I'm sure with the number of people who play, that there has to be a few people who live stream on platforms like Twitch and Kick, but I see so few who do it on a regular basis. I do stream on places like Beamstream, Velora, Blaze Stream, Nimo and others, but I am wonder where you stream at if you do?
(Reacting on "there are so few" - the question is otherwise easy for AI, Twitch & YouTube should work, no brainer) I suspect the reason for not really streaming trains is that it isn't particularly involving. You can definitely transfer skills or discuss stuff, but rather rarely. The genre is also ASMR-like, so discussing stuff is not exactly ideal. You might as well just watch a real cab ride. Much better tree and bush variety there. And while the majority is still mediocre especially due to repetitive scenery in flat areas (99% of UK and NL content), there are many fantastic cab rides from Austria, Switzerland, the Balkans and many other areas showing majestic mid-to-distant scenery - which is not something games do well. Streams are either sport (MOBA), informational-ad (showcasing content or skills), community or various levels of adult interests (lonely people watching a fine specimen of the other gender, longing for connection). Bushcraft for example ticks a couple boxes here. Playing trains is a different matter, it's a relaxing matter but somewhat involving.
Sounds to me that this thread was started as more of an advert than a question!? "You might as well just watch a real cab ride". I disagree... Personally I watch lots of TSC streams (live and recorded) but only on YouTube. For a new player/viewer there's tons of channels on their with content going back to the earliest days of TSC, including some of the main developers like DTG (old stuff only), Just Trains (or their employees) and Alan Thomson himself. But ordinary game players like Joe Dobson, British Ace and Tintin57 (who sometimes posts on this forum) are among the best for an unbiased look at TSC content and info. All three either worked or still work on the railways (including one who is a driver). They are quick to stream new content (including free third party routes) and there is plenty of live chat about Train Simulators (and other games). However, all the above are UK based and rarely stream railways from other countries.
I don't watch streaming videos as they usually have a Chat thing going on which is distracting from what you are trying to watch
I personally prefer to drive than watch others. I cannot believe that there would be a huge demand to watch others drive a simulated train unless they are seen as a well known person of interest and some new product is being released ( which would be slim pickings for TSC).
I've seen live streams of TSC with several hundred viewers/chatters though not so much recently and, yes, the streamer was a well liked YouTube/Twitch streamer gamer. It's surprising how popular (relatively) that streaming simulation games is. Whether it be bus, train or trucks. YouTuber squirrel has been doing it for a living for more than 10 years. And the likes of Colonel Failure (Sam who worked at DTG a while back) has also streamed transport games several times a week for years. I'm happy to watch hours of the stuff - but I admit, I do need to get a life :-(
The thing about niche topics isn't that they're bad, but you can't really aim to become famous and live off of doing them. The proper approach is to accept that it's niche and do it for fun. To entertain yourself. The option that you'll have a few interactions during your play. You share it because it's fun and you're open for a conversation. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, who cares, also great. My analogue is music - I listen to kinds of music that I'd simply summarize as serious. Deep, heavy, dark stuff. If I were talking about metal, that would still be relatively pop but no, other genres. Many musicians started out as niche but realizing their limits they gravitated towards poppy stuff. Truck, bus and racing sims are fundamentally different because they're a lot more involving. At the very least, faster. The kids of my partner can't imagine games below 240 apm. They're hitting their phones like they've several very advanced neurotic syndromes. And these games do require certain attention. In TSC my mind usually wanders, unless I'm glaring at the speedometer. Just like Heilung's In Maidjan, so does TSC have a following. A small, dedicated and happy one. Wardruna has a wider following, but Ed Sheeran most certainly wins.
