The growth of streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming, alongside the success of names like Pokimane, xQc, Aztecross, Fuslie, and others, has given aspiring content creators a new avenue to make a living. However, the space is also a crowded one where breaking out can be tough, and it can be easy to quit after months with little to no viewers despite someone trying to get an audience on games like Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone. Tyler Blevins, better known as Ninja, suggests this may not be the best route to go for prospective streamers, though, and instead says it may be better to start with smaller titles and grow from there.While Ninja began his esports career in 2009 on Halo 3, his streaming career started in 2011 while he was a member of team Invictus and competing regularly on the Halo: Reach professional circuit. He would maintain a steady viewership over the next few years, riding the popularity of games like H1Z1 and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. However, Ninja's popularity exploded in late 2017 with the rise of Fortnite: Battle Royale, becoming the biggest streamer on Twitch and famously playing with musicians Drake and Travis Scott, along with then-Pittsburgh Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster.Ninja recently spoke with tech outlet CNET and was asked what steps prospective streamers should take when first starting out. Instead of trying to break out in massively popular titles, like Fortnite or Apex Legends, he suggested smaller games with a "more tight-knit community" is better to start building "a brand from scratch." He added that by going this route, relatively newer streamers are less likely to get buried in the game's directory page and more easily discoverable.
To further reinforce his point, Ninja uses his own early days streaming as proof. He said at the time he started streaming, there were roughly 30 to 40 Halo players regularly live at any given time, making it easier for viewers to find his stream.
Some aspiring streamers may be disappointed to hear this from Ninja, even if it is a sound approach for anyone starting out. An early goal in streaming, as in any sort of content creation, is to establish a stable and faithful audience to serve as a foundation before pursuing a larger one. By having that core audience, it becomes possible for said streamer or creator to make a living off their content and potentially open doors to work with other streamers or sponsors.
It's not to say newer streamers can't experience immediate growth or success on games like Call of Duty: Warzone, but it will be an uphill battle from the start for viewership. One can scroll through a popular game's directory page to see the dozens, if not, hundreds of streamers who are very good at popular games, but have little to no viewership. At the end of the day, though, it is up to the prospective streamer whether they will follow Ninja's advice or not.
Source: Dexerto