“I don’t stream for views, but...”
“...I want partnership.”
If this is you, then stop streaming while you’re ahead. You’ll be saving yourself a lot of pain and headaches. I get it, you don’t want to stream what is “popular” but at the same time you know that if you stream games such as Fortnite, COD, Apex, etc., that you’ll be bottom-tier and no one will watch you. Truth be told, most people don’t do this because they don’t want to be labeled as a “sellout” in today’s digital society.
Streaming is a contradictory industry and this is one of the first things you must learn if you are dreaming to stream successfully and success is subjective, but most people see it as either being rich, or being wealthy. Well, if you’re of one of these two, then you’ll have to stream games that you normally wouldn’t stream.
Luckily, there is a solution that you can try. This is the first tool I give to you. The next time you look at Twitch, click the “Browse” button at the top left to get a list of games that are being played. Looking from what is posted, we all know that LoL, Fortnite, and OW are dominated by Esport Players. Unless you’re extremely good at the game (ten times higher than what you consider yourself as good because trust me, good chance you’re not as good as you think you are), then stay away from those. Path of Exile is dominated by Hardcore-League Racers and those EXTREMELY knowledgeable in this complicated game. GTA5 is dominated by Roleplayers. Destiny is dominated by either extremely good PvPers, Raiders, or Personalities. We can guess why the other games are the way they are. But what about Jump King or Donkey Kong? Well, without even going into the directory itself, Donkey Kong 64 is either being controlled by a large speedrunner, groups of speedrunners, or foreigners. I’ll put my money the former two, however. Jump King normally never gets this high on the directories. Case in point, if an obscure game is on the top of the list, its best to stay away from the game as it’ll be controlled by one streamer with a HUGE following. Plus, Jump King is painful and unforgiving so it makes for some hilarious rage clips (which is why people play these games on stream: Monetization Opportunities but more on that in another post).
To grow, you’re looking for a middle ground. You’re looking for a game that has anywhere between 1000 to 5000 viewers. The closer to the median (3000) the better. These are the games that will give you more of a chance to grow. A CHANCE, not a PROMISE. There are games that are important to Twitch that have dedicated followings, viewers.
The biggest example I can give is Dark Souls. Yup. This blog post is now the Dark Souls of Examples but I picked this game to let you all know that YES, you CAN stream an older game and profit from it, depending on its AGE and the TYPE of game it is. Dark Souls is a brutal game, unforgiving and at times, maniacal. Its a game that’ll punch you in the throat if you’re not aware, and even if you’re not aware, it’ll side-swipe-kick you in the balls. Dark Souls is a rage game, a game that people-even bigger streamers-TO THIS DAY still have first playthroughs. While most people have moved on from the First Playthrough, some still get a kick out of watching people rage out of control or even get demotivated. Other peoples frustration at things we have accomplished is hilarious. Its wrong, but its hilarious. If you’re a streamer worth his/her salt, then you’ll also realize that this is profitable towards your growth. But don’t fake the rage. Don’t throw the controller for views, throw it because you’re actually angry. Real emotion will do you much better than scripted anger. Other examples include The Witcher 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4, Sekiro, Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, etc. So overall, you’re compiling a list of middle ground games that YOU like that are IMPORTANT to Twitch to PROFIT. From that list, pick a game you like and stream. But keep your expectations low. Just because I gave you this information, doesn’t mean it’ll be your golden ticket to success. Especially so if you’re new. If you can keep one viewer in your chat during your Witcher 3 playthrough, you succeeded. Congrats, you confirmed your potential.
