DansGaming: Streamers and Content Creator

DansGaming is one of the most popular variety streamers and content creators on Twitch and YouTube. With over 832,000 followers on Twitch and 92,800 subscribers on YouTube as of January 2024, DansGaming has amassed a huge following through his passionate and humorous approach to gaming.
Exploring his background, streaming career, gaming preferences, impact on the community, and more. Read on to learn all about this beloved figure in the world of gaming and live streaming.

Background and Early Life

DansGaming, whose real name is Daniel Gidlow, was born on May 11, 1984, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He grew up with his parents and younger brother, surrounded by a close-knit family.

As a child, DansGaming was drawn to video games at a young age. Some of his earliest gaming memories include playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES and Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis. He also regularly visited arcades with his family, fostering his love for gaming.

In school, DansGaming was an average student who preferred hands-on learning. He studied computer networking in college, laying the foundation for his future in online streaming. Prior to streaming, he held jobs in tech support and construction.

Outside of gaming and computers, DansGaming played tennis competitively in high school. He also enjoys other sports like basketball and football. His outgoing, competitive nature translates directly into his high-energy streaming style.

Beginning of DansGaming on Twitch

DansGaming began streaming on Justin.tv, Twitch’s predecessor, in 2009 after being laid off from his tech support job. His first streamed game was Call of Duty: World at War.

In the early days, DansGaming streamed to very small audiences. He persevered through the low view counts by staying consistent with his streaming schedule. Over time, his energetic personality and skill as a first-person shooter helped him build a small but dedicated community.

The breakthrough came in 2011 when DansGaming participated in Twitch’s revolutionary Playground competition. He placed 7th, gaining over 1,000 new followers. This kickstarted a period of exponential audience growth throughout 2011 and 2012.

Some key milestones in the early years include:

• 2010: Switches to Xsplit for higher quality streams
• 2011: Reaches 1,000 followers after Playground event
• 2012: Starts streaming full time, reaches 10,000 followers
• 2013: Forms partnership with Twitch at 50,000 followers

Streaming Career Growth and Achievements

Over the past decade, DansGaming has achieved incredible success and recognition as a variety streamer. He is renowned for his skill, stamina, and commitment to livestreaming.

After building his audience by playing Call of Duty and other first-person shooters, DansGaming began expanding into different genres like real-time strategy, MMOs, RPGs, retro games, and indie games. His ability to entertain audiences across different games solidified his popularity.

Some major milestones over the years include:

• 2014: Hits 200,000 followers after completing a 120-hour marathon stream
• 2015: Raises over $75,000 for charity through streaming events
• 2016: Becomes a Twitch Partner and quits his day job to stream full-time
• 2017: Starts YouTube channel, wins Shorty Award for Best Twitch Streamer
• 2018: Reaches 500,000 followers, starts posting on Instagram
• 2019: Starts Facebook Gaming partnership along with Twitch
• 2020: Joins Luminosity Gaming esports organization
• 2021: Surpasses 600,000 followers, launches TikTok account
• 2022: Hits 700,000 followers, starts streaming in 4K resolution

In 2022, DansGaming won the Cynical Critic Award for Fan Favorite Streamer, beating out stiff competition. This is just one example of the many awards and honors he has received over the years.

DansGaming has also raised over $1 million for various charities through livestreams and events. His charitable efforts create a strong sense of community around his channel.

Streaming Schedule and Personal Life

DansGaming maintains an incredibly rigorous streaming schedule, even after 13+ years on Twitch. He streams 6 days per week, Monday through Saturday, starting around 1 PM PST. His streams typically last 6-8 hours.

He takes Sundays off to recharge and tend to personal matters. DansGaming emphasizes the importance of work-life balance and taking regular vacations and breaks to prevent burnout. While not streaming, he enjoys spending time with his wife, hanging out with friends, and playing with his dogs.

In the future, DansGaming hopes to continue growing its channel and exploring different streaming platforms. He plans to keep adapting to the industry while staying true to his fun, interactive streaming style.

Interaction with Viewers and Community

DansGaming has cultivated an engaged, positive community on Twitch. He emphasizes having fun and keeps chatting friendly with his moderator team.

During streams, DansGaming narrates his thoughts and asks viewers questions to drive discussion. He makes an effort to communicate via chat using text and speech, even during intense gaming sessions.

