This is the first in a series of blog posts I plan on doing this week regarding gaming, responsible streaming, community, and the lack of response from platforms when people report harassment.
Being a Responsible Streamer
Streaming can be a super fun way to interact with other people who enjoy gaming. You can be your true authentic self or you can create a persona. But you have to be sure that no matter which you choose, you always think about the amount of responsibility that comes with building and marketing yourself. You have to understand that your viewer base is incredibly diverse (age, sex, gender, race, mental capacity) and therefore you have to be careful how you choose to come across. Typically shy in real life and want to create a persona that's kind of out there and outrageous? Fine. But be mindful of the way you talk, what you post to Twitter, or in Discord forums. You have very impressionable minds following you, hanging on your every word, who go out into the real world and mimic and try to be you (for whatever reason). I realize, you're probably sitting there "well, I can't help how my community chooses to show up in the real world, when they aren't watching my stream". And I agree, you can't. But you CAN be aware of the way you act and talk while streaming. The way you talk while gaming in major PvP games (Sea of Thieves, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Valhorent to name a few). Because these kids (or adults) are going into those same games or saying shit to their friends faces that they shouldn't be saying.
We as streamers have to be responsible for our actions during our streams so that when our community goes out and takes those actions into the real world, it is not reflected badly on us. And if you're a streamer that could give two shits less about how your actions on stream affect others, shame on you. If you are a streamer who is thinking "if people take shit I say, which are clearly jokes, literally, I can't help it." You're a piece of garbage.
Also, as streamers, we should consider ourselves coworkers. I had a different post regarding trash talking other stream communities back in February (and being that I only have like 3 posts on this blog so far, this one included, you should be able to go back and read it). For those that don't care enough, the just of that post is this: you are welcome to not like another streamer, stream team, or community all you want. But when you publicly call them out for something so small, in the grand scheme of things you look like an asshole. Vent to your family, vent to a private channel in your discord, or directly to your mods. But there is no reason to air your grievance over something as small as adding a panel to your twitch page in order to be part of the stream team. It's stupid. And in the end, doesn't matter at all.
The last thing I'm going to talk about when it comes to being a responsible streamer is alcohol consumption...especially while streaming. I'm not going to sit here and say it is irresponsible to drink while streaming, especially when you're playing games with friends. But I am going to say do it responsibly. Know your limits, Be aware of how different types of alcohol change your behavior, specifically while gaming. I've personally seen alcohol quickly change a streamers demeanor and they became more aggressive while playing the game.
Ok. I think that covers everything I wanted to blog about regarding being a responsible streamer.
