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The Mess That Was Street Fighter 1

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The conversation around Street Fighter never starts with the original. Most of the time, we begin by waxing nostalgic around Street Fighter II. In current times, we jump straight to Street Fighter V or even go as far back as Street Fighter IV when talking about the “good old days” of this modern Street Fighter era.

But rarely do we talk about the original Street Fighter. Released in 1987, it was one of the first fighting games on the market, one of the first to use unique special move commands, while introducing the world to Ryu, Ken, Sagat, Adon, Birdie, Gen, the guy who looks like Balrog but isn’t, and a handful of other fighters never to be mentioned again. Does it deserve to be lost in the shuffle?

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Even More Posts About Streaming! #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

My efforts for #BloggersWhoStream are technically wrapping up today. However, writing about streaming is something that I have a deep passion for. I write posts about the subject on most Fridays and I’ll continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

If you enjoyed my work this week and wanted more, here’s a handy post that compiles links to a number of my previous efforts. Give it a look and I hope you enjoy!

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Welcome to My Streaming Room #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

Building the game streaming setup of one’s dreams is an evolutionary process for most. It’s an expensive hobby to get into and the majority of those interested in pursuing it don’t start out with the equipment they need to produce a high-quality product. For example, I started streaming in 2017 with just the laptop I already had. Great for blogging, but it didn’t have the horsepower to display my gameplay and camera feeds at the same time.

More importantly, it’s a hobby that you really need to try for yourself before you go all in. Just because you like playing video games doesn’t mean that you’ll like playing them on stream. For instance, I love playing Tetris Effect when I’m not on stream and no one’s watching. However, when I streamed it and no one watched, I came away from that experience feeling miserable.

The outcome of no one watching was the same, but the dynamics and expectations change when broadcasting was introduced to the mix. The worst thing one can do is to buy all of the most expensive equipment and realize after the fact that they don’t actually like how streaming warps the gaming experience. You’re better off starting with whatever you have and determining whether you want to pursue it further.

This tour through my streaming setup is the culmination of my journey thus far. The road to get here was filled with failure, doubt, and MacGyver-esque life hacks. Even so, I truck along thanks to everything I’ve learned, the friends I’ve made along the way, and positive impact I’ve made on the world. From providing entertainment, to those that tune in to the money I’ve raised for charity (over $2,000 and counting for Extra Life!), I don’t take any of this for granted. All of this has inspired me to continue honing my craft and improving as a streamer on every front. As long as I continue to grow within the hobby, so will my streaming setup. Without further ado, let me show you where the magic happens.

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Why It’s Okay to Quit Streaming (And What You Can Do to Break Through) #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

When it comes to streaming, I value the human connection that can be created during a show above all else. It’s incredible when viewers from around the world come by to talk about mutual interests, partake in healthy debates, share life stories, and provide support for one another. It doesn’t take much for this magic to happen, as some of my most memorable streams involved just one viewer in the chat.

Creating that human connection is difficult when streaming to an empty room. For most, the room is empty more often than not. This is a top-heavy medium where the majority of the audience watches just a handful of creators. It’s so uneven that about 89% of active streamers average less than three viewers a stream.

Furthermore, the top 5,000 streamers garner 74% of all watch time. With over 3,000,000 active streamers per month, that leaves 99.84% of active streamers with only 26% of the watch time pie. This creates an environment where tens of thousands of streamers are broadcasting to zero viewers at any given time. Just with Fortnite alone, sort by streams with the lowest viewer counts first and you’ll unearth thousands of streamers without a viewer.

I’m not immune to this phenomenon. There are times when my viewer counter stays at zero for the duration of a stream. It’s actually an improvement over 2017, where I pretty much went the entire year without anyone noticing me. Even so, the feeling of opening yourself up to the world and no one caring is…one of the most demoralizing experiences I’ve gone through as a creator.

