I'm looking for some info or guidelines that could prove helpful in getting into streaming on one of the popular sites, and possibly creating content on Youtube. Obviously I'm rather new to it all, so please bare with me.
I've had the interest for a while now. Atleast once a day I find myself on Twitch jumping around Diablo and MOP streams. I'm curious as to how some of these more popular streamers make enough to make a living off of going live as much as they do. A good majority of the SC2 and Diablo streamers are pretty much always live. Does it really pay that much to be popular among these games? I don't think I would want it to become a full time thing for me, though I am online maybe 3/4 of a weekday. When I'm not in class or hanging out with my girlfriend, I am glued to my PC so time would not be an issue.
My main concern would be getting the partnership itself. I know you don't have to have a partnership to stream, but it's what I'm looking for. How could someone new and upcoming get exposure in such a crowded atmosphere? How do I get my number of viewers to increase? That's what I'm looking for the most insight on.
Lastly, what hardware do you suggest I upgrade in order to smoothly stream 720p+ content lag free? My specs are as follows:
Windows 7 64-bit
8.00 GB Ram
Intel Quad Q9650 3.00GHz
GTX 560 Ti 4050MB
700GB HDD
250GB SSD
Speedtest:
Ping: 25ms
28.60Mbps download
4.93Mbps upload
I would run a second 1440 x 900 monitor alongside a 1920 x 1080. I am looking to upgrade the GPU around Christmas. Probably go big and get something in the 600 series. I think my CPU would be able to handle it. I'll look into purchasing an XSplit license when I get some more concrete ideas.
All advice and critique is welcome. Thanks in advance.