Introduction
Recently, there have been a lot of YouTubers, and their variety is rich. Some people do not want to expose their faces to the internet. However, content with visible faces has more chances of being seen by viewers or attracting viewers’ interest and curiosity. Since 2016, V-Tubers have been getting more popular, like the earliest V-Tuber, Ai Kizuna, who is well-known in Japan (Lindblad, 2021). Since then, the popularity of V-Tubers has gotten greater. To be a V-Tuber, various knowledge should be known. Even for people who do not know much about them, that knowledge might be interesting.
Requirements for and costs of becoming a V-Tuber
A lot of stuff is required to be a V-Tuber. Generally, V-Tubers with expensive stuff have an advantage over those with cheap stuff. There are about as many various kinds of equipment as there are kinds of V-Tubers today. These are the minimum requirements needed to be a V-Tuber:
- High-spec PC
V-Tubers mainly stream or create their own content to get more subscribers. A high-spec PC would widen their content, and it would be difficult if the PC were not high-spec enough.
- Motion-tracking webcam
As a V-Tuber, you need a motion-tracking webcam in order to give motions to your avatar. It will capture your face and body motions and make your avatar move you as you move.
- Avatar
Because V-Tubers don’t show their actual faces in their videos, they use avatars to represent them. Creating an original avatar will be discussed later.
- Editing software
To create your own content, you definitely need editing software. It allows your content to be interesting and might even help you increase the number of your viewers. You can choose one that fits your needs.
- Microphone
A microphone is necessary to put your voice into the content or streaming. High-value microphones reduce noise and produce a clear and pleasant voice.
All of these are the requirements to be a 2D V-Tuber. If you wish to be a 3D one, you will need to put in some more investments for items, such as green screens.
- Creating an original avatar
For the next step, you need to create a unique avatar to start your content. For this part, there are two options you can consider:
- Ask an illustrator to make one for you.
Creating an avatar takes much more time than you expect. Because it is not that easy, you can ask and pay illustrators to help you create your ideal avatar. Commonly, it costs a minimum of 350 US dollars per avatar. - Create one using a free software site.
If you wish to make avatars with different outfits or you simply want to lower the costs, you may choose to use free software, such as avatar maker, to create them. It is an application people use to make avatars by customizing avatar features such as hairstyle, gender, skin color, etc. (Cesar, 2022). For some websites, creating avatars is free for a period of 40 days.
How to earn money as a V-Tuber
Today, some V-Tubers are earning a lot of money from many different types of sources. A V-Tuber who belongs to a V-Tuber agency receives a salary from the agency. Other solo V-Tubers earn money by themselves. This money comes from mostly YouTube or Twitch and is based on the number of views, subscriptions, or super chat (cheer on Twitch), which is given by the viewers of a stream. For example, Rushia Channel recorded the highest amount of money earned via super chat, with over four million yen (three million US dollars) as surveyed by Playboard in 2021. It is the biggest source of income for V-Tubers, but like normal YouTubers, advertising revenue is also an important source.
Conclusion
Today, many V-Tubers are actively working to earn so much money. There are chances for anyone to be a V-Tuber and become a millionaire in the future with small investments needed to start. So, if you wish to earn money, being a V-Tuber might be a good choice for you.
References
Cesar, N. (2022). Best 10 Avatar Makers in September 2022 – 16,719 reviews. [online] truely.com. Available at: https://truely.com/avatar-maker [Accessed 6 September 2022].
Lindblad, M. (2021). What is a VTuber? Your Introductory Guide. [online] FilterGrade. Available at: https://filtergrade.com/what-is-a-vtuber/#:~:text=The%20first%20recognized%20VTuber%20was%20Kizuna%20AI%2C%20who [Accessed 7 September 2022].