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Get the Best Possible Sound From Your Streaming Microphone in OBS and Streamlabs OBS With These Settings and Tips #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

Having a good mic won’t help your stream if it isn’t configured properly. Particularly if you have a condenser mic, which you probably do if you own a USB mic. Condenser mics – such as the Blue Snowball, Blue Yeti, or the Audio-Technica AT2020 among many others – work best in a controlled studio environment.

Unfortunately, most of us aren’t streaming in professional studios. Without any adjustments, your voice will probably distort when you get loud, be difficult to hear over your gameplay when you speak softly, and pick up weird ambient noises in-and-around your house.

It’s mission critical to address these issues, as your microphone is your primary method of communication and content creation on stream. You can address most of these issues in OBS, Streamlabs OBS, or whatever digital or analog mixer you may use. Follow along with this guide and it should get your microphone audio to a better place!

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The Writer’s Advantage: Using Your Writing Experience to Stand Out in a Streaming World #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

As a writer with ambitions of streaming, it’s easy to feel like you’re at a disadvantage. In a number of ways, you probably are. While you’re comfortable communicating your words through a keyboard, streaming requires you to learn a number of new technologies that you likely have little-to-no experience with. Even scarier is the thought of communicating through a camera and microphone with your voice, facial expressions, and body language. Oh yeah, and everyone will be judging how you look. Are you ready for your closeup?

Millions of other streamers have already figured out their tech and have no qualms with pointing a camera at their face. Is it too late for you as a writer to follow suit? Absolutely not. Even if the tech gives you plenty of headaches and you may forever be camera shy, your writing experience gives you a distinct advantage over many others in the space. Let me explain.

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Convention Week – Panels I Would Like to Host Someday

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Convention Week comes to a close with some ideas for panels I’d like to host someday. Hope you’ve enjoyed this series of posts!

As of now, being famous enough to warrant a spot on a convention panel isn’t a goal of mine. Writing and streaming is something I do as a passion project. But if this journey somehow took me up on stage in front of an audience, here are some things I’d be interested in discussing!

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Convention Week: Why I’ll Watch Almost Any Panel

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Convention Week continues! This time, less bickering! I will sit in on almost any panel offered at a convention. Here’s why!

“Would you make any droids other than R2D2?”

Having watched an expert discuss the particulars of building R2D2 droids for 45 minutes, I was curious in whether he had any ambitions of applying his incredible skills towards different types of robots. While I was expecting a simple yes or no response, his answer floored me.

Don’t remember the exact words, but the sentiment was clear. Not only did he have zero interest in making other kinds of robots, but he was so fully invested in making R2D2 droids that the idea of shifting his talents to anything other than that was ludicrous. Even without any ambitions of creating robots of my own, it’s these types of moments that make it a pleasure for me to sit in on a panel about virtually anything at conventions.

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Convention Week: My Brief History with Cosplay at Conventions and Other Events

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Cosplay has grown to become an integral part of the convention experience. Whether you buy a completed costume from a store or create everything from scratch, fans love the experience of adorning the gear and assuming the roles of their favourite characters. My wife, sister-in-law, and brother are all avid cosplayers, I’ve been fortunate enough to see firsthand how much effort and passion goes into this hobby. Cosplay and those who partake in it are awesome!

Side note: follow my wife Steff @copperkeycosplay cause she makes dope stuff! Also, her sister cosplays too and she also makes dope stuff! Follow Michelle @michimadeit!

Steff’s influence in cosplay has rubbed off on me…a bit. While I have little interest in dressing up and zero desire to make a costume of my own, I have ended up donning the robes of multiple characters throughout the years. Here’s a look back at some of my costumes for conventions and other events!

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Convention Week: Why I Generally Avoid Video Games at Conventions

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Welcome to Convention Week! We start things off with a subject that has been an annoyance since the very first convention I’ve ever been to: the line to play video games.

Each year, Fan Expo hosts an exclusive period for patrons with a deluxe pass or higher. If you have one, you can get into the show two hours early. As a deluxe pass holder, I use this time to run straight to the Nintendo booth every year. With the way things work out, this is the only time I have to play video games at this show.

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