DansGaming also hosts frequent Q&A sessions where he answers questions from chat. Additionally, he interacts with fans on Twitter and Discord between streams. He even has a dedicated subreddit where fans discuss streams.

Overall, DansGaming fosters a welcoming, inclusive environment where both new and longtime viewers can feel comfortable. This community-focused approach is a huge factor behind his sustained success on Twitch.

Streaming Style and Personality

As a variety streamer, DansGaming does not limit himself to one game or genre. Instead, he tackles new releases, old classics, single-player stories, competitive multiplayer, and everything in between.

No matter the game, DansGaming maintains a high-energy, humorous approach. He wears quirky-themed costumes, interacts animatedly with chat, provides funny commentary, and readily expresses excitement and frustration.

Above all, DansGaming clearly exhibits a genuine passion for gaming. His natural reactions and emotions when playing convey his authentic love for the medium. Viewers are drawn to his unrelenting enthusiasm even after streaming for 13+ years.

While he mostly keeps things lighthearted, DansGaming does openly share his opinions on gaming news and controversies. He balances informative commentary with his signature sense of humor and fun.

Favorite and Least Favorite Games

Over his long career, DansGaming has played an unfathomable number of games on stream. His favorites fall into a few key genres and franchises.

He gravitates towards games with great stories, complex gameplay, competitive elements, or nostalgic value. DansGaming especially enjoys challenging games that allow him to showcase skill and achievement.

On the other hand, DansGaming dislikes games that are repetitive, buggy, or rely too much on microtransactions. He has particular disdain for “first-person walking simulators” with minimal gameplay. Out of principle, he avoids promoting or streaming games viewed as low-quality cash grabs.

Gaming Skills and Achievements

DansGaming possesses top-tier skills across multiple gaming genres:

• FPS: Extremely accurate aim and quick reflexes honed through thousands of hours playing shooters. He dominates in games like CS: GO and Call of Duty.
• RTS: Excellent micromanagement and strategic thinking. He has mastered complex games like Starcraft 2 and Age of Empires 2.
• RPG: Deep knowledge of stats, builds, and gear optimization from playing classic RPGs his whole life.
• Retro: World-class talent on classic arcade and retro games. He holds speedrun records and can clear games on hardcore difficulties.
• Variety: Adaptability across different genres through his versatility as a variety streamer. His skills range from platformers to party games and beyond.

In terms of achievements, DansGaming has collected every achievement in all three Dark Souls games and defeated countless brutally difficult indie games. He has also won a number of tournaments in competitive games like CS: GO, Warcraft 3, and Super Smash Bros Melee.

Charity and Community Impact

DansGaming has leveraged its platform to support various charities over the years. As of January 2024, he has raised over $1 million through livestreams and donations.

Some of the major charities he has contributed to include:

• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Alzheimer’s Association
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Child’s Play
• American Cancer Society

In 2021, DansGaming put on a month-long charity livestream called DansGiving that raised over $100,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He streamed over 200 hours and participated in special events like a 12-hour dance marathon.

Beyond direct fundraising, DansGaming serves as an ambassador for several charities and regularly helps promote their missions to his audience. His philanthropic efforts showcase his desire to give back and make a difference.

In the gaming world, DansGaming has paved the way for a variety of streamers and marathon streamers. When he started in 2009, the most popular streamers were pro gamers focused on one competitive title.

DansGaming demonstrated that you could build a huge audience simply by showcasing your gaming passion and connecting with viewers. His relentless streaming schedule also normalized incredibly long streaming sessions.

Through his influence, streaming became recognized as a viable career for regular gamers. DansGaming’s community impact persists through the variety of streamers he has inspired over the years.

YouTube Channel & Content

In May 2017, DansGaming expanded its online presence by launching a YouTube channel. Here, he compiles stream highlights, montages, tutorial videos, reviews, and more polished content.

His YouTube also serves as a second outlet for his stream archives. DansGaming uploads full past broadcasts segmented by game so viewers can easily find specific playthroughs.

Currently, the DansGaming YouTube channel has over 92,800 subscribers and 13 million total video views. While smaller than his Twitch audience, his YouTube provides another way to share his content.

DansGaming edits all his YouTube videos himself using Premiere Pro. He enhances the footage with overlays, zooms, cuts, captions, and sound effects. The tight editing accentuates funny moments and trims downtime.

