How to stream on Twitch: A comprehensive beginner guide

Understanding how to stream on Twitch is essential for both gamers and content creators because there is a large audience that you can use to sell your talent. Moreover, Twitch is an excellent live-streaming platform with around 240 million active users every month. In this guide, we shall provide you with simple steps that you can follow to stream your content even without a PC and using a smartphone. So, keep reading!

What is Twitch?

“Twitch is a streaming platform that allows real-time broadcasting of gameplay, music, and art, along with an interactive chat for the audience.”

Twitch was launched in 2011, and it was later purchased by Amazon in 2014. After joining Amazon, Twitch grew in popularity at a rapid pace. Overall, it is estimated that Twitch’s current active users stand at about 240 million people. At some point, you may want to ask who uses Twitch anyway. It is not only for gamers; you can also post other content, including art, music, cooking, etc. Understandable!

• Twitch live streaming is where you can engage the audience and get immediate responses.
• It also allows you to generate revenue thanks to subscriptions, donations, or sponsorships. 

Age restrictions:

Twitch has a rule that one should be at least 13 years old to open a Twitch account. Such age restrictions are especially important and useful for young people as they may fall prey to disturbing materials. Furthermore, it is important to advise you that you need to get permission from your parents before you try to use this platform.

Twitch Parental Control settings

If you are a parent and wish to monitor how your kids behave on it, there is something for you. Some parental control features can also be found on this platform. For instance, you can turn off “Mature Content” mode from your child’s Twitch account. You can also block some specific users to prevent them from disturbing your kids during stream activities.

How can I create and set up a Twitch account?

Are you an enthusiast who wants to enjoy live streaming on this social network site? Okay! Creating a Twitch account takes a few minutes. You only need to follow the guidelines below. 

Register on Twitch

Step 1. First, open your web browser and visit the official Twitch page. 

Step 2. As soon as you open this website, you will see the “Sign Up” option at the top right corner of the screen. Just go for it.

Step 3. Here, you will see a sign-up form to fill in data such as username and password, date of birth, and, lastly, an active email address. Click on the Signup button.

Steps for account verification

Step 4. But this time, verify the email address you provided by a 6-digit numeric PIN code. That’s it!

Step 5. Enabling Two-factor verification

• Head to your profile image on the top right of the page. 
• Now, choose the settings option and then go down the page to the Security and Privacy option.
• Lastly, you will see Two-factor verification. Just click on it and follow the instructions. That’s all!

How to start streaming on Twitch?

We have learned how to register an account on Twitch; now it’s time to know how to start streaming on the account created. So, if you really want to start live streaming, then firstly, there are a few important things to consider as discussed below: 

Part 1: What equipment do you need to stream on Twitch?

• Webcam: If people should be able to see you while you are streaming, then you will require a webcam.

• Microphone: We all know that audio is crucial, so we have to get better microphones that enhance our sound. Going for USB microphones can also be a wise decision since they can produce decent sound quality.

• Computer or Console: Whenever you want to run online games and their streaming applications, a gaming computer or console (like PlayStation or Xbox) is of utmost necessity.

• Streaming Software: You must install any streaming software like OBS Studio or Streamlabs OBS. These applications will provide you with options for configuring the stream and managing the sound/video level settings.

Part 2: Choosing the right content to stream

Every single user strives to expand the number of followers on his or her account, and part of the steps included in the process is selecting the right content. This is why you have to make it a point to find games that you love to play; this will, in turn, allow you to connect with your audience better. 

Part 3: Prepare for your first streaming

• Check your equipment: If this is Wicks’s first time streaming, it is very important to check if the microphone and webcam are operational. In addition, ensure that your PC can run the game and the streaming software at the time mentioned above.

• Decide time and prepare for your stream: It is wise to prepare for a stream to avoid being more embarrassing than normal. This ensures that your audience has a specific time to avoid dispersion when live streaming.

How to stream on Twitch from a PC?

Step 1. First, set up your Twitch profile. The procedure for signing up was described in detail in the earlier segment.

Step 2. Download and install Streaming Software.

• The next step is to Go to the OBS Studio website to download this software for your desired operating system and install it on your PC.

Step 3. Setting up OBS studio

• Now, open the OBS studio on your PC and go to the settings option, usually placed at the screen’s bottom left corner.
• You will see the Stream option under settings. Just click on it. Then, choose Twitch and click on Connect Account.

