What to Stream, What to Stream?

Game type is important for my personality. I like playing all sorts of games. However, I’ve primarily lived in the first-person-shooter (FPS) world. Those were the games I liked the most growing up and I was generally pretty good at them. I still like them today. Other types of games I like are usually puzzle or platforming games. Some strategy games. My favorite of these varieties is Zelda and Mario games, as well as many Nintendo classics.

When streaming, puzzle and platforming games are just more fun to play. I have fun with FPS games, but there isn’t as much strategy or thought-process going into shooter games than there are puzzle games. I like to explain where I’m going and what I’m doing and how I’m thinking about it. It’s a lot hard when I’m playing the same FPS map on repeat. The competition is interesting, but I’m not as interesting. I don’t have as much to talk about, especially when no one is in my chat watching me. Why does that matter?

Talking, even when no one is watching is important both for when people show up, but also for practice. I can easily get lost in the competition of an FPS game. With puzzle games, I can take my time, explain, think, and SAY all the things that are going on. I can pause and address the chat if needed. Frankly, saying things out loud when solving a puzzle actually helps me solve it.

When I don’t have a lot of followers or viewers, I think engagement is the most important part of streaming, and I engage better with certain games. I think that’s my goal moving forward, to play the kinds of games that give me the opportunity to engage in chat. Maybe, just maybe if I get a good following, I’d venture into FPS while people in chat comment and talk amongst themselves. I’m not at that point in my stream yet so I’ll probably avoid it for the most part. FPS competitive.

I’ve been streaming Zelda: Breath of the Wild so far and it’s been fun. I want to keep on the Zelda track for a while, so I will probably get a switch and play some other Zelda games too after this. Zelda: Links Awakening is going to be my next game. It looks like a ton of fun.

All that being said, there are a variety of opinions on WHAT people should stream. “Stream what you like.” “Stream popular games.” “Stream Indie unique games.” I’d say it probably differs based on the streamer, and is likely a combination of things that should determine this. Luckily, even though I love FPS games, I love streaming puzzle games. So that’s the focus…for now.

Until something else sways my opinion. Or the stats say otherwise.

Week One Recap: Stay the Course

Week One

I’m going to start out with some statistics.

Hours Streaming: 33

Number of views: 177

Followers: 12

Primary Game: Zelda Breath of the Wild

Given I would say at least an hour or two of the above streaming time was devoted to troubleshooting video and sound, but for the most part, I streamed quite a bit. More than I expected.

Two of the followers are people I know. My girlfriend and my mom. I think the number of views is potentially recurring views from the same people over and over again. Like if they come in and then leave for a bit and then come back. I think both of those count as a view. So it could really be one person viewing over and over again, even though I know that isn’t exactly the case.

Looking at it all as a whole, I’m pretty proud of myself. Not only for what I’ve accomplished in my first week streaming, but for how I think I am as a streamer. I was afraid that I wouldn’t know what to talk about but it turns out I have plenty to talk about when I’m playing puzzle or strategy games. I like puzzles and strategies, and I like explaining how I’m figuring things out. It gives me something to talk about and it’s interesting. Though it’s still to be determined if it’s interesting for others to watch. It could be a good way for viewers to engage.

I have a total of ten unknown followers. That’s pretty good for one week. Especially since I’m playing a game that doesn’t have a very high viewer-count overall, on a streaming platform that is 4^th largest overall.

I’ve been really good with engagement. When I say really good, I mean I talk A LOT. It’s not as hard as I expected.

I am now streaming my Wii U, which is not what I was expecting to play, but something I knew was a possibility. I think I’m trying to avoid the over-saturated games, so I’m playing Nintendo games for now. I may eventually move to a Switch game if I buy the Switch, but that’ll be in a month or two. In the meantime, I have a lot of Zelda to play.

Other games I want to get into are different Mario games, Stardew Valley, and potentially some puzzle games. Platformer games are super fun for me too.

