These days, we hear regularly about the burnout of top streamers, and this affects even those whose job is a game. Video game streamers on Twitch are getting physically tired. This applies to other live streaming platforms. But, unlike regular workers, they have no benefits and no fixed income to support them.
Of course, being a Twitch streamer has many advantages, but there are also some different kinds of hidden problems. For example, safety, mental health, a lot of competition, and burnout mentioned above. And because live streaming on Twitch is so accessible, it's easy to overlook the risks. Doing so puts you in danger. You need to know about some important risks and try to avoid them.
Let's take a look at the most common ones...
Burnout
Scientifically speaking, burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion. Burnout usually occurs when a streamer experiences prolonged stress due to the pressure associated with maintaining popularity. It takes a lot of emotional pressure to be performing live for many hours. Although at the same time, many streamers, in the beginning, can’t even recognize these symptoms.
In addition to being physically or emotionally exhausted, there is cynicism about work, detachment, headaches or stomach pains, reduced creativity, depression, difficulty sleeping, lack of appetite and caring for yourself, etc. And if the streamers themselves do not pay attention to many symptoms, the external signs are visible even to the audience. In any case, in the future, this pressure may deprive you of pleasure. Remember, routine kills creativity, so streamers need a variety content that involves creative skills.
Safety
Of course, streaming on Twitch can be a fun experience, but it’s important to pay attention to your safety. After all, with the rise in popularity, the risks associated with streaming are inevitable. Today, many streamers face several safety problems. This is cyberbullying, doxing, trolling, haters, and other risks.
If you IRL streamer, do not forget you're every time revealing your location! This can also have serious privacy and security implications. It might be tempting to let all the world know that you're vlogging from a beach in Bora Bora, but criminal elements take advantage of this information to know you're not at home. Therefore, streamers need to take measures to protect themselves during streaming. For example, by using two-factor authentication and VPN, setting boundaries with your viewers, keeping personal information private, reporting any abuse or harassment, etc.
Competition
There is a lot of competition on all live streaming platforms like Twitch. Therefore, all streamers have to fight each other every day for viewers' attention. This pressure complicates the task, especially for beginner streamers. To attract more viewers, some beginners simply don`t leave their computers day in and day out.
Tough competition and inconsistent support add fuel to the fire. It's not just that a streamer can tire of a game and rude viewers. In fact, for many streamers, Twitch can be a toxic work environment. After all, every streamer knows that every minute that you are offline, somebody else is online. As a result, this nervous strain affects their real life. In addition, the more streaming platforms available, the more difficult it will be for viewers to find new content. Which makes it harder for streamers to stand out and get more subscribers.
Only strong support from your community is key to solving this problem!
In conclusion
Well, we briefly looked at what risks could be hidden in the live streaming industry. Because before you become a Twitch streamer, you should know about them. Make sure you mentally prepare yourself before you go live. It could save you from some problems down the road. It is therefore important to prepare for the challenges and to overcome them quickly when they occur. We can now say with confidence that as the competition increases, only streamers that can quickly adapt, keep a sober mind, and offer a variety of content will succeed on Twitch…
