A brief introduction to the world of streaming and gaming, and how it can benefit your local Hospice!

‘Gaming for good’ is a term you might have heard recently, as streamers and streaming platforms like Twitch.tv have exploded in popularity over the last few years.

Streaming means that people can watch (or create) content in real time, a little like live TV, but online! It’s extremely popular with gamers, where people play video games to a live audience, broadcasting themselves and their game for others to watch.

 At St Columba’s Hospice Care, dedicated supporter Liam, also known as @Docy93 has been ‘gaming for good’ since 2017 and has built up a loyal following of over 2000 people! Liam has been holding an annual 24-hour livestream to raise money for St Columba’s Hospice Care in memory of his dad and uncle, who were both cared for by the Hospice. The latest and most successful stream to date, raised £3,236, taking his total raised for the Hospice to over £10,000!

We asked Liam for some of his top tips for anyone thinking about streaming or holding a livestream event to raise money for charity. Here’s what he said:

The first thing you’ll need to do is create a Twitch account! After setting that up, head over to Just Giving and click log in where you’ll have the option to select the "Continue with Twitch" button. This connects the two platforms and once that’s done, all you need to do is download your streaming software of choice (I personally use OBS).

There are lots of YouTube tutorials to take you through how to set up this software and get going. Once that’s done, it’s just a case of hitting that ‘start streaming’ button!

Now for some top tips for anyone out there thinking about using this method to fundraise for the Hospice:

• Start off small. Livestreaming is mentally taxing. You don't want to put on a bad show!
• Stay hydrated and stand up every hour or so. This will keep your mind active and awake for the full length of your stream.
• Have as much of the event planned as possible. This will help keep you on track and keep things entertaining. It also gives viewers something to look forward to.
• Avoid energy drinks/caffeine near the start of the event. You want to use this as a last resort as it will lose its effectiveness nearer the end of the event.
• If possible, have incentives for people to donate. For example, I tend to get my legs waxed and have my hair dyed. These don't need to be extreme they could be as simple as writing the donors name on a shirt or even yourself!
• Start talking to people/other streamers that you get on well with about the event a couple weeks prior to build hype.
• Twitter is a great resource to help bring eyes to the event. Start promoting your event at least a week ahead.

You can follow Liam’s streams at @Docy93 or on Twitch at Twitch.tv/docy93

If you’d like to stream for St Columba’s, you can contact our team for support at fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk and we can even put you in touch with Liam for any questions we can't answer!