Women battle old-fashioned sexism and new forms of harassment to become big players in the world of professional gaming
Two years ago Chelsea quit her job as a pharmacy technician to play video games.
“I went to work one day, and I was like, ‘I would actually be making more money if I had stayed at home and kept playing video games than coming here,'” she says. That week she handed in her resignation.
Chelsea is one of a growing number of women making a living from Twitch. Going by the username Xminks, Chelsea has become renowned for her skills in Call of Duty – so much so that playing it online has become her bread and butter. Every night about 10pm she turns on her webcam, chats to some of her 330,000 followers and gets to work. Continue reading The women who make a living gaming on Twitch→
With the popularity of streaming video games reaching a fever pitch in 2016, you may just be considering getting your own personal broadcast off the ground to kick off the new year. Doing so is an extremely challenging but rewarding endeavor, with many hidden practices worth learning before you stream your first video game on, for example, Twitch. Here’s a few general tips worth knowing if you want to get a leg up on the competition.
Design a Channel Identity
No matter how you approach broadcasting on Twitch (and similar sites), take into consideration that you’re actively building a community centered on your personal channel every minute you’re live. The goal here is to grow your channel over time by welcoming more viewers into your community. But to do that, you need to establish an identity viewers can get behind, one which hooks new viewers while respecting those who have supported you since the beginning. Continue reading How to Start Streaming Video Games – It’s all about the preparation→
Most professional gamers call quits on their careers long before they turn 30, but streaming platforms ensure these players can do what they love without the stress of competing in the big leagues.
Imagine falling into fame and fortune at the age of 16, flying around the world to compete in video game tournaments with prize pools totaling thousands and even millions of dollars. This is the world most esports athletes live in, skyrocketing to success before they’re old enough to drive. Even the brightest esports stars, however, can burn out fast: The average esports player’s career barely extends past age 25. Rather than hang up their headsets after retiring from competitive gaming, eSports athletes use their skills to transition into a career on livestreaming site, Twitch, a platform where millions of people tune in online to watch and interact with gamers while they play.
The average esports player’s career barely extends past age 25
The relationship between Twitch and YouTube started amicably enough. Twitch allowed streamers to easily export their highlights to YouTube, while YouTube added a notification to channels for when the creator was live on Twitch. But the symbiotic relationship quickly turned hostile, and now the two video giants are locked in a war for the future of gaming video content. Continue reading How the Twitch vs YouTube War Affects Content Creators→
The majority of first-time streamers will have an empty chat and it is hard to learn to talk to an “empty chat.” Although your chat and community are real people, it’s a different kind of social interaction that requires practice.
Kiratze wrote an in-depth guide about how to improve your speech and talking while in an empty room. Believe it or not, speaking properly to an empty room is a skill that many new streamers don’t realize they need to practice. Continue reading Improving Speech and Talking to an Empty Chat→
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