How to Stream Your Gameplay on Twitch and Other Platforms

Oct 15 2023

A Beginner’s Guide to Streaming Gameplay on Twitch, YouTube, and More

Streaming platforms have quickly become an amazing way for gamers to build a community online and turn their passion into income. However, with thousands of creators all vying for views on streaming platforms like Twitch, finding success as a gameplay streamer and generating enough regular views for engagement and monetization can be an uphill battle if you don’t have the right tools and guidance. 

In this article, we’ll provide some expert tips and tricks for finding the right streaming platform, generating engagement, and increasing your audience. So, if you are a prospective gameplay streamer looking for advice on setting up your channel for success, keep reading.

Which Streaming Platform is Best?

Streaming platforms are a great way to share your gaming experiences with other enthusiasts, build a community of viewers, and even earn income. As the popularity of gameplay streaming increased dramatically over the past few years, so many different platforms are jumping on the bandwagon, like Twitch, YouTube, and even Facebook Gaming. With so many options available, it can be confusing and overwhelming trying to choose a platform to chronicle your gaming adventures. 

Below, we compare some of the top platforms along with their respective pros and cons so you can get a better idea of which platform would work best for you.

Twitch

Twitch is one of the most popular interactive streaming platforms, with over 140 million monthly active users. While Twitch has streamers from all different genres, the platform is mainly known for its massive video game live-streaming audience, along with regular e-sports competition streams.

Here are some of the pros and cons of streaming your gameplay on Twitch:

Pros

• Twitch has a massive gaming audience and makes it easier to reach lots of viewers
• Twitch has specific gaming-related features.
• Twitch provides streamers with different ways to monetize their content, including ads, subscriptions, donations, and affiliate programs.
• Twitch has some great features for interacting with viewers, like chat, emotes, and channel points.

Cons

• With such a massive audience and so many streamers on the platform, Twitch is highly competitive, making it difficult to stand out.
• Twitch has strict content guidelines that you need to adhere to in order to be successful on the platform.

YouTube Live

YouTube Live is a streaming feature available through the YouTube video platform, which has 2.7 billion monthly active users. While there are tons of different genres of streamers on the platform, it is incredibly popular for gameplay streaming.

Here are the pros and cons of streaming through YouTube Live:

Pros

• YouTube has a massive user base across lots of different genres 
• YouTube offers monetization through ads, memberships, Super Chats, and merchandise shelf integration.
• YouTube has a diverse range of streamers which gives you access to a wider audience.

Cons

• With so much content on YouTube across different genres, finding your audience and reaching lots of viewers can be difficult.
• YouTube’s interactivity features are not as good as Twitch.

Facebook 

The social media platform Facebook has a live stream feature that is very popular in the gaming community. While Facebook is significantly less popular than Twitch and YouTube, this can be seen as an advantage. Let’s explore the pros and cons of using Facebook for gameplay streaming:

Pros

• Facebook’s gaming community is smaller than other platforms, making it easier to stand out 
• Facebook enables streamers to monetize their streams through ads, fan subscriptions, and fan donations.
• You can share your streams with your existing Facebook audience.
• Tools like Level Up and Stars are great for interacting with viewers.

Cons

• Since Facebook isn’t exclusively a streaming gameplay platform, there are fewer dedicated viewers.
• Facebook isn’t as well known in the gaming community as a streaming platform.

Tips For Finding Success as a Gameplay Streamer

After you’ve selected a platform to focus on, there are a few more steps to take before you can truly be successful with your gameplay streaming. Here are our top tips for achieving success with your streaming endeavours:

Invest in Good Equipment

If you are serious about your streaming and want to eventually explore monetization, you’ll need to invest some money in high-quality, reliable equipment. Before getting started, make sure you have a new state-of-the-art computer, a high-resolution webcam, and a high-quality microphone.

Be Consistent

The best way to build an audience is to stream consistently and have a streaming schedule. Consistency helps your viewers know when to expect your streams so they know to tune in anytime you go live.

Interact With Viewers

Gameplay streaming platforms have interactivity features for a reason – viewers want to engage with the streamers they watch as it makes for a more personal experience. Make sure that you are monitoring your chat and responding to comments, answering questions, and engaging with viewers.

Have a Fast and Reliable Internet Connection

When streaming your gameplay and trying to grow your audience, it’s crucial that you have a fast and reliable internet connection to ensure that your stream doesn’t get interrupted. Ideally, you should be aiming for at least 50 Mbps speeds, but to ensure reliability and consistency with your streams, try to find a provider like Comwave that offers even faster internet.

Comwave is Canada’s largest independent Internet provider, offering highly affordable high-speed home Internet you can depend on delivered with outstanding customer service. Comwave also has some of the fastest Internet and Wi-Fi coverage at some of the best prices in all of Canada. Comwave offers some of the highest speeds available, ranging from 300 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps.

Comwave also offers Internet & TV plans so you can enjoy both streaming content and live television at an affordable price. Visit the Comwave website to learn more about Comwave Internet and TV packages and find out how Comwave can help elevate your streaming experience.