It would be so easy for me to mock these people as losers and suggest that they're wasting their time for streaming when hardly anybody watches, but the 22 years I've spent writing stuff that...
It would be so easy for me to mock these people as losers and suggest that they're wasting their time for streaming when hardly anybody watches, but the 22 years I've spent writing stuff that hardly anybody reads really isn't any better. It's just marginally more respectable to call yourself a writer than a streamer.
I can see streaming, even to a nonexistent audience, as an interesting way of combatting social anxiety and honing one’s verbal communication skills. I worked through most of my anxiety issues...
I can see streaming, even to a nonexistent audience, as an interesting way of combatting social anxiety and honing one’s verbal communication skills. I worked through most of my anxiety issues long ago, but if I still had those issues I’d probably look into streaming as a way of becoming more comfortable speaking aloud.
I did something like that for a while! I have about ~300 videos on my youtube channel, with 0 to 4 views on average. They are in the typical "Let's play"-style of format, but I think that's...
I did something like that for a while! I have about ~300 videos on my youtube channel, with 0 to 4 views on average. They are in the typical "Let's play"-style of format, but I think that's similar enough to streaming to no one.
I like to think that they helped me a bit with my anxiety and my organizational (is that the right word?) skills, because I had a schedule to keep (that no one but myself cared about, but that was good enough for me). Also I learned a bit about encoding, video/audio quality and all that jazz.
Good thing is: I went in with those expectations only. I can see how someone who wants to interact with people would be devastated when his broadcasting into the world is met with silence.
If you're doing it to make a living that is one thing but the goal should be that you enjoy what you do. In the same way that you can play basketball for fun in hopes that one day you'll be a...
If you're doing it to make a living that is one thing but the goal should be that you enjoy what you do. In the same way that you can play basketball for fun in hopes that one day you'll be a great, or you play it with the only purpose of getting into the a place better than beer leagues then you'll approach the problem with different expectations. The folks seem to be aiming for NBA status and being disappointed that they can't get there.
I can't speak for the streamers, but I never expected to be able to quit my day job and write full-time. Since it's gotten me laid and helped me connect with my wife, I've gotten more out it than...
I can't speak for the streamers, but I never expected to be able to quit my day job and write full-time. Since it's gotten me laid and helped me connect with my wife, I've gotten more out it than most people. I've written three novels and published two, which is more than most writers can say for themselves.
I should be grateful. I should be eager to have a fourth go at climbing that mountain. But I'm not. I'm tired. And since my wife is being treated for cancer and I'm the only one she can rely on, even taking an hour a day to work feels like neglect.
I'm tempted to agree because it's flattering, so instead I'm going to disagree. It reminds me too much of the arguments I used to see in heavy metal fandom about how metal required talent, skill,...
Writing is a form of artistic expression though, unlike streaming.
I'm tempted to agree because it's flattering, so instead I'm going to disagree. It reminds me too much of the arguments I used to see in heavy metal fandom about how metal required talent, skill, and virtuosity -- but rap/hip-hop/etc did not. I don't see the point of watching streams, let alone making them, but I'm willing to consider the possibility that streaming is an emerging form of documentary film-making.
Besides, it's not like I write "serious literature".
I used to stream a few years ago, I viewed it as a way of documenting my progress through video games instead of just "getting views". I made a bunch of friends but have since just left it...
I used to stream a few years ago, I viewed it as a way of documenting my progress through video games instead of just "getting views". I made a bunch of friends but have since just left it entirely. Way too much work.
I'm not saying that streaming is a form of artistic expression, but where does a performance stop being an art form? Most would say that acting is a form of artistic expression. What about stand...
I'm not saying that streaming is a form of artistic expression, but where does a performance stop being an art form? Most would say that acting is a form of artistic expression. What about stand up comedy?
Defining art is notoriously difficult, my broad criteria is that for something to be artistic it has to express a deeper truth, thought, or feeling. That's very broad and I'm sure you can find...
