The chances of anyone becoming a successful live streamer, especially when playing video games without a consistent schedule or a distinctive personality, are not very high. The market is extremely competitive and saturated, with millions of people trying to break into it. Here are a few factors that affect these odds:
Market Saturation: There are already millions of people streaming video games online, many of them regularly and professionally. This makes it extremely hard for new streamers to stand out and attract viewers.
Consistency: Consistency is often key to building a following. Streaming irregularly makes it difficult to build a dedicated fanbase because viewers might not know when to tune in. It also means fewer overall hours of content, which might make it more difficult to get noticed.
Distinctive Personality or Style: Many successful streamers have unique personalities, a specific niche, or provide some kind of value (like high-level play, humor, or teaching) that makes them stand out from the crowd. If you're described as having a "vanilla" personality, that could be a hurdle to gaining a large following unless you can find a unique angle or niche.
Networking and Promotion: Most successful streamers also spend significant time promoting their streams on social media and networking with other streamers and communities. This might be more challenging if you're starting from scratch and don't already have a large network.
Technical Constraints: High-quality streams require good internet and computer hardware, not to mention the games themselves, which can be expensive.
Luck: Even with all the right elements in place, a degree of luck is involved in getting noticed and growing your following to the point where you can earn a living.
Given all of this, it's challenging to quantify the exact odds. But one could say it's more challenging than most conventional jobs due to the fierce competition, irregular income, and the significant upfront and ongoing investments needed. However, if someone enjoys streaming and playing video games, they might still find it rewarding even if it doesn't become a full-time job. However, it is important to note that a video game live streamer may find that their enjoyment of the hobby is diminished significantly by the obligatory burden that live streaming places on the activity.
I love it when someone tells me they “did all the research” before making a live stream-related choice. If they had done the research they never would have started live streaming in the first place.
And to the vast majority of live streamers who refer to live streaming as a “career”: it is literally not a career.
career [ kuh-reer ]
noun
an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework:
He sought a career as a lawyer.
a person's progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking:
His career as a soldier ended with the armistice.
success in a profession, occupation, etc.
a course, especially a swift one.
speed, especially full speed:
The horse stumbled in full career.
Archaic. a charge at full speed.
Unless they're using definitions 4-6, as live streaming is indeed a very fast route to depression and poverty.
230616