Online streaming has become very popular in the Lockdown that CoronaVirus has imposed on us. People want to watch people play video games, or showcase some of their own talents. And this is what we do on Twitch. But, in both cases, you first need to take some time out to understand the various terms, tiers, and tricks that make Twitch tick and then learn how to stream on Twitch.
Let’s find out.
What Is Twitch?
The first question is of course, What is Twitch?
Twitch was launched in 2011. A spin-off of Justin t.v., focusing more on gaming. Twitch’s parent company, Twitch Interactive, was acquired by Amazon in 2014. After that Twitch has become the most popular streaming destination for watching esports, streaming games, and also for supporting the people involved in entertainment.
Twitch Communities have been dead for a long time, now they have a new tagging system. There are three main tags: IRL (for the real people), Creative (streams in Music Production, Travel, etc), and game genres (streams in all kinds of games).
Everything that has been tagged in the creative category also falls in the IRL category.
Twitch Accounts and Subscriptions
If all you want to do is watch the streams of other people then you don’t even need to sign up, but if you want to interact with other streamers and their posts or post something of your own, then you need an account. The free account mostly allows you to chat in most chat rooms, comment, and stream.
The minimum cost for subscribing to a channel is $ 4.99, it gives you some benefits such as no ads, custom chat emojis, some chat privileges like some channel hosting discussions for subscribers only, and a channel badge which you could use in chats.
There are two other levels of subscription. One at $9.99 per month and $ 24.99 per month, these provide more benefits of the same kind.
How Do You Set Up Your Twitch Broadcast
For broadcasting on Twitch, you need the right equipment and that includes both the hardware and the software. Some apps which are dedicated to Twitch build in this functionality, but the other Mac and Windows versions don’t.
For broadcasts, Twitch provides these software essentials: a good internet connection, the streaming software, a machine to run content, and all the audio and visual aids.
For broadcasts, you can use the ethernet. It provides better speed and also a more stable connection than wifi. Today’s laptops mostly don’t have the port for ethernet so you need to plug it into an adapter and then plug it into the laptop.
The simplest software to broadcast on is Twitch’s Studio app. It is currently in beta and is available only for Windows.
But yes, many people use other Operating Systems. The alternatives which are for both Windows and macOS devices include Open Broadcaster Software, Streamlabs OBS, and Lightstream Studio.
It also provides hardware recommendations, this involves every little piece of setup you might require to stream. What you want to stream would decide if you need a proper gaming console or a mid-range laptop.
Now the question arises of whether we can use cheaper alternatives from what is recommended by Twitch. The answer is Yes. Do you really need all the things that are on the list? No. For example, you can choose your own lighting if you have a decent one and not go for the exact one mentioned.
Build a Twitch Channel
After you are done configuring all the back-end settings, you are almost ready to broadcast. All you need to decide now is what is it that you want to show the whole world. Considering the preparations you have already taken you to have something good in mind.
You can take ideas from other streamers on how they are going about their channels to form a strategy of your own.
The topic you choose plays a big role in your growth as a streamer. The tagging feature has been talked about before, it is what defines your audience, the kind of tags you use. The more popular tags attract more audiences, but the lesser-known tags have more dedicated followers.
Which one do you want to go for depends completely on you? You must take some time to figure this out. Using the right tags is very important, that goes without saying.
Earn Money on Twitch
Yes, many people on Twitch enjoy playing games but even more, like making money off of it. Twitch offers various opportunities for gamers to make a few bucks but not if you are just starting out.
For the people who are new to Twitch, you can attach your Patreons and Paypals to your Twitch account and hope people donate to your account viewing your potential.
After you enter a stage where you are constantly attracting audiences, Twitch offers two programs: the Affiliate program and the Partners program. To earn any money from Twitch you have to be a part of one of these programs.
Affiliate Program: To be eligible for the Affiliate Program, in the last 30 days, you need to stream for 8 hours and that should include streaming for at least 7 days, an average of 3 viewers per stream should be maintained, also your audience should have become of 50 followers. If you have completed all of the above then Twitch automatically invites you for an Affiliate Program. After this, you should continue to complete these goals else you’ll lose this program.
Partners Program: The next goal should be the Partners Program. Twitch mentions these criteria in the partnership application program's growing and established audience and chat, you should do regular broadcasting, i.e. at least three times a week, and content shouldn’t go against its community guidelines.
Twitch mentions that it credits original content creators and applauds the importance of attracting more concurrent audiences. That does not still guarantee you a place in this program, but Twitch asks you to refill the form and with a larger gap if possible. It stresses the importance of continuous uptrends.
Cater to The Twitch Community
The simplest way to understand Twitch is by using it. When you spend more amount of time on the platform you get to know what is happening and what you should do better. Yes, instant success is very unlikely but with constant hard work, more opportunities seem to arise on this platform.
