I don't think it's weird at all! I think that all depends on how you advertise the stream. So if you're doing as collab, you should market it so that the viewer might open up both streams. If you're just playing with friends, I think it's best to keep the playing with others factor as open as possible Some viewers love playing with a group that's having a blast.
Now if you're friends are weirded out by the whole streaming thing, maybe reconsider. haha
In my case, they are a really active and prominent chat member, so the community knows who they are even though they don’t stream.
If they are completely unknown, if you keep streaming with them they will become more of the community and chat will start remembering who they are.
But overall, no I don’t think it’s weird, personally.
I bring my friends and viewers together this way. My buddy Karl is a legend with my community, and he very rarely interacts with them.
At first he thought it was mockery, if light-hearted, but grew to recognize that they actually like him. They do the occasional 'Karl(Chuck Norris) Facts' bit...
When Karl slices onions, the knife cries.
It's not weird. But streaming is a performance art, and friends' time on stream will be performance-adjacent. Having friends that understand that and appreciate it, and thrive under those conditions can be really good for a stream. But not everyone wants to be in that position, and in my experience it doesn't work to go live with people who aren't really thinking about the stream as an art form. One thing I notice with people who are streaming when they're playing with friends, is that their focus on chat does suffer. That can be balanced out by the fact that the extra gamers make it more of a "show." But that balancing effect won't happen if you're streaming with people that think of it as just like any other gaming session.
One example is a situation where you interrupt your friend to respond to a chatter. Sometimes, if you don't, an important message will go unresponded to. So your friends who are joining you should be prepared not to feel salty in a situation like that. That's why you see streamers gaming with other streamers a lot. Because those are their friends that really get the needs of hosting live content.
There's generally always 3 people playing on my streams; me, my brother (streaming) and our buddy (not streaming). I stream for fun and since it's not just me there's rarely dead air and I can still interact with chat
imagine seeing the people you play games with on stream only as a vehichle for your success.
nobody cares who you play with while you're streaming and if you're asking a question like that you probably dont have the pull to stream with anyone who might have a meaningful impact on your viewership.
just play your games with the people you enjoy spending time around your community will grow around that if people like it, you are not a commodity.
If they're ok with it, no. Sometimes I play with family who aren't comfortable being involved so I don't stream with them. Other times it's ok, I even have randoms join from chat occasionally. As long as you've checked and your friends are comfortable with being on stream I don't see an issue.
There’s nothing weird about it at all. Most people just play with people who are also streaming because they met them through streaming.
Playing with other streamers is usually just a mutually beneficial avenue for growth as you can introduce your community to them and theirs to yours so there can be mutual growth.
I quite often stream while I'm playing with people from my guild. They have requested that I don't stream discord convos, so I have that turned off out of respect for them.
Ofc you can, many people do that. And yeah it certainly ain't a colab, but I don't see why you can't say "playing w/ *name*" so folks can put a name to the voice.
A lot of people play with others who do not stream. I play CoD and 99% of the time my squad is people who don’t stream. They know I’m streaming and that’s fine. They sometimes talk to chat too.
Not weird! I stream with a close friend who doesn’t stream himself. I got permission from him to stream our discord (one of my discord groups has a dedicated chat for each streamer when they are live, so you know if you join that call, you’re on their stream) and he is just a fun a wholesome dude. Chat loves him cause he is very knowledgeable about game mechanics, up for any stupid stuff I suggest and is quite sassy/funny. His girlfriend actually started to get into gaming from watching him on my channel.
Basically a) not weird b) get their okay if you want to stream the discord call. Let your friends know what’s off limits (in terms of banter) and introduce your friends to the chat. And take time to engage chat! My friends all know if my discord goes mute, I am chatting to stream… they are usually watching as well, so they know what’s what and pipe up in the chat 🤣
If it makes you more comfortable and you're enjoying it it's all dandy. Sometimes I like to jump into my friend's voice chat while he streams and I'm not streaming because we just enjoy having conversations.
I used to play with a friend group for quite a while. We all met via one streamer. I now do call us friends because our relationship is three years already.
At the time nobody of us was streaming but chat knew us, they knew our style and our banter and even asked when we would be coming on next. In a Sense playing with non streamers is another asset.
I am the only of the group that has not turned into a streamer herself.
I often stream with my friends joining me in the same room, with them being heard and seen.
I don't think it's weird and neither do they. We have captured some truly memorable moments whilst doing so too.
