How to Start Streaming as a PC Gamer?

If you have been gaming for a while, you may be wondering how to take your gaming to the next level and maybe make some money on the side. Game streaming is a relatively new frontier. It can be a great way to turn your hobby into something better, and even be a way of making money. It can seem daunting, especially if you have ever watched a stream from one of the bigger streamers. Do not worry, though, because whether you are a casual gamer or have never streamed before, we are going to talk about what you need to do to get into game streaming.

Set Up Your PC

Before you can start streaming, you need to have not only a PC but everything else that you need to stream. The most important things you will need are the PC and monitor and the streaming software. Your audience will also want to hear from and see you, so you need a microphone and a camera.

You can land a great gaming PC by checking out the different PC gaming setups available from companies like Lenovo. They have great CPUs, graphics cards, and enough RAM for gaming and streaming.

Most streamers use OBS as their streaming software, but there are other options depending on the platform you choose. You will also need a graphics capture card that will capture your gameplay and make it available to the streaming software.

For the microphone and camera, you do not need anything sophisticated, especially as you are starting out. You can check out what popular streamers use, but ensure you get a clear microphone and a camera that captures at least 1080P video.

Choose a Platform

The main game streaming platform right now is Twitch. YouTube is also a great alternative although not as popular. Twitch has many features that help with streaming, building an audience, and even monetizing gameplay, so you can make money that way.

YouTube gaming is still coming up, but there are not as many people watching live gaming streams compared to Twitch. You can, however, post your gameplay on YouTube and grow an audience there.

Choose a Game

Now that you have the setup and the platform to stream on, the next thing to do is to pick a game. There is no shortage of games that you can choose to play. You can choose games you like and grow an audience of people who love that game or games in the same genre. You can also stream the popular games at the time, and you can find out what these are by checking out what bigger streams are playing.

Be careful with the second option though because bigger streamers might edge you out as they have been on the platform longer.

Get a Stable Internet Connection

The last piece of the puzzle is your internet connection. Twitch recommends a speed of at least 6 megabits per second, although we would recommend at least 25 megabits per second with a latency of less than 10 ms.

The above is everything you need to start streaming online. Once you have a few people watching you, you can start experimenting with changing a few things to see what works best for your audience. The biggest changes you can make are to the games you stream and when you stream to capture the biggest audience.