My experience with Mixer

MIxer is a video streaming platform offered by Microsoft. Similar to Twitch, a popular streaming service used by an assortment of gamers to broadcast themselves playing games and giving them a forum to interact with viewers, Mixer comes preinstalled in all Xbox consoles, and is readily available on any Windows PC. The adaptability and compatibility on the Xbox is great, and it allows a novice streamer like myself to jump into the deep end of the streaming pool. Most webcams can be used to add video of yourself while playing, and any headset with a mic can be used to add your own audio. 

Jumping in I found that without some initial setup on Mixer’s website, your stream will only have basic information about the game you are playing. There are a fair amount of options you can tweak from your Xbox, but Mixer’s site is the best option for initial setup. There are deeper options if you subscribe to Mixer Pro, but until you start streaming regularly, it’s best to use the initial setup options. 

My first few streams were virtual ghost’s towns, just me and internets cruising through virtual worlds. Once I started sharing my streams and generally letting more people know I was streaming however, I gained a small audience of friends. Reminding myself to talk to the people watching was difficult, and I even had a friend or two text me to remind me to check the chat for their comments. Once I found a comfortable setup that kept my computer and my TV within my reach, it was much easier to settle into a groove while streaming. I even invited some friends over and did a few streams where we shared the sticks, and had a good time ribbing each other over our mistakes in game. 

Streaming is definitely something I didn’t think I would enjoy. I thought it would be more work than fun. Setting up all the hardware, jockeying for viewers, putting effort into being entertaining instead of just enjoying my game. In reality, the minimal effort to set up was offset by the amount of fun I had interacting with people while I played. The streams with my friends were a blast, bringing new life to some games I had long walked away from. All in all, I had a good time and the process of getting started was a cake walk. Mixer made it easy to hop into this new way of playing games and I would encourage gamers to give it a try.