live streaming Archives

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.

What to do and not to do during a Livestream

Streaming is a great way for gamers to gain online notoriety and if you play your cards right, you might become the next big thing. With the help of XSplit’s broadcasting system, you could be the next Ninja or PewDiePie. But, that really depends on what kind of format you want to use for your channel. There are different options that content creators can base their channels on. There are a few things that online gamers should and shouldn’t do when they’re trying to produce their own content. Especially to a live audience, otherwise, you’re going to catch the wrong kind of attention.

Do Talk During Your Livestream

As an aspiring gaming influencer, it’s important that you interact with your audience and express yourself with enthusiasm. One of the best ways for you to do that is by talking into the microphone during your live stream. If you’re planning on doing a live gaming podcast, it requires a lot of vocal legwork from your end.

Start your video by introducing yourself to your viewers, talk about the game you’re playing, and how far along in it you are. You can also try making a guide on what you want to talk about during the stream. It saves time before start shooting, to know what you want to say and when to say it. It lessens instances where you don’t know what to say and lessen the fillers. This way, you can have a set of talking points during the broadcast and create a natural to start the conversation with your audience.

It’s okay if you find yourself stuttering, and stammering during the broadcast, nobody’s perfect, especially first-timers. But it can help serve as a chance for you to figure out what kind of character or personality you want to present to people when you’re streaming.

Do Not Scream or Swear Into Your Microphone

As important as it is, that you should express yourself on the internet, it’s also just as important that you watch what you say in the middle of a live stream, cause you never really know who’s watching, especially when there’s a finite possibility that it might be children.

When you’re deeply immersed in the gameplay and your character suddenly dies in the middle of a match, any normal gamer will start to get frustrated and upset. You might start raging and along the line, you may have dropped a couple of F-Bombs without even knowing it. This kind of an outburst is very common among gamers age twelve and under, and it usually ends with viewers having to listen to them have some kind of a tantrum that may or may not end with a very offensive racial slur.

Outbursts like this can have a serious impact on a player’s reputation. Such language can cause your channel to be flagged for being vulgar and be taken down.

We are only human and outbursts are normal. Here is where we need to exercise some restraint and control. We’re not saying that you should filter your language, we advise you to react appropriately and civilly even when provoked/ teased during a broadcast.

Do Look Into The Camera

For gamer streamers using a close-up camera for their film setup, looking into the camera is great for showing your viewers how expressive you are, and how you react when your playing. This will allow your viewers to get a closer look into your personality, and make you feel like you’re bonding with your subscribers from beyond the screen.

This can also serve as practice for content creators who want to spend more time in front of the camera in the future. They can observe how they project on-screen, how to get used to being in on camera, and maybe practice a signature catchphrase. A lot of gamers come off as more entertaining when they express themselves more, and more often than not begin to make more direct contact with the camera.

This is especially true for gamers who plan on developing a podcast on their channel with video included.

Dress Appropriately on Camera

There are cases of streamers taking off their clothes on a broadcast. Sometimes it’s accidental but in other cases it’s intentional. One pro-tip for those who want to keep their content family-friendly, make sure to end your stream properly. Content creators will be caught off guard and it might be an accident but let’s not try to prevent that from happening. Turn off the camera and end the stream properly to avoid unnecessary content.

Videos content like this is likely to get flagged and taken down. Your channel will take a beating, demonetized or worse deleted. Your channel will most likely have a community strike and will hinder you from streaming or posting as you like. Inappropriate content might be taken down but it doesn’t mean that it’s gone from the internet. If you have the time, read your platforms’ Community guidelines and know which content to avoid. You can read the extensive list over at Twitch and Mixer to know more about this.

Do Talk To And Interact With Your Chat

In line with speaking to your audience frequently while streaming, it’s important that you acknowledge the live-chat of comments that will be appearing from your subscribers while you’re playing. This will allow you to be more interactive with your audience like the way a musician interacts with a large crowd of fans during a concert.

This is particularly important when you plan on doing a live Q&A broadcast with your fans and subscribers. People are going to be constantly typing in questions and comments, some of them might seem pretty repetitive, so it’s always important that you make it a point to scroll through the chat feed to find the more individual questions that you can answer while also acknowledging the users who simply just want to say hi.

Do Not Insult Or Threaten Your Chat Subscribers

Everyone knows that when there are fans on the internet, there are just as many haters and trolls too. And they’ll definitely be commenting in your live-chat posting mean comments about how your gaming is, or maybe just want to talk about how bad your outfit looks.

