Becoming a streamer is a very tempting career choice for many casual gamers and even professional gamers. It enables you to play all day if you want and you can possibly have a huge fanbase as well. Which can make you a lot of money. What could be better than this for a gamer? To do this, though, you need to decide what platform you want to stream on. We will tell you about the most famous ones and by the end of this article you will hopefully know what you need to get started.
Youtube Gaming
As of now, this platform is not that great if you want to earn some revenue. We all know how Youtube is acting up lately and demonetizing people for using certain words and affiliations. This is mainly done because the people who want their ads hosted on the website don’t want their brand associated with those who sit home all day and curse at a screen (not all brands are worry about this though). Quite understandable, but the point still stands. If you want to earn ad revenue then you either need to watch your language or buckle up because you are not getting any unless the brand or company you’d associate with aligns with the audience greatly.
Despite all that, it’s pretty great if you want to build a fanbase. Youtube Gaming’s layout is very easy to navigate, so your audience won’t necessarily consist of only tech savvy kids. This way, your target can be anywhere from 10 to 60 years old. Plus, Youtube is the major platform for viewing video related content, it only makes sense to jump on the biggest platform where the most viewers are located.
Twitch
Hopefully you have already heard of this one (it’s one of the original), as Twitch is the biggest streaming platform out there right now. The website categorizes streamers by language and by game, thus making it easier to find content creators you like. Or in your case, people will find you more easily, by not having to scroll through a ton of unrelated stuff. Plus, you can find very loyal subscribers here and you will be delighted when your bot announces that someone has paid you 3 months straight just to support what you do.
The only negative part about Twitch is the way they show their top streamers. At a glance they show their streamers with the most viewers at any given top at the top of your screen for any game you select. This can be a negative because it doesn’t allow much room for those that want to start from the beginning and work their way up. New streamers tend to have a difficult time breaking out into more viewership because of the layout. Under the hood Twitch might be generating new streamers in a different way, but nonetheless it’s still very difficult to grow on Twitch, especially now.
Mixer
This one is very much like Twitch, except for the fact that it’s not nearly as popular, it only launched in 2016. Because of this, you will have way less viewers if you don’t market and distribute your stream to the masses. You will need to actively attract people, either through Twitter, Youtube or any other platform. Otherwise, you simply can’t get a huge amount of followers in a short while. Though with the limited total viewers on the platform, it may easier to get your foot in the door as Mixer is still trying to grow.
Besides this one small problem, Mixer has a ton of features that make it better than Twitch. The best one is co-streaming. Your viewers can watch both you and another player at the very same time, which makes it a lot easier if you are playing a co-op. Also, your audience is able to vote and have a say in what you do if you want. You don’t need to keep an eye on the chat constantly to involve them.
Azubu
If you don’t take your game of choice seriously then you have no chance on this site. Azubu isn’t just any streaming platform for gaming, it’s a bit more specific, esports that is. Therefore, if you just feel like playing Minecraft for half an hour a day and broadcasting that to the world, then maybe you should just go with Twitch or Youtube Gaming.
But if you have the energy, time and will to play passionately and well, then Azubu is right there for you to support your journey. And it might be able to provide a wider audience than Twitch would. This platform works really well all around the world and isn’t only popular in Western countries. Many of the professional esports players in championships will tend to stream on this platform, when you want to learn from the best or be a part of the best, stream on Azubu.
Hitbox
Now this platform is much different. It offers you all the benefits of Twitch, except for the overly large community and gives you a ton of other perks as well. Things like lower entry level partnerships, which could potentially be the difference between going unnoticed and making zero money, to having an audience and making a career out of gaming. Plus, the community size isn’t that big of a problem, because with a fewer amount of people you can build lasting relationships, therefore creating a loyal follower base.
Another benefit is the way Hitbox handles ads. They make it very easy for anyone to run them, because it will create a positive impact on the streamer and the platform as well. This helps both Hitbox as a company and their streamers to be able to monetize their content effectively and easily.
Beam
Another smaller streaming platform. It’s very likely that you haven’t even heard of this one before, let alone used. But don’t worry, Beam is still a very good candidate if you want to broadcast your gaming across the world, as it offers quite a few things which can make up for the lack of population on the site.
The biggest one being the smaller delay. With a small audience, the website isn’t overwhelmed and can stream anything within 5 seconds. Just to put that into perspective: other platforms can take up to 20 seconds! This causes a huge rift between streamer and audience, so with Beam, you can completely avoid that. It makes it a lot easier to form a tightly knit community. This could be your go-to market strategy to gain some viewership in the beginning and then move onto the bigger platforms too.
Instagib
Haven’t heard the name? No wonder… This website is absolutely hideous, which drives away new users almost instantly. It uses a weird color palette, which includes mainly red and black. And random spots of green. It really is an awful look, which is why people think it’s just some platform that started up recently and that the owner must not have been in this business for too long. This creates a very negative picture.
But looks and the size of the community isn’t everything. What about the streaming? Well, it takes a long time to load, so the user experience isn’t the best either. Plus, there is a huge delay. This causes you to not be able to interact with your viewers well and the community grows much slower.
Which Streaming Platform Will You Choose for Gaming?
Choosing the best streaming service is the first step to making gaming a career. Don’t mess up your chances by not being informed and making a bad choice! Start off on the right foot and understand what streaming service will be the best for you to get started on with gaming. Many people stream but very few become successful. Don’t be that very few, launch your streaming career today with the tips we have provided above. If you want, maybe we can highlight you as a new and interesting streamer, contact us if you’re interested in this.
