The Twitch platform can be intimidating at first glance, but whether you’re a spectator or a broadcaster, there’s something for everyone. Here are 5 tips to get you started and have a great experience.
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1. Find what you like as a viewer
Once your Twitch account is created, the main site interface will first show you popular channels at the moment. However, the more content you consume on the site or on the application, the more the interface will be adapted to your tastes.
You can consult the “Browse” tab to find the content according to your preferences. If you choose a specific game, Twitch will show you all the channels that are streaming live with it. Otherwise, there are plenty of other subjects: science, food, fitness, podcasts, art, chatting or even ASMR. There are even dedicated animal channels that you can watch live!
Each live channel has its own chatbox, an option that can be intimidating for some. Not all viewers are necessarily active in a broadcast’s chat, but others love being able to interact with the broadcaster. Usually, the broadcaster will be happy to chat with the chat members. Some even use funny alerts so the chat can trigger live videos, pictures and sounds on the channel during a broadcast.
You can consult the “Browse” tab to find the content according to your preferences. If you choose a specific game, Twitch will show you all the channels that are streaming live with it. Otherwise, there are plenty of other subjects: science, food, fitness, podcasts, art, chatting or even ASMR. There are even dedicated animal channels that you can watch live!
Each live channel has its own chatbox, an option that can be intimidating for some. Not all viewers are necessarily active in a broadcast’s chat, but others love being able to interact with the broadcaster. Usually, the broadcaster will be happy to chat with the chat members. Some even use funny alerts so the chat can trigger live videos, pictures and sounds on the channel during a broadcast.
2. Equip yourself adequately if you want to become a broadcaster
Broadcasters (or streamers ) must, first and foremost, determine what type of content they want to produce. The type of content broadcast will decide the material required.
For example, someone doing a podcast or chatting content should ideally have a webcam, a good microphone, and a computer. But if this is just to chat, you don’t need to have a state-of-the-art computer.
Basically, to stream content from a computer, you need to use a compatible streaming program like Streamlabs OBS or OBS. It is this program that will establish the connection between Twitch and your computer.
If you want to broadcast a video game, there are several strategies to employ. A game played directly on the computer can be broadcast from the OBS program, but a fairly powerful machine is required. If you are playing on a video game console, you must connect it to your computer so that OBS can capture it. And for that, you have to equip yourself with a capture card, like the Elgato HD60 S. This is connected to your console and to your computer with HDMI and USB cables.
It should be remembered, however, that even with the right material, not all Twitch channels are necessarily instant success. It takes some effort to dress your channel well, develop a strong brand, and run a marketing campaign on other popular social platforms. You must also participate in other communities to make your name known.
3. Understand the strength of communities
The power of Twitch is its huge community. With its millions of users, we can quickly as a spectator find an entertaining community close to our values.
Several broadcasters will even want to feed their communities outside of Twitch. Some open TikTok accounts in order to share highlights or funny clips during their broadcasts, but it is often the Discord platform that accompanies a Twitch channel.
At Pèse sur Start, the Discord community discusses not only video games but also plants, food, movies or music.
It’s a bit like IRC, version 2021. It’s also a platform that allows you to make live video and voice calls, so it’s perfect for multiplayer gaming sessions.
4. Be familiar with the platform’s regulations
Even though Twitch has been around for several years, it’s still a bit of the Far-Web. Most communities have their own rules, however, and you must follow them in order to participate in broadcasts, otherwise the community may ban you without warning.
Twitch also has policies on its site and will go so far as to completely ban abusive users. The service has also implemented management tools that broadcasters and their moderators can use to punish problematic users. But, as on other social media, trolls and harassment are not uncommon and it is sometimes difficult to have concrete resolutions to problems on the platform.
In addition, broadcasters themselves must adhere to the strict regulations imposed by Twitch. Some games are outright forbidden on the platform, as well as the sharing of personal information. Nudity, pornography, sexual content, violence and obscene content are also not tolerated.
5. Protect your privacy and avoid traps
Respect for privacy is a real issue on Twitch. Because a broadcaster is live, that broadcaster can be vulnerable to a few pitfalls.
Although Twitch is a place where communities with similar interests can interact, the relationship between streamer and viewers can sometimes be misunderstood by some users. Viewers sometimes feel like they know a streamer, while the streamer may only know the viewer by their username. You must therefore establish your limits with users, not share personal information and make sure you separate your virtual life from your life outside the web.
A sad example of the pitfalls is the phenomenon of swatting, where bad-intentioned users find the address of a live broadcaster and call the police to disembark in the middle of the broadcast. It’s happened to several big players on Twitch, including Fortnite pro-Bugha, 16, in 2019. So it’s important to never give out information that could get into the hands of people who want to troll or even put your life in danger.
You also have to be careful with trick donations. Some viewers will use controversial usernames to trick a broadcaster into saying a word banned from the site. Others will make PayPal donations, which they will then dispute in order to charge the streamer on top of the taxable fees. We, therefore, suggest using official Twitch tools, such as subscriptions and “bits” (the official donation currency on Twitch).
The takeaway from Twitch is that it’s a platform that offers free, live content for all tastes, but also has all of the same privacy issues as other media. social. When we host live and have fun, we can quickly forget that we are on the web and that everything that is on the internet has the potential to stay there forever.