How to be a Confident Streamer – updated with video

comic con confidence streaming Jan 27, 2020

 

Maybe you came to the show, maybe you missed it, either way here’s the video!


The greatest videogame convention in the land we call Eng(land), EGX, returns to London for its 2019 edition. Simultaneously rendering our EGX Survival Guide useless and being just down the road from Coaching for Geeks HQ, meaning we can run some things at the show. Here’s the first of five!

 

HOW TO BE A CONFIDENT STREAMER

2pm THURSDAY 17th OCTOBER – EGX FRINGE

Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, Clutch – there’s never been more ways to play games in front of an audience. Whether you’re broadcasting live, sharing clips, or doing a full edit, it means putting yourself out there in front of people.

Robin, from Coaching for Geeks, hosts a panel covering the ups and downs, growing an audience, handling terrible people in the comments, and more. However, Robin only streams a couple of times a year so he’s called in some help.

Joining him are Becky Frost, Jamie Nuttall, and Bex Trista.

Becky Frost – SpecialEffect

 

Becky works for SpecialEffect, the gamers’ charity, a UK based charity, which uses video games and technology to enhance the quality of life of people with severe physical disabilities. Her work in the fundraising and communication team involves volunteer coordination, handling the charity’s stands at gaming expos and games industry conferences and helping out with annual fundraising events.

One of the biggest annual fundraising events that SpecialEffect host is GameBlast, a yearly fundraising drive focused on live streaming. Over the last weekend of February (that’ll be Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd 2020, mark your diaries) hundreds of streamers take part in fundraising streams in aid of SpecialEffect. All over the world, on loads of different platforms and playing loads of different games, it’s a really lovely example of #GamersUnite and every single stream helps to raise thousands of pounds to enable SpecialEffect to help more disabled people to enjoy the fun and inclusion of video games.

Becky started streaming 2 years ago as a way to learn about the platform that many GameBlasters were using for their streams, hoping that a bit more technical knowledge would prove useful for newer fundraisers. Not only did she learn a lot of useful info that’s helped new streamers get involved in GameBlast and informed the resources that SpecialEffect provides for GameBlasters, but she was also surprised to find that she actually really enjoyed it too!

She uses everything she learns from hanging out with her small (but awesome!) community on her own Twitch channel to inform the content for the main SpecialEffect channel, most recently starting a live-record podcast to keep people up-to-date on what’s going on behind the scenes at the charity.

When she’s not streaming, Becky can be found at gaming events such as EGX, Comic Con and Insomnia heading up a team of amazing volunteers, or posting FAR too many pictures of her rescue dog Chester the corgi on Twitter.

Jamie Nuttall – Blackwater Griefers

 

Jamie has been gaming since he can remember with the first game to capture his imagination being Pokémon Red.

His love for gaming spiralled as RPG’s seem to have been his preferred genre. He is an avid Skyrim fan having racked up well over 2,500 hours on multiple consoles.

He first built a community on DC Universe Online on the PC where he ran a 100 + League of villains called the Intergalactic Crusaders. They would host PVP events, give out prizes, raid and generally have a good time. His attempts at GTAV Online were somewhat futile being only a slightly above average gamer!

In 2018 when Red Dead Redemption 2 Online came out Jamie decided to take the leap and try it out. Having met a few people through Facebook groups he eventually found a ‘gang’ of gamers dedicated to eradicating the online trolls and his journey in RDR2O began.

Jamie now runs a group known as the Blackwater Griefers (BWG) on Xbox One. At the pinnacle of its heights there were over 100 members on XB1 including potential recruits they called sitting ducks. Although the game has slowed down in terms of active players, he is hoping that the recent update will bring more and more players back into the world of RDR2O.

The BWG became infamous for their loud and controversial prowess. They had pseudo permits claiming that players needed these in order to fish and hunt. They became the boogeymen of the Wild West. Players would dread seeing them, not because they were particularly skilled, but because they were the real bandits of RDR2O.

Jamie has over 4K followers on Clutch, which is a clip-sharing app and is one of the most followed in the world for RDR2O content. He is also the founder and owner of Blackwater Times, a pseudo-news page for all the recruitment, call outs and gossip within the different gangs with over 1K followers and 7 mods.

When Jamie isn’t role-playing as a bandit online, creating clips for Clutch or streaming his escapades on Mixer, he is a chartered accountant, American football coach and musician.

Follow Jamie on Clutch, on Facebook with the Blackwater Times, on Mixer and Instagram.

Bex Trista – Trista Bytes

 

Bex has been a gamer since the 80’s with a love for all things retro, especially her beloved Megadrive and Jaguar! A content creator for 4 years known primarily for indie game developer & indie comic artist interviews on Youtube and for retro gaming & geek chatter live over on Twitch as well as a presenter at live events.

Hooked on comics since their first X-Men comic from the local corner shop, anime since Speed Racer and on sci-fi since watching Star Trek The Original Series, Flight of the Navigator, Transformers & Doctor Who as a kid (that last one from behind a sofa). Bex continued her love of art & media following an art & media path at college before obtaining a film & English literature degree & would love to go back to finish a masters one day.

When not streaming or editing videos she is often found out in the wild working at Comic Cons and gaming conventions across the UK. Her presenter career started at corporate events & leading training sessions for businesses before breaking out on her own & forging her own path. Bex is known for her bubbly, confident, personality on camera and on stage, and has presented at events such as MCM Comic Con & Play Expo; so despite only adding Twitch to her roster this year has already started carving out her own space by bringing her years of previous experience to the medium.

Her path to starting a career as a streamer is an interesting one and gives another perspective on how to approach improving your own skills. 

Follow Trista Bytes on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

Robin Bates – Coaching for Geeks

 

Holding it all together and asking the questions is Robin Bates. Robin is the founder and overlord of Coaching for Geeks. He grew up as a shy, nerdy kid, and spent years figuring out social interactions, and confidence in any situation.  He may only stream twice a year for GameBlast, but the Coaching for Geeks community has raised over a thousand pounds for SpecialEffect, so he must be doing something right.

Robin loves getting in front of an audience and doing stupid things; from karaoke to playing games of all kinds, running quizzes, hosting panels, he may be part narcissist and craves the thrill of the live audience. He hasn’t quite adapted to an electronic audience and is totally using this panel to learn a few tips and tricks to managing the experience of streaming on Twitch, and growing an audience.

When not speaking at a convention, reviewing escape rooms and immersive theatre, working 1-2-1 with his awesome coaching clients (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! *waves*) or writing about confidence, Robin spends most of his time looking after the Coaching for Geeks community, a group of over 1300 geeks and pop culture fans, who work together to get stuff done, become more confident, more awesome, and generally be good people.

Follow Robin on Twitter, YouTube, or check out the rest of Coaching for Geeks.

 

Can’t make it to EGX?

We’ll do our best to find a way to stream, or record, the panel so you can catch up later. No promises.

We’re doing more at EGX, more info soon!

 

 

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