Defining art is notoriously difficult, my broad criteria is that for something to be artistic it has to express a deeper truth, thought, or feeling. That's very broad and I'm sure you can find issues with it, but it captures roughly what I think of as "art".
So I'd say acting is artistic if you're acting in an artistic role, and that stand up comedy probably isn't artistic.
I will hand it to those streamers, they have commitment. If they enjoy it, kudos to them, but at some point I would get tired with no visibility and would force myself to think outside the box a...
I will hand it to those streamers, they have commitment. If they enjoy it, kudos to them, but at some point I would get tired with no visibility and would force myself to think outside the box a bit more.
Maybe it's a generational thing, but I honestly don't get the idea of streaming as a form of media consunption. I have streamed a handful of times but it was honestly just way too awkward for me. I managed to get 100 people on my stream when Turok re-launched on PC and I really didn't like the attention. It didn't feel like a genuine human interaction to me. I would do things the audience wanted and followed their advice but I really didn't have anything to talk about with them or the desire to share anything personal with them from my life.
I like streaming with my friends and watching them play or them watching me play. It's a fun way to interact when you are miles apart. Beyond that, I don't think it's something that's particular interesting to me.
The thing I took away from this is that these gamers are FAR more tenacious than I'd expect. Imagine desperately wanting to get more viewers and getting literally none for several years. I like to...
The thing I took away from this is that these gamers are FAR more tenacious than I'd expect. Imagine desperately wanting to get more viewers and getting literally none for several years. I like to think I'm strong-willed, but I can't imagine myself continuing for that long, or after that long. It's honestly inspiring. No reason to stop if they're enjoying it, right?
I'm a bit conflicted on this point. I feel a lot of advice on "how to make it" as a steamer or in artistic pursuits or whatever is that you have to"keep with it" and have determination etc. Many...
I'm a bit conflicted on this point. I feel a lot of advice on "how to make it" as a steamer or in artistic pursuits or whatever is that you have to"keep with it" and have determination etc. Many successful artists or streamers will have a story about how they persevered through hard times to finally succeed.
The reason I'm conflicted is because, while I fully believe that determination is required to succeed, I don't think it's the only thing required to succeed. If you have determination but not the other required attributes you may just be hurting yourself and wasting time.
There is a marketing strategy behind it that not a lot of people are good at, or if they are, they are still lost in the oversaturated field. However, I simply admire the sheer determination. Some...
There is a marketing strategy behind it that not a lot of people are good at, or if they are, they are still lost in the oversaturated field. However, I simply admire the sheer determination. Some of those people are deeply committed to it with no incentive to keep going. Eight or even five years. That's longer than a high school or college tenure. You can go from not being able to buy cigarettes to being able to drink and gamble. I admire the perseverance even in the most dire straights.
It would be so easy for me to mock these people as losers and suggest that they're wasting their time for streaming when hardly anybody watches, but the 22 years I've spent writing stuff that hardly anybody reads really isn't any better. It's just marginally more respectable to call yourself a writer than a streamer.
I can see streaming, even to a nonexistent audience, as an interesting way of combatting social anxiety and honing one’s verbal communication skills. I worked through most of my anxiety issues long ago, but if I still had those issues I’d probably look into streaming as a way of becoming more comfortable speaking aloud.
I did something like that for a while! I have about ~300 videos on my youtube channel, with 0 to 4 views on average. They are in the typical "Let's play"-style of format, but I think that's similar enough to streaming to no one.
I like to think that they helped me a bit with my anxiety and my organizational (is that the right word?) skills, because I had a schedule to keep (that no one but myself cared about, but that was good enough for me). Also I learned a bit about encoding, video/audio quality and all that jazz.
Good thing is: I went in with those expectations only. I can see how someone who wants to interact with people would be devastated when his broadcasting into the world is met with silence.
People who get into streaming for the attention are getting into it for the wrong reasons.
