When John Hopstad first descended into the virtual world of Dark Souls in 2013, his mission was to save a dying world. Famed for its brutal and gruelling gameplay, Dark Souls is a game that's popular to stream live: if you're going to die hundreds of times, you could even end up with a digital corporation to brighten the mood. What Hopstad didn't know then was that this would be the beginning of an even more challenging journey to establish connections with people. Hopstad streams to virtually no one for the last two years. isn't all on his own in this endeavor.
Twitch is the world's most popular live streaming platform that lets people play games, create art, and show off their daily lives, draws over two million viewers every month. The number of viewers increases each year, thanks in part , to the ease with which it is to live stream and platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have also been encouraging people to share and watch live stories. By pressing the button on your gaming console or phone you can share what you're doing in that moment with strangers and friends alike. The rise of popular (and profitable) influencers on platforms like YouTube and Twitch is also making the concept of being an online influencer aspirational. Some parents have noticed that their children pretend to unbox toys for a largely untapped audience and that teachers have reported that their students often say they'd like to take up YouTubing? as a profession. But when seemingly everyone wants to take video or live stream, who ends up watching the video content?
Everybody seems to want to take footage or to the live streaming, but who actually ends up watching the content?
Making a name for yourself on platforms such as Twitch usually involves broadcasting to absolutely no one. Discoverability is an issue When you sign up to Twitch the most prominent users are those who already have a large following. Although there are tools available to locate lesser-known streamers however, the majority of streamers who start out without built-in audiences from other platforms, or supportive family members end up staring at a big, fat zero on their viewership counter. This lonely , live stream slumber can last anywhere from several days, months, weeks, or even years, depending on how luck plays out. According to those who have been through it, lacking an audience is one of the most demoralizing things you'll encounter online.
iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/48DvzMoSkOY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
"It's quite exhausting playing to an empty space day in and day out without any results," one Redditor wrote on a thread now deleted on the r/Twitch channel.
"It's difficult to remain optimistic when you're doing this 5 every day when it seems like no one drops through," another Redditor posted in a different thread after having spent months streaming with no one. "I've realized that streaming doesn't work for me."
"Been streaming intermittently for fourplus years, and each time I return, I have weeks where the majority of time I'm not streaming to anyone," another Redditor wrote. "It's tough."
img width="416" src="
">
Sean Burke, a streamer who spent about a month broadcasting popular games such as Overwatchwithout any audience It's easy to be taken personally in the event that no one attends your live stream. "It was sometimes depressing," says Burke, but he managed to keep live streaming throughout.
Live streaming, if it's a practice one, the person in front of the camera is the product. While there are many things you can practice and improve, your popularity as a streamer comes down to how many people love your style or find it interesting. "I [initially] kept internalizing the viewership numbers to mean that I was the problem or that I wasn't funny enough, that I wasn't skilled enough at games." After a year of hard work He estimates that he has approximately 10 viewers at a time per stream.
Lacking an audience is one many of the demoralizing experiences you can experience online.
The veteran streamers usually have lists of talking points available to assist newbies, one I've seen repeated over and over again across social media platforms. The way to do it is Be yourself. Have some fun with it. Set a schedule and stick to it. Be sure to have a well-constructed technical set-up. Learn to practice your commentary and then speak your thoughts. Play games that aren't oversaturated with other streamers already. You can trick your live stream with overlays and plug-ins that make the experience more fun for the viewer, such as mini-games where fans have to keep their virtual pets active. Get on social media and let people know about your stream. Network by joining other people's streams and becoming their friends. But the toughest advice to follow is the idea that streamers who are aspiring need to be on the move continuously, even if nobody is watching, in case someone does appear.
"Think about it like you're recording an interview show, and you're the host," Redditor Neon_Nazgul posted in a thread that offered advice to frustrated streamers. "Sometimes there's a studio audience and other times you're filming something the audience will watch later." Although this is true, that's also one of the reasons that streaming without a large audience so hard to do in the first place. It's an isolated practice where you must pretend that there's a person listening, but with no idea how it will take until anyone is there or if they ever will.
Broadcasters are able to follow the advice given by experts and not gain much of an audience, if they are getting lost among other streamers hoping to make it. Some end up turning to methods that appear to give an appearance of success: you can pay for bots to populate your stream, thus pushing you up the Twitch directory or even join forces with other marginal streamers to increase each other's subscriber count in "follow4follow" communities. Streamers even create broadcasts where the sole goal is to allow hundreds other people beg each other to follow them in their chat. Most of the time, this method doesn't work out for anyone in the process, since no one gets a genuine viewer , even though the numbers say otherwise.
"I used the follow4follow strategy... But no one ever went on to the next stage and watched my channel," Twitch user Flummoxkid states. "Nothing other than a few hollow follows. The streamers who cultivated the F4F channels I followed did a 180-degree turn and tried to go legit once they joined forces, and they don't even get any views. I was foolish enough to believe that people would actually return the favor."
Despite the often stressful nature of trying to get noticed on Twitch there are some who persist despite the harsh criticism of the one. The reasons for this are diverse I've spoken to people who seem to believe that sharing games is so straightforward, that they might as well do it if they're already playing a game. "It's more enjoyable than sitting in a dark room with my headphones without a sound source," wrote Twitch user jostlingjoe in a Reddit discussion on how to handle being unable to view viewers.
