A Stream and A Dream

Back in December of 2023, yours truly embarked on an adventure that led me down a most interesting path. I watched a couple tutorial videos, downloaded some software and hit that “Go Live!” button for the very first time. Twitch streaming. I’m talking about my first time streaming video games. For those of you who have never experienced going live on stream, it is certainly a much different situation to find yourself in as opposed to something like a public speaking class or uploading an edited video on YouTube. The spotlight or in this case, webcam, is focused solely on you and it’s a surreal feeling knowing anyone can tune in to watch or listen to anything and everything you say or do. (I'm making this sound awfully daunting…) Ironically enough, the very first time I went live for roughly an hour and a half, the only person to join my stream was myself on my cell phone to see if it was even working properly. (There’s the rug pull moment we were all waiting for!) Honestly though, streaming is something that not everyone can do and can still be a very nerve-wracking endeavor for specific individuals. Your boy Prowler just so happens to NOT be one of those individuals. (Insert Tony Stark rolling eye gif here)

Don’t get me wrong! It took a bit to finally get into the groove of things and figure out how to make my microphone sound halfway decent or keep a conversation going with a handful of chatters. The anxiety and worry about doing the wrong thing or screwing up wasn’t something that has ever concerned me. I always found myself at my most confident when I was doing something or discussing something I was passionate about. (Don’t get me going on NFL football. We’ll be here for days.) I think it’s safe to say that video games have always been in that wheelhouse of things I’m passionate about. So obviously this was a match made in heaven with the stereotypical happy ending where streaming and I rode off into the sunset together with absolutely zero bumps in the road. Right? Um right, Prowler? Not quite.

For a while I stuck to it. From December until roughly July of last year, I was consistently going live 3 or 4 times a week. I soon gained over 100 followers and got invited to join a group of small streamers that are all amazing people and some of the best supporters in the world. (Shoutout to my awesome sauce Tavern peeps. Y’all are the real MVP’s!) However, things slowly started to shift for me. Video games have always been one of my biggest sources of entertainment and enjoyment. Yet I found myself starting to get annoyed when I had to force myself to play a game that I didn’t feel like playing or I felt that I would be letting down my viewers when I played a different variety from what they enjoyed. I felt the joy slipping through my grasp and streaming honestly felt like a side job that I really began to resent. Especially when you consider that I was already working a full-time job that sometimes spilled into the weekends or off hours. So, I did what most of us do when the going gets tough. I quit.

Before I shift gears here, I do want to acknowledge another factor that led to my demise as a streamer. I got suckered into the hype of watching my viewer count and the allure of becoming an affiliate to earn a couple bucks every few months. Looking back at my obsession over how many people were watching or counting subs or other ridiculous things, I can’t help being annoyed with myself at how foolish it was. The whole reason I started streaming was because I love video games. Not to make money by running 10 plus minutes of ads, not to cater to anybody making demands of what I play or do and not to sit there and compare my viewer count over last week’s streams. It certainly doesn’t help that anyone who attempts to break into the streaming scene these days is met by the promise of a thousand YouTube videos that can guarantee you’ll double your viewers by following these 10 simple tricks! (I constantly see people who stream to a handful of viewers compared to absolute trash that somehow attracts thousands and thousands. Somehow, I doubt 10 simple tricks will have you up to a thousand viewers overnight.) If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine or are thinking about joining the streaming world, I promise you’ll want to learn from my mistakes.

However, I want to bring it all back home by simply stating that I’m ready to break back onto the scene of streaming again. This time I’m changing the rules though. I’m dropping Twitch like a bad habit. (Suck it, Jeffery Bezos!) I’m going to explore my options on YouTube where I can stream and also focus on making fun videos again. I’m going to play the games that I love to play and I could care less if nobody is watching or a million tune in. I truly don’t care about any view counts or striving to make money. The fact is gaming is my hobby and my joy. If I can share that passion with anybody else, then that’s amazing and if not? Well, I’ll be the best damn streamer for me, myself and I that you’ve ever seen.

P.S. Let me know what you think about the new backdrop with my logo on it! Who doesn't love a dark fantasy setting with an exploding moon?!