Playing video games and making money at the same time is a dream job for many young gamers in today’s world.
You don’t have to compete with the very best to earn a fat paycheck.
You can just simply play your favorite game, regardless of your skill level, and livestream for viewers as an alternative option.
This amazing career is called streaming.
Over the past few years, the popularity of streamers, people who play video games live on various services such as YouTube or Twitch, has blown up.
Viewers can watch video game footage while interacting with the streamer. According to The Verge, reasons why people watch streamers vary immensely.
People watch streams to see if they should spend their money on upcoming games, for the streamers personality or to learn how to play their favorite game better.
According to Pew Research Center, the chance of an American teen owning a gaming console is 8 in 10.
Naive teenagers might think it would be cool to be a streamer.
Why wouldn’t you want to play video games for a living and interact with a bunch of people online while viewers watch and donate to you at the same time?
Streamers such as Tyler “Ninja” Blevins have been highly publicized for
his success.
Online tech publisher Techcrunch announced Ninja made nearly $10 million as a streamer in 2018.
This sounds amazing and all, but to make this career financially reliable is perhaps more of a hassle than it might sound.
The whole thing is a popularity contest. If you have a particular game you enjoy playing and it does not consistently draw high viewer count, your chances of playing video games for a living are slim to none.
You also have to consider that you are going to compete against other streamers and it might be tough to stand out from your competitors if you are not playing specific games people want to see.
Even Ninja said in an interview with CNBC that he doesn’t recommend teenagers to fully invest their effort into being a streamer.
Gamers should look at streaming as an extra way to enhance your gaming experience. We all know it’s fun to play video games by yourself, with friends and with family members.
It can also be fun to play while interacting with chat about various topics.
However, people need a reality check before pursuing a career as a streamer. Sure, if you do get lucky enough to make it as one, that’s definitely a great feeling, especially if you enjoy it.
But that probably will never happen.
