Game streaming is bigger than ever and it’s not uncommon for successful streamers to earn in the upper five figures and more per month. And, if you are asking yourself what it takes to become a streamer, the answer is, not much. All you need is a basic setup and an account on a streaming or video sharing service. Becoming popular and making actual money from streaming is the tough part, but you can still make it if you have what it takes and have a plan. Let’s take a look at how you can become a game streamer in three steps.
Get the Proper Setup
The very first thing you’ll have to do if you want to be a streamer is to build your setup. But, if you think you need to have a snazzy room to have followers, think again. While having a nice-looking room can be a good thing, know that some streamers started with nothing but a good gaming computer and a webcam, so don’t obsess over the decor yet if you’re limited.
You need a gaming computer, but you can’t just pick any unit. The average gaming computer will have overpowered specs everywhere except for the CPU, but the CPU will be extremely important for you as a streamer. So, in addition to a good graphic card, solid RAM, and fast SSD storage, you will also need a top-of-the-line processor to stream smoothly and be able to edit 4K video.
Here, we suggest that you look at a computer with a Threadripper processor. These processors are just perfect for streamers in our opinion and will also take your gaming experience to the next level. If you want to learn more about Threadripper for gaming and would like to see a few units with one of these processors, Lenovo’s website is a good place to start.
As far as the peripherals go, you will need a decent webcam, a good mic, and to possibly start looking into things like stream decks and capture cards. Do not go crazy on any of these, however. Anything from Blue Yeti’s collection and a mid-range webcam is everything that you need. You could even start with a webcam with a mic if you want, and upgrade later. The most important part is getting started.
Find Your Niche and Persona
Once you’ve opened your account on Twitch and YouTube, you can start thinking about what your brand will be and the types of games you’re going to be playing. If you have a great personality, then you can be a generalist, but if personality is not your thing, you will have to niche down. Find games that you actually enjoy or that you are great at. If you don’t have skill or personality, then you might want to think again about being a successful streamer.
Start Building Your Audience on Social Media
Successful streamers did not get big overnight. They got active in the community and were known there before they were able to blow up. So, you will need to get social if you want to get recognized. One of the best places to start getting recognition is Reddit. Also, try to get active in the comments sections of your favorite Twitchers and YouTube streamers and have something interesting, quirky, or funny to say. If you have good content on your page and you’re consistent with your posting, you will slowly start building an audience.
This is really all you need to do to start as a gaming streamer. If you want to become successful, however, you have to understand that there is work involved and you have to be ready to work as hard as the top streamers to make it to their level.
