This is a topic that has been brought up on some of the episodes of the podcast so far. If you missed episode 4: “PGH 004 – Avid Twitch User – A Viewers Perspective”, I suggest going back and giving it a listen being that you are obviously interested in this type of optimization if you clicked on this article! Green screen is kind of a preference call, but a lot of things are if you really think about it. Having a camera while streaming is a preference call within itself, but what it comes down to is: What is the percent of people that prefer [whose preference is] viewing someone with a camera and green screen vs those who don’t care?
The best way to figure this out would be to take a survey from Twitch viewers themselves, but judging by the podcast interviews and the rest of the feedback we’ve already got from viewers of the site and other listeners, we have our answer already. First and foremost, it is almost completely necessary to have a camera with only rare occasions being an exception. That being said, this green screen scenario becomes important. Is it worth investing in a green screen and setting it up before streaming? There are tons of gamers who don’t do this, so why would you need to?
Perks of a Green Screen:
- Does not cause your camera to take away from any part of the stream
- More professional looking
- Makes the risk of having a “boring background” obsolete
Hopefully you remember us talking about being unique and standing out in podcast episodes, guides and even other articles. By now it should be something your very aware of. It is necessary for you to not be just like the thousands of other streamers. That being said, a green screen can make you stand out vs a ton of others. So let’s say that puts you ahead of the game, why would it not be part of the investment into your streaming career?
But I don’t have the money…
I knew you’d say that! First off, if you’re going to be streaming there are a ton of other things you’re most likely going to have to optimize that will cost FAR more money then having a green screen set-up. Let’s look at the cost of some below:
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Just to mess with you a little bit, I threw one in there that cost over $100. It’s funny because it actually comes with a professional lighting kit, so while I was trying to make a joke, it actually may be something you could look into.
Remind me what the difference is again…
Knew you’d say that too. Instead of making your fingers tired because I know you’ve had a long day gaming already, I’ll post the difference for the viewers below. Let’s take a look:
Green Screen + No Boring Background + Less Gameplay Deleted = Happy Viewer 🙂
No Green Screen + Boring Background + Gameplay Deleted + Ugly Face = Sad Viewer 🙁
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. The fight over having a green screen or not. It isn’t one hundred percent essential, but it does make a difference. If you’re going into streaming you are well aware that there are thousands of other gamers who are also going after the same end goal, so why not get every step up on them that is possible?