Part of my planning will need to research some puzzle games to check out. They are fun to play, and fun to talk about.

I managed to get the audio working pretty well for my stream. It took some troubleshooting and some wonderful help from my awesome girlfriend. There are ways that I can improve the experience still, but I’m not going to invest any money into streaming until it makes sense (any more money).

I’ve had a couple of followers talk quite a bit in chat, but it’s been mostly lurkers for my viewers and followers so far. That being said, having people talking at all in my chat is surprising for me in my first week.

Another notable accomplishment: graphics. I've begun to create my own overlays. I'm also working with a little Avatar/ICON for my stream. it'll constantly evolve but I think it's a good start.

For now, I am going to stay the course. I think I’m going in the right direction so far.

Why I Chose Mixer for Streaming

Mixer is smaller. Plain and simple. I am a small fish in a small pond. This opportunity is better than being a small fish in an OCEAN. I'd get lost or eaten alive.

I'm in the fortunate position of having time, but more importantly patience, for growth. What I'm trying to say is that I don't feel rushed about this whole thing. (Maybe that’s a poor quality?) I'd like to grow, but I see this endeavor as a war of attrition. I have to outlast the grind. I have to outlast the doubt that what I’m doing is even worth it. I just have to keep going forward and not give up. I can stream for 10 years before any growth. As long as I am enjoying myself I will keep it up.

With Mixer being a smaller platform, how does this help?

While there are fewer viewers watching on the Mixer platform, there are also fewer streamers. There are fewer games that have communities. There is more potential for a community to be built for a lot of games right now. Mixer just doesn't have a lot going on. That appears to be an opportunity...if you're willing to put in the time.

To be frank, I am not sure I am willing to put in the time. Right now I feel committed and excited. I have time and patience and motivation. I like the idea of doing this and learning all about it. Will I ever stop? Will I ever give up? I don't know. I think a lot of it depends on what I learn about this endeavor and what I learn about myself. How things grow over the years.

Mixer is growing. Mixer is only recently on-boarding some big-name streamers - the likes of Ninja and Shroud. With this growth is a chance for other streamers to develop communities. I figured that would be the best way to go for my start. It's certainly not easier, not that I can see so far. At this point, I'm running with my intuition and going with Mixer because it feels right for me. I have been a Twitch viewer for years. Now I am watching people on Mixer. It's a strange transition.

A Mixer feature that is decidedly different from Twitch: Sparks

While I don’t entirely understand the potential of the in-stream currency system: Sparks – I do see it as more engaging. As you view streams, you earn sparks. With Sparks, a viewer can “purchase” a variety of things to interact with streamers. It’s a way of getting involved and showing support. It’s also a way to spread the wealth. While these Sparks are worth fractions of pennies, they can add up to monetary values that top streamers will actually see dividends from. For smaller streamers, it may not mean much in the $$ sense, but it means A LOT when a viewer shares their Sparks with you. Small transactions of support and validation can go a long way for motivation and growth.

What else?

I have no clue. I’m literally on day number four of starting this journey. I have a lot to learn still. A lot to share.

Software, hardware? Streaming is easier than it appears

Software, hardware? I don't know. I just did a fair amount of reading. What I found is that I have most of what I need to start streaming. Hooking it up and getting the software to work properly is the key.

Hardware:

-Computer (or console) I will be rolling with a computer for now

-Mouse

-Keyboard

-Controller (for the console but also for the computer if you want one)

-Two Monitors

-Microphone

-Webcam

I put two monitors on the list because it's almost necessary to be able to see the stream chat while playing a game on the other monitor.

Technically you do not need a webcam. I wanted one because I personally enjoy streams that have a person to look at while engaging and watching the games they play. So this item is not necessary. I am assuming it will be better for my stream. So I'll go with it.