Uploads focus on his most popular games like World of Warcraft, CS: GO, Fortnite, and Final Fantasy XIV. DansGaming strategically tags and titles videos to attract both existing fans and new viewers.

Other Social Media Platforms

Beyond Twitch and YouTube, DansGaming maintains active accounts on various social media platforms:

• Twitter – Posts stream announcements, gaming opinions, pictures, and interacts with fans. Has over 320K followers.
• Instagram – Shares slice-of-life photos along with some stream promos and gaming content. Has over 68K followers.
• TikTok – Uploads short clips of stream highlights, meme skits, and nostalgic gaming videos. Has over 44K followers.
• Facebook – Streams exclusively to Facebook Gaming per his partnership deal. Also, posts stream highlights reels.
• Discord – Has a Discord server with 33K members where fans chat and coordinate gaming sessions.

Cross-promoting across all platforms is key to expanding his reach beyond dedicated Twitch viewers. DansGaming tailors its content style for each platform while maintaining personal authenticity.

Gaming History and Records

Over his 13+ year streaming career, DansGaming has played thousands of games and created countless unforgettable gaming memories. He provides a public list on Twitch, tracking every game he has ever streamed.

As of January 2024, the list contains over 1,700 games in total. It serves as a testament to his unmatched dedication to showcasing a diverse gaming catalog.

Beyond this list, DansGaming also maintains “Hall of Fame” documents that record his gaming stats and achievements in popular streamed games and franchises.

For example, in WoW, he has leveled at least one character of every class to the maximum level. In CS: GO, he has reached the Legendary Eagle rank in competitive matchmaking. And across the Soulsborne series, he has defeated every boss and completed every optional challenge.

These gaming records capture data points and milestones that longtime fans find meaningful. They also motivate DansGaming to continue mastering his favorite games.

Favorite Games to Revisit

With so many great games played over the years, DansGaming loves revisiting classics and trying new challenge runs. Here are some of his favorite games to replay:

• Super Mario Bros – Platforming perfection; he never gets tired of speedrunning this iconic title.
• World of Warcraft – MMORPG he continuously returns to; always exciting to experience new expansions.
• Retro Fighting Games – Endless fun mastering combos and techniques against friends and fans.
• Final Fantasy VII – Timeless story and nostalgia; he replays it almost annually.
• Dark Souls Trilogy – Incredibly rewarding challenge; he often streams new builds and self-imposed restrictions.
• Starcraft 2 – Near infinite strategic depth keeps this RTS eternally replayable.

Revisiting these classics lets DansGaming recapture past joy while still providing fresh challenges. It also allows longtime viewers to experience beloved games together again.

Participation in the Gaming Community

An active, respected member of the gaming scene, DansGaming engages with the larger community in various ways:

• Participates in gaming events like TwitchCon, E3, and Esports tournaments
• Collaborates with other gaming influencers regularly on crossovers and co-streams
• Supports smaller streamers through hosting, donations, and channel recommendations
• Comments on gaming news and controversies from the streamer perspective
• Attends meetups and conventions to interact with fans face-to-face
• Connects with game developers to provide feedback on new releases

DansGaming generally avoids some of the toxicity prevalent in gaming communities. He serves as a positive force by promoting inclusivity and constructive discussion.

Throughout his career, DansGaming has built friendships and collaborations with many fellow gaming figures across Twitch and YouTube. However, he considers his wonderful community of fans to be his “gaming family” above all else.

Conclusion

DansGaming stands out as one of the most passionate, dedicated gaming streamers on Twitch. Over nearly 15 years of live streaming, he has built a massive audience through sheer skill, stamina, and entertainment value across countless games.

Beyond the numbers, DansGaming has created a uniquely engaged community full of shared memories and experiences. His positive, welcoming environment fosters a sense of belonging.

While an undisputed variety streaming veteran, DansGaming maintains his authentic enthusiasm and humor that made him beloved in the first place. His eternal passion for gaming persists as the driving force behind his continued success.

DansGaming’s story serves as an inspirational model for aspiring gaming livestreamers. It exemplifies the potential for entertainers to transform playing games into a full-time career and livelihood. Most importantly, he demonstrates the immense value of cultivating community and spreading positivity while gaming.

Social Media Accounts:

• X: @dansgaming
• Instagram: @dansgaming