5 Ways to Become Twitch Famous

One of the most common questions I hear people ask partnered streamers is how they can get started/partnered/rich/famous on Twitch.  And same as them, I'm here to rain on your parade and let you know there is no guarantee to make it on Twitch, or anything in life for matter.

But if I'm not a partnered streamer, who am I, and why should you give a shit what I think? I started watching and streaming on Twitch in 2013. It's easy to do and I've encouraged anyone who wants to stream always to just do it. Actually, if there's a "secret" to making in on Twitch, that would probably be it: Just do it--the old Nike cliche. Seriously, though, all you have to do is start streaming.

In those three years, many of those I've watched or inspired have earned sub buttons of their own, grown their channels and community exponentially, and created their success on Twitch in their own way. Here are five things most of them, and pretty much every popular streamer on Twitch, have in common:

1. They Love Video Games

This might seem obvious, but if you don't particularly enjoy playing video games or don't really make time for them in your life, it's not going to be particularly enjoyable watching you stream them.  That goes for the Creative category also. Whether you're streaming games, music, sculpture, drawing, or basket weaving--you've got to love what you do.

2. They Stream EVERY DAY, With Enthusiasm!

The only way to build an audience on Twitch is to show up every day, on time, no excuses, no exceptions.  Okay, maybe not every day, but the most successful streamers on Twitch have a schedule and they stick to it. Viewers appreciate reliability. They want to trust that if they sign in at a certain time you'll always be there.

3. They Have A Hook

Most popular streamers have a hook. That is, something unique to their channel, that only they do, that you can only get from them. DansGaming pioneered Halloween Horror Month. Futureman is a man sent back from the future to stop video games from taking over the planet. Tornis is a Russian strategy game expert. LethalFrag is a professional chef and pinball restorer. Summit1G is a self-proclaimed CS:GO professional.

Regardless of if you want to play a role, specialize in a game, or showcase a unique skill or talent, all of the best bring something like this to the table.

4. They Like People (Sort Of)

Chat interaction plays a crucial role in growing your Twitch audience and community. If you have problems talking to or dealing with people expect a rough, rocky road to partnership. The good news most of the successful streamers on Twitch are just as maladjusted as you. If they can fake it, so can you. For those who might test your patience, there's always the ban or block button.

5. They're Just Plain Lucky

The unfortunate truth is that Twitch fame is, much like Hollywood fame, a complicated butterfly effect of persistence, positive energy, social networking, game choice, and so much more. If one of the ingredients is missing, then the whole damn thing falls apart. It really is a, "right place at the right time," profession.

That's not to say you can't still stream for the fun of it, to meet new people, and to share your experience of your favorite games.

Rocket League: The Formula for a Surprise Hit (Review and Analysis)

      Rocket League, a twist on arena sports that’s easiest to describe as, “soccer with cars,” has surprised and astounded the video game industry, holding a dominant position as a top seller on major distribution channels like Steam and as one of the most played games on Twitch.tv since its release on July 7 (Psyonix Studios, 2015).

       Despite ongoing technical issues with online servers (multiplayer arguably being Rocket League’s best feature), it has not only competed against gaming’s heaviest contenders (League of Legends, DOTA, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Counter Strike, etc.), but its actually drawing players away from those staple titles for days and weeks on end. These are games where those who choose to play them tend to play one game, and one alone. League of Legends itself takes over three thousand hours just to unlock its heroes and skins, let alone master (Hadukan, 2013). World of Warcraft and similar Massive Multiplayer games are living worlds where to stop logging in means (figurative) death!

     What’s most interesting about Rocket League is that the game is essentially a reboot. Super Powered Rocket Cars, Rocket League's predecessor, remained relatively unheard of for the duration of its release, and it is essentially the same game. Rocket League is SPRC with a new paint job--redesigned and remodeled on a more powerful and intuitive Unreal Engine 3.  

     At face value, Rocket League is re-release of a relatively unsuccessful game with a relatively simple game concept, a seemingly narrow market, and it was plagued with technical issues at launch…so, what’s the Rocket League's appeal? It boils down to innovation, product execution, inadvertent marketing, and a dash of luck. 

     First, simple though it may be, Psyonix carved a niche for itself with Rocket League; there’s just nothing else like it. One to four players use cars essentially as soccer players, with the ability to dash, “kick,” and jump for the ball. Using these skills, or any combination thereof, teams duke it out in a battle dome against AI, online multiplayer, or local split screen opponents in five-minute matches.

     Still, having an innovative concept is not the same as executing it well, and Rocket League just feels so damn good! The game’s physics, controls, and base mechanics are so well programmed that you forget you are playing soccer with a car. It becomes a third foot with practice, and once you start bending shots into the goal (so satisfying!) the focus shifts to one of Rocket League’s most surprising elements: team-based strategy. Especially in ranked matches (which add a more serious, competitive element in themselves), team synergy is a crucial part of the metagame in Rocket League; not unlike the sport it is modeled after. So, in a nutshell, Rocket League has depth—more than people expected, anyway. That’s not including at least a hundred different unlockables (with more to come as DLC, I’m sure).

     Finally, there is no better example of, “right place at the right time,” than Rocket League. Psyonix got in early with some big online personalities on Twitch, and because the game is, well, addicting, what started with casual mention became weeklong and cross-stream marathons as streamers played with and against friends and viewers. On Twitch, it only takes a few big name streamers to skyrocket a game to the top of their directory, and Rocket League was there within days of release. This alone is enough to sell copies, but to ensure their game was populated, they offered it free on PlayStation 4 to PlayStation Plus subscribers. Therein lies the cause of their technical difficulties at launch: Psyonix succeeded in populating their game…far beyond the capacities they designed it for (Crawley, 2015).

     With a unique, well-implemented product, Psyonix was able to capitalize on word-of-mouth marketing. Though (given Rocket League’s unforecasted success and considering more than half of PS4 owners subscribe to PS+) it may have been unwise financially, Psyonix supplemented these word-of-mouth sales by offering the game free to select players, and connected to an audience exponentially greater than anticipated (Grub, 2014).

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References

Crawley, D. (2015, July 21). Rocket League's breakout success is a surprise for Psyonix. Retrieved July 21, 2015, from http://venturebeat.com/2015/07/21/rocket-leagues-breakout-success-is-a-surprise-for-psyonix/

Twitch.tv. (2015, July 21) Games Directory [Image]. Retrieved July 21, 2015, fromhttp://www.twitch.tv/directory

Grub, J. (2014, February 10). More than half of PlayStation 4 owners subscribe to PS Plus. Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/10/more-than-half-of-playstation-4-owners-subscribe-to-ps-plus/

Hadukan. (2013, May 11). Total Cost of all champions! Retrieved July 21, 2015, fromhttp://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=3433343

Psyonix Studios. (2015, July 7). Rocket League Press Release. Retrieved July 21, 2015, fromhttp://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/247946/FUTURISTIC_SPORTSACTION_ARRIVES_AS_ROCKET_LEAGUE_BLASTS_ONTOPLAYSTATIONreg4_and_PC_TODAY.php

Steam Store. (2015, July 21). Top Sellers [Image]. Retrieved July 21, 2015, from https://store.steampowered.com/search/?filter=topsellers