Kathleen has received single donations of $1000 and $5000 from online members who are part of the 10 million active users on the site Twitch.
Another player, Chelsea, known as XMINKS (photos above) in the gaming world, earns a six-figure salary for playing games live. Chelsea now has more than 350,000 subscribers who connect just to watch her play her games live.
« They love watching you, discovering your personality, and interacting with you. It’s more about having a social relationship than watching you play » said Chelsea.
In 2013, after having experimented on YouTube with Call of Duty montages, Chelsea began streaming live on Twitch. Her audience has continued to grow and she has been able to transform her hobby into a full-time job.
Some cam girls have infiltrated this sector to try to obtain donations and tips by dressing up sexy and flirting with members of their community. But they are quickly spotted.
To know the difference between a cam girl who is infiltrating the game and a real player is very easy. A gamer girl is an experienced player, she is a legitimate player and she is taken seriously. A cam girl will be at the beginner level, and no player will take her very seriously.
Twitch offers a membership feature that bills users $4.99 per month to remember their favourite streamers. In addition, the site just launched two new memberships at $9.90 and $24.90 per month. This becomes an income for the streamers, which ensures them a more stable income, instead of simply counting on donations, which can vary significantly from month to month.
In the comfort of their homes, some girls can make a fortune from memberships, gifts and sometimes brand sponsorships. « It’s a unique opportunity that we have and the people who came before us didn’t have the same chance », said Kathleen.
But along with its great financial potential, the negative risks and online abuse in the gaming industry can obviously not be ignored. Players are regularly confronted by trolls, insulted, are the subject of offhanded remarks, etc., and it’s a real problem that ruins the experience.