Chapter 17 : October’s first broadcast

The long-awaited October.

If the history of Pangea TV virtual streamers were to be recorded, this would probably be a shining, grand page.

Of course, in terms of scale, bigger events came later, but October was the month where virtual streamers were the protagonists, shining brightly all alone without the influence of big corporate streamers.

The glorious period when the word “Virtugi” appeared, and the Pangea TV bulletin board in FM Community was filled entirely with virtual-related content.

Knowing that well, I finished my morning schedule with a slightly restless feeling and sat in front of the computer.

“Huh?”

I logged into my account to browse the main screen of Pangea TV, and my message box was blinking.

Without realizing it, I instinctively flinched.

Actually, any normal person would react like this.

Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, getting cursed at for unknown reasons leaves you dumbfounded and instinctively resistant.

It wasn’t for nothing that when you join an MNC, the company manages your mail and message box.

Managing a streamer’s mental health is that important.

I took a short breath to calm myself and checked the contents of the messages I received.

“Oh?”

Fortunately, there was no message close to a hate attack.

I had recently been streaming a straightforward broadcast without stirring up trouble, so it seemed I escaped the attention of malicious people.

However, an unexpected message had arrived.

One of the two main forces that sparked the virtual boom on Pangea TV.

It was a message from Sayo, a comprehensive game streamer.

I wondered if it was a fake using a similar nickname with special characters, so I even checked the broadcast station, and it was really her.

No, why would this person message me?

Without further ado, I decided to check the message contents.

Sender: Sayo (hihi2075)

Received time: 2022-10-01 07:11:15

Yo.

Hello, I am Sayo, a comprehensive game streamer broadcasting on Pangea TV.

I’m usually very interested in virtual streamers.

I’ve enjoyed watching your debut broadcast, Seoa, and other streams occasionally.

I have some ideas about virtual-related content.

Until now, it was difficult to proceed since you, Seoa, were the only virtual streamer.

But just yesterday, some virtual streamers transferred here.

So I was hoping to create content together; would that be okay?

It’s not deep or specialized content, so you don’t need to think of it as too difficult.

If virtual streamers are broadcasting, I would join the stream like I’m visiting and watch, do some simple back-and-forth chatting…

And finally, we would all gather and wrap it up by playing briefly in VR Chat.

I plan to start around 5 or 6 PM today, so please reply if that works for you.

Ah, and please keep this message confidential. Thank you.

“You’re quicker to act than I thought. Were you always like this even before the reset?”

Right.

The information I knew before the reset was that Sayo talked about a virtual idol audition starting in early October, and the audition began in the middle of the month.

About ten days after the announcement, the audition started? It was as fast as lightning.

Because of that, a lot of inexperienced people appeared in the audition, which was unusual for a famous platform.

Many couldn’t properly show their skills and charm due to lack of preparation time.

“But I had already been preparing for the audition two months ago. My effort and preparation time are different from others.”

Knowing the future.

The greatest weapon given to someone who resets.

I happily sent a reply agreeing to it.

The long-awaited October.

I will be the protagonist of this shining first page.

The 720p incident of Rabbit TV that shook the streaming world.

Afterwards, seeing virtual streamers transferring in, Sayo had a lot of thoughts throughout the day.

“Could this be the ‘angle’?”

It was impossible with just Pangea TV’s pure virtual streamer Seoa, but new faces were appearing boldly.

And the response was good.

The most definite indicator, the number of viewers, reached 4,000 to 5,000 each time, and there was a good reaction on FM Community as well.

Analyzing the reasons, there were roughly two.

First, it was fresh and new.

Pangea TV’s star dominance lasted over a year.

It showed no sign of ending.

While fans who liked StarCraft didn’t care much, other viewers wanted this boring situation to change somehow.

Even star-haters who only wanted a non-star emerged.

The new wind of virtual streamers was the only alternative for those tired of Star.

Usually, they would say, “Ugh, these nerds,” and ignore, but as long as it wasn’t Star, they hurriedly tried a taste.

Moreover, exiles who left for YouTube and Rabbit TV because they were tired of Star were a big force.

They, having already accepted the new trend, subtly joined Pangea TV natives to create favorable opinions about virtual.