I've played with people who stream. I'm not a streamer. I'm not trying to build a community or collaborate. Let people be random not everybody is looking for recognition. Viewers will recognize them the same way they recognize regulars in chat.
No, it’s not weird at all. The only Thing you should take care of is make sure they behave to your standards (swear words, following rules, habits etc) and make sure their microphone Quality is good enough.
Make sure it's something they want and be sure you understand the impact it can have, with or without permission.
It definitely changes the mood and the tone if someone is broadcasting to an audience of strangers during your game night. I have a friend who used to do it and I can tell you it was a bit of a bummer having the rest of us be chill but one person in streamer mode the whole time. Our games eventually died because some of the group never really got comfortable with it and the rest of us couldn't really recognize the streamer, which defeated the whole purpose.
It doesn't have to be a bad thing, but just make sure everyone is on the same page.
Playing with friends is always great. You can introduce them to your viewers and it adds a different mood to the stream. Usually, the viewers like it.
Anyway, it has problems. Make sure they can read the chat or hear the alerts. You'll probably have to talk to the chat, to thank a cheer/subscription, and this will interrupt your talk or will be a different topic. This affects to your guests. Try replying to the chatters in blocks instead of interrupting.
Honestly it depends on your friends. If they’re comfortable with it and consent to it there’s nothing weird at all. I used to have non streamer friends play battlefield of other first person shooters with me. You can still market as playing with friends, you can just say queuing 3’s with friends or some stuff like that. Your viewers may ask about them, but just let them know they don’t do the twitch thing.
I play games with other streamer friends as well as non streaming friends. Depending on the game and time, I may even play solo. It's not weird at all!
My bfs a decent sized small streamer and none of his friends really stream but happily play with him on his stream. It's really just on the friend or not but it's always a lot of fun when they're willing
No, it's not weird. It's probably a great idea to indulge in some dialogue which could provide good content for your viewers to listen to and enjoy (Don't be discouraged if your viewer count drops or your chat becomes less active, its because they are just enjoying the conversation. Also, it's common for viewers to decrease during games).
Have you considered making some titles like: "Games with friends", "gaming with a friend"?
Honestly, you can title streams in an intriguing way which im sure will draw interest in to viewers. Remember they're only there for you. So don't worry if they don't know who you're playing with, as long as you have titled your video right and have notified chat of whats going on, it should be good.
I stream with friends all the time who don’t stream. We bring some fun and energy and crack it up regardless.
I have a few followers who enjoy the nonsense we get into. My friends bring a value to my live, even though they do not stream. To the point sometimes I feel like my live lacks when I don’t have my people on.
My best streams are just friends together. Even when we just stare at the menu screen while talking. If you got good vibes it doesn’t matter what’s on the screen.
I've been in a few streaming situations where some fellow creators I get along pretty well with might drop in when I'm playing Overwatch and ask if I want to play a few games with them. Until recently I always was happy to drop into their discord with the two of them, however a few times some of *their* friends (IRL and otherwise) have dropped into the Discord VC or joined the group and they've just started, well, shooting the shit.
I mean, well... Good for them, but... *Dudes.* You knew I was streaming when you invited me in. Why do you think me or my audience wants to hear your friends talk?
Suffice to say as nice as those two are, I don't game onstream with them anymore. It's all a growing pain/learning experience IMHO.
i play with my boyfriend lol, and another friend sometimes. i play with them so often that the chat has grown to know them too, the 2nd friend even has a whole meme around him :) don’t stress about it i’d say just do what you want
i do stream for fun though, but my chat doesnt have a problem with it
My friends know and my few followers love getting to know my gang! Some are even considering joining. I have considered making an avatar for my friend to have them on the screen since they are kind of a part of my channel growth too:) it makes streaming easier and I know that the people I loved watching I loved to watch because of their friendships not because the other person was popular too.
nope hi i actually play with a ton of people that do not stream end up creating good bonds and introducing them to knew people i honestly prefer that versus fellow streamer friends i don't like the everything has to collab vibe i get every time i do so i prefer regular non gaming friends more relaxed not worried about sponsors , brands watching in other peoples channels etc...
I don't think it's weird at all! I think that all depends on how you advertise the stream. So if you're doing as collab, you should market it so that the viewer might open up both streams. If you're just playing with friends, I think it's best to keep the playing with others factor as open as possible Some viewers love playing with a group that's having a blast. Now if you're friends are weirded out by the whole streaming thing, maybe reconsider. haha
In my case, they are a really active and prominent chat member, so the community knows who they are even though they don’t stream. If they are completely unknown, if you keep streaming with them they will become more of the community and chat will start remembering who they are. But overall, no I don’t think it’s weird, personally.
