The battle for the title of the most popular streaming platform is intensifying. While Amazon-owned Twitch is currently in the lead, Facebook Gaming is solidifying its position after the shutdown of Microsoft Mixer.
However, even without the Mixer partnership, Facebook is investing heavily in the streaming service and it continues to grow. More and more people go live and broadcast their favorite games. Facebook has billions of users, so the company has every chance to rise in the world of streaming.
Create a game page
Surely you already have a page on the social network Facebook, which is visited by 2.6 billion people every month. However, you need to create a separate game page.
Open the game video creator creation page and select your page name. Don’t change the category as it gives you access to the Facebook Gaming audience and algorithms. Once you’ve given a name, click Continue.
Now you can make changes, update your profile and photo, add a description and the necessary information.
Download broadcast software
If you plan to stream your gameplay to Facebook, you need to download one of the free programs like Streamlabs OBS, OBS Studio, Xsplit. It is impossible to make a mistake among them, they all work in approximately the same way.
The program will analyze the speed of your Internet connection and the hardware components of your computer in order to optimally set the settings.
You can also set the settings manually. The icon for opening them is located in the lower left corner. Here you can select a codec.To do this, you need to know the speed of your outgoing Internet connection and subtract 20% from it.
Facebook recommends setting the bitrate to 4000 Kbps, which should be enough for most connections.
Next, the interval of keyframes is set. Set to 2 for optimal quality. In the video sidebar, select 720p (1280 x 720) and 30fps.
Facebook allows you to put higher quality, but you need to be a member of the Facebook Level Up program to access 1080p (1920 x 180) and 60fps.
Set up your broadcast
If you want to make your broadcast more attractive to viewers, you need a webcam and voice-over. Name the scene, click “Finish” and you’re good to go.
To start broadcasting, you need to add sources.Recommended Game Capture with a minimum load on system resources.
When the gameplay is displayed, you can add a webcam. Click the + sign in the Sources menu and select your video capture device. Point your webcam there and see yourself on the screen. You can set the camera in the place you like so that you can be seen in the best light.
Open Sources > Audio Devices and select your microphone.
Broadcast
On the Facebook Gaming page, at the top of the broadcast, click “Live”.You need to copy and paste the Stream key into the broadcast application. It should be interesting for viewers who may accidentally stumble upon your broadcast.
The tags must indicate the game. This is optional, but may increase viewership. You can add a video thumbnail, create polls, and ask questions to interact with viewers.
Then you can go live. A preview window of your broadcast will appear and it will be checked. The Creator Studio page opens.
Broadcast monitoring
Creator Studio contains a lot of important information. This is the number of viewers, information about the broadcast and its quality, the latest comments. So you can follow the broadcast. When a broadcast is over, Creator Studio shows you details with insights that can help improve future broadcasts.
And advances in computer technology, high-speed internet, and the ever-increasing popularity of esports have only taken these audience figures to new heights. The popularity of video game streaming is certainly not waning, but where did it all start?
Its emotionality and funny playthroughs quickly attracted attention, and soon other channels began to appear that broadcast their own gameplay videos.
How gamers turn streaming into a profession?
Female eSportswoman playing video games on her PC during a live broadcast
They share valuable knowledge about games that viewers can then use in their own game. Top streamers can receive money from sponsors, subscriptions and donations.There is definitely money to be made there, and if you have the skills and charisma to captivate your audience during a live broadcast, you might be able to become a streaming star too.
How to become a video game streamer?
If you are not afraid of working after hours and long streams, we can provide some valuable tips for a career in this field.
However, you will need to have a good understanding of your live streaming software of choice before posting any content. After all, no one wants to watch you fiddle with sound levels and picture quality.
Invest in decent streaming equipment – There’s no point in trying to attract an audience if you don’t have the right streaming equipment. After all, your tools are just as important as your content.
Here are the recommended specs for Twitch Studio: Windows 10 64-bit, NVIDIA GTX 10 or newer graphics card, 8GB RAM, 8-thread Intel or AMD processor. However, you need at least 32 GB of RAM to stream games and run the required applications in high quality.
Be Consistent – This is a very important point for every video game streamer, especially newcomers, as you will want to stream daily to grow your audience.
Engage with viewers – It’s important to talk to your audience, so don’t forget to check the chat from time to time.
Find your niche – It’s hard to be original in a sea of other video game streamers. If your streams are interesting to watch, your audience will grow.