Why I Love The VTuber Sphere

What inspired me to write this blog post was this simple message I previously had posted for my fellow indie VTubers. It applies to all of them, regardless of whether they are active around Bluesky nowadays.

With every generation, wave of reincarnations, or sparkly new thing that takes the VTuber sphere by storm, I know that there are many individuals who feel like they’re falling behind and/or losing touch with their core audience(s) because they can’t always afford to chase brand new trends for many reasons. This is 100% why I want to share what I sincerely love about all of it. Hopefully, this will help remind others to not lose sight of why they got into it no matter where you are on your own journey.

Reason #1: Visual Creativity

This is probably the most obvious reason that always gets pointed out by others, no matter how long you’ve been around VTubers in any capacity. All the different model designs & other related assets, which you can usually find at the touch of your fingertips, are freaking AMAZING! Of course, that is simply possible because of the hard work of various digital artists, Live2D riggers, 3D modelers, etc.

Example: Bonnicula, aka the Villainous Queen of Wallachia, is a DIY sorceress. She uses Unity to create different assets for her Twitch streams, 3D model toggles, etc.

It also applies to the different fan created works out there. Fans, like myself, from around the world crafted each fanart out of love & respect for some of our favorite VTubers. For instance, the main reason I made quite a few of the creations featured in my official portfolio was that same burning passion after consuming their stuff.

📌 Tip: A relatively easy way to find visual references and fanart of other VTuber designs is through browsing any online resources like Hololist’s Gallery page.

Reason #2: Content Types

As someone who consumes many forms of audio, written, and visual media, it pleases me that there are various niches which fellow VTubers can experiment with at any time. Sometimes trying out something new over time can become the catalyst for so many opportunities both inside and outside of the VTuber sphere.

Example: Nethyr, aka the Ex-Final Boss of nullptr::live, was inspired to explore the Godot engine through their own coding streams because of fellow group members.

This always includes the delightful solo projects that VTubers regularly put out and/or get involved in the production of across multiple platforms. It usually goes without saying, but lots of inspiration can also come from seeing what others are already doing & putting your own personal spin on any of these same endeavors.

📌 Tip: If you’re unsure about what your strengths are as a VTuber, you can always ask for feedback from viewers or perform a SWOT analysis of any existing content.

Reason #3: Group Collaborations

I can’t count how many times I’ve laughed out loud because I enjoyed a group collaboration between different VTubers. It doesn’t matter whether it’s consumed via edited YT clips, VODs, or being there for the actual livestream from one of their POVs. I know that organizing and/or participating in these collabs can be quite a gamble based on my own experiences, but all that effort is worth it if everyone had a good time by the end of each one.

Example: Sucrose Cerise of FanoiaEN has hosted multiple LGBTQ+ Pride themed collaborations that brought many queer VTubers like myself together on stream.

On another note, it’s even more impressive when jokes or gimmicks made during group collaborations continue to exist through other means. This includes, but not limited to: collaborative TTRPG campaigns, audio dramas, RP ASMR, official merchandise, voice packs, etc. Above all else, I want to keep seeing even more group collaborations blossom from silly ideas among other things around here.

📌 Tip: Be sure to read this important guide if you either plan to host or have already done any group collaborations of various different sizes as a indie VTuber.

Reason #4: Exploring Immersion through Lore

It’s 100% okay that not all VTubers craft tons of lore to explain their individual existence. But those who actually DO spend the time to write such immersive tales, reflected through this medium, tend to take it to the next level through their own efforts. Lore can be as outlandish as your favorite stories if one desires to explore and expand upon every facet of the character(s) you’ve chosen to play on stream.

Example: Captain Yuna is a half-android, half-elf VTuber who uses her Twitch streams to tell an ongoing, developing story with visual novel styled cutscenes.

I’ve mentioned this exact thing before on Bluesky, but I loved writing fantasy stories and roleplaying in my teen years. Seeing that reflected throughout this sphere sparks so much JOY! This is actually one of the reasons why I chose to start crafting my 2.0 VTuber lore. It’s very fun to mix IRL fun facts together with fantasy world building while paying a lot of attention to detail in regards to other background information.

📌 Tip: Coming up with your own lore can be simple or complex depending on whatever y’all plan to do with it like fully voiced lore videos, original songs, etc.

With all of that said, I also hope that this massive infodump resonates with anyone who may be feeling down in the dumps and/or on the verge of quitting like I once was. The VTuber sphere is still an evolving place despite the interpersonal drama and obvious cliques that tend to remind us of high school at times. It’s always possible to carve out your own path & make a difference through such efforts.

P.S. I highly recommend joining the unofficial VTubers of Bluesky server if you’re wanting to chat with some of the lovely folks that were featured in this blog post. The only requirement for gaining membership into it is you being adjacent to the VTuber sphere, except for fans because there’s no framework for them at this moment in time.