If you are thinking, “Should I keep streaming on Twitch?” then you came to the right place. The thing is, many people are too obsessed with their dream that they never ask themselves whether they should give up or not.
5 Reasons to Stop Streaming on Twitch
Even though it’s a beautiful dream, becoming a streaming star on Twitch is not realistic for everyone. This is why I compile the list of reasons why it’s okay if you decide to stop and avoid the infinite live streaming grind.
- 5 Reasons to Stop Streaming on Twitch
- Should I Stop Streaming on Twitch?
1. Streaming is not for everyone
Streaming is not an easy job. Even though the live streaming industry already grows from the initial video game platform, but becoming a Twitch streamer is not for everyone, whether you’re a gaming streamer or not.
Streaming is not just a live stream of what you do on your PC by using broadcasting software. Live streaming is an art because streaming is communicating what you love to other people with similar interests
So don’t think that because streamers only play video games, streaming is easy to do
You need to have good communication skills, which most gamers won’t have
Communication skill is essential to the streamer. In fact, if you can communicate with your audience flawlessly, then it is always easy to get subscribers to your Twitch channel
Many Twitch users watch a stream not because they want to watch someone play a video game but because they feel lonely. If you don’t speak to your viewers, then they will leave your stream. So if you don’t have good communication skills, then maybe streaming is not for you
You need to play the game good enough so other people can enjoy watching your stream.
As for what can be considered as having good gaming skills depends on who is your streaming audience is. Each viewer will have different interests. Not all of them will like watching professional gamers stream their game. So if you’re not a pro player, you need to compensate it with your other skill.
You need to have the patience to deal with toxic viewers on Twitch
There are many toxic viewers that will harass and keep sending you trolls and spam messages. Even though enabling Unique Mode on your Twitch channel can reduce spam messages on your stream, it won’t be eliminated entirely
So as a streamer, you need to be prepared to face degenerates that never face the consequence of their activities online.
I’m not saying you need to have all the streaming skills you need at the beginning. But, if you are not fully prepared for what laid ahead, then it will be hard to get success on Twitch
So it’s okay to give up because not everyone has the skill and tenacity to become a successful live streamer.
2. It’s hard to get viewers on your stream even if you’re not a new streamer
Many Twitch streamers believe that if they keep streaming, they will get the views they need and become the next streaming star. But the truth is most Twitch streamers will never get any views at all on their stream.
Most viewers will always go to the top 100 streamers on Twitch, so there will be little chance for people to watch streamers that are not popular at all
You need to be popular streamers to get viewers, but you can’t be popular without getting any views on your stream.
So Matthew’s effect of accumulated advantage, commonly known as “the rich get richer” effect, also applies to Twitch.
The popular Twitch streamers get more viewers while unknown streamers get fewer viewers as the day goes by
The unfair situation on Twitch is more severe than on YouTube because, at least on YouTube, the content creator can still get views days and months after the video is published.
But what about Twitch? If you don’t stream, then you don’t get any views. Yes, you can still get views from highlights and clips, but how many people actually watch them?
Not only that, YouTubers can wait until the YouTube algorithm favors their video, unlike Twitch Discover, which is only useful for already established streamers.
So, being a Twitch streamer means you need to grind tirelessly just to get your first viewer on your stream. Even then, will they come back in the future? This is the main reason why most streamers give up on their dream in the first three months, because they can’t get any views at all
3. Don’t be obsessed with live streaming too much
There is weird glorification on what being streamers are as a job. Many people believe that becoming a successful Twitch streamer is such a cool job because they can play a video game and get money from just streaming the game
Even though I can’t deny that they are cool people, being a streamer is no different from the other jobs out there.
Does streaming create value? Yes it does
Live Streamers can be considered as a job created from art and video game entertainment
But it won’t make it different from other ordinary jobs. After streaming the same game every day for more than a year, believe me, you will hate streaming and playing video games. Just like how many people hate their job. Following your dreams won’t remove the stress that came along it
This is a good YouTube video that explains why having an obsession with your dream is bad for you
Soul movie created by Pixar show why being obsessed with chasing your dream is bad for your life
Joe Gardner, the protagonist of the movie, dreamed of performing jass music onstage after his father introduced him to jass music
He felt unfulfilled as a music teacher and thought that when he finally became a jass musician, it will answer his life’s meaning
He keeps chasing the dream, giving up the promotion as a teacher at the school he teaches, and even turning an innocent soul, 22, into a lost soul in the process.
When he finally attained his dream, did he finally feel that his life purpose is finally fulfilled?
No!
Your meaning of life is not about grinding tirelessly and chasing your dream. It’s about everything you have experienced in your entire life the moment you were born in this world.
Don’t force your streaming obsession on yourself, forgetting that your purpose of life is never about playing a video game every day and streaming on Twitch
It is never about the number of your follower, nor the views count on your stream
Those numbers mean nothing to you
As long you feel happy every time you are streaming, that’s what actually matter
So stop stressing yourself because you want to succeed on Twitch. Enjoy the journey
When you want to take a break, then go take a break. Life is too precious to be wasted on obsession
Maybe in the future, you will come back to Twitch … or not
4. Streaming is different from Gaming
Just because you’re good at playing the game doesn’t mean your streaming skill will be as good as your gaming skill
Streaming is massively different from gaming. There are many excellent professional gamers streamed on Twitch, but only a few of them are popular. Many successful Twitch streamers are only ranked bronze or silver on their game, so gaming skill level doesn’t predict how popular you will be on Twitch
So if you’re good at playing video games but bad at streaming, maybe it’s okay to stop streaming on Twitch if you don’t enjoy streaming at all
Remember, the point of playing video games is to have fun in your free time. If streaming doesn’t do the same to you, then you can give it up
5. You won’t get any satisfaction from streaming the game you played
Streaming is stressful. It’s common for Twitch streamers to get stressed and not enjoy playing the game at all.
Maybe you started streaming because you loved playing video games. But then, after a while, you feel empty on the inside.
Is your feeling wrong? No, it’s not. This feeling is commonly shared with many streamers that feel stressed every time they start to stream.
Being a Twitch streamer forces you to keep interacting with your viewers while playing video games. This is a hard thing to do, especially if you want to focus on the game you played
But if you focus too much on the game, your viewers’ feelings can get hurt, and they will leave your stream. So this is a paradox, and you need to sacrifice the fun of the game you played for your stream viewers
Should I Stop Streaming on Twitch?
Be honest with yourselves. If you didn’t achieve anything after grinding hard on streaming every day and feel stressed, then you should take a break. During break time, think carefully about whether you’re enjoying streaming on Twitch or not. It’s okay to stop becoming Twitch streamers, and it’s okay if you don’t succeed in your dream.
What matters is you are not burdened by the unrealistic expectation of your dream. Listen to this important information. It’s okay to fail to chase your dreams. Most adults that you know failed to pursue their childhood dream.
Hey, at least you tried, which makes you better than most people who are afraid to try chasing their dreams at all.