You can't be serious. Streaming yourself in a hot tub playing with an inflatable ball is a job? Then it's softcore porn, at best. These people are paid to be literally playing video games.
They are being paid to be entertainers. A majority of people streaming don't get any noticable viewership even though they "play video games" every day. The people getting paid are entertaining (to some segment of the population), and put on a show while they play video games or sit in a hot tub. Video games and the hot tub are just the backdrop to the entertainment.
If feel like a quick experiment, I suggest one try watching a 2 viewer stream for 30 minutes, followed by a top stream for 30 minutes. I would wager that time will move quite slowly waiting for 30. minutes while watching the 2 viewer streamer playing the same video game as the top streamer. And while you might not totally enjoy streaming in general, I would guess that watching the top streamer will be a lot easier to endure a 30 minute watch.
Should entertainers, actors, and athletes be paid so much? That is a whole other topic, but I see no reason to separate out streamers from any of these other types of positions that are paid to entertain us.
You might not find the star athlete of some sports team interesting or worth watching, but millions of other people in your area do find it worth their time and money. Same with streamers.
I quite dislike the twitch subscription and beg for donation model.
If you're not doing it for your own enjoyment, it quickly becomes a job, just like ... porn.
Besides, you're glossing over all the interaction with the audience which is very much the work part.
Let me introduce you to QA game tester, a full time job that pays you to play video games. A regulated job in many countries.
Let me also introduce you to the concept that you, being on HN, are likely “paid to be on the computer all day”. Not much of a job if you ask me.
My marketing assistant is literally paid to spend time on Instagram.
And that’s not even to mention our resident dang, who’s just paid to be on HN.
It's a mix of being entertaining personality and providing a show to the viewer.
That's kinda like saying "how's TV host a job, the guy just sits on the chair and talks".
You probably don't have the skills to do this - as the article shows, even the vast majority of streamers can't make it work, let alone non streamers.
This isn't an argument that applies to softcore porn streamers, that's a different kind of work altogether. The dynamics of watching a good player to be entertained is different to that of lonely guys donating to someone attractive.
Then get into SW engineering.
Or if they are mostly playing, they're probably one of the best in the world at the game.