NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
In fact, this wasn’t my first time broadcasting.
Back in the old days, when the abyss announced its shutdown. To put it in terms of time, that was about 3 years ago. I used to stream briefly but quite regularly.
The reason is, well, obvious. It was to save the dying game. I couldn’t just stand idly by and watch my house slowly tilt over, could I?
So, I streamed. If we’re being picky, it wasn’t really even worthy of being called a broadcast.
That’s because I didn’t turn on the camera and didn’t use a separate mic.
I thought, why show off my not-so-good-looking face on camera? And as it happened, the panel of my computer case was broken, so I didn’t use a mic either.
With such conditions, how could the streaming go well? The game was a dead one with no influx of new players, and there were only meaningless characters moving around with no sound.
It was weird that the viewers came in and left again.
At least a small number of people I knew from the gallery stayed as if they were totems, but my broadcast ended up failing miserably without achieving its intended purpose. Not long after, there was an announcement that the game itself had also gone under.
Looking back now, it’s kind of funny. Here I was, trying to save the game with some sort of promotional stream while not even using a camera or mic.
I should have at least been a clown on camera! To stop the shutdown, I should’ve thrown my dignity out the window.
Given how things turned out, I’m glad I didn’t, though.
But what if I had? Would everything I did have been swapped with my current appearance, voice, and all? Who knows?
“Hmm….”
One thing’s for sure: I didn’t completely erase the fact that I had streamed.
– Recent streaming: 3 years ago
There’s a clear record of my broadcasting on the streaming site.
“I can just make do with the old equipment for now.”
I have a decent old mic. I don’t plan to use the camera right away. I don’t want to show my face from the get-go.
For now, it’s just a single computer, but it shouldn’t have any trouble running the abyss while streaming. The abyss isn’t a high-spec game; it’s well optimized, so this should be enough.
It wasn’t a high-spec game, nor was it particularly well-optimized, so this should be enough.
Thus, I could start the broadcast right away. But it was still too early.
There were still things to prepare aside from the broadcasting equipment.
*
How do you succeed in the world of personal broadcasting?
At first glance, it looks like an easy job to score. On the surface, it seems like you’re just sitting in front of a computer playing games, or even just killing time without actually playing, raking in money like any other employee.
Putting aside the efforts outside of broadcasting, just based on appearances, it’s easy to think it’s a free ride. In reality, it’s true that when you succeed, the workload is lower compared to the money you earn.
So how do I make sure viewers watch my broadcast?
Three methods immediately came to mind.
Firstly, becoming a ranked player in a popular game. In the past, this would’ve been impossible, but now that Abyss has become a legendary game, it might be feasible.
However, the current tier I reached after playing for almost two days is Diamond 4. It’s nowhere near the rank to call myself a competitor.
Ideally, I’d want to start my broadcast with the Challenger title, but getting there would take too long.
Given the nature of internet broadcasting, where income can be unpredictable, it’s better to get started as soon as possible.
So that idea is naturally out.
The second method is to make the thumbnail on the broadcast screen somewhat provocative.
For example, putting certain body parts in front of the camera.
A feast of skin showing on the screen would surely grab the interest of viewers.
And since I have quite the assets myself, it would definitely be possible –
No no, the more I think about it, this isn’t right. This method could seriously endanger my mental health. I’ll reconsider this only as a last resort.
Lastly, the third method is to siphon some of the audience from other broadcasts.
Collaborating with popular streamers or participating in well-attended tournaments falls under this category. Even a little spillover can help a Hako streamer rise quickly.
However… right now, there were no tournaments being held. Even if there were, I wouldn’t be able to participate since I hadn’t even done a proper stream yet.
It was a situation that made me sigh. Even if it were to open, there was no way I could participate, having never done a proper broadcast.
Collaborating with major corporate streamers was also a pipe dream. It’s common sense that a streamer wouldn’t let a complete stranger come on their broadcast.
If I did manage to make an appearance, I’d just end up as collateral in some game, but if I tried to snipe, I’d just get a ‘controversy’ section added to my wiki page. So no sniping, that’s a no-go.
So, I wonder, is this another failed method? Is there truly no way out? Well, not exactly.
I had been thinking that by appearing on a corporate broadcast, I could attract viewers.
Surprisingly, among the big streamers currently broadcasting on Twitch, there was one who let anyone join their stream for no cost whatsoever.
Thinking it was an appropriate time, I opened someone’s broadcast on my phone. A short advertisement screen welcomed me.
‘Right now, my tier is Diamond 4.’
Maybe the Abyss tier he’s in is also Diamond 4 like mine. It perfectly fits the conditions.
Huh? Why am I suddenly talking about tiers?
Ah, don’t worry. I’m not trying to snipe.
This is simply….
“Alright, actors, please enter. I’ll start the cue.”
It’s just a little participation content.
*
“Today too, the actors are very diligent. Look how quickly we got the cue.”
[Wow, it’s caught in 1 second, lol]
[Actors entering~]
[How do the snipers catch the cue, though?]
[Masks on for the masquerade]
[The Truman Show with a 9 to 1 ratio, whoa]
[Is there even a regular person among the actors?]
[Would there be? Lol]
The streamer known as Taker, whose real name is Jang Gun-hee, is quite famous among those broadcasting on Twitch.
He mainly plays Abyss, with viewer counts ranging from 3,000 at the least to 20,000 at the most—he’s a big streamer.
And his main content, the reason he became famous and why so many people watch his broadcasts?
It’s none other than sniping.
To be precise, it’s Gunhee getting ‘sniped.’ That really sums up his primary content.
It can be seen as content.
Gunhee, who frequently fluctuates between the diamond lower tiers and master, has always had an unusually high number of snipers following him.
Snipers are those who intentionally queue up in time with the streamer to play games together.
Naturally, having snipers mixed into the game makes it impossible to have a normal gaming experience. They aren’t there just to play games along with him in the first place.
That day was no different; it was another day of being plagued by snipers. After finishing a game with them, Gunhee suddenly thought.
What if I turn this into content?
After all, being targeted by snipers was unavoidable. If it couldn’t be avoided, why not enjoy it? The viewers seemed to enjoy watching him get targeted, so he thought it was time to fully set the stage.
Thus, the ‘filming’ was born.
The ‘filming’ held once a week stirred unexpected waves on Twitch, bringing him fame and simultaneously providing the momentum that propelled him to his current status as a streamer.
During ‘filming,’ even when snipers showed up, he neither got annoyed nor angry. In fact, he subtly urged them to come and snipe him.
He had turned the game itself with the snipers into content. Gunhee benefited from the broadcast, viewers found it fun, and the snipers enjoyed the attention they received.
In conclusion, it was a complete utopia where everyone was happy.
“Looks like familiar faces everywhere.”
As the game began and he quickly scanned the nicknames, Gunhee remarked.
The actors appearing in the filming hadn’t changed at all, just like before. A few would change each time, but the overall lineup was always the same.
Having been targeted so many times, Gunhee had even memorized the snipers’ nicknames. However,
“Huh?”
Today, for some reason, there was a new face appearing.
– Weak Camilla (Camilla)
This was a strange hero that he hadn’t seen before, and it wasn’t common for snipers to play heroes like this.
The chat seemed to notice the change as well, buzzing with curiosity, and Gunhee muttered in surprise.
“Is it not an actor… but a regular person joining in?”