How to get started as a professional streamer in the world of gaming

Getting paid to play video games – sounds pretty good right?

Doing what you love and turning it into a career is the kind of fantasy millions have, but relatively few ever achieve.

And maybe for good reason. In reality, the sight of most of us gamers in our sweatpants, bleary-eyed and covered in crisp crumbs at 1am isn’t something people would pay to see.

Some people, though, seem born to do it and look more natural than ever in front of the camera – but what does it actually take to make it as a professional streamer in the world of gaming?

It wasn’t long ago, before the rise in streaming, that being a pro gamer was nothing but a pipe dream for even the most talented people. In 2024, though, there are more platforms and opportunities than ever to give it a go as a content creator in the world of gaming – as long as you’ve got what it takes to make it.

According to one streamer on the rise, there are no shortcuts. It’s all about building a sense of community and putting in the graft.

Gamer and TikTok user @ttvmedzn, known as Medz, has close to 40,000 followers on the platform and his uploads featuring Call of Duty gameplay have upwards of 835,000 views.

Medz now records content in the same London studios as the likes of Kai Cenat, but it wasn’t always a case of playing with thousands watching.

Like everyone else, when Medz started out, “it was only a handful of people” watching him upload content on TikTok.

It’s important not to get disheartened early on. “It can feel like a bit of a kick in the teeth sometimes,” he said. “Remind yourself where you started. You were going to be playing the game you enjoy playing anyway. And you've really got to just try and block the numbers out when you start out especially.”

It’s only natural to want to grow your following. Crucially, though, gamers have to make sure their content is as good as it can be before they think about making money and making a name for themselves.

“It's like running a business. You need to worry about providing a good quality service or selling a good quality, high-quality product, before you're just worrying about the money that's coming in, otherwise, you're never gonna make any money,” says Medz. “As long as you're really focusing on putting out the best content, and you're putting 110 per cent into every stream that you do, I don't think you can go wrong.

“Everything in terms of what your viewers see is just a true reflection on you and your character. Over time, the numbers will gradually start building up.”

Discipline is key, too. Spending hours gaming might sound like a lot of fun, but keeping up a regular schedule is important in the early days of establishing viewer numbers.

“The main thing for me is obviously I try to dedicate as much time into it as I possibly can… On a good day, if we were to look at live streaming, gaming, content creation editing as a whole, I could probably invest anywhere up to like 10 hours a day into it.”

Medz at European Gaming Expo at the Excel Arena@ttvmedz

From an outsider’s perspective, streaming might seem like a fairly solitary way to make a living – but for Medz and other players like him, it’s about building a sense of community with his viewers, which he does by setting up “subscriber games where they get everyone involved” and “custom lobbies” where and everyone can play together.

“It's really focused on creating an escape for the community to come in, and feel welcome and a part of something… really make sure that we're supporting people where we can.

“I think community is everything. If you're starting out in the world of content creation, and live streaming, and your main priority is just a few quid, you're never gonna get there. That's a bonus that comes with, that's a reward for you.”

“If you're prioritizing things like creating an escape, bringing a group of incredible people together, who enjoy what they're a part of making it really inclusive, you’ll be much better off.”

Having said that, there does come a point where streamers want to convert views into cash.

“There are all different ways where you can monetize what you're doing. For example, bringing out merchandise, you're selling items of clothing with the logo on it, or items of clothing with phrases that you sell on your streams or things that you're known for. You can advertise on your streams now and you can get ad revenue, generate ad revenue from certain platforms and even sponsorships.”

Drilling down into the specifics, Medz added: “You can monetize streams through TikTok. People can send gifts… So if you've got a really strong supportive community and people behind you, you've really got an opportunity.

For Medz, though, it’s always about remembering why he first started streaming.

“I'll just remind myself why I started off in the first place. Because I'll be playing the game anyway, I enjoyed doing it.”

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