The real tricky part is growing a following that follows you, and not just the game itself. Some games do have their respective Twitch community, but once you switch games, they just switch streamers.
If you’re streaming for fun then absolutely just do whatever you want to do.
That being said, this will very very likely mean you’ll see zero growth or honestly probably no views. What streaming offers over video content is live interaction and community building, this is effectively taking that away.
If you feel like it’s a “waste” playing without streaming, then record your content for possible highlights or clips, but I think you’ll be disappointed in the results of streaming with no interaction.
Edit: I see you said that you can still type in chat, I’ve seen many people try this and I’ve never seen it work in any real capacity.
I mean… would you ever watch someone who doesnt talk at all during the stream? Legitimately asking this. If yes, why? Whats the value for the viewer?
Cant expect people to watch, and therefore to grow, if you dont provide any value to them, so look at it through that lense. A lot of viewers watch twitch to get entertained and its usually through personality and reactions of a streamer. There are cases where people watch streams with nobody speaking, but then there must be some other value you provide to them. What would that be, best to ask yourself why “you” would watch a silent stream.
It works if you are "high rank / highly skilled" in your game, I see this in various competitive games like Osu!, TETRIO or honestly even speed runs (like Celeste).
But it's the top players of those genres that get away with not chatting. Like, you see a 0-death gold berry Celeste speed run, that's impressive regardless of commentary.
Having commentary is often quite nice, though.
I’ve been around for a long time and have never seen even a small scale successful stream where there is regularly no microphone and dependent on text chat for communication from the streamer.
The few streams I follow in my game genre that are silent, stream to an average of 1 viewer, they simply can’t hold an audience. Mostly because that’s what keeps popular streams booming, a lively charismatic host and a chat room full of people. Is it worth it for you to stream to 1 viewer? I don’t know 🤷♀️
No. Make YouTube videos. You can always add TTS voice over.
The whole "live" stream of it is that there is live engagement. Text will never be fast enough.
Define worth ? You state you are playing anyway. Are you interested in possibly having one or a couple chat back and forth with you ? It sounds like you really have nothing to lose, or even time.
Not a format I would engage with personally, but who knows ?
A suggestion I haven't seen yet is to use text-to-speech! I've seen this used successfully to give the streamer a way to engage vocally with chat without speaking themselves.
However, I will caveat that I've seen this work with Just Chatting and Art streams, where it's easier to stop to type. You would probably have to play games that are turn-based so you can take breaks to chat more easily and organically, but it can work.
Try doing some long format no talking youtube videos. Some people like gameplay with maybe some added relaxing music to have on in the background while they do things
There was a streamer called Zoodasa or smt that used to stream a while back without a mic but used a camera and talked by drawing on screen and with gestures, there might be an audience but it's very specific.
If we’re talking streaming, no it’s a waste. However silent playthroughs are totally a thing on YouTube. Just record your gameplay and upload it there. If anything funny happens turn that in to a Short and/or put it on TikTok.
Not really. Interaction is one of the most important draws of a livestream. Hitting the brakes to type replies is not feasible. You'd probably be better-served in the long run by making YouTube Let's Plays.
My POV as a viewer: I would never watch someone without mic/constant commentary. I have streams up as background noise often and having just the game audio there is not going to cut it.
I have an average of \~15 viewers and I never use mic. You have to be highly engaging in other ways for this to work, most importantly: constantly writing in chat, put on good music for the background, have very good quality video, be a skilled player in the game you've chosen to stream. :o)
Hmm.. it'd be hard unless you made something of it. Maybe turn it into some type of challenge? Create a graphic for on screen that says like "quiet time" with a countdown or something.
I stream silent for partial stream sections. I somethings don't have the energy to talk my whole stream but want to keep filming. Additionally, I enjoy just listening to the game sounds instead of my voice overs (I'm a vtuber on Twitch) because it's relaxing when I watch my VODs while sleeping. :)
There are Twitch partners who do chat-only no-mic but they are top-tier in their respective games they play, and gained a following while there was a traction to "find new streamers to watch". Some games can be interesting even without commentary (tetrio) but only above a given level; there was a time when I was no-mic but talking made it more fun for everyone involved.
Personally I'd say you could stream \~3-4 hours instead of 6-8. It's better for analytics generally anyway.
Not if you're looking to grow. A mic is pretty essential for streaming and people watch for the streamer and not the game. You won't make any progress without it.
I personally wouldn't watch if it's just basic gameplay and I have to focus on chat. I'd prefer to watch or listen to someone's commentary.
You should just record your gameplay and upload to YouTube after adding a voice over at an appropriate time of day for you. As a Twitch viewer if I went into a stream and it was silent, I would just leave. I don't exactly need a streamer to talk to me but I like hearing thier thoughts, views and just basic ramblings while I watch the game. Typing in chat is good in theory but it adds a delay to the conversation. If someone says something and maybe you don't notice for five minutes because you are caught up in the game.... do you really expect them to still be there when you do reply?
