The leaves are yellow, the weather is gloomy, and the urge to play horror games is stronger and stronger each day. Yep, you guessed it right, it’s that time of the year again - Spooktober! Don’t know about you, but we at Pulsoid are always a bit more energised during the Halloween season (and a bit busier too). No wonder, when there is something to make you both scared and excited in the air, there are twice as many reasons to make your heart race twice as fast. This unmistakable mood and atmosphere go really well with streaming. Horror is one of the most enticing genres to watch other people play (no! Not because we are scared of playing it ourselves!) and the overall aesthetic somehow makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. That’s why we believe that this is one of the greatest seasons to go live and interact with your audience. Here are a few ideas for your Halloween streaming inspiration provided by the Pulsoid team.
Stream in cosplay! If you’re shy about wearing cosplay on stream this is your chance to change it. Dressing up is an essential part of the true Halloween experience. Lots of people who have no idea what cosplay is are essentially doing it casually every October. You may even have one of the costumes from the past years somewhere in your closet, why not wear it on stream? We can hardly think of a better occasion to do so. Even wearing some creepy makeup will make your stream a bit more visually interesting. If you are a Vtuber it may be a good idea to try some Halloween designs for your avatar: a mask, some accessories or a full blown costume may be a great incentive for people to draw some fan art and make memes to share with other followers.
Change your overlay. Having a constant style to your stream is a big part of personal image building and recognizability but it may be a good idea to change things up a bit from time to time to keep everything fresh. Well, this is a great chance to do so. Add some more digital decorations, a Jack-o'-lantern, a spiderweb here and there, make some changes to your camera frame, or get a new overlay altogether. There are plenty of overlays you can get for free. Pulsoid offers a variety of Halloween themed widgets you can choose from that will perfectly fit into almost any creepy overlay. It’s a good time for some experiments with your visual style. Who knows, with these temporary changes you may discover something new for your usual visual style.
Create a spooky atmosphere. Digital decorations are nice but what about bringing some of that scary charm into the real world. This is especially true for your Just Chatting and IRL streams but your gaming streams will also benefit from a bit more flavor around your face. Place a carved pumpkin in the background, transform old sheets into a scary ghost to accompany you in your endeavors or put some fall decorations for a cosier look. And don't forget about lighting. Proper lighting is crucial for setting the mood right for everyone and it makes your footage look way more interesting and appealing. If you have some smart lights at your disposal you can play with colors to find something that works for you. You can even try our Pulsoid and Lumia Stream collaboration that makes it possible for you to control your lighting with your heart rate. Making your whole room go red when you get scared or having your lights pulse to your heartbeat is a great way to add some visual variety and to convey your emotions in a brand new way.
Play something scary, duh. This may seem obvious but there are a lot more people in the mood for this type of content this season. It would be stupid to neglect this opportunity. We are sure there are some classic horror games you had missed when they were released. Outlast 1 and 2, Layers of Fear, Resident Evil 7 and Village, Silent Hill and Dead Space series, SOMA, Alien: Isolation are all great games that would be still interesting to see someone play. We’ve got some remakes like Alan Wake and Resident Evil 4 VR released this October to give some classics a new take. If you are more of a “getting scared with your friends'' type of streamer Phasmophobia, Back 4 Blood and Dead by Daylight are your games of choice. Finally, we’ve got Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes coming the week before Halloween. Truly a match made in heaven (or hell?). So pick a game, put your heart monitor on, and we’ll make sure everyone sees how unbothered by all the jumpscares you really are with our horror games inspired widgets. Our automatic clip creation feature for Discord webhooks will take care of saving the moments of you being terrified for your life and share them with your followers.
Watch some scary YouTube videos. Checking out some copyrighted content owned by a big company while you are live may not be the greatest idea, but there are tons of creepy videos you can react to on stream. From shorts to hilarious “documentary vlogs” you have a wide range of content to choose from. Add your commentary, share these moments with your chat and be nice to other creators. That sounds like a great change of pace. Alternatively, you can do literature evenings with some creepy pasta reading hot chocolate milk.
Have fun! If you love this time of the year like we do then show it to its fullest extent. Excitement is contagious and we are sure your viewers will have a good time sharing it with you. Do a stream crafting some Halloween decorations or cooking pumpkin spice flavoured sweets, ask your viewers to help you choose your costume, discuss your favorite horror movies or invite your friends to do these activities together. Don’t be afraid to show your emotions, there are a lot of other things to be afraid of especially in anticipation of Halloween. We created Pulsoid to give you an opportunity to be more earnest and to provide you with some new ways of expression. That’s why we strongly believe that letting your personality shine is a key to fulfilling streaming experience.