Many, though, are seeking something more. One streamer I spoke with who stayed for three months without an audience, MaverickRPDM, says that they kept live streaming games without a single viewer because they considered it a way of self-improvement. "Streaming has made me more interesting, more quick witted and more outgoing and extrovert," MaverickRPDM says. "It has made me feel more at ease being me, and by virtue of that has made me be more myself, more often, out from the streams."
One of the main reasons of people who stream for extended periods of time with no viewers is the possibility of meeting people who are like-minded people."The reason I started streaming was because I was searching for human connections," said Richard Szelesy the streamer who has spent the last few years mostly broadcasting high-end games to the minuscule amount of viewers. Szelesy admits that he was a kid feeling isolated, largely being at the computer in front of the computer. "[I streamed to] escape the loneliness and depression," he said. Although he's been streaming without an audience, every so often an errant person will drop in and stay. Even if the person returns -- and they usually do not -- the little spark is sufficient to help keep Szelesy moving forward.
"I was kind of trying to find human connections."
"Weirdly being an adult,, I have an easier time creating romantic connections than making new people," Szelesy says. "I don't have a clue where to begin! Do I walk up to a random person and go "You are a fan of Dark Souls?'" Twitch also gives a way to eject himself from disgruntled people. "[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 long hours streaming with nobody, claims that he's a socialist who believes in the minimum wage. Twitch gives him an outlet to discuss his views which he can't do in real life. "I'm not one for socializing, so I don't search for opportunities to engage in discussions, like on message boards, especially stuff like politics, I'm comfortable doing my day without speaking or engaging any one," Hopstad said. "Twitch certainly helped me attempt to break out of my introvert nature, but I think I'm getting more comfortable being completely alone for the rest of my days."
While wandering through the wasteland with no users on Twitch isn't pleasant However, those who remain with it are happy that they made it. Many streamers recall exactly the moment when their view counter was able to go between zero and one.
"The first viewer felt almost surreal," Szelesy said. "Twitch is set up to boost those with a good reputation and, if someone stumbles across you, they've been considering whether you could be someone they'd like to watch. Even though these conversations or views aren't always a source of followers, let alone more profound relationships, it's usually amazing, since they came across me in my secluded spot here and decided to meet up."
After months of having no audience, finally getting people to view you can be nerve-wracking as well thrilling. You prepare for it, often for dozens of hours ,and now it's time to show. Someone is on the other side. They're here for you. What can you do?
"I remember my first viewer and the moment it happened," said Reddit user TheWhiteLatino69 TheWhiteLatino69, a streamer, initially started stream on Twitch to help get through a tough time. At first, TheWhiteLatino? broadcasted without an audience to help make it appear like it was a social gathering of other people. "I had been streaming Subnautica for 0 viewers of course and I glanced over at the chat room to get an 'hey!. It was then that it all the sudden hit me, I wasn't by myself anymore and I was surrounded by eyes on me. I was becoming more anxious as the stream progressed and I threw myself into conversations with the other viewers. It's one thing to pretend that you're talking with someone but an entirely different experience 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 streamers from all over the world and streamers, taking that first step when you're not sure anyone is going to watch is like throwing a message into a bottle into the sea. Maybe someone will find it. Maybe the bottle ends up at the bottom of the sea. Everyone gambles in their own ways when we reach out online, whether we're swipe right on Tinder or using a hashtag to look for other people who share the same preferences. Perhaps we feel more isolated than ever or we might meet people who make everything worth it.
Lolimdivine is a Redditor who estimates they had spent eight months streaming and not interacting with one, says they love the community they've formed after they've gotten over the initial hump.
"My regulars and I always discuss our lives, and we all know stuff about one another," lolimdivine said. "It's like we're our own little internet family, honestly. I view these people as my family and not just as viewers. We welcome all who join us from all over the world, and remember things about the people who can only stop by once a month. It's truly amazing that Twitch can bring people together and help them overcome lonely or friends groups." A lot of streamers I talked to told me that they began to become interested in Twitch following the discovery of a character that entertained them through an emotional time, such as losing a beloved one.
Khryn_Tzu, a Twitch streamer who went for months without a single viewer, is coming up on their one-year anniversary on Twitch. This is a significant date because without Twitch the streamer wouldn't have been able to connect with a particular viewers.
iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/48DvzMoSkOY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
"Lots of days without viewers, I just doing my thing, and learned what works, still am," Khryn_Tzu said. "Then it took place. There was one audience. They stayed. They didn't even say anything for a few hours and then they came back. After a while, I decided to go AFK which is why I put on some Metallica. Then out comes https://postheaven.net/workcandle0/topten-tips-for-streaming-on-twitching that says 'Good choice of music. I like Metallica.' It was a thrilling feeling to have someone completely unknown to me around for MY content. It was a difficult for me to push."
Although many dream of an audience of thousands, that one person made all the difference in Khryn_Tzu's world. "We began talking, and then began chattering, and she was sure to begin welcoming people and even talking to them whenever people showed up," says Khryn_Tzu. "Soon people started staying... and it was more than that too. These viewers that come in? They are your friends. Sometimes, even more. That first person you saw? We're dating now, and I could not be more happy."
A majority of people don't wind up finding a love interest on Twitch however for a lot of other people, that's not the goal.
