(I've tried asking if this forum is just meant for technical help with streaming problems or if it can also be for discussion of streaming culture and have gotten crickets in response, so if this is out of line.....hey, I tried)
But, yeah. This has been on my mind a lot lately. If someone want to be known as a speedrunner and tries to make their channel "a speedrunning channel" is there value in streaming non-proficient gameplay (i.e. first playthroughs and/or games you don't ever intend to run) ? Is it better or worse than streaming nothing at all? This has on occasion kept me from wanting to stream at all because it feels like if I'm not doing runs, or at the very least working toward doing runs, then what the fuck is the point and what's separating me from a hundred thousand other idiots screaming into the wilderness.
I guess "purpose" is the operative word here. Do you feel like you can stream with a purpose if you're not streaming runs/work toward runs? I kinda don't. But maybe that doesn't bother most people, I dunno.
I just stream what ever I enjoy I only started it recently but if I want to speedrun I will if I want to play animal crossing I will well I guess depends what your purpose is, mine is just to have fun. So if I enjoy a game I will play it skill level could be 0 or 100 haha but I also like to speedrun its fun too so thats what happens :)
One of my favourite streamers is a prolific speedrunner but he also does casual playthroughs and that's fun to watch too
The answer to this question depends entirely on what you’re trying to do with you channel.
If you’re trying to make streaming something more than a hobby, something that can make you money, then the content you put out needs the full support of your community of viewers. If your viewers want to watch you do casual playthroughs then go for it. If they have no interest, then I’d be hesitant to do it since it’s not gonna be received well.
If you’re streaming for fun or you don’t care about numbers or anything like that, then do whatever your heart desires and whatever you find fun. At the end of the day, that’s what matters. If you get no viewers and it’s not fun for you, then I probably wouldn’t do it, but as long as you’re enjoying it, keep at it.
It depends on the game. Sometimes I won't because I don't want to get spoiled, or I just don't feel like it. Sometimes I will if I feel like it and there's not much to get spoiled on.
Personally I pretty much exclusively stream speedrunning content because I don't find casual gameplay to be very interesting to watch in most cases, and I'm much better at talking about what's going on in a run than I am in a game that I'm blindly stumbling through for the first time.
I don't think you need a "purpose" to stream anything. It helps, and it's part of the appeal of watching speedrunners, but it isn't a strict requirement. Plenty of speedrunners I enjoy occasionally take breaks from doing runs and play things casually. Though it's worth noting that you'll typically get less viewers if you do anything outside of your normal content. Some of your viewers are only there for the game you're playing, some are only there for speedrunning content, and a select few are there because they like your personality. But if you don't care about your stats at all (which, unless you're trying to make money from it, you maybe shouldn't) then do whatever makes you happy.
If your concern is growth, consistency and content trumps all. The best speedrunner in the world has no audience if his stream schedule is spotty and inconsistent, so I would certainly say stream something over nothing.
That said, do what you enjoy and develop a community. I was exclusively speed running games, then decided I wanted to learn Chess. I started streaming the learning process and now it takes up about half my streaming hours. My crew loves it! So I say diversify as long as that's something you want to do, don't chase the viewers.