Software:

-A game to play

-Some kind of OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) - I picked Streamlabs OBS

-A streaming platform (Twitch, Youtube, Facebook, Mixer) - I picked mixer (I'll probably write a little something on why I went with Mixer in my next post)

I would say these are the basic things you'd need to set up a stream. I believe, based on reading and seeing other streams that there are a ton of other software and hardware options to add. Options that will make my stream more robust. But I'll figure those things out down the line. I don't want to get too bogged down in making things "perfect". I'd likely get overwhelmed and give up if I tried that.

I didn't have a second monitor. I bought a cheap one to show my chat. I didn't have a webcam. I bought a pretty cheap one that had decent reviews for streaming. I downloaded Streamlabs OBS for free. I created a Mixer account via my Microsoft login. I hooked everything up. I added some lighting to the area where my desk is in my apartment. THAT WAS IT. That was all it took to set all the system and software up.

To be fair, there is much more to do IN the software that I haven't gotten to. That'll be a future post too. Making it all work.

Streaming? If not now, then when?

Welcome to Stream Starting Soon!

I can't say exactly what this SSS blog is going to be. I haven't lived it yet. But I'd like to document my experience streaming video games...and possibly other content. I am starting from a place of zero-knowledge. I want to track what I learn for both myself and for others. For others, it could be helpful. For myself, I've always found it valuable to journal and keep track of where I've been in life. I can't think of a better way to document my experience streaming. Enjoy!

I've been thinking about streaming for a long time. I enjoy watching streams. I play a fair amount of video games. Why not?

I am well aware that watching streams and playing video games does not make me a good candidate to be a streamer. I don't exactly know what it is that makes a good streamer. I could throw out some theories on what those attributes could be, personality, skill, audience engagement, etc. All probably valid, and likely a combination of various attributes. A combination of soft skills and technical skills that accelerate popular streamers to where they are today. Does this mean I shouldn't try? Do I have what it takes? Am I good enough? Should I even worry about these things?

All these questions. Answered by doing one thing: streaming. I will learn the answers from first-hand experience. That's the way I learn best.

Everyone thinks about doing something. I am the most guilty party of them all when I think about doing things...and never do them. I'm either lazy, not committed, or afraid to fail.

When it comes to streaming, I am afraid to fail.

I asked myself what the stakes are for trying to stream while I play video games. What am I at risk of losing if I venture into this unknown and slightly intimidating land?

Nothing. (Not counting time and initial set-up cost)

Don't get me wrong, time is important. Time is worth more than money. I am playing games anyway. Turning a stream on in the background while I do it is relatively simple. Interacting with an audience, managing content, managing people, managing myself, slightly more complicated. Complicated, but the goal, right? Isn't that what we all want, to have people enjoy watching us enjoy playing video games?

As long as we are enjoying it, I think it's a noble endeavor. I've watched streamers get to places where they aren't enjoying it. That's not fun for anyone.

Finally, I gave up on my fears. I have nothing to lose and so much to work for. I like having projects. I like learning new things. I like being creative. Streaming would give me something to focus on outside of my everyday work. Yes, I do work full time right now too. So...I have no clue what it's going to take (time-wise) to do this thing. To become a streamer.

I like the idea of that. Spending time working on something that I'm excited about. That's why I'm documenting this. I'm excited about what I'm going to learn and what experiences I'm going to have. I'm excited to watch and track progression(if there is any at all). That's all apart of this experience. To see what works, how it works. To see what fails, how it fails. To see how I do, how things grow and change. I want to see what I can make. I like creating, and this is a new outlet that I always feared because it is PUBLIC. It's more public than anything I've ever done before.

When you stream, you are literally in the public eye. Your body and face and voice are completely visible and vulnerable. That's a scary prospect. People will judge. People will be mean. Maybe, just maybe, the community will be great and support and love. Who knows? It's a risk. For some reason, I'm no longer afraid. I just want to do this. I want to do this now.

Before I plunged into this decision, I imagined myself ten years from now. What will I think about myself if I don't start streaming today? What will I say to myself?

If only I had started ten years ago, imagine where I'd be now.