If you're doing it to make a living that is one thing but the goal should be that you enjoy what you do. In the same way that you can play basketball for fun in hopes that one day you'll be a great, or you play it with the only purpose of getting into the a place better than beer leagues then you'll approach the problem with different expectations. The folks seem to be aiming for NBA status and being disappointed that they can't get there.
I can't speak for the streamers, but I never expected to be able to quit my day job and write full-time. Since it's gotten me laid and helped me connect with my wife, I've gotten more out it than most people. I've written three novels and published two, which is more than most writers can say for themselves.
I should be grateful. I should be eager to have a fourth go at climbing that mountain. But I'm not. I'm tired. And since my wife is being treated for cancer and I'm the only one she can rely on, even taking an hour a day to work feels like neglect.
Writing is a form of artistic expression though, unlike streaming.
I'm tempted to agree because it's flattering, so instead I'm going to disagree. It reminds me too much of the arguments I used to see in heavy metal fandom about how metal required talent, skill, and virtuosity -- but rap/hip-hop/etc did not. I don't see the point of watching streams, let alone making them, but I'm willing to consider the possibility that streaming is an emerging form of documentary film-making.
Besides, it's not like I write "serious literature".
I used to stream a few years ago, I viewed it as a way of documenting my progress through video games instead of just "getting views". I made a bunch of friends but have since just left it entirely. Way too much work.
I'm not saying that streaming is a form of artistic expression, but where does a performance stop being an art form? Most would say that acting is a form of artistic expression. What about stand up comedy?
Defining art is notoriously difficult, my broad criteria is that for something to be artistic it has to express a deeper truth, thought, or feeling. That's very broad and I'm sure you can find issues with it, but it captures roughly what I think of as "art".
So I'd say acting is artistic if you're acting in an artistic role, and that stand up comedy probably isn't artistic.
I will hand it to those streamers, they have commitment. If they enjoy it, kudos to them, but at some point I would get tired with no visibility and would force myself to think outside the box a bit more.
Maybe it's a generational thing, but I honestly don't get the idea of streaming as a form of media consunption. I have streamed a handful of times but it was honestly just way too awkward for me. I managed to get 100 people on my stream when Turok re-launched on PC and I really didn't like the attention. It didn't feel like a genuine human interaction to me. I would do things the audience wanted and followed their advice but I really didn't have anything to talk about with them or the desire to share anything personal with them from my life.
I like streaming with my friends and watching them play or them watching me play. It's a fun way to interact when you are miles apart. Beyond that, I don't think it's something that's particular interesting to me.
The thing I took away from this is that these gamers are FAR more tenacious than I'd expect. Imagine desperately wanting to get more viewers and getting literally none for several years. I like to think I'm strong-willed, but I can't imagine myself continuing for that long, or after that long. It's honestly inspiring. No reason to stop if they're enjoying it, right?
I'm a bit conflicted on this point. I feel a lot of advice on "how to make it" as a steamer or in artistic pursuits or whatever is that you have to"keep with it" and have determination etc. Many successful artists or streamers will have a story about how they persevered through hard times to finally succeed.
The reason I'm conflicted is because, while I fully believe that determination is required to succeed, I don't think it's the only thing required to succeed. If you have determination but not the other required attributes you may just be hurting yourself and wasting time.
There is a marketing strategy behind it that not a lot of people are good at, or if they are, they are still lost in the oversaturated field. However, I simply admire the sheer determination. Some of those people are deeply committed to it with no incentive to keep going. Eight or even five years. That's longer than a high school or college tenure. You can go from not being able to buy cigarettes to being able to drink and gamble. I admire the perseverance even in the most dire straights.
Not everyone can be a streamer. If everyone was a streamer, there wouldn't be any viewers to watch the streams and we'd all be stuck at 0.
One of the reasons I quit streaming. When they started to re-introduce justin.tv features like the IRL part it just became a cam whore fest.
That is exactly it. Preferential treatment of high volume streamers.