The secrets to becoming a successful web3 game streamer

You’d be forgiven for thinking there’s no room left for new game streamers. And maybe there isn’t, at least not within the traditional channels. The echoes of big-name game streamers are so loud that any new voices are just white noise, no matter how fun, informative or vibrant they might be.

But we know that the internet is changing. The third iteration of our connected lives is evolving as we speak, with the demand for cryptocurrencies, blockchain technologies, and new social platforms becoming bigger every day.

That’s why South African game streamer Paul Prinsloo has shifted his gaming attention over to Bolt+; the social web3 streaming platform that recently launched in partnership with Binance Pay.

So you want to become a game streamer?

“I actually got started on Tinder,” Paul laughs, as he chats with Johan Jamal from the Bolt+ team. “I matched with this one girl who was a gamer, and we chatted for a few months, and once she mentioned she was live on Twitch. So I thought, that’s cool, let’s go and check this out. She’s playing a few games and then someone drops a $100 donation and I was like, what?! You can make money out of this? Playing games? What is this?”

If you watch game streaming, that reaction will be very familiar to you. Either because you’ve said it yourself, or because someone looked over your shoulder and asked if people really watch this stuff.

But why not? What’s the real difference between watching someone play Call of Duty or watching someone play football? Either way, you’re watching someone else playing a game and, ideally, excelling at it.

By 2020 there were an estimated 1.2 billion people watching gaming video content (GVC). That number skyrocketed during the COVID lockdowns, as did the number of people publishing that content.

“I had to educate myself on everything about streaming,” Prinsloo continues. “Back then I ran a dual PC setup with an old laptop and a PC, running the streaming software through the laptop and just playing on my desktop, on 50fps and the worst camera quality. But that’s how I got started.”

Game streaming can no longer be considered a fad, and it’s become a genuine, even practical professional ambition for a lot of people. People like Paul, who has been playing League of Legends for a long time, suddenly discover their time-hoovering hobby has become a marketable skill.

“A while back you could check how much time you wasted on League of Legends. About three years ago I was around 10,000 hours!”

That’s Paul’s “comfort game.” One he knows inside and out, is good at, and has enough experience and knowledge of to be able to talk about with real passion. An essential aspect if you want to become a game streamer yourself.

Know thy game.

Figure out what your audience wants to see

“I’ve done a lot of research into this,” Paul says, as he discusses ways to make your game streaming stand out. “A streamer that gets into a game early and grows with that game is going to get views. Let’s say 100 people want to watch the game. Ten of those want to see you, and will follow you to any game. They just want to see you play, and how you react.”

Developing your gaming skills isn’t enough, as Paul learned during his time in front of the camera and behind the keyboard. Letting your personality as a gamer shine through is where the hardcore fans are found. Connect through the game, and then develop that connection into a community that transcends the very thing that brought you together.

“When you switch from a popular game to a game that you actually want to play, you’ll take some of that viewership with you. That’s where your diehard fans come from, who support you. If you can find a game that you like and your audience likes; that’s golden.”

He’s also very much of the opinion that there’s no faking it till you make it. “If your audience likes a game and you absolutely abhor it, it’s better not to play that! Your audience will notice that you don’t like it, and that’s when the vibes disappear.”

You’ve got your games, so where should you stream them?

Streaming options are rather limited, and most new content creators lean towards the same platforms that their favourite streamers use. But as we’ve already discussed, the digital ground is shifting beneath the feet of these established giants. As the interests of digital natives drift, the tools, features, and opportunities offered by well-known streaming platforms are found to be lacking.

Even a seasoned creator like Paul is always on the lookout for new platforms to connect with his audiences. And he found a brand new one in a rather unlikely place.

“I saw Bolt+ in one of Binance’s promotional emails, and it said, “Bolt is now partnered with Binance.” I thought, what’s this?!”

His confusion is understandable, and not just because Bolt+ is new. Being a South African, he was aware of a local taxi service with a similar name, and initially assumed that he could now pay for rides using crypto.

