Livestreaming in the time of social distancing
Like 'Love in the Time of Cholera,' but less lyrical.
Last year I started livestreaming videogames on Twitch for fun and profit. I’m an extroverted gal, and I wanted to put on a show.
Months into streaming I realized the “profit” part was coming in slow and I felt frustrated, but after the coronavirus dictated that we couldn’t see pals (except for, bless him, my roommate), I came back to streaming and found the fun.
When I began I had already been making videogame “let’s play” videos on my YouTube channel for several years, and I switched to Twitch as its monetization setup works better for creators (though Twitch uses a $100 payout minimum, meaning I haven’t actually received any of the money I’ve made on Twitch so far thanks to my wonderful subscribers).
What is Twitch, for the uninitiated? Twitch is a livestreaming platform (others also use Mixer, YouTube, and Facebook for similar purposes) primarily, but not exclusively, made for streaming videogame content. If you see me on twitch.tv/heyanniemok, you’ll see gameplay from a PS4 game I’m making my way through—just finished Batman: Arkham City—as well as my facecam in the corner, and a text chat window to the right for viewers. Here’s one of my let’s play videos from YouTube, which replicates the experience except for, of course, the live + chat aspects of Twitch.
If you come into the channel to hang out, we can talk to each other via the chat, and this to me becomes the greatest pleasure of streaming: hearing about how everyone in chat is doing, and carrying on conversations about the game or whatever else.
When a channel is at its best, it becomes a party with the streamer as the host and everyone who shows up is having fun.
In the time of the coronavirus, an illness I am reasonably sure I suffered from (I’m feeling better now but may still be carrying, so I’m self-isolating for the time being), as Philly goes on lockdown, it’s now impossible for me to see friends outside of vid chat. My cabin fever (cue the Muppets Treasure Island song!), always there as a freelancer who works from home, skyrocketed when my extrovert self couldn’t have friends over. Streaming provided a way to relax and have fun with some games while connecting with others in some small way.
If you’re interested in coming by and hanging out in chat, the best thing to do is create a Twitch account and follow me at twitch.tv/heyanniemok. You’ll then receive notifications whenever I go live.
If you enjoy watching and you’d like to support the channel (no presh!), you can subscribe to the channel at $5 per month at Tier 1, or if you have Amazon Prime for groceries or whatever, you can use it to subscribe to one streamer per month at no extra cost via Twitch Prime (here’s how).
Until we can see each other in the flesh, I hope to see you in chat through my PlayStation camera.
If you’re a subscriber to my Substack blog/newsletter, thanks for your patience in my getting this entry to you! I aim to get two of these out per month, and I got hit with what was likely coronavirus around mid-March, which slowed me down. Until next time. <3