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Your main PC is the heart of your streaming setup, and you’ll want it to be able to handle anything you throw at it. Just having a good gaming rig isn’t enough, though you’ll need other gear to complement your main streaming setup, and this is where things can get confusing for many would-be streamers. Playing today’s top games is hard enough on modern PC hardware, and adding streaming increases your computer’s workload.
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The Ideal Equipment Setup You don’t need a top-tier gaming rig dripping in RGB lights to stream on Twitch, but you do need to meet certain specs. Not everyone is going to end up sponsored by Razer or Nvidia, but there are plenty of smaller companies looking for a face to put their brand behind. Once you’ve got an established channel and some semblance of a personal brand, you can pursue paid brand sponsorships. Ads Incentive Program offers from Twitch vary, but once you start stacking ad revenue on top of subscriber revenue, Twitch starts looking more lucrative. You can earn money from ads if you go through the Ads Incentive Program on Twitch. To become a partner, you need to reach 50 followers, stream for eight hours, stream on seven different days, and have an average of three viewers. Most successful Twitch streamers make their money from subscribers, but you’ll need to become a Twitch partner first. With the recent introduction of Bits to the platform’s economy, users can now cheer you on and support you at the same time - you’d be surprised what you can achieve with a small but dedicated following. Maybe it will be from friends taking pity on you at first, but these can add up over time. Your first dollars and cents earned on the platform are likely to come in the form of donations from a few loyal followers.
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This doesn’t mean you can’t do it it just means that it’s going to take some time. Just like becoming a famous athlete or musician, only those who are willing to stick it out and be consistent on the platform can make it a part-time or even full-time job.
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Let’s get this out in the open: Most people don’t make any money whatsoever on Twitch. There’s a place for you in the streaming economy, but you’ll need to play it smart to turn this into a full-time gig. Looking at established streamers and their channels, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Twitch doesn’t have room for another heavy hitter, but you’d be wrong. If you’re looking to get started as a content creator, you may be grappling with where to start. This memory isn’t unique to a specific generation of gamers, apparently, as the modern, internet-based equivalent is a cultural powerhouse today. Some of us of a certain age might remember the golden days of watching our best friend play their brand-spanking-new Nintendo 64 in their parents’ living room on a 29-inch tube TV.
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