Are You Trying to Buy Me with Money?!
Thanks to Han-ah's help, setting up the stream itself didn't take long. I created an account on the streaming platform, Switch. Since I had no intention of showing my actual face, I skipped the webcam. Instead, we set up a body cam and a third-person aerial cam to broadcast my combat scenes in real-time. Finally, I configured the audio settings to transmit my voice. This was more than enough. After finishing a final test broadcast, I officially went live.
[Geummisa is Live!] - Asteria Placement Matches (Currently 5-0)
In the end, my streaming alias became Geummisa. To be completely honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the name, but it felt like too much hassle to come up with a new one. Besides, everyone already called me Geummisa anyway, so I decided to just go with the flow.
"..."
Naturally, going live didn't mean viewers would instantly flood in. This was my very first broadcast, after all. Usually, the only people who get instant crowds the moment they hit the 'Go Live' button are mega-streamers. Han-ah had claimed that the level of buzz around my name right now was on par with those giant influencers, but it sounded so absurd I couldn't bring myself to believe it.
Maybe people will join if I'm actually playing a game?
But I wanted to finish the rest of my Placement Matches from start to finish with people watching. That was the whole reason I had held off on playing them in the first place. Actually, I had originally planned to finish them all beforehand, but I decided to follow Han-ah's advice to show the placement process live.
"No one's coming."
The viewer count was still at zero. I used to think being a streamer was an easy gig, but I guess that only applies when you actually have an audience. What was I even supposed to do when absolutely nobody was watching?
I knew I had to do something. Usually, if people click into a stream and find it dead silent, they leave immediately. You have to keep talking to get them to settle in and stay. What could I talk about to fill the dead air? First, I decided to check if my audio was working properly.
"Ah, test, test."
Checking my own stream on Switch, my voice played back to me. Hearing my voice through a broadcast like this felt strange, but it actually didn't sound half bad. Most people writhe in cringe when they hear recordings of their own voice, but in my case, it seemed I still hadn't fully internalized this body as my own.
"Hmm."
I wanted to have some casual banter ready for when viewers did arrive, but nothing came to mind. Should I recite some of those corny children's joke books I'd picked up during my days as a Hero? I wasn't exactly a smooth talker, and I certainly wasn't the type who could comfortably babble to an empty room. If there were at least one person listening, it would be so much easier.
Maybe I should have promoted the stream on that 'gallery' forum Han-ah mentioned?
Once again, the importance of self-promotion and clickbait hit me. Whether it's streaming or running a business, if you want to make money off people, you first need something to grab their attention.
No matter how famous I supposedly was, that was strictly limited to Han-ah's stream. At least, that's how it felt to me. Among the active users on Switch, far more people had never heard of Geummisa than those who had. Naturally, no one was going to search for a random new streamer named Geummisa.
So, what was within my power to generate some clickbait? First was the stream title. Usually, viewers browse streams by their titles and categories. I locked the category to Asteria. Since I was planning to do my Placement Matches today, I honestly wrote "Placement Matches" and added my current record next to it.
"Is this too bland?"
On second thought, [Asteria Placement Matches (Currently 5-0)] was incredibly cliché. Sure, a 5-0 record was impressive, but with so many other streams to watch, I doubted anyone would click on mine just for that. With that logic in mind, I racked my brain and began editing the stream title in real-time.
Blonde Beauty Samurai Shocks the World? China in Shock, America Cheers, Japan in Tears—
...The only videos I'd watched recently were those nationalistic clickbait channels, so that was the first thing that popped into my head. Truly, the peak of clickbait. But the title was too long and would get cut off anyway.
Rising Star Streamer Praised by Famous Streamer 'Samurai'.
It would definitely draw eyes, but using someone else's name like that felt wrong. Especially since we weren't close and had never even met.
[LIVE] Newbie Streamer, 3 Weeks into Asteria, Running Placement Matches~
No, that wasn't it either. Why couldn't I think of anything good? I never realized I lacked creativity in this specific department.
I spent the next few minutes typing and deleting titles like Han-ah's Bus Driver, The Most Beautiful Girl in the County's Stream, and Katana Master.
"...?"
A goofy, synthesized text-to-speech voice echoed out. Realizing something had changed, I finally lifted my head from where it had been buried. When I turned my gaze, I noticed lines of text rapidly scrolling up in a corner of the screen. The words were questioning my behavior.
"Ah."
Those scrolling lines weren't just random text; they were live chat messages from real people. I had been so hyper-focused that I hadn't even noticed people joining.
"Two hundred?"
When on earth did so many people get here? And two hundred, no less. Suddenly, my intense agonizing over a stream title felt incredibly silly.
Watching the viewers' chat, I edited the stream title once more.
[Geummisa is Live!] - Asteria Placement Matches: Undefeated (Planned)
There would be no more edits. The room was already packed to the brim. From here on out, all that was left was to run the stream and show them exactly what I was capable of.
"Hello, everyone."
I offered a casual greeting and queued up for a match. As the matchmaking system searched for a game, I briefly introduced my stream and stated my goals.
"I am the Blonde Beautiful Girl... Samurai. *Ahem*. Today, I'll be doing my Placement Matches. Naturally, the goal is to go undefeated."
"What's wrong with JJungPark?"
It wasn't my favorite nickname either, but at least it was derived from my real name. It had way more heritage than the ridiculous "Blonde Beautiful Girl Samurai" they had randomly slapped on me. I was in the middle of protesting when—
"..."
My current in-game name was still JJungPark. I could have matched it to my stream name if I wanted to, but this was my last shred of pride, a declaration of my own will.
"I absolutely cannot—"
Click, click—
Would you like to purchase a Name Change Ticket?
Name change complete!
Welcome, Blonde Beautiful Girl Samurai!
What? Why are you looking at me like that? Pride doesn't put food on the table.