SUBSCRIBE to the Magazine. How the streaming host Twitch allows gamers the chance to make a living off of their favorite addictive pastime. Ray Narvaez, who streams under the screen name BrownMan, quit his production job to become a full-time streamer. Over the past several years, the video gaming industry has evolved from a play-to-win sport to something more like the music industry, with fans paying to be entertained live by performers they love.

For those who make a living from gaming, Twitch —one of the major hosts for console and PC streamers around the world—is the main place to be these days.

But does it bring in enough cash flow for it to be a full-time job? With that in mind, we turned to two Twitch streamers who follow two different approaches to earning a living in the streaming business.

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We asked them how exactly they make their money, and why they ended up on Twitch. Twitch is a streaming service. Think of it as YouTube but for live video game content.

Viewers create accounts and follow streamers, who play games live, and interact with their viewers. It began as a start-up company in and quickly became one of the leading hosts for e-sports. InAmazon bought the company for million dollars.

Currently, Twitch has million monthly viewers, each spending a little less than two hours a day watching live gaming.

And then there are the streamers themselves, one million people who play for audiences ranging from hundreds of thousands to no one at all. Ray Narvaezwhose user name on Twitch is BrownManleft a full-time job at a production company called Rooster Teeth to join the video streaming culture. For him, the lure of being able to interact directly with the viewer drew him to video streaming and eventually to Twitch. Narvaez doing a co-stream last month with Leah, which demonstrates some of the cross promotion that streamers do with one another.

However, the jump to full-time streaming can be nerve wracking, as it means giving up a guaranteed paycheck to move to a job where the money fluctuates from day to day. For Narvaez, the confidence he needed to keep going came on his first day when he received upwards of 20, dollars from people who wanted to help facilitate his transition to full-time streaming. While Narvaez made the how much money do twitch streamers make per subscriber to quit his full-time job and dive headfirst into Twitch other gamers how much money do twitch streamers make per subscriber have part-time jobs elsewhere.

Leah— forex trading course irelandlike many streamers, prefers not to share her full name in order to keep her private life separate from the streaming world— streams on Twitch as LeahLovesChief and mostly plays the game Destiny.

She is also a freelance videographer, a job that is perfect to have along side streaming, she says.

Subscriptions are the most straightforward source of income for Twitch players. It requires a certain number of average monthly views as well as a certain number of people who are willing to "follow" followers don't always become subscribers, though before Twitch essentially agrees to pay you for the content you stock trading seminars london as a streamer.

The monetary compensation that streamers receive from subscriptions is a flat fee that the streamers receive monthly based on their viewer numbers, which can vary wildly from month to month.

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However, that is just the base income. The best way to make money on Twitch is through tips and donations. According to Leah, tips can be very helpful to a new streamer, to both improve their equipment and genesis elite trading signals make their life a little the truth about robots for binary options. Leah says people often do tip because the hours of entertainment or joy they receive from a streamer, especially a good one, is worth a voluntary monetary contribution.

Sometimes the donations are to get a reaction, like when a viewer drops dollars or more at a time. Both Narvaez and Leah are also making live appearances at conventions this month promoting their channels. That income is real, and when you break it down, a donation seems modest, when you consider that a few bucks per person is far cheaper than the price of, say, a concert or movie ticket, and often for more hours of entertainment.

Leah sets her minimum amount at two British pounds around three U. And big tips do happen, Leah says, especially in the midst of deep discussions in the chat section.

Narvaez says he gets a decent amount of donations from international viewers, especially if the gamer is willing to stream during off hours when those viewers would be watching live.

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According to Narvaez and Leah, other miscellaneous revenue streams include merchandise like T-shirts and other apparel or paraphernalia. Some people even have companies that sponsor them.

Sponsors will pay certain streamers for endorsing a brand or to simply be associated with a popular face. Partners have the option to run adverts but have no control over the adverts themselves outside of choosing the time they should run for: Remember, most streamers are going for hours at a time.

The key to a livable income is making use of all avenues for revenue. What Leah and Narvaez have in common is an understanding that their viewers aren't giving them money because of the game: They're doing it for the personality. When they do pay, they are paying for extras, since the content is technically free. Some fans will do more for publicity than income, some will be good for a few months of income and move on.

But the more loyal fans you have, the more people you'll have around. So for those who believe their calling lies in video game streaming, video streaming veterans say to follow these rules to monetize their joy:. A Bonnier Corporation Company. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Skip to main content. Clay Whittaker posted Aug 18th, at 2: Viewers aren't giving them money because of the game: A recent stream from this month, which shows Leah playing the video game, Destiny.

So for those who believe their calling lies in video game streaming, video streaming veterans say to follow these rules to monetize their joy: Build up a small following beforehand. Have another source of income at first.