When John Hopstad first descended into the virtual world of Dark Souls in 2013, his mission was to save a decaying world. It is known due to its harsh and gruelling gameplay, Dark Souls is a favorite game to live stream: if you're going to die numerous times in the game, you might even end up with a digital business to ease the mood. What Hopstad did not know was that this would be the beginning of an even more difficult process to make connections with others. Hopstad is streaming to largely nobody for the last five years, and he's not all on his own in this endeavor.
Twitch is the most popular live streaming platform where people play games, create crafts, and share their day-to-day lives, attracts more than two million streamers each month. This number is growing each year, thanks in part to how easy it is to live stream and the platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube also increasingly encourage people to share and watch live stories. By pushing the button on your gaming phone or console you can share what you're doing at that exact moment with friends and strangers alike. The rise of famous (and lucrative) influencers who are on platforms like YouTube and Twitch is also making the idea of being an online influencer an aspirational. Some parents note that their kids pretend to open boxes of toys to a nonexistent audience and teachers say that their students frequently say they'd like to explore YouTubing? as a profession. But when seemingly everyone wants to capture footage or live stream the content, who actually watches the content?
Everybody seems to want to take footage or to streaming live, which one actually ends up watching the content?
Starting a career on platforms like Twitch typically requires you to broadcast to a small audience. There is a challenge of finding people to join that when you log in to Twitch, the most visible streamers are those that already have a large following. Although there are tools to find streams that aren't well-known However, those who start out without built-in audiences from other platforms, or supportive friends and family are left gazing at a large, big zero on their viewership counter. This lonely , live stream slumber could last for a few days, months, weeks, and sometimes even years, based on how luck plays out. According to those who have gone through it, being without an audience is one of the most demoralizing things you'll encounter online.
"It's quite exhausting playing in a room that is empty day in and day out with no result," one Redditor wrote on a now-deleted thread on r/Twitch.
"It's fucking hard to stay optimistic when you're doing this 5 every day when it feels like nobody drops in the next few minutes," another Redditor posted in a different thread, after having spent months streaming with no one. "I've come to a realization that streaming just isn't working for me."
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"Been streaming intermittently for 4plus years, and each time I return, I have months where for the majority of time I'm streaming to no one," another Redditor wrote. "It's tough."
Sean Burke, a streamer who was broadcasting games of the day like Overwatchwithout an audience, says that it's easy to be taken personally in the event that no one attends your show. "It was a bit depressing at times," says Burke, who nonetheless kept live streaming throughout the entire process.
If live streaming is a method of practice one, the person in front of the camera is the product. While there are things you can practice and improve, your popularity as a streamer is determined by how many people love you or find you interesting. "I initially kept internalizing the numbers of viewers to indicate my fault, that was the issue and that I was not funny enough, or that I wasn't good enough in games." After an entire year of dedication He estimates that he has approximately 10 viewers at a time per stream.
The lack of an audience is one many of the demoralizing things you'll encounter online.
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Experienced streamers typically have an arsenal of talk points on-hand to help out novices. I've seen this advice repeated several times across various different social platforms. It's like this: be yourself. Have some fun with it. Set a schedule and stick to it. Make sure you have a good technical setup. Learn to practice your commentary and also speak out your thoughts. Play games that aren't oversaturated with other streamers. You can trick your live stream with plug-ins and overlays that make the experience more fun for the viewers, such as mini-games in which viewers must keep a virtual pet alive. Get on social media and let people know about your stream. Connect with other users' streams and becoming their friends. But the toughest advice to follow is that streamers who are aspiring need to be active every day even when no one is watching, just in case someone should appear.
"Think about it like you're recording the talk show and you're the host," Redditor Neon_Nazgul posted in a post offering advice to frustrated streamers. "Sometimes there's an audience in the studio and other times you're filming something that the audience can watch later." While this is absolutely true, that's also the reason why streaming without a significant audience difficult to do in the first place. It's an isolated practice where you're required to make it appear like someone is listening, with no idea of how long it might be before the person arrives, or if they ever will.
Broadcasters can follow all the advice given by experts and struggle to build their following, which is being lost among other hopeful streamers. Many end up using schemes that give the appearance of success You can pay bots to fill your stream, thus pushing your profile higher in the Twitch directory, or join forces with other streamers who are struggling to increase their subscriber numbers through "follow4follow" groups. Streamers can even make broadcasts where their sole purpose is to let hundreds of other viewers beg each other to follow them in their chat. More often than not it does not work for all in the process, since no one is gaining a real viewer , even though the statistics suggest otherwise.
"I attempted the Follow4Follow technique... But no one ever did the next step and viewed my channel," Twitch user Flummoxkid claims. "Nothing except a handful of hollow follows. Even https://squareblogs.net/resultliver39/9-things-i-learned-after-streaming-on-twitching-for-a-year who created the F4F channels I watched made a 180, and then attempted to become legitimate after they joined forces, and they barely get any viewers. I was too naive to believe that people would actually return their favor."
Despite the sometimes psychologically taxing nature of trying to be noticed on Twitch Some users keep going despite the harsh condemnation by the twenty-nine. Their reasons are varied Some of the people I talked to believe that sharing games is so easy, they could take advantage of it if they're already playing games. "It's more enjoyable than being in a dark, dark room with my headphones without a sound source," wrote Twitch user jostlingjoe in an Reddit discussion on how to deal with not having any viewers.
