Verdal, Games | The gamer Ester (21) from Verdal is a star on the net: – In a good month I can earn DKK 100,000
WORLDWIDE: When the corona slowed down and the country shut down, 18-year-old Ester set up a PC and camera at home in the children’s room in Verdal.
– I had long dreamed of making a living by streaming that I am a gamer. Well, I suddenly got a lot of free time where you also had to be isolated from others, so I took the chance, says the 21-year-old.
Got off to a good start
Ester already had a good number of followers on the social network TikTok, who joined her account «Eastahh» on the live streaming video platform Twitch, which is suitable for Amazon.com and is based in the USA. On her first stream, she had 40 people following along.
– The motivation when I started was to get such a large follower base that I could make a living from it. On my first stream I had 40 logged in. And it was a good start. Many millions stream without anyone following, says Ester.
During the first year, Ester’s follower base increased from 40 to 70. Today, she has between 200 and 400 followers when she streams that she is gaming. She is registered as one of eight million streamers on Twitch, and has built up a group of followers who subscribe to the service and follow when Ester streams.
– I have set up a sole proprietorship, and decide for myself when I want to work. For me, it will be like that about five days a week. I log on at around eight o’clock in the evening, and stay on until around two or three o’clock in the morning, she says.
Start with Minecraft
Ester has been playing for as long as she can remember and was first fascinated by the Swedish game Minecraft.
– It quickly became four hours of waste every day. As I got older I moved on to other games like League of Legends and Counter-Strike. I knew it was possible to make money playing and I wanted to try. I’m glad I took the chance, she says.
Ester has studied communication and media production in Kristiansand and game graphics and animation in Oslo, but dropped out when she made good money streaming. Then she also wanted to move to Copenhagen.
– This is a job you can have regardless of where you live, so why not take advantage of the opportunity, she points out.
– How much do you earn from streaming?
– In a good month I can earn DKK 100,000, while in a bad month around DKK 25,000, which is not bad either.
Good at marketing
University lecturer Trond Olav Skevik at Nord University says that several students at the bachelor’s program in games and experience technology follow streamers, and a few also stream themselves via Twitch.
– We primarily make games, but students probably also spend a lot of time following those who stream. This is an industry that has existed for quite a long time, but which gained momentum during the corona, when people had to sit at home regardless, and were also not supposed to meet others, says Skevik.
He says that those who want to make money from streaming must also be good at marketing themselves.
– Those who do well are good at marketing themselves in social media and create what they are doing, and manage to create a group of followers, says Skevik.
– Professionally
Ester also chats with her followers while gaming. comes mainly from Folge Denmark, Sweden and Norway, as well as some from the USA, Germany and Latvia. Ester has also acquired her own manager, who helps her with organization and getting in touch with various business partners.
– Ester stands out through their attention to their followers. I contribute in such a way that she gets the most out of the time she spends in her streams, says manager Mayoo Sivanantham.
To earn money, you must have a minimum number of followers who are subscribers to Twitch. You must be over 13, both to subscribe and to stream, and the service has its own moderators. If you behave badly and, for example, use discriminatory words, you will be kicked out.
– It is reassuring that the regulations are professional and strong. My followers can see and talk to me while they have an anonymous name, says Ester, adding that she has had no negative experiences.
PS: In November, Ester will take part in Norway’s largest game fair, Spillexpo, in Lillestrøm, where she will have a stand for an e-sports organisation, to raise money for the Cancer Association.