Last Wednesday, Twitch was hacked for a massive breach of data that revealed the payout information for over 10,000 Twitch streamers from a period spanning from August 2019 to October 2021. And while this controversy has left many of the platform’s most successful creators reeling, as well as some of their most beloved fans with a heavily mixed set of emotions, one thing cannot be denied: This is some pretty fucking tantalizing news, least of which, because of the fact that this is some kind of comeuppance for Twitch streamers—which it absolutely is not.
To be frank, I think Twitch is great. I think that the success of streamers on the platform has presented a model of content creation that I wish could be effectively brought to other platforms, but in most cases, it cannot. Twitch is something wholly unique as a platform and has become a hyper-viable source of income for a group of people who at one point, had no monetizable outlet for their talents. I think that if you are looking at this data leak as some form of “karma” directed at a group of people who do not seem to actually work for a living, let me just cut you off and say that you are probably thinking about this the wrong way.
Wednesday’s data leak, if anything, should be an indicator of what is actually possible within the platform, as well as provide some guidance on how you can potentially succeed within it. In this regard, one could say that Wednesday’s data leak is a treasure trove of strategic information for content creators—and they would be absolutely right.
In an article published the following day, Wired Magazine took the time to comb through some of the available data, and some of the things that they discovered were pretty interesting. I wanted to take a moment to talk about them.
1. The Top 81 Streamers Made More Than $1mm/Year From Their Content
Perhaps the most significant detail that everyone will remember is that the top streamers on Twitch are millionaires. Granted, this is not so much a surprise as it is confirmation of pre-existing opinions, but the reason why this matters is that it is an indicator of just how far streaming has come as a content delivery method. Just as much as potential earnings may matter to future streaming hopefuls, these numbers should also help explain just how statistically improbable it is for the average streamer to net 7 figures from his or her streams. Think about it: Twitch averages 1.2 million monthly average users, while only 80 of them are earning above a million dollars per year.
The truth of the matter is that these numbers help bear out an unpopular reality of being a Twitch streamer: if you want to be massively profitable, the probability of it happening maybe about as significant as trying to join a professional sports team. Put another way: most people won’t get to live out their fantasy of being a handsomely-paid Fortnite player, and will most likely have to get a “real job.”
Having said that, however, I do not mean that any number below a million dollars per year should predicate the need for a real job. The truth of the matter is that for as many content creators that there are on twitch making millions, there are plenty more that are netting in the hundreds of thousands, or high five figures, per year—which is still a plenty-livable income. All the same, passing talents can earn an additional 1500-2000 per month playing casually and keeping a small contingent of fans. This is all to say that while most streamers will never see a seven-figure check from their efforts, that doesn’t necessarily mean that streaming is financially inviable because of it.
2. Women only account for 3 out of the top 100 streamers.
Because of the greater propensity for male gamers to ascribe the popularity of female Twitch streamers to good looks, this statistic is important. With only 3 women streaming at the top 80 level, this leak of information counters the claim that a stream’s popularity has much—or everything—to do with gender.
The greater question, if there is one, is why are there so few women streamers? The truth of the matter is that while times are changing, streaming is still very much proving itself out to be a man’s world. Not only amongst the content creators, but even those consuming said content. For such reasons, it is highly possible that a woman can be discriminated against simply for being a woman that plays video games on Twitch. When we take into account that Twitch is a paid service, it is also quite possible that a large contingent of male gamers would rather express their distaste for female gamers with dollars, instead of with their voice.
3. There are highly profitable streams that do not monetize gaming content
On the topic of non-gaming Twitch streams, it is also possible for streamers to make a good living while filming themselves cooking, offering up relationship advice, or even talking about politics. I think this is also an important finding because while Twitch’s name is certainly inspired by gaming, the service clearly offers quite a few viable applications that extend far beyond gaming.
While I don’t believe anyone is sharing my current thought process, in my mind, when I witness things like this, I wonder if the name of the service is even apt anymore. Furthermore, I wonder if Twitch could theoretically command a wider viewer—and content creator base—if they simply went ahead and changed their name to something more interest-agnostic. Ultimately, whether or not they actually have to do it is another story. Truth be told, Twitch brought streaming technology to the mainstream (or is at least widely credited with it), so I doubt that they are all that worried about losing market share to Google—especially with such a clear-cut compensation structure for content creators.
4. The highest-paid members on the list represent the top .0001% of streamers on Twitch
I want to close on this note, and primarily because I think that this statistic is perhaps the most significant for anybody that is interested in getting a Twitch career off of the ground. The truth of the matter is that while highly paid Twitch steamers seem to occupy a very wide swath of the public nerd consciousness, these individuals are very few and very far between.
The fact of the matter is that the average person—for one reason or another—simply does not have what it takes to be a Twitch streamer. While some may not have gaming skills, being a skilled gamer has not always been a contingency for being successful. Instead, the greater challenge for most is simply mustering up the level of commitment necessary to do it. The truth of the matter is that technologies that are highly accessible to people can sometimes be misrepresented as easy. But the more accessible something is, the harder it is to experience success in it—because everybody is giving it a try. All the same, these people have families, jobs, friends, and other commitments that can easily detract from making video games a full-time job. The truth of the matter is that the average Twitch steamer will never make a job out of Twitch, and because of the fact that they fail to treat it like a job when they start. If it is a hobby, you can just open up an app on your computer, PlayStation, or Xbox. If it is a job, you invest in the best cameras, room lighting, controllers, and graphics. You have social media blasts, and you run promotional campaigns. If playing video games is a job, then you have a brand. Most people don’t have these things, and that is why most people won’t make it.
In the end, if there is anything that you should pull from these numbers, it is that the highest performers on Twitch are the highest performers for a reason. While no, their status is not easy to attain, it is by no means unattainable. In the end, however, if you want to make serious cash from playing games, you have to take the endeavor—well, seriously. (info via Wired)
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