ScienceStreams on Twitch

So I did this thing.
I started streaming on Twitch.

When I first started the streaming journey I wasn't sure where I was going with it. I started at first to get an idea of how everything worked for the esports program I was running at school. I needed to figure out the technical aspects, but also the social and cultural load that comes with it. The social and cultural depth here is huge. Hours were spent discovering what terms like "Raiding" and "Bits" meant. I figured going into this I was in for some learning; this has been intense!

I started streaming, in part, to help the Rensselaer Esports team stream. We're looking to stream practices and matches on a regular basis. Streaming at home and learning there definitely helped. I encourage anyone who is running an esports program to stream themselves first to get to know what streaming is (I'll be writing a separate post about the esports program).

I've also been streaming for personal enjoyment. Figuring out technology and how it works has always been a hobby; streaming fit right into this! I recently got a new microphone and enjoyed the process of setting it up and adjusting settings. I love learning these things! For about a decade now I've been making my own videos and publishing them for science class. Recording myself is a commonplace thing at this point. Taking the leap to live streaming was not effortless; however, the transition was easier due to my earlier endeavors with screencasting.

A few other experiences got me going. Last year I attended PAX East and at several panels the panelists encouraged those in attendance to stream. One panelist said, and I'll paraphrase here, "Don't worry if someone else is streaming the same thing as you. Get out there and do it. You just might do it better."

I also attended USM Summer Spark and attended Michael Matera's talk on maintaining a YouTube channel. Check his channel out here. He had lots of great insights on using video for personal growth as well as professionally. That talk edged me towards getting going streaming. Six months later I was Affiliate on Twitch and still stream three times a week.

Check out my channel and consider streaming.