What You Need to Know Before Live Streaming Games

An increasingly popular hobby and even career, live-streaming has become an enormous industry worth many millions of dollars annually.

While this evolution has led to much of the involved technology become streamlined, it also creates a situation where getting the most requires some in-depth base knowledge.

This might seem complicated at first, but keep in mind a few simple tips, and getting the most of your live streaming experience can be remarkably simple.

Finding Your Voice

Before even starting with physical work, you first need to find a direction and voice. While it can be possible to just ape existing channels, for real expression, you need to find the best way to reflect your own character. This character doesn’t necessarily need to be a mirror of your true self or beliefs, but it should at least be original and captivating to your audience.

A lot of this depends on what sort of games you want to stream, and the demographics that you wish to attract. If you’re playing slow-paced strategy games then boundless energy might be a poor fit and difficult to maintain, for example. Building from here, you also want to ensure that you don’t foster a toxic environment, or risk getting kicked off your streaming platform of choice.

The Right Equipment for the Job

As with finding your voice, the best equipment for the streaming job depends on the production values you want to reflect. At first, it can be perfectly fine to start with your standard gaming microphone and equipment, but for a more professional approach, you’ll want to eventually consider higher-quality gear.

This means microphones, cameras, backdrop, and even your physical appearance if you want to make a good impression. To find the best deals here we’d recommend checking out professional reviews before you buy, and not just jumping in on the most popular deal. This is especially important for ergonomics, which plays a large part in long-term play and health.

Setting Up the Stream

Working with the software can require a lot of fine-tuning, but as with the gear, there is a lot of existing help to get you started. For example, if you want to learn how to stream on Discord, simple tutorials on basics like joining channels and modifying video quality can demystify the experience. Discord is especially helpful not just for streaming to your friends long-term, but also in acting as short-term practice for other streaming systems.

At this point, all that left is practice and narrowing down your stream to offer what suits you and your audience best. With all of the different components working in tandem, this can take time, so don’t get disheartened if you struggle at first.

No great streamers were instant success stories, and remember that raw viewer count is no indicator of quality. Instead, focus on what makes you and your fans happy, to create a dedicated and supportive audience of whatever size suits you best. Streaming is a rewarding experience on any level, and who knows, you might even meet some new friends along the way.

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