(Disclosure: I think we will all know when reading this that the discussion was around Jack’s/Stadia-Dosage’s offer to creators. Jack is also a contributor and benefactor of this website. So, to be as transparent and unbiased as possible, I will be posting this without Jack’s knowledge or consent. He will be aware of this post the same time anybody else who happens to read this.)
A while ago when I accidentally dipped my toe in the Stadia Reddit, I got caught up in a discussion regarding “being paid” (aka receiving support from other community members) for creating positive Stadia content.
As somebody who does receive financial gain each month, I defended my position with the following statement.
[…]”For small creators like me, (less than 200 subscribers) an opportunity to have £50 a month to purchase games, pay for pro, buy another controller without dipping into my main income, means a hell of a lot.”
To which I was met with a reply (unfortunately it appears to have been deleted now) “If £50 means that much to you maybe you can’t afford to be a content creator”. I’m paraphrasing of course as I can’t recall the exact wording used. But the person was clear, they don’t think I should be streaming games if I can’t afford it.
This has played on my mind since. It’s an interesting point and I think I get it. Historically of course being a content creator can be expensive! Originally streaming was a privilege available only to PC gamers – requiring the best of the best equipment and top tier internet access (coming at a premium price in most cases) and then of course the added expense of cameras and microphones. Breaking into game streaming was a difficult and expensive adventure.
Technology Benefits Everyone
But then, thanks to advancement in gaming console technology and faster internet speeds being more widely available, game streaming became accessible to a whole new demographic. More and more people were able to get started with Twitch and YouTube streaming.
And, as it always does, technology advanced again! Enter Stadia.
I can confidently advise that anybody who wants to start streaming on youtube can do just that. With $0 using the device that you are reading this on.
What About The Games?
Thanks to Stadia’s direct stream feature. It is entirely possible to get started with streaming today. Everything that you need to get started is in your hand right now. As Stadia is a free service, you don’t need to pay anything. There is no subscription required. And as I write this, Stadia currently has 8 free to play games. Again,…with no subscription required. These games vary in genre:
- Crayta
- Hitman
- Destiny 2
- Nine To Five
- Outcasters
- PUBG
- Super Animal Royal
- Super Bomberman R Online
‘But there’s no Fortnite or Apex legends etc etc’. That’s true, but hear me out, that may be a blessing in disguise.
How To Grow
If you watch or read any advice online about how to grow an audience on Twitch or Youtube they will all echo this point: you should avoid overly popular games. Games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends already have legions of people watching very popular streamers play at any given time. If you attempt to stream these games, you’re not going to get discovered. Sorry… there are just too many people with too large of a following. You will be lost in the noise.
Nine to Five is a fantastic 3v3v3 game that launched this year and has a small audience. It’s only available on Stadia and Steam. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Outcasters is a Stadia exclusive that offers some truly fun and unique game play.
The free games curated by Stadia all offer different styles of play with great opportunity for new streamers. With Roller Champions and XDefiant both coming soon and also free to play, this will provide even more content for you to stream at zero cost. As you build an audience (and you know this is what you want to do), invest bit by bit. PC. Camera. Microphone. Piece by piece improving your streams as you go. Starting from zero, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Back to the Reddit post
I disagree entirely with the fact that money is still a barrier to entry in content creation. So why does the money make a difference to me? My goal as a game streamer is to provide entertainment and community. As well as proving that Stadia does work. The narrative of unplayable latency and inferior game quality isn’t justified. I want to show how responsive and crystal clear playing in the clouds can be.
I’m not the 2 time. I’m never going to get Chicken Dinner after Chicken Dinner on PUBG. I don’t have original ideas to create masterpieces in Crayta. But the more games I can purchase on Stadia and Steam, the more I can counteract the misinformation I see day after day. I stream a variety of games showing the quality of the ports and the number of players (more than the 12 that there’s believed to be). The more games I can do this with, the better.
My favorite article from you so far. Great work Pedder.
Thank you, Martinez. Appreciate you reading it and the feedback.
I will briefly tell you about my story…
I sold my graphics card a couple of years ago, I have a modest PC to work with an entry-level graphics card (of those that don’t reach 150 dollars)… and… with Stadia I started broadcasting game gameplay in FHD, then I started to do it at 4K in CCU (with a PC it is much more difficult to configure), I gained experience and now I broadcast thanks to the advantages of Stadia in 4K with software with the same PC with the advantage that now I can prepare scenes , better integrate things on screen, switch between live games, etc…
But that, my initial idea was simply to enjoy the games that I played, and I know that other people of my language could come in handy, in the highest quality, 4K HDR, without the need for hardware, even from the Chromecast Ultra and handling it everything from mobile… then in 4K being able to also have voice chat and other interactions, and now with more experience with dedicated programs and more support from the community.
No need for expensive software (you can add background music, trim and others directly from Youtube Online), thumbnails, logos, banners and others you can do it directly from online programs (I have done it, without spending anything). And I’ve even streamed from a Chromebook (which now serves as a remote keypad, check stats, answer chats, and more).
In the end, we can make the most of the advantages of the cloud for streaming, with the minimum cost, and the smallest incentive not only helps us create more content, feel that we are more rewarding, but it can also help us prepare a giveaway , buy a better microphone or headphones, a tablet to do secondary things or a controller because ours is not enough. And if there are offers, then some big game, several small ones, maybe that hardware that is going a little wrong and you have to change… even the difference between setting up an event, playing a new game that you will only play on the stream, buying that little program , graphics for the stream, etc.
I started with simple gameplay in FHD, then in 4K HDR, later with scenes, microphone and others on PC, lately even interacting with the community more directly and quickly and participating in different multiplayer events… and I already have more planned = d It’s my niche and I don’t expect to compete with the big guys, but I have fun and I learn, another way to enjoy Stadia being less viable with other platforms.
Also, let’s remember that running a game in 4K on PC is basically not resource consuming, although if you don’t have a great PC… you can play in 4K but then stream in 1080 or 720p with various settings. And you can use the same tools that the biggest ones use, most of them are free.
And if you don’t have a good PC, but you don’t know anything about streaming, remember, you can activate and control the broadcast of CCU, TV and android TV even from your mobile (visit Stadia from the browser in PC mode), and you can put it in hidden to practice even recording it and editing it later, you can even play with friends and make sure that no one’s voice is recorded in the streaming or only yours while you play. And if you don’t want to broadcast to the public, well, record yourself to see later, no problem, besides the quick little shorts and also the easy screenshots that Stadia allows ^^.
And whoever says that Stadia is bad to play… I will always tell them the same thing, that they watch a Sekiro or Doom stream on Stadia, if they have played it on another platform, they will know how important fluidity and precision are.
In the end this has been long, but I will be very grateful to the community and especially to this website, for giving me some incentive to do raffles, teaching me things that perhaps would have cost me by myself, but above all, motivating me, seeing what but it is possible if you like it, infect me with that enthusiasm and encourage me to improve :). And no, unfortunately I don’t earn a single dollar on a regular basis but… I have fun doing it, I have fun trying new games, and I have fun helping and playing with the community ^^.
This is not my profession, I do not dedicate myself to this, but I love helping the community, and I love that the community itself is the one that motivates there to be even more =D. It is a hobby, and as a hobby, I invest the time I can and the money I can, and therefore all help is welcome, because like everything in life, one less worry, one more incentive, helps to obtain better results and enjoy it. more =D.
Do the same, don’t expect to make a living out of it, but if you make something out of it, enjoy the process ^^.
P.S.: text translated with another Google tool 😛
Thanks for this comment. This is a really great story. What is your channel?