Step 4. Configuring stream settings

If you want to achieve good video and audio quality, quickly go to the Output tab on OBS Studio and set your streaming quality. For example, if you are a beginner, select “Simple” mode and adjust the bitrate according to your internet speed. However, a good starting point is a bitrate of 2500-4000 kbps.

Then, go to the “Video” tab. You can opt for 1920×1080, which is quite normal for high quality.

Step 5. Add sources for your streaming

In addition, you should move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the OBS studio window and find the ‘Sources’ box.

There is an option to add some game capture or display capture by clicking the ‘+’ button. For example, “Game Capture” has been mentioned, which you can use while playing certain games, and “Display Capture” shows everything as it is displayed on your Windows screens.

That is it. Now, click the start streaming button.

How to stream on Twitch from a smartphone?

Step 1. First, take your smartphone, open the Google Play Store or the App Store, and download or install the Twitch app.

Step 2. Next, tap on the Sign-Up option. If you have already created an account, tap on login.

Step 3. Once you log in through the app, Twitch will ask you permission to use your camera and microphone throughout the live stream. Therefore, all you need to do is allow it.

Step 4. Now, click on the Go Live option. When you click this, a timer shall be displayed on the screen. At the end of this time, you shall be living and interacting with the viewers.

How to keep kids safe while streaming on Twitch?

It is necessary to supervise the kids, especially when they are live streaming on Twitch. Keeping track of who and what they are streaming or streaming activities helps greatly in ensuring a safe environment. This part conveys various tips to ensure Twitch streaming does not endanger your children. So, don’t go away!

Awareness of potential risks

! Addiction: Based on several sources, including the opinions of people reviewed at the beginning, one can estimate that Twitch is designed to be a very enjoyable place. As a result, young people simply waste a lot of time streaming at the expense of important day-to-day activities. Thus, it dramatically affects their mental as well as physical health.

! Cyberbullying: Your kids might be humiliated or tortured while they are in a live chat. This is bad for your child’s health as it can cause anxiety and, at times, depression.

! Stranger dangers: Your children can reach people with bad intentions as a result of this. Caution must be taken that none of these children should be allowed to disclose any information about their whereabouts, including their home, school, etc.

! Exposure to inappropriate content: The Twitch platform also puts kids at risk where inappropriate content is targeted at children.

Setting up Parental Controls

• Go to Twitch’s official website and log into your account.
• Then, Click the profile icon > Choose settings from the menu > Security and privacy. There are parental controls for blocked users, and you can choose to hide the mature content.

Setting up Private Streaming

Tap on the Twitch profile icon > settings > scroll down and click on Broadcasting > Private settings > choose Freinds can request to watch my games.

Educating kids about online safety

Making your kids understand the dangers that may arise when they go on live streaming is one of the best ways of protecting them. This is only possible when you communicate with the children freely, making them comfortable to talk about anything. And last, you ought to be able to motivate your kid to speak out about any other child or instance they deem inappropriate.

Use a parental monitoring app

With the development of technology, many third-party parental control software programs have also emerged in the market. If you would like to select external applications, it is wise to choose reliable ones. Thus, we recommend the FlashGet Kids Parental control application for the following reasons.

• Usage report: FlashGet Kids analyses how the kids utilize certain devices, which allows parents to track what type of apps their kids are using and for how much time. Thus, if a parent sees that their children are too much into Twitch, they can prevent further screen addiction.

• Screen time: This feature includes limiting the usage of certain applications to prevent their abuse. For instance, you can disable certain apps during studying or sleeping hours.

• Screen mirroring: This allows the parent or guardian to oversee children’s activities on their gadgets, such as the type and quality of the content they are streaming.

• Keyword detection: FlashGet Kids also permits users to define some keywords in sections of adult content. So, if the kids search for something with these keywords, the app will notify their parents.

• Notification tracker: With this feature, you can access your child’s device notifications on your phone, and you can see all the known and unknown individuals in a chat with your children.

Conclusion

Live-streaming can be an exciting and rewarding journey; you already got the details to stream on Twitch now. Twitch provide chances for people who are looking to share their gaming skills, connecting with a community, or exploring the creative passions. It is also clear from the above discussion that it is best to keep a close watch on your child’s online activity in this era.

To end this, the first thing you must do is reinforce to your kids how to be safe on the internet. You could also apply the FlashGet Kids parental control app because it allows responsible parents and guardians to monitor and manage their children’s online interactions and device usage on the spot.

FAQ