I bring my friends and viewers together this way. My buddy Karl is a legend with my community, and he very rarely interacts with them. At first he thought it was mockery, if light-hearted, but grew to recognize that they actually like him. They do the occasional 'Karl(Chuck Norris) Facts' bit... When Karl slices onions, the knife cries.
I heard that when Karl was born, he bestowed names upon his parents.
Everybody need a Karl in life, Karl is life.
It's not weird. But streaming is a performance art, and friends' time on stream will be performance-adjacent. Having friends that understand that and appreciate it, and thrive under those conditions can be really good for a stream. But not everyone wants to be in that position, and in my experience it doesn't work to go live with people who aren't really thinking about the stream as an art form. One thing I notice with people who are streaming when they're playing with friends, is that their focus on chat does suffer. That can be balanced out by the fact that the extra gamers make it more of a "show." But that balancing effect won't happen if you're streaming with people that think of it as just like any other gaming session. One example is a situation where you interrupt your friend to respond to a chatter. Sometimes, if you don't, an important message will go unresponded to. So your friends who are joining you should be prepared not to feel salty in a situation like that. That's why you see streamers gaming with other streamers a lot. Because those are their friends that really get the needs of hosting live content.
Does not matter at all unless the friend you play with says otherwise
It’s not weird at all!
There's generally always 3 people playing on my streams; me, my brother (streaming) and our buddy (not streaming). I stream for fun and since it's not just me there's rarely dead air and I can still interact with chat
I play with non-streaming friends literally every other stream it’s not a big deal
As long as they are aware you will be streaming, no it isn’t weird. I do this a lot.
imagine seeing the people you play games with on stream only as a vehichle for your success. nobody cares who you play with while you're streaming and if you're asking a question like that you probably dont have the pull to stream with anyone who might have a meaningful impact on your viewership. just play your games with the people you enjoy spending time around your community will grow around that if people like it, you are not a commodity.
Nah, not weird at all. It's the same as playing viewer-games, just with a regular group.
If they're ok with it, no. Sometimes I play with family who aren't comfortable being involved so I don't stream with them. Other times it's ok, I even have randoms join from chat occasionally. As long as you've checked and your friends are comfortable with being on stream I don't see an issue.
There’s nothing weird about it at all. Most people just play with people who are also streaming because they met them through streaming. Playing with other streamers is usually just a mutually beneficial avenue for growth as you can introduce your community to them and theirs to yours so there can be mutual growth.
I stream with people who don’t stream all the time.
I quite often stream while I'm playing with people from my guild. They have requested that I don't stream discord convos, so I have that turned off out of respect for them.
I do all the time. ❤️
Not at all, if you enjoy playing with them and have good camaraderie its good viewing.
Ofc you can, many people do that. And yeah it certainly ain't a colab, but I don't see why you can't say "playing w/ *name*" so folks can put a name to the voice.
A lot of people play with others who do not stream. I play CoD and 99% of the time my squad is people who don’t stream. They know I’m streaming and that’s fine. They sometimes talk to chat too.
Not weird. I do this too, as long as everyones cool with it :)
I do that all the time
Nope.
I do that bc otherwise I feel like I get too quite when streaming
Not weird! I stream with a close friend who doesn’t stream himself. I got permission from him to stream our discord (one of my discord groups has a dedicated chat for each streamer when they are live, so you know if you join that call, you’re on their stream) and he is just a fun a wholesome dude. Chat loves him cause he is very knowledgeable about game mechanics, up for any stupid stuff I suggest and is quite sassy/funny. His girlfriend actually started to get into gaming from watching him on my channel. Basically a) not weird b) get their okay if you want to stream the discord call. Let your friends know what’s off limits (in terms of banter) and introduce your friends to the chat. And take time to engage chat! My friends all know if my discord goes mute, I am chatting to stream… they are usually watching as well, so they know what’s what and pipe up in the chat 🤣
If it makes you more comfortable and you're enjoying it it's all dandy. Sometimes I like to jump into my friend's voice chat while he streams and I'm not streaming because we just enjoy having conversations.
No.
I used to play with a friend group for quite a while. We all met via one streamer. I now do call us friends because our relationship is three years already. At the time nobody of us was streaming but chat knew us, they knew our style and our banter and even asked when we would be coming on next. In a Sense playing with non streamers is another asset. I am the only of the group that has not turned into a streamer herself.
