Hailing from the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, they’re a husband-and-wife streaming team that’s been going for just over half a year. While they enjoy newer games, like Red Dead Redemption 2, they also favor classic titles from the Mario and Zelda series. So, you can expect a bit of variety from them. Ultimately, whether you’re interested in starting a channel of your own or just watching, Cameron & Nora Gaming has helpful insight.

Cameron and Nora On Video Game Live Streaming

Getting to Know Cameron and Nora

SG: First and foremost, why don’t you tell us a little bit about your channel. When did you first get the idea to start streaming together and how long has your channel been going now?

C&N: We started our Twitch channel in response to one of our favorite YouTube couples playing a game on stream – and they weren’t great at it. Nora thought the game looked fun and wanted to see it played without the person she was watching getting distracted or dying constantly. So, that’s how we did our first play through of the game, Subnautica. It’s also something fun we can do together, and we’ve noticed that there aren’t too many two-person streams out there. So, we thought we could hit a niche market. Though we started in July 2021, we didn’t get super into upgrading it and giving it attention until August. But since then, we have gotten over 200 followers and, on average, 15 subscribers a month. And the channel is still growing.

SG: Obviously, game streaming has become quite popular as a form of entertainment, and there are a lot of people out there doing it. So, what about your channel sets you apart from the rest? Overall, what would you say makes you unique?

C&N: There’s two of us! That’s a huge thing that a lot of other channels don’t have. We play a lot of two-player games. But then, there’s one player games that we trade off playing and will compete with each other on. We think it’s a fun experience that other channels don’t get to offer unless they do a joint stream with others. But we get that on our channel all the time!

We also engage with our viewers and offer them the opportunity to engage back with us. In fact, they can use their channel points, which are free, to activate sound boards and change how our voices sound live.

SG: On a more personal note, when did each of you first start gaming, and if you remember, what were the first titles you played?

C&N: We both started gaming really young – maybe like six or so. Nora started with Tetris, whcih she played with her mom. And Cameron remembers playing the combo Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on NES with his dad.

SG: Obviously, you already mentioned having the ability to play two-player titles on your channel. What would you say are some of your personal favorites to stream?

C&N: One of both of our favorites, but Nora’s especially, is the Subnautica series. She loves that open-world environmental exploration with the story leading that way. It’s an amazing game if you’ve never played it. Cameron’s favorites are some of the old-school games like Super Mario World, Punch-Out, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Minecraft. So, we have a pretty broad range of games that we play on our channel. And we’re always open to suggestions.

SG: Apart from titles you’ve streamed, what are your individual favorite games of all time?

C&N: Oh, man. That can be a long list for Cameron. Kingdom Hearts, Grand Theft Auto series, anything Legend of Zelda, Skate 3, Skyrim, Fallout series, The Warrios on PS2, so many others. If you wanna hear them all, come over to our stream and I’ll tell you a bunch of games you shuld play.

For Nora, her favorites are Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and Subnautica.

Starting a Video Game Live Streaming Channel

SG: Now that we’ve learned about you both, why don’t you tell us more about your channel. Anyone who’s ever tried starting a channel, blog, business or anything of the sort knows it can be difficult from concept to reality. What does the process of actually getting a video game live streaming channel running look like?

C&N: It definitely has been an ongoing process since we first started the channel. We began with our cellphone on a tiny handheld tripod on our living room table. That had a terrible camera angle, and we only had one gaming headset to pick up both of our audio. Slowly, we’ve invested money into it piece by piece and have gotten it to a pretty decent production value. Of course, we are always upgrading and adding to it to increase the production. Our current goal is for better audio. And that is a whole thing in itself.

We basically have a setup that we build and tear down every time we want to stream. It hangs out in the middle of our living room. We actually built a retractable green screen for a fraction of the cost using green felt and long pieces of wood. It also took some PVC pipe, eye hooks, chain, a healthy amount of hot glue and green paracord. But it works way better than you’d expect. So, you don’t have to have a lot of money to get a great result.

SG: What are some of the particular challenges you ran into when first starting out that you didn’t anticipate?

C&N: Time and dedication. There were a lot of things that popped up when we first started streaming. And it can be really difficult to dedicate time every week when you have normal adult lives. We have had to make it a priority to stream. And sometimes, you aren’t really feeling it going into one. But there’s a point when you’re playing a game or doing an art project on stream and someone is interacting with you a bunch. And it’s actually a really great feeling. It’s like you’ve made a new friend. But also, you know that even if you had a bad day, you get to do something with your partner, and everything’s about to get much better.

SG: Alternatively, what are some of your biggest successes? And moreover, how do you gauge success for yourselves and your channel?

C&N: I don’t know if other channels have this, but we do have goals for ours. They’re usually small, but hey, that makes them so much better when you hit them. Our overall long-term goal is to have an average of 100 viewers on our channel. But we know to get there, we have to hit others along the way.

One of our first goals was to have five people chatting at one time. We would push so hard to engage the audience, sometimes having four peoploe and knowing there was a fifth person there and just needing them to say, “Hi.” Now, we have all sorts of people that come and chat with us. But at the time, it was a great goal to shoot for.

We’ve also had big ones like reaching a hundred followers and getting Twitch affiliate. We absolutely lost it when we reached those goals. In fact, we even did fun things like firework poppers and a giveaway once we hit those landmarks. We both know if we keep pushing, we can make it as far as we want.

SG: Overall, what’s been the most rewarding part of streaming for you both individually and together?

C&N: The most rewarding part is getting to spend this time together and watch something we’re creating grow. Cameron really enjoys building the stream and updating things within it to make it look as professional as possible. And Nora loves learning and getting to experience something that’s always been an interest of Cameron’s. She has also enjoyed getting the connection during COVID while being stuck at home.

Through this entire streaming process, her brother and his wife have been our biggest supporters and it has brought us closer to them and to each other.

SG: Obviously, your channel has seen a bit of success. You’ve met some of your goals, and you’re striving toward others. For anyone looking to get into video game live streaming, what would be your most helpful advice?

C&N: Research. You are going to put a lot of time into this – most likely an equal amount of time off stream as on. Researching will let you know you’ll need to find things like Reddit, Discord, and Twitter, which support small streamers. Watching other streamers and getting a reputation with them will help you not only grow your channel but also theirs.

Only put into the stream what you can afford. Build it slowly – you’re not going to be huge overnight. It takes time, so do what you can to make your stream the best it can be. Watch those crazy videos of how to grow your stream in 2022 or whatever. But know that you may only get one piece of useful knowledge from one video. Then, learn how to find what that info is. Don’t give up and have fun. If you’re not having fun, then who will want to watch that?

The Basis of It all

Ultimately, the last question Cameron and Nora asked is the most important for video game live streaming. “If you’re not having fun, then who will want to watch that?” In fact, at the end of the day, that’s the crux of most things in nerdom. Sure, things can be artistic or weighty, abysmally serious and hard to grapple with. After all, one of our most recent posts centered around dealing with death. But at the same time, entertainment shouldn’t be stressful or unnecessarily antagonistic. It should be a place where people can come gather, have fun and grow together.