"It was a full time job": Inside a new streamers quest to turn gaming into income

Video game streamers can earn millions simply playing video games in front of fans. But as Tom King learned, the figures belie how tough it can be to grow an audience.

Redundancy was the opportunity Tom King was waiting for.

For the first time since he turned 18, he was fully unemployed. No side hustles, no part-time jobs, and a tidy cash buffer from the redundancy payout.

So, he decided to explore a new venture, something that many gamers think about but rarely actually do; he would dip into the world of professional streaming.

Video game streaming is one of the fastest-growing categories of new media on the planet. Each day, millions log into platforms like Twitch and YouTube to watch and interact with others as they broadcast their gameplay. According to Statistica, revenue in the live game streaming industry is expected to hit $US13.65 billion in 2024, with that figure projected to grow to over $US18 billion — just shy of the current gross domestic product (GDP) of Albania — by 2028.

Individual streamers have been reported to earn into the millions, broadcasting to tens of thous…