So, anyway... I started streaming on Twitch last week just to find out firsthand how it works (and doesn't work). Here's what I can report:
- It's a very easy platform to stream on
- The chat emojis are totally idiotic
- Twitch is even more obnoxious than ScrewTube about music copyright
All in all, Twitch has made running these real-time on-screen graphic art streams a lot of fun. I like how smoothly everything works with OBS. But later, after the stream is done, I'm finding that at least 50% of the songs I play get muted. That's irritating. It's not like my eensy weensy channel is anywhere near monetization... meh.
It'll do!
I'm not crazy about Twitch. The name of it alone sounds like an unfavorable physical condition. Whoever came up with it is clearly some kind of sadist. But I wanted to do this project away from my ScrewTube channel since some of the material I'm working on in these streams is behind the scenes stuff for upcoming seasons of the Drive-In. I would be running the streams over here on #3speak but haven't been able (so far) to get/stay connected. Until that obstacle is overcome, I'll keep on doin' the thing over there and then putting the replays up this way so they can be presented, music intact.
For me, the reason to do streams like this is mostly to keep busy. I'm one of those weirdos that needs to constantly be making some kind of art or I start getting grumpy. But also, if someone who's curious about how to do graphics happens upon the work and learns something from it, that's really where my heart is. I'm not a great teacher because I lack the needed patience to calmly talk a person through the steps. However, a lot of what I've learned to do came from watching others demonstrating their techniques. So, if these streams offer something useful to someone who's starting out, that makes me happy.
So, here's my first-ever Twitch stream. There will be more to come. I hope you'll enjoy it, despite its roughness. If anyone has Hive-related ideas for graphics you'd like to see me do, please feel free to pipe up in the comments or drop in and say hi in the chat next time I'm live. You can follow me there at harkview_cinema to get notifications when I've got somethin' cookin'.