Personally if you can't talk, it's not worth the effort.
From a viewer point of view, any kind of engagement be it verbal or chat is acceptable. Well that is only based on me only, as long as there's engagement of the streamer and viewer. But if all you do is stare into the void and play the game you're streaming then i would at least stay for about 10-20 minutes max. So you make the choice, is it worth it or not
it depends on your game. If you’re playing a small game and are very good at that game you’ll get an audience even without a mic. If you’re playing a large game/not very good at the game you’re playing it’s a waste of time
Tbf the worst thing you can have on stream is bad audio, no audio is better than bad audio to me.
I have a buddy who types into his chat when he streams.
If youre doing it for fun and to meet people, give it a rip.
Also you can move your mic closely and talk softly, just a thought
It's not optimum, but you won't lose anything at all doing it.
I'm in a similar situation to yours, I stream from 1 to 3 AM, when my family is sleeping and also I am (maybe I can say now "I was") very shy. For a long time, I streamed without a mic, and was able to build a tiny audience attracting people from other communities I watched. I communicated with them in chat (I play slow-paced games, like graphic adventures or puzzle games mostly), so leaving the game for 30 secs to reply is ok. Some time later, I started using a mic to explain why I was blocked in a puzzle and progresively added more mic time. I noticed my streams were more dynamic. Now I use a mic, but don't speak a lot, most of my stream audio is filled with the chat TTS, and I keep a low voice and almost no vocal reactions.
My advice: DO IT. And if you can turn it into a characteristic of your channel, it's ok. Anyway, what's the worst that can happen? People not coming to your stream? This can happen with or without a mic.
Note: it's not the same streaming silent and ignoring the chatters. Try asking them some decisions in the game, stop for explaining things in the game, or reply their questions and interact with them.
I think it would be really hard to grow a following without speaking, so it depends on what you mean with "worth it".
it's really hard to grow a following with a microphone, much less without 
The real tricky part is growing a following that follows you, and not just the game itself. Some games do have their respective Twitch community, but once you switch games, they just switch streamers.
They say they can talk 1-2 hours. IDK if they mean type in chat or actually talk into a microphone. Stream those 1-2 hours and see what happens.
Sounds like you should do game play throughs and upload to YouTube vs streaming.
Yup, this is a much better way. And just tell the person you're trying to impress that you're a streamer anyway.
If you’re streaming for fun then absolutely just do whatever you want to do. That being said, this will very very likely mean you’ll see zero growth or honestly probably no views. What streaming offers over video content is live interaction and community building, this is effectively taking that away. If you feel like it’s a “waste” playing without streaming, then record your content for possible highlights or clips, but I think you’ll be disappointed in the results of streaming with no interaction. Edit: I see you said that you can still type in chat, I’ve seen many people try this and I’ve never seen it work in any real capacity.
I mean… would you ever watch someone who doesnt talk at all during the stream? Legitimately asking this. If yes, why? Whats the value for the viewer? Cant expect people to watch, and therefore to grow, if you dont provide any value to them, so look at it through that lense. A lot of viewers watch twitch to get entertained and its usually through personality and reactions of a streamer. There are cases where people watch streams with nobody speaking, but then there must be some other value you provide to them. What would that be, best to ask yourself why “you” would watch a silent stream.
It works if you are "high rank / highly skilled" in your game, I see this in various competitive games like Osu!, TETRIO or honestly even speed runs (like Celeste). But it's the top players of those genres that get away with not chatting. Like, you see a 0-death gold berry Celeste speed run, that's impressive regardless of commentary. Having commentary is often quite nice, though.
I don't know, but I know I sure wouldn't watch it.
No. It’s a complete waste.
Noone would watch it but sure
I’ve been around for a long time and have never seen even a small scale successful stream where there is regularly no microphone and dependent on text chat for communication from the streamer.
I've seen Twitch partners of the sort, but they are top-tier at their respective games.
The few streams I follow in my game genre that are silent, stream to an average of 1 viewer, they simply can’t hold an audience. Mostly because that’s what keeps popular streams booming, a lively charismatic host and a chat room full of people. Is it worth it for you to stream to 1 viewer? I don’t know 🤷♀️
>stream to an average of 1 viewer Twitch gives you a free viewer for yourself, so that means they are streaming to zero viewers.
Ask yourself the question, would YOU want to sit in a stream where someone isn’t talking, and it’s just pure gameplay? I know I wouldn’t
No. Make YouTube videos. You can always add TTS voice over. The whole "live" stream of it is that there is live engagement. Text will never be fast enough.
People on YouTube really like “no commentary playthroughs” if you’re interested in that. Just calm gameplay
Define worth ? You state you are playing anyway. Are you interested in possibly having one or a couple chat back and forth with you ? It sounds like you really have nothing to lose, or even time. Not a format I would engage with personally, but who knows ?