That alone was half the battle, and then the second reason appeared.

The 720p incident on rival platform Rabbit TV.

There’s a saying, “If a cousin buys land, your stomach aches.”

Meaning many people don’t want others to do well.

Pangea TV and Rabbit TV are forming a rival structure in the Korean streaming scene.

Naturally, feelings of hatred and slander are prevalent not only between companies but also among viewers.

Huh? But one day, there was a fire at the RabbitTV house?

From the perspective of PangeaTV viewers, it was the kind of thing that made you want to secretly dance with joy behind closed doors.

In that situation, virtual streamers transferred to a new platform.

To PangeaTV viewers, they could only look beautiful.

They were like trophies symbolizing the superiority of PangeaTV over RabbitTV.

Geez, how terrible must that platform be for not just one or two, but a whole bunch of streamers to transfer? Huh? Care to explain?

In this kind of atmosphere, it was only natural that the transferred streamers’ broadcasts drew large numbers of viewers right from the start.

Even if the broadcast title simply said “Transfer Student,” the room would be packed.

They had to hit the highest viewer count possible to rub it in the faces of RabbitTV viewers.

It also served as a way to advertise the success of these transfer streamers and increase the possibility of more transfers.

“They say you should row the boat when the tide comes in.”

Ten years of broadcasting experience.

Sayo had analyzed this entire situation with precision.

The current virtual boom happened due to a combination of many factors and luck; it was by no means a natural phenomenon.

If left alone, it would blaze for a moment and then gradually fizzle out.

“Most PangeaTV viewers still find virtuals unfamiliar. There’s a high rate of resistance, so someone needs to step up and show how to enjoy them.”

If one of the top streamers would take the lead, things would go smoothly, but everyone was already dipping their toes into the Star University scene.

Other mid-tier streamers didn’t seem interested in the virtual genre either.

In the end, Sayo made a decision.

“I’ve always hated stepping up to lead like this… but I’ve been streaming for 10 years now. I can’t stay the same forever. It’s time to take a shot.”

You couldn’t become a top streamer by just chasing trends.

You’d only remain a mediocre mid-tier.

So Sayo decided to take a gamble on her streaming career.

She would take the lead and actively ignite the virtual boom.

She had many plans for this, but today was the first step.

She decided to start with light content.

[(Newbie) Debut stream – Hi, I’m the virtual streamer Yojjang]

#Newbie #MaleCam #Virtual #Talk

• Ssaha, Ssaha

But what’s up with that stream title? What’s going on?? ᄋᄋ?

• Is something big happening? Is something big happening? Is something big happening?
• Sayo hyung, are you seriously debuting as a virtual? ㅋㅋ You haven’t even done anything yet and this is already hilarious

As a calm song set the mood, the screen changed and she revealed the virtual avatar prepared for today.

Most of the chat was full of “ㅋㅋㅋ” laughter, but she strictly moderated any chats that demeaned virtual streamers.

Occasionally, she would get serious to stop criticism of virtuals.

A skill only a veteran streamer with 10 years of experience could pull off.

Thanks to that, the 5,000 viewers began to tactfully pour out positive chats about virtuals.

This was the power of solid, loyal fans—not just casual viewers.

Right or wrong aside, they prioritized following the wishes of their favorite streamer above all else…

“So I made the transfer today, but it’s kind of lonely doing this alone. So I’m thinking of finding some friends. Are there any virtuals out there who could be Yojjang’s friend?”

• ㅋㅋ Hyung, everything’s fine but you keep saying “Yojjang Yojjang,” it’s kind of cringe. You get that, right?
• Streamer Sayo, born in ’91, the pillar of her family… and today, once again, she heads off to work for her loved ones
• What about SweetDalcom? I saw them dancing in VRChat the other day. Looked pretty good.
• I recommend Choi Eunbin~ Great energy, and I heard she’s good at games too.
• Seoa is streaming right now, want to check it out?
• There’s also someone named Randy who transferred today

“Really? Nice, so many friend candidates. Let’s go take a look at them one by one.”

Sayo navigated to the PangeaTV main screen and searched for virtual streamers.

And saw even more transfer virtual streamers than yesterday.

A new wind was blowing through PangeaTV.