Close Menu
Honi Soit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • جذوري my roots
    • Patterns of a War-Torn Conscience: Towards a Healing Conceptualisation of Praxis
    • Enmore Psychogeography
    • The night has its own logic
    • Yield
    • Microsoft OneNote is the Digital Note Taking App for All YourDevices
    • Be my fly
    • Truth, heritage, and cultural belonging in the Irish diaspora
    • About
    • Print Edition
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    • Writing Comp
    • Advertise
    • Locations
    • Contact
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok
    Honi SoitHoni Soit
    Friday, May 16
    • News
    • Analysis
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • University
    • Features
    • Perspective
    • Investigation
    • Reviews
    • Comedy
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    Honi Soit
    Home»Misc

    So I can’t actually be paid to play Video Games

    By Victoria ZerbstMay 5, 2015 Misc 3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    I am always on the look out for easy ways to make money quick and with very little skill involved. Then my videogame nerd friend told me I could totally stream myself playing video games, show a bit of cleavage, and wait for thousand-dollar donation from horny gamer boys.

    This sounded like a joke but the nerd friend kept bringing it up like it was actually a viable solution to the ‘I need money’ problem. So I decided to investigate. Was there really an Internet space where guys donate thousands of dollars to gamer girls?

    Apparently this space is called Twitch TV. You’d think it would be an obscure and disorganised site but it turns out Twitch TV engages an average of 43 million viewers per month and Amazon bought it last year for $970 million.

    This was sounding more legit so I resurrected my gamer name from year 8 (v0wnageclown) and waited for the money to pour in.

    My nerd friend told me to look out for KittyPlaysGames, a totally attractive female gamer from Canada who once received a $7,000 donation. Maybe I could learn a few things.

    The first thing I learnt was that I wasn’t going to make any money from Videogame Streaming. Problem number 1: I don’t know how to play video games. I have very little skill and even if I did how could I choose between playing League of Legends and Dota 2?

    Problem Dota 2: It is very hard getting people to watch you play videogames. Especially if you don’t really know how to play videogames. You have to build a reputation, invest time and energy into your profile and be an engaging person to watch.

    Problem 3: Turns out streaming with your tits out is a bit controversial. There are all these amazing online conversations about why female gamers on Twitch need to cover up their breasts and not use their sexuality to get money from horny gamers. There’s an article on Kotaku called Why People Are Arguing About Women Streamers Showing Skin? I recommend you read it.

    But there are also Twitch TV Rules of Conduct. Above the rules about homophobia, hate speech, harassment and hacking, there are rules about sexually explicit acts and ‘dressing appropriately’. The website reads ‘Wearing no clothing or sexually suggestive clothing – including lingerie, swimsuits, and undergarments – is prohibited, as well as any full nude torsos*, which applies to both male and female broadcasters.

    See, male AND female. There isn’t as much inequality as you’d expect. Male streamers also get donations. Mostly because of skill and banter. Why anyone would care enough to donate thousands of real money is beyond me (bitcoins and dogecoins accepted too). Sodapoppin, for example, mostly plays World of Warcraft and he has had one off donations of $50,000 and $35,000 donation before. Who has that kind of money?

    Checking out Twitch TV gave me the weirdest insight into supply and demand. Some streamers are making an absolute killing but then again they are spending hours and hours playing video games.

    So if you’re a cheeky opportunist with a flexible moral compasses like me, better luck next time. Streaming sexy videogame playing on Twitch TV is not the best way to make money. I’ve heard taking part in clinical trials is pretty lucrative though.

    donations gaming Online Social Media streaming Twitch.tv

    Keep Reading

    Your Compliance Will Not Save You

    Research With My Own Eyes

    When The Chile Is Cooked: Stan Twitter’s Semiotic Revolution

    Smile! You’re on camera!

    Self-curatorship: The Digital Ego of the Young Creative

    On group chats and growing friendships

    Just In

    جذوري my roots

    May 16, 2025

    Patterns of a War-Torn Conscience: Towards a Healing Conceptualisation of Praxis

    May 16, 2025

    Enmore Psychogeography

    May 16, 2025

    The night has its own logic

    May 16, 2025
    Editor's Picks

    A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers

    May 14, 2025

    We Will Be Remembered As More Than Administrative Errors

    May 7, 2025

    NSW universities in the red as plague of cuts hit students & staff

    April 30, 2025

    Your Compliance Will Not Save You

    April 16, 2025
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok

    From the mines

    • News
    • Analysis
    • Higher Education
    • Culture
    • Features
    • Investigation
    • Comedy
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Misc

     

    • Opinion
    • Perspective
    • Profiles
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Social
    • Sport
    • SRC Reports
    • Tech

    Admin

    • About
    • Editors
    • Send an Anonymous Tip
    • Write/Produce/Create For Us
    • Print Edition
    • Locations
    • Archive
    • Advertise in Honi Soit
    • Contact Us

    We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media.

    © 2025 Honi Soit
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.