Before VTubing, I just streamed art and stuff with/without webcam! And then right at the VTuber boom of 2020, a couple of my friends told me I should try to be a VTuber since I already had experience doing stuff in Live2D. So I just made a joke character, and then I eventually just… kinda kept doing it, since I really like not having to deal with lighting/camera stuff and also trying to look at least semi-decent on camera!! It was also super nice since I involved myself into a couple different VTuber-specific communities, and made a lot of streamer friends that way.
What/how did y’all get into VTubing? :>
Not quite the target you were thinking of, probably, but the sub is a bit too dead for my tastes, so:
As a fan who never understood the whole parasocial thing and was turned off by what I saw as the typical Streamer stuff, Streamers covering stuff I was interested in is how I found them. The whole trying to be lewd and parasocial thing most VTubers seem to go for still turns me away from most. Basically, I’m consuming most content like I would any other video on YouTube.
virtualharby would be the first. During the last r/place event, an obsessive “fan” of hers decided to use bots to place her face into the location a game sub was already using. Basically, small community vs 1 guy with bots. She called him out and berated him on stream, then got a small shoutout in the sub’s pixel art. I followed her and started watching if a Stream seemed interesting. (Mostly does game programming or plays games on stream.) She’s still the only one whose Streams I occasionally watch live. Due to her having ~20 viewers, the parasociality is less of an issue for me, I suppose. Since chatters can actually talk with her like normal people, viewing her as an online acquaintance works for me.
I only really sort-of got into VTubers proper due to being recommended a couple shorts by Filian, and the prevalent lewdness of the community seems to weird her out as much as it does me. I’m still only watching some VODs or edited videos, though. Mostly her collabs with other people like her friends LaynaLazar and ProjektMelody. Also got into some cooking videos by Onigiri. Check out this great song by Auteru Tori.
There have been a couple YouTubers who I don’t count as getting me into VTubers. I’m not watching their streams, if they have any at all.
Drumsy runs a virtual reality show (mostly comedic sketches). VRchat is the medium, but I don’t think his group are streamers.
RedRisley is a streamer, but I’m only watching edited gameplay footage, and she’s also considering switching to being a “normal” streamer.
Thrillseeker does VR tech related content, but rarely Streams.
Phia’s The Virtual Reality Show and TVRS Studio feature VTubers on occasion, including an interview with Filian, but are more about VRChat culture, communities and people.