Other times there are going to be commenters that want you to take your clothes off during the stream. People who want to post comments like that are, intentionally, trying to provoke you to curse at the chat comments.

Instances like this can have serious damage on an influencer’s brand, especially if they end up saying something incredibly offensive and racist.

So as nice as it is to talk to your live-chat, it’s also important that you watch what you say around them, so as not to start a whole is a thing.

These are just a few tips for how to handle yourself during a gaming live stream, good luck out there, and have fun.

Types of Games You Will See On A Livestream

When you’re browsing through streaming channels, there are a lot of different forms of gaming content that you’ll find online, there’s more than one way to run a streaming channel, just like there’s more than one way to cook a steak or to drive to the mall. The internet is a massive treasure trove that’s capable of showing thousands, if not millions, of different faces and personalities of the gaming world. And with the help of XSplit’s Gamecaster’s streaming technology you can go to Youtube, Twitch, or Mixer, you’re going to find people more than just one kind of gaming platform, some more than others. Here are some of the most common gaming platforms that you will see being played on a live stream.

Online Multiplayer Shooters

One of the most common content featured on your subscription feed, gamers like to use their streaming platforms to upload footage of themselves playing popular first-person shooter games like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty or Rainbow Six.

The content that they show on their streaming channel for games in this kind of genre would feature the streamer playing online with two or more friends in the middle of a deathmatch against an opposing team of players on a selected challenge map. They’d be fighting for a limited amount of time, seeing who can get the most kills, and seeing who respawns more than others.

This form of content is popular for its fast-paced action, infinite loadout options and constant development updates for their online gaming community on a regular basis. It provides players with numerous social sharing opportunities. These kinds of games are regularly updated with new challenge maps, weapons and competitive gaming opportunities for players to take part on a regular basis.

Open World Roleplaying Games

This type of gaming takes place on multiplayer titles that are set more in a fantasy-based environment. Titles like this include popular titles like World of Warcraft, League of Legends, and DOTA (Defense Of The Ancients).

These games feature players using custom characters to explore a fictional kingdom alone or with the help of online friends. Players can use a mystical spell, weapons, and strategies to progress while earning experience points, and leveling-up.

Gameplay content like this is popular among PC gamers. Fantasy titles like Warcraft, provides players with the chance to think about battle strategies on a more spaced-out map.

Online Battle Royale Matches

Battle Royale games are growing in popularity these days and you’ll see more gamers playing this during a live broadcast. Gaming titles that are popular in this category are PUBG (Player Unknown Battlegrounds), Fortnite, and Apex Legends.

Similar to a multiplayer deathmatch – where players are fighting to the death but with very different mechanics and rules.

For starters, there is one main battle map where players are dropped onto after jumping out of a moving air-vehicle. They will have to scavenge for weapons hidden around the area after they land. Players do not respawn here, once your character dies, you’re out, and the last player standing is declared the winner.

Games like this are great for testing a player’s survival skills. Players are tested in a setting that almost mimics the Hunger Games – with realism and science-fiction elements that make gameplay interesting.

This particular gaming platform has been gaining popularity in recent years. Players have more freedom to explore within the game, and game developers are constantly adding new content to keep players playing.

Triple-A (AAA) Single Player Story Titles

These critically acclaimed game titles that are well-known for their storylines, relatable characters, and cinematic set.

Single-player story games are popular online for their cutscenes and gameplay walkthroughs. Also, special videos containing secrets and treasures are scattered around the open-world map.

Games like this are popular on the streaming scene during the release. Some viewers are more likely to watch walkthroughs to learn how to play the game. It is most likely that they already know the storyline of the game and would want to know how to complete it.

Gaming Podcasts

While not based on playing games, speaking about gaming is also medium that content creators use their live streaming platforms.

In gaming podcasts, content creators can talk about their favorite video game titles. They can also share their thoughts on the unique aspects of latest game releases. They can also let their audience know that makes a game worth playing. Set an interview with game developers and let them share their creative process when they conceptualized their most popular titles.

This is something a lot of popular video game journalists have done in the past and continue to do. Whether they are from a known publisher or indie, creators use podcasts as a way to talk about their thoughts in the world of gaming.

These are just a few of the popular options that you can find when surfing your Twitch or Youtube subscriptions. As a gamer, you can choose one of these outlets to base your streaming channel on. Or you can come up with a new outlet all on your own together.

Good luck, and just remember to have fun.