Generating revenue through people paying to watch you play video games on a live stream would have sounded like fantasy a generation ago. Yet streamers like Ninja and Pokimane haven’t merely made it profitable, they have become millionaires and achieved global fame in the gaming community.
They are not the only ones. Dexerto recently published a list of the top 20 Twitch streamers, each of whom has millions of followers and generates the sort of revenue that would put doctors, lawyers and CEOs to shame.
Those members of the top 20 have plenty in common, such as youth, good looks and channels focused on Fortnite, CSGO or League of Legends. But they are only the tip of the streaming iceberg. Dig a little deeper and there are all sorts of unusual streamers out there, who might not count their subscribers in the millions but are nevertheless doing enough to make it work. Let’s meet a few of them.
Perception Check
Before the days of League of Legends, before even Minecraft, gamer geeks used to play Dungeons and Dragons. That’s exactly what the gamers on Perception Check do. As if that wasn’t weird enough for a Twitch stream, they do so with plenty of profanity and ranting. Oh, and one other thing, they are puppets. Don’t be fooled by the Sesame Street style, this channel is definitely not for the kids.
Roshtein
Online US casino gaming has never been as popular as it is today. The idea of watching someone else play slot games might not sound like compelling viewing. But then again, in days gone by, novices would stand around in arcades pretending not to watch the experts for tips. Roshtein has been streaming his slot gaming exploits since 2016, and this year the total subscribers tally topped a million. Roshstein’s popularity means he is courted by the casinos where he speculates for up to nine hours each day. You can be sure that even if he loses, they see to it that he is well supplied with bonus spins and the like as a thank you for all that publicity.
FishPlayStreetFighter
Anyone with preconceptions about what a “typical gamer” looks like would do well to visit AndrewChill’s channel. It stars Lemon, Lime, Cherry, Barrie and Grape, five GloFish whose tank has been divided into quadrants. These correspond to different button presses in Street Fighter II Turbo. The channel started back in 2014 with Andrew’s first pair of GloFish, named Aquarius and Robert the Bruce.
AriaBlarg
Aria’s channel streams an eclectic mixture of gaming content four evenings each week. You can never be sure what she will cover, but it certainly won’t be Fortnite or League of Legends. Horror is currently a favorite genre, but in the past she has covered everything from Harvest Moon to Conception II. With her family members also making regular appearances, this stream really is like being invited into someone’s home for the evening.