“I looked at the [Bolt+] website and at the top, there’s a button to apply to become a live streamer! I filled in the form and didn’t think a lot more about it. Then I got an email asking to jump on a Zoom call, and I think that’s where it clicked. That personal touch, the willingness to go out of their way to welcome potential new streamers to the platform. That definitely differentiated Bolt+ from Twitch. Having someone to talk to. That go-to person. Then they told me about their vision, what Bolt+ wants to accomplish, new ideas for the future… and as a crypto enthusiast myself, I wanted to see this future!”

Bolt+ is a social entertainment service that’s part of Bolt, which is on a mission to build web3-enabled platforms and services for the next generation of the internet. The social streaming service went live recently and incorporates Binance Pay to instantly allow viewers to send tips and virtual gifts to content creators using cryptocurrency.

Despite being a fledgling service, Bolt+ is seeing an immediate uptake in the popularity of its sports and esports offerings. That includes early adopter live streamers like Paul who’ve found their way onto the platform so quickly.

What’s the Bolt+ web3 experience like for game streamers?

“The experience to go live has been relatively seamless,” Paul enthusiastically explains. “What I like the most so far is the community. They’ve been really welcoming, and they’re interactive because a streamer can only really talk when people are talking back.”

Alongside the crypto tipping and virtual gifts (which also carry a financial value for the recipient), every stream has a live chat, and viewers can follow their favourite creators and channels at the click of a button. New features are coming online every day.

“One of the cross-fit mottos I love is “better than yesterday”. I’m getting that same vibe from Bolt+. That it’s better than yesterday. It improves, they take critique and hear the opinions of the people who are using the platform.

“It’s a breath of fresh air,” he continues. “I didn’t know how important it was to me until I realised I was being heard. It never occurred to me that I could be heard and that the suggestions I made as a live streamer could be taken seriously, and be acted upon.”

The key to becoming a professional game streamer on web3

It’s not just about getting in on the ground floor of a web3 streaming platform either. In the short time Paul’s been streaming League of Legends and Valorant on Bolt+, the return on investment has been clear to see. The culture of tipping and gifting is becoming well-established, and the immediate, secure nature of the transactions is proving to be incredibly popular with content creators.

Already Paul’s earnings on Bolt+ have surpassed what he was seeing on other, established channels. Not least because Bolt+ returns 90% of earnings to its content creators, whereas similar platforms take almost half their donations in fees. All of which is bolstered by fast, immediate access to the revenue he’s earned. If desired, a content creator can cash out after every live stream.

“The advantage of Binance Pay is already huge,” Paul explains “If I get a donation on Twitch, it goes to my PayPal, but you can’t always use the cash you get. Then, of course, a South African getting US dollars means you have to convert it through your bank. So there are fees there, you have to fill in tax forms asking why this money’s coming through in dollars; it’s a shlep to go through everything! With Binance Pay, boom, you get it, and you can use it!”

All of this is conspiring to make Bolt+ a sleeper hit among game streamers and other content creators. The democratization of revenue streams that put the creators’ needs at the fore, and don’t exclude people who are unbanked or unable to receive certain fiat currencies is a tectonic shift in the content economy. With a plan to soon bring NFTs into the creators’ arsenal, so they can deliver customized content to holders, Bolt+ is establishing itself as a powerful entry point to web3 for crypto experts and blockchain newcomers alike.

But this doesn’t mean it has to be one or the other for streamers with a vision.

“At the moment I’m only streaming to Bolt+ because I like what I see,” Paul concludes. “But don’t feel like streaming to multiple places is diluting your brand. I think that’s a fallacy. Stream to as many as you want.

“As the Bolt+ platform grows I’m really looking forward to the advertising that’ll appear, the sponsorships, the NFTs. It’s really exciting, the number of things out there for Bolt+. And I’m here at the start!”

Join Bolt+ for free right here, connect up your Binance wallet, and make sure you tell us when your first stream is going live.