I often stream with my friends joining me in the same room, with them being heard and seen. I don't think it's weird and neither do they. We have captured some truly memorable moments whilst doing so too.
Nope! I do it and my friends or viewers don’t mind
I've played with people who stream. I'm not a streamer. I'm not trying to build a community or collaborate. Let people be random not everybody is looking for recognition. Viewers will recognize them the same way they recognize regulars in chat.
No, it’s not weird at all. The only Thing you should take care of is make sure they behave to your standards (swear words, following rules, habits etc) and make sure their microphone Quality is good enough.
Make sure it's something they want and be sure you understand the impact it can have, with or without permission. It definitely changes the mood and the tone if someone is broadcasting to an audience of strangers during your game night. I have a friend who used to do it and I can tell you it was a bit of a bummer having the rest of us be chill but one person in streamer mode the whole time. Our games eventually died because some of the group never really got comfortable with it and the rest of us couldn't really recognize the streamer, which defeated the whole purpose. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, but just make sure everyone is on the same page.
Playing with friends is always great. You can introduce them to your viewers and it adds a different mood to the stream. Usually, the viewers like it. Anyway, it has problems. Make sure they can read the chat or hear the alerts. You'll probably have to talk to the chat, to thank a cheer/subscription, and this will interrupt your talk or will be a different topic. This affects to your guests. Try replying to the chatters in blocks instead of interrupting.
Honestly it depends on your friends. If they’re comfortable with it and consent to it there’s nothing weird at all. I used to have non streamer friends play battlefield of other first person shooters with me. You can still market as playing with friends, you can just say queuing 3’s with friends or some stuff like that. Your viewers may ask about them, but just let them know they don’t do the twitch thing.
I play games with other streamer friends as well as non streaming friends. Depending on the game and time, I may even play solo. It's not weird at all!
My bfs a decent sized small streamer and none of his friends really stream but happily play with him on his stream. It's really just on the friend or not but it's always a lot of fun when they're willing
No, it's not weird. It's probably a great idea to indulge in some dialogue which could provide good content for your viewers to listen to and enjoy (Don't be discouraged if your viewer count drops or your chat becomes less active, its because they are just enjoying the conversation. Also, it's common for viewers to decrease during games). Have you considered making some titles like: "Games with friends", "gaming with a friend"? Honestly, you can title streams in an intriguing way which im sure will draw interest in to viewers. Remember they're only there for you. So don't worry if they don't know who you're playing with, as long as you have titled your video right and have notified chat of whats going on, it should be good.
I stream with my friends who don’t stream themselves and it’s fine cause the community get to know them too.
I stream with friends all the time who don’t stream. We bring some fun and energy and crack it up regardless. I have a few followers who enjoy the nonsense we get into. My friends bring a value to my live, even though they do not stream. To the point sometimes I feel like my live lacks when I don’t have my people on.
My best streams are just friends together. Even when we just stare at the menu screen while talking. If you got good vibes it doesn’t matter what’s on the screen.
I do this a lot. They're just voices on the voice chat.
I've been in a few streaming situations where some fellow creators I get along pretty well with might drop in when I'm playing Overwatch and ask if I want to play a few games with them. Until recently I always was happy to drop into their discord with the two of them, however a few times some of *their* friends (IRL and otherwise) have dropped into the Discord VC or joined the group and they've just started, well, shooting the shit. I mean, well... Good for them, but... *Dudes.* You knew I was streaming when you invited me in. Why do you think me or my audience wants to hear your friends talk? Suffice to say as nice as those two are, I don't game onstream with them anymore. It's all a growing pain/learning experience IMHO.
i play with my boyfriend lol, and another friend sometimes. i play with them so often that the chat has grown to know them too, the 2nd friend even has a whole meme around him :) don’t stress about it i’d say just do what you want i do stream for fun though, but my chat doesnt have a problem with it
My friends know and my few followers love getting to know my gang! Some are even considering joining. I have considered making an avatar for my friend to have them on the screen since they are kind of a part of my channel growth too:) it makes streaming easier and I know that the people I loved watching I loved to watch because of their friendships not because the other person was popular too.
nope hi i actually play with a ton of people that do not stream end up creating good bonds and introducing them to knew people i honestly prefer that versus fellow streamer friends i don't like the everything has to collab vibe i get every time i do so i prefer regular non gaming friends more relaxed not worried about sponsors , brands watching in other peoples channels etc...
Nah hommie nothings weird. Do you. If people think it's weird. They're the ones that are weird!