Balancing VTuber Streaming Vs Real Life

Becoming a VTuber is awesome, especially after seeing its meteoric rise in popularity. It’s become one of the best ways to build an online presence, with creative content and the myriad of ways one can attract an audience. With enough growth and support, VTubing has the potential to be the most profitable job ever.

VTubing is so great, in fact, that a lot of people have made successful careers out of it, whether they’re indies or working for an agency. But behind all the fun content, the great clips, and the hearty laughs is hard work—and I mean a lot of hard work!

Do you ever wonder how your favorite VTubers are able to manage through all that hard work? Well, read on and find out.

VTubers Spend A Lot Of Time In Their Craft

One trend that always seems to follow VTubers, no matter how big or small, is how many hours they put into entertaining their audiences or creating any content. There’s also the number of hours spent optimizing stream setups, getting better equipment, and generally improving the quality of their content.

It’s not uncommon to see an agency VTuber tell a story about their managers worrying about their talents’ health due to that. People in chat always ask the VTubers they watch to take care of themselves. It’s heartwarming to see all that work pay off for those people who have managed to turn VTubing into their only job.

However, for every VTuber that’s become financially independent through their craft alone, hundreds more invest a lot of time trying to achieve the same thing… while also having to deal with real-life matters. We can go on and on about how being a VTuber in a large company is a dream job, but in reality, the people currently in it started off the same way.

They were either indie VTubers or content creators that needed to balance content creation, their 9-5 jobs, and other adult responsibilities. As you can imagine, that’s not an easy task. Adult responsibilities and full-time jobs are already too much for some of us; adding content creation on top of that can be overwhelming.

Having spent time with a lot of VTuber friends, I asked some of them how they’re able to balance VTubing and real life. It was an insightful conversation, and all their answers varied, but they agreed that the most important thing to learn in order to balance these two things is knowing what to prioritize.

Prioritizing What’s Important

I know, it sounds cliche to just throw out the term “priorities” as the answer and call it a day, but that’s how it is. Setting priorities is something we do on a regular basis. For instance, our 9-5 jobs are more important than… almost everything else. They’re our main source of income.

Without that income, we can’t feed ourselves and pay our bills. That takes a higher priority than VTubing and content creation. Sure, VTubing is a hobby that sometimes pays, but it’s not a replacement for their regular work. One of my friends was asked: “Do you make money off of being a VTuber?” He said yes, then it was followed up by “How do I make money as a VTuber?” His response to that was simple: “The best way to make money as a VTuber is to get a job.”

I can’t say I disagree with that. My friends face this reality, with some of them needing to take long hiatuses from streaming because real life has kept them so busy that they don’t have time for anything else.

It’s not just limited to work, though—a lot of the VTubers I know are still in college or even senior high school. Their studies always go first. It’s a regular thing to see VTubers take breaks due to studying or due to exams. They’re all working towards securing a better future for themselves, even if it doesn’t come through VTubing.

Another important thing to prioritize is our personal health. If you are too tired from school or work to stream or do any VTuber activities, it’s better to rest. It’s not healthy to try to force yourself to stream, even more so if you’re sick.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Content creation can be a taxing job, as VTubers have to deal with the mental stress that comes with it. They have to think of fresh ideas for content, keep their audience entertained, read through negative comments, and deal with unsavory people who disrupt their streams

If you don’t feel like your head is in the right place to create any content, then it’s best to take a mental health break and come back when you’re ready.

Remember that for most of us, VTubing is a hobby first. It’s fun, and it’s fulfilling, but it’s also something that we do on the side—and that’s okay. The key here is to strike a balance between VTubing and your real life! 

You Don’t Have to Sacrifice VTubing Completely

The truth is that not every VTuber gets to succeed the same way the bigger VTubers do. There are lots of people who give up VTubing because they have too much on their plate or because they think it isn’t profitable and worth the time invested.

Some people may have expected a bit too much from VTubing, not realizing that it’s not an investment that pays off right away. It’s not a bad thing to want to make money off of VTubing, mind you, but it is extremely difficult to achieve since it requires a ton of hard work… and some luck. Okay, a lot of luck.

Does that mean that people shouldn’t try to be VTubers? No, not at all. If you’re interested in trying VTubing, go for it! It’s recommended, however, that you learn to manage your expectations as a VTuber. Success does not come overnight, and the chances of catching lightning in a bottle are extremely low.

Yes, VTubing can be profitable, but it takes thousands of hours and potentially thousands of dollars to get the outcome you want. But you know what? Do it anyway! As mentioned earlier, VTubing is a hobby. Treat it like one—Balance VTubing with your real-life job or school!! Otherwise, what’s the point of having it as a hobby?

Worry about the growth and turning it into a full-time gig later. The quote “If you build it, they will come” applies here—make great content, enjoy yourself, and people will eventually flock towards you.

Wrapping It Up

The balancing act of VTubing and real life is hard but definitely doable. As long as you prioritize yourself first and manage your expectations towards VTubing, you’ll be fine. And of course, VTubing should be enjoyable.

Life is hard, and we don’t need to make it any harder on ourselves by doing something we don’t enjoy. Good luck!