If you watch streamers on any platform you may have seen people donate insane amounts of money to these streamers. But why do people do this? We will cover that and more below.
Why Do People Donate To Streamers?
People donate to streamers for many reasons including: getting the streamers attention, getting a shoutout on the stream, having alerts appear on stream, to thank the streamer for their content and to help support the streamer and their channel so they can stream more often.
To many people this may seem silly since you can usually watch a stream for free, but if people didn’t donate to streamers then streamers wouldn’t be able to stream as much as they do if at all.
I like to compare it to eating at your favorite burger spot. You go to your favorite burger spot and pay $10 for a burger that you could probably make at home for about $2.
So why pay the extra $8 for something you could make much cheaper at your home?
Well maybe they make the burger a lot better than you could. Or maybe you like the vibe that eating inside of that restaurant has.
And whether you realize it or not, that burger place would not be able to get by without customers like you going there and purchasing their burgers.
Now let’s stop talking about burgers (because now I am really craving In N Out) and compare this to streaming.
Could you watch a stream for free. Yes. But if you didn’t support your favorite channels/streamers then just like the burger joint they would not be able to provide you with their product; in this case their stream.
Not only does donating to a stream help them do what they love, and provide you with quality entertainment, many channels also do shoutouts and alerts for those who donate.
You have undoubtedly been in a stream and heard a streamer say “Thank you person so and so for the $5 donation.” This kind of attention and recognition is cool and could really make a persons day.
Especially when this shoutout is done in front of thousands of people. For that instant you are famous. Kind of.
And most of the time these streams will also have alerts that flash on stream displaying your username and how much you donated which makes donating extra fun.
I have even seen streams that allow you to self promote as long as you donate so it could also be a way to get your name out there in certain streams.
So now that we have talked about why people donate, let’s dive into what donations are and the different ways you can donate on the main streaming platforms.
What Are Twitch Donations?
Donations on Twitch typically include Twitch bits, gifted subs and giving actual money to a streamer through payment systems such as Cash App or PayPal. Streamers usually have different rewards and alerts for each type of donation.
Now although these are the most common forms of donation on Twitch, they are not the only form.
Many streamers have unique ways for users to contribute to the stream such as P.O. boxes where viewers can send the streamer gifts that they will open on stream.
Twitch donations are crucial and are what allow streamers to stream as often as they do.
How Much Can You Donate On Twitch?
Twitch does not have a rule for how much a user can donate to a streamer. In fact, it is rumored that one of the largest donations ever given to a streamer was over $50,000 USD.
But if you do choose to donate to a streamer it is best to be wise and don’t donate more than you can afford. Many of these streamers are doing just fine and would prefer you use the money to take care of yourself.
What Are Youtube Gaming Donations?
Youtube Gaming donations typically include super chats where a user pays to have their message read aloud as well as actual money donations where users give money directly to a streamer through payment systems such as Cash App or PayPal.
As you can see, donations on Youtube Gaming are very similar to donations on Twitch. They may be called different things, but for the most part they are very similar.
However, I will say that one thing that many people who stream on Youtube Gaming bring up as a complaint regarding the platform is the lack of a gifted sub feature.
As you may know most of the subs that a streamer has on Twitch comes from gifted subs and so if Youtube ever implemented a similar feature on their platform it would be a huge boon for streamers on Youtube Gaming.
How Much Can You Donate On Youtube Gaming?
Like other streaming platforms, Youtube does not specify a maximum amount that you can donate to a streamer; however, their super chats can cost anywhere between $1 and $500.
When streaming on Youtube super chats are meant more to ask a question during a live stream or to have a message read. They are generally not given just to build hype on the channel.
What Should You Use To Donate On Twitch And YouTube Gaming?
When it comes to donating on livestreaming platforms such as Twitch or Youtube Gaming it is best to donate money through PayPal rather than donating using the currency of the platform. Donating with PayPal is quick, easy, and reliable.
If you are bouncing around from different platforms looking to donate to streamers it may be difficult to keep up with the different ways to donate; super chats, Twitch bits, etc.
This is why I say it is best and easiest to just set up a PayPal account and then do all your donations through PayPal.
Most streamers, regardless of the platform, will have a link where you can donate to them through PayPal and so it’s pretty much a universal way to donate to any streamer.
If you want to know how to donate on Twitch check out my article here.
For even more streaming tips and how-to content check out my Youtube channel here. And if you want to check out my streams then stop by my Twitch channel here.
Sources
https://www.twitch.tv/p/en/legal/terms-of-service/
Eric streams 3 days a week on Twitch and uploads weekly to Youtube under the moniker, StreamersPlaybook. He loves gaming, PCs, and anything else related to tech. He’s the founder of the website StreamersPlaybook and loves helping people answer their streaming, gaming, and PC questions.