A lot of people are looking for something more. One streamer I spoke with who stayed for three months without a viewership, MaverickRPDM, says that they streamed live games without a single viewer because they saw it as a form of self-improvement. "Streaming has made me more interesting, more quick witted and more outgoing and extrovert," MaverickRPDM says. "It has helped me feel more at ease being myself, and, as a result, has helped me become more myself, more often, outside of the stream."
One of the main reasons for those who stream for prolonged periods of time without a user is the chance to meet people who are like-minded people."The reason I started streaming was that I was kind of looking for connections with other people," said Richard Szelesy the streamer who has spent the past few years mostly broadcasting games with the minuscule amount of viewers. Szelesy admits that he was a kid being lonely, and mainly being in front of the glow of the computer. "[I streamed ] to escape the loneliness and depression," he said. While he has mostly been streaming without an audience, from time to time an unintentional person will pass by and stick around. Even if that person never returns -- and they usually don't -- the small spark can be enough to continue to keep Szelesy going.
"I was seeking connections with other people."
"Weirdly being an adult, I have a much easier time creating romantic connections than making new acquaintances," Szelesy says. "I don't be able to decide where to begin! Do I go up to someone and say "Yo, do you like Dark Souls?'" Twitch also gives an option to remove himself from people who are not agreeable to him. "[It's] way easier to just call out or remove the kind of people who seem cool, but say racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/etc shit."
Hopstad who has spent many years streaming to virtually nobody, claims that he's a socialist who cares about the minimum wage, and Twitch allows him to discuss his views that he isn't able to do in his real life. "I'm not social, so I don't seek out opportunities to engage in discussions such as message boards, specifically things like politics. I'm used to doing my day without having conversations or interfacing or interacting with anybody," Hopstad said. "Twitch certainly has helped me to break through my hermit personality, but I'm thinking I'm getting more comfortable being completely alone for the remainder of my life."
While the barrenness of no viewers on Twitch may be depressing, some who stick to it are pleased that they did. Many streamers actually remember exactly when their view counter changed between zero and one.
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"The first time I watched, it was almost like a dream," Szelesy said. "Twitch is designed to help those who are already established, so if someone finds you, they're looking and thought you might be someone they wanted to watch. Although these views or interactions don't always lead to even connections, let alone deep connections, it's always kinda amazing, since they came across me in my hidden little spot here and decided to hang out."
After months of being without an viewers, finally getting someone to watch you is nerve-wracking as being exciting. You prepare for it, sometimes for dozens of hours ,and now it's time for the show. Someone is at the other end. They're here for you. What do you do?
"I recall my very first time watching and when it happened," said Reddit user TheWhiteLatino69 TheWhiteLatino69, a streamer, initially started streaming on Twitch to help get through the rough times. At first, TheWhiteLatino? broadcasted without an audience in order to create the illusion the appearance of hanging out with others. "I streamed Subnautica with 0 viewers, of course, and I glanced over at the chat room to get a 'hey. It was then that it suddenly came to me, I was not alone anymore I noticed that there were eyes on me. I was becoming more anxious as the stream progressed and I nervously chatted with them. It's one thing to act like you're talking to someone , but it's a different thing to actually talk to someone who is actually a human being ... It did quite the number on me."
Based on conversations I've had with numerous streamers, taking that initial plunge when you're not sure anyone is going to watch is like throwing a message into a bottle into the sea. It's possible that someone will come across the bottle. The bottle could end up at the bottom of the sea. We all play the game in our own ways when we reach out online, whether we're using Tinder or using a hashtag to look for others with the same desires. Maybe we end up feeling more isolated than ever or perhaps we meet individuals who are able to make anything worth it.
Lolimdivine A Redditor who says they've have spent about eight months streaming to no one, says they love the community they've formed after getting over that initial hurdle.
"My regulars and I constantly discuss our lives, and we all know stuff about one another," lolimdivine said. "It's as if we've got our own online family of sorts. I consider these people to be my friends and not viewers. We are welcoming all who join us from all around the world, and we keep in mind things about people who are only able to visit every once in a month. It's truly amazing that Twitch can do for people's lonely or friends groups." Many streamers I talked to told me that they were drawn to Twitch when they discovered a person that kept them entertained during difficult times for example, the loss of a beloved one.
Khryn_Tzu, one of the Twitch streamer who went for days without viewers and is approaching their one-year anniversary on Twitch. It's a crucial date because without Twitch, Khryn_Tzu wouldn't have been able to connect with a particular viewers.
"Lots of days, with zero viewers, I just doing my thing, and discovered what works, and still am" Khryn_Tzu wrote. "Then it happened. There was one viewer. They continued to watch. They didn't even say anything for a few streams however they would come back. After a while, I decided need to be AFK and I put on Metallica. Out pops a 'Good choice in music. I love Metallica. It was an exhilarating feeling to have someone unknown to me in my world for MY content. It was a tough for me to push."
While many dream of having an audience of thousands, that one person made an impact on Khryn_Tzu's world. "We started talking, started chattering, and she was sure to start welcoming people and talking to them too when people would show up," says Khryn_Tzu. "Soon people started staying... And it was more than that too. Who are these viewers that show up? They become your friends. Sometimes more. That first viewer? We're dating now, and I could not be more happy."
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Most people don't end with a partner on Twitch However, for lots of other people, that's not the point