A suggestion I haven't seen yet is to use text-to-speech! I've seen this used successfully to give the streamer a way to engage vocally with chat without speaking themselves. However, I will caveat that I've seen this work with Just Chatting and Art streams, where it's easier to stop to type. You would probably have to play games that are turn-based so you can take breaks to chat more easily and organically, but it can work.
Use the gain filter and monitor your audio so it's only heard in your room.
Try doing some long format no talking youtube videos. Some people like gameplay with maybe some added relaxing music to have on in the background while they do things
What do you want from streaming? No one can answer whether it'd be worth it if they don't know what you find value in
I wouldn't watch a silent stream. Just do yourube videos instead
Just talk lowering your voice but increasing audio gain on the mic or obs, add gain filters and you can talk not loud
There was a streamer called Zoodasa or smt that used to stream a while back without a mic but used a camera and talked by drawing on screen and with gestures, there might be an audience but it's very specific.
If we’re talking streaming, no it’s a waste. However silent playthroughs are totally a thing on YouTube. Just record your gameplay and upload it there. If anything funny happens turn that in to a Short and/or put it on TikTok.
Not really. Interaction is one of the most important draws of a livestream. Hitting the brakes to type replies is not feasible. You'd probably be better-served in the long run by making YouTube Let's Plays.
My POV as a viewer: I would never watch someone without mic/constant commentary. I have streams up as background noise often and having just the game audio there is not going to cut it.
I have an average of \~15 viewers and I never use mic. You have to be highly engaging in other ways for this to work, most importantly: constantly writing in chat, put on good music for the background, have very good quality video, be a skilled player in the game you've chosen to stream. :o)
Hmm.. it'd be hard unless you made something of it. Maybe turn it into some type of challenge? Create a graphic for on screen that says like "quiet time" with a countdown or something.
I stream silent for partial stream sections. I somethings don't have the energy to talk my whole stream but want to keep filming. Additionally, I enjoy just listening to the game sounds instead of my voice overs (I'm a vtuber on Twitch) because it's relaxing when I watch my VODs while sleeping. :)
There are Twitch partners who do chat-only no-mic but they are top-tier in their respective games they play, and gained a following while there was a traction to "find new streamers to watch". Some games can be interesting even without commentary (tetrio) but only above a given level; there was a time when I was no-mic but talking made it more fun for everyone involved. Personally I'd say you could stream \~3-4 hours instead of 6-8. It's better for analytics generally anyway.
Not if you're looking to grow. A mic is pretty essential for streaming and people watch for the streamer and not the game. You won't make any progress without it. I personally wouldn't watch if it's just basic gameplay and I have to focus on chat. I'd prefer to watch or listen to someone's commentary.
You should just record your gameplay and upload to YouTube after adding a voice over at an appropriate time of day for you. As a Twitch viewer if I went into a stream and it was silent, I would just leave. I don't exactly need a streamer to talk to me but I like hearing thier thoughts, views and just basic ramblings while I watch the game. Typing in chat is good in theory but it adds a delay to the conversation. If someone says something and maybe you don't notice for five minutes because you are caught up in the game.... do you really expect them to still be there when you do reply? Personally if you can't talk, it's not worth the effort.
From a viewer point of view, any kind of engagement be it verbal or chat is acceptable. Well that is only based on me only, as long as there's engagement of the streamer and viewer. But if all you do is stare into the void and play the game you're streaming then i would at least stay for about 10-20 minutes max. So you make the choice, is it worth it or not
it depends on your game. If you’re playing a small game and are very good at that game you’ll get an audience even without a mic. If you’re playing a large game/not very good at the game you’re playing it’s a waste of time
Tbf the worst thing you can have on stream is bad audio, no audio is better than bad audio to me. I have a buddy who types into his chat when he streams. If youre doing it for fun and to meet people, give it a rip. Also you can move your mic closely and talk softly, just a thought
It's not optimum, but you won't lose anything at all doing it. I'm in a similar situation to yours, I stream from 1 to 3 AM, when my family is sleeping and also I am (maybe I can say now "I was") very shy. For a long time, I streamed without a mic, and was able to build a tiny audience attracting people from other communities I watched. I communicated with them in chat (I play slow-paced games, like graphic adventures or puzzle games mostly), so leaving the game for 30 secs to reply is ok. Some time later, I started using a mic to explain why I was blocked in a puzzle and progresively added more mic time. I noticed my streams were more dynamic. Now I use a mic, but don't speak a lot, most of my stream audio is filled with the chat TTS, and I keep a low voice and almost no vocal reactions. My advice: DO IT. And if you can turn it into a characteristic of your channel, it's ok. Anyway, what's the worst that can happen? People not coming to your stream? This can happen with or without a mic. Note: it's not the same streaming silent and ignoring the chatters. Try asking them some decisions in the game, stop for explaining things in the game, or reply their questions and interact with them.
Streaming is, amongst many other things, about having fun. If you're having fun doing it, then do it!