PC Gamer - October 2011

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Sample streaming
To begin screencasting in either mode,
press Ctrl+F1. It’s that simple. Check your
page while doing this, and after a few seconds, you’ll
be staring at your own desktop. Whoa. Drag the
green overlay corners if you only want to show spe-
cific parts of the screen, and use your PC normally.
Once you stop recording, a window pops up for you
to name and archive the video so that viewers who
missed the original stream can watch it later. Once you stop recording, a window pops up for you

SKILLS
ONE WE MADE EARLIER
HOW TO SHARE PRERECORDED
VIDEOS INSTEAD
In-game studio

The game mode adds an overlay while you
play. This won’t be visible to your audience,
Ctrl+Alt+n to show or hide it. To stop recording, press
Shift+Esc. You won’t be interrupted by the video
archiving pop-up while still in game, but it’ll be
waiting when you quit or Alt+Tab out. You can also
Alt+Tab out to make sure the stream is working. It’ll
likely still show the game running in the background.

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1 If you don’t have an audience already, You Tube is your best bet for gaining a foothold. The 15-minute video limits are a pain, but you’re more likely to be found by people typing in relevant search terms.

Narrate!

Get a microphone. To make the most of
going live, you’ll want to be able to talk
over the gameplay you’re casting to help contextu-
alize what’s going on in-game. Be sure to test your
mic’s levels thoroughly. A second monitor or laptop is
also handy if you want to keep an eye on the chat
channel, take questions, and otherwise interact with
your eager viewers without constantly risking an
Alt+Tab crash. l e 9

2 Blip.tv technically doesn’t allow game footage, but they turn a blind eye. Great for very long, uninterrupted coverage. Annoyingly long ads, but with the option to get a 50/50 cut to ease the pain.

Radio dead air

After this, it’s all about the performance.

Standard radio rules apply: make sure to check your volume levels so that neither you nor the game are drowned out, don’t talk over anything important, and try not to leave long, extended gaps.

If a game doesn’t lend itself well to this, consider instead uploading a finished, edited video to services like You Tube and Blip.tv. Streaming is fun, but it’s not necessarily the ideal choice for every game.

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Spread the word

If you have a website, Twitter account, or
you post on a forum, plan your stream in
advance and tell people when it’s happening—be
sure to specify your time zone. The rest of the time,
your stream will be silent, unless you create playlists
of old videos or otherwise slot-in content from
You Tube and other partners. It doesn’t have to be
your own stuff, but it helps. r II

3 Wegame.com is a dedicated host for games coverage, so it’s good for building an audience without the risk of deletion. It also has its own free recording software if you don’t already have a copy of Fraps ( www.fraps.com).

Live, from your house

All the other details are trimming; from
picking background colors for your stream
page to uploading logos and writing descriptions for
search engines to pick up. If you already have a blog
or website, both Livestream and Justin.tv can be
embedded directly. As you produce more content,
look for established livestreamers that you can team
up with to earn more loyal viewers.