What Are Vtubers?

It is the year 2025 and the vtubing industry keeps expanding to the point where people from outside of the community are getting introduced to vtubers.

This makes me think that I should make a post dedicated to explaining a bit about what vtubers are and why some people are deciding to become one.

Hopefully, this will help clear some doubts about us.

What are vtubers?

The term vtuber comes from combining the words youtuber (content creator who makes content on YouTube) and virtual (because they use a virtual model).

A vtuber model is first drawn by an artist who also divides each part of the model into sections so then the riggers add all the