5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Streaming
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been doing my best to understand how streaming works by throwing myself into it headfirst and it has been pretty scary at times.
I am a really shy person so putting myself in a live situation while playing games has honestly been terrifying. In fact, people have already asked me if streaming scares me so much then why am I doing it? Well, it’s because I’m trying to better myself and learn more about the gaming community. I want to see if it helps me overcome part of my shyness and I’m sure the experience will help me grow my own content as a writer for the future :)
So today I wanted to share just a few of the things I’ve learned over the past 2 weeks while I’ve been streaming, growing my viewers, and trying to get myself affiliated.
1 – I Wish I Knew How To Set Up OBS
When I decided to actually set the ball in motion I didn’t really do any research on how to set up my stream. To be honest I’m the kind of person that leaves something to the very last minute which makes me freak out about all the time and effort I could have put into it to make it work.
Thankfully my streaming debut was saved thanks to the help of CallMeCrim. If it was not for him I would have probably never been able to get my stream set up correctly, never mind started, and I would not be able to do what I do now.
However, sometimes we are not all as lucky to have such wonderful friends such as Crim with the knowledge and understanding of how things like that work and you will have to try and figure those kinds of things out on your own. So let me speak from experience and say that if you want to become a streamer it would not hurt to know a thing or to before you decide to jump the gun and publicly announce you’re going to start streaming. Do the homework first, you’ll thank me later.
2 – Stage Fright Is Real Even If They Can’t See You
Social anxiety can be a very scary thing and it can be one of the biggest things that hold us back from doing something and putting ourselves out there. Constantly overthinking everything we do, every mistake we make, causes us to worry about what others think of us rather than what we think of ourselves.
Stage fright as I would like to call it is a real thing. Every time I go live I’m so scared and nervous about what to say. How am I meant to greet a stream of 0 viewers at the beginning of a stream? How do I start interacting with people if they are unable to see me? These are things that constantly go through my mind every single time I click the live button.
Something I like to remind myself of (though not everyone might agree with me or they might roll their eyes at the statement) is that I’m not streaming for others. I’m streaming to help myself overcome my fear of social situations and to get better at dealing with situations like that. Yes, it’s a fantastic bonus to be able to play video games and have others watch, and yes it’s an amazing feeling when they support you for it, but my point is that every streamer has a reason they stream. You just have to find yours and let it help you overcome the stage fright.
3 – You Will Stress About What To Play
Finding the right game seems to be something I’m also struggling with. Especially when a brand new game comes out and I would like to stream it but it seems that almost everyone else is playing it and I’m worried that I’ll is seen as boring if I do too.
I know that it should not matter what I stream and that it should be about the fact that I enjoy playing the game I want to stream. However, if I’m completely honest it does matter in the beginning because you still have to find your voice and you still need to give everyone a reason to stick around and want to watch and follow you. If they don’t enjoy the game you’re playing and you’re unable to convince them to stay then what do you have to fall back on other than playing the video games they want to see?
It’s definitely a tricky thing and I’m still figuring it out.
4 – Remember To Stay Hydrated Throughout The Stream
When I started streaming I kinda forgot that it’s okay for me to pause the game to go and get something to drink. Because if you’re like me and don’t then you will end up burning yourself out and end up with a massive headache just as I did. It sucked!!
I was so stuck in the idea that streaming is meant for the viewers that I didn’t want to leave the stream for a single second to go grab a drink and a snack. I was so thirsty for hours but I kept going so I could keep entertaining and hanging out with my viewers.
If you really want to make a career out of streaming it’s super important to remember that it is okay to look after yourself, be sure to relax and have fun, get a drink when you need one. Because if you’re not enjoying the moment it will come across on stream and your viewers won’t enjoy it either.
5 – Failure And Support
This one is really important and one you can never really prepare yourself for, but when you eventually begin to look at all the views, comments, subs, and bits you’re getting and trying to figure out what the numbers behind your growth mean you sometimes can’t help but feel like you’re failing because your numbers are low or like nobody is watching. Especially when you know you’ve put hours and hours setting up the perfect stream and choosing the best game to play and nothing comes of it.
At times like this, it is very important to remember that it is okay to fail. Because at the end of the day you’re not actually failing. It’s something that helps us grow stronger and helps us prep better so that we can put in the extra effort next time! Remember to always thank the people that have been with you from the very start, the ones that have watched you struggle and grow.
For example, my internet was a really big issue over the weekend and I probably had to reconnect 3 or 4 times. Thankfully the viewers who joined to watch me stayed with me and were incredibly patient while I reconnected and carried on. I personally felt so bad for wasting their time but they kept chatting away and helped me. Their support is what matters the most when things weren’t going to plan!
So those are the tips I wish I knew before I started my journey streaming! I hope they are of some use to any of you reading who are considering taking the leap into sharing the games you play with the world :)
For me, I hopefully will get over my shyness really soon because I feel like its holding me back from showing the real side of me I want to share with you all. And while I still have a lot to learn about streaming the feeling of going live gets me so excited me every time I do it. So next time you want to watch a stream and if you don’t mind watching an awkward, new, shy streamer with no webcam then why not come and sit with me on my Twitch channel and chat with me as I play some of my favorite games ^-^)
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