only on September 7, 2018, it has quickly gathered 214K++ followers on Twitch, getting as high as 232K concurrent viewers. Big releases usually get a bit of hype at the start of its lifecycle, but considering that it’s a console-exclusive and that it’s a single player title, this is actually quite impressive.

These are just a few of biggest games streamed online! As a bonus tip, don’t feel you need to stream these to get noticed! Play what you love to play, as after all, if you’re not enjoying yourself, neither is your audience!

So you have the gear, the internet connection is stable, XSplit is set up and Player.me overlays are ready. What now? Well, stream, obviously, but are there more things you could improve? More little Secret Tips That Streamers Don’t Want You To Know? (hey, if it works for those weird ads it might work for us?).

Watch More Streams

Who got you into streaming to begin with? What did you like about them? Now, it’s a terrible idea to copy a streamer but there will be core elements from someone that resonate with you. Do they have a friendly attitude? Is inclusivity important to them? Do they focus more on showing you how good they are at whatever it is they are streaming? There’s something to learn from every stream you watch, both good or bad (“I don’t want to be like them!” is just as valid a take away) and the only way you can get this info is by watching! All of this experience and info is out there and being demonstrated to you right now wherever you find people doing things live!

Talk to Streamers

Remember in that intro paragraph we said “Secret Tips That Streamers Don’t Want You To Know”? Not only is this a terrible reference that has been done to death, but it turns out a lot of streamers do want you to know more about their experiences. From vlogs, meeting them at conventions or just asking them polite questions in chat when they have initiated conversation they can be friendly and helpful. Don’t just jump in someones chat and hijack it with tons of “how do I be the biggest streamer in the world?” type questions or just ask streamers “follow me on Twitter” as an opening gambit at conventions. You know how you talk to someone you respect or how you’d like people to talk to you? Just do that!

Don’t Focus on the Numbers

From viewership, to subscribers and donations you can easily get caught up worrying about these things. So much so that they can become the soul focus of the stream. How many times have you jumped in to someones stream to hear them talking about sub numbers or what the viewership is like? If you let these things dominate conversation or even your internal conversation they will change how you present yourself, what you talk about and what you think about when you stream. It won’t be fun any more.

Stream with Friends

Either having friends watching you and hanging out while you play or playing a game together and streaming it can make it a lot more fun for both you and the viewer. Your friends might be streaming themselves at the same time from home or you’re all together playing a multiplayer game.

Don’t Stream for Long Periods of Time with No Breaks

While we do see many streamers doing charity streams or just streaming for entire days, we don’t recommend it. While regular schedules are important for bringing back an audience over time, streaming for long hours with no breaks can be bad for you both physically and mentally. Schedule out your time, make sure you stop, get up, get some water and some fresh air every few hours or so. If you’re feeling better, the stream will be better.

Make Sure you’re Having Fun

There isn’t a magic way to get more people to watch you but I can guarantee that you will keep more people if you are being yourself and you’re having fun. Would you want to watch someone pretending to be “a streamer”, playing a game they don’t really like to get viewers? Someone who loves what they do shines through, you’ll be happier and your stream will be better.