Valkyrae warns aspiring gamers against streaming careers: “Don’t quit your jobs”

Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter has dropped a bombshell on aspiring gamers wanting to make it big in the livestreaming industry: according to the reigning Queen of YouTube, there’s only one surefire way to break-in, and it’s a long, long process.

“Making it on Twitch” has become the goal for many gamers, especially after watching stars like xQc, Pokimane, Nickmercs, and Asmongold hit the big time.

It’s not a realistic dream to have though, warns Valkyrae. The 30-year-old YouTuber, who recently re-upped her exclusive broadcasting deal with Google’s titanic video site, claims the road to streaming stardom is “long, hard” and, for many, is a pipedream that actually fizzles out before long.

“I’m telling you right now, don’t quit your job,” Hofstetter said.

That’s not to say Valkyrae doesn’t think anyone can break into the industry. Hofstetter stands as a perfect example that determination can always pay off — she now boasts over 3.7m followers.

But, there are realistic ways to approach it, she says.

Valkyrae explained: “Get a real job first, okay? If you have the intentions of streaming because you want it to be your job, and you wanna make money from it…. Sorry, you cannot go into it with that expectation. It’s not gonna work, and you have to do this for years and years and years and years.”

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“Use streaming as a hobby. And, you also need to create content that is going to be interesting. Probably something that you’re really passionate about too.”

Even that isn’t the “simple key” either, Valkyrae admits. As important as what you’re broadcasting is knowing people, building networks via other streamers, and growing your fanbase from there.

“Collaborate with people,” she suggested.

Don’t get stuck with playing one game forever either, she added. Fortnite was her true launching point, but she played League of Legends for years before that, and pivoted into the Among Us craze early on too.

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“Try different types of content,” the YouTuber said. “If something isn’t working, or if something gets more views than other things, maybe it’s time to capitalize.”

And if fans do decide to stream, despite all the warnings, there’s only one place that they should start, Valkyrae claims; her red-branded kingdom, YouTube. The Google-owned platform still runs second to Twitch’s livestreaming, but the 100 Thieves co-owner believes that’s already starting to change.

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“I feel valued on YouTube. They make me feel important. On Twitch, that’s not really there. They have so many people on deals that you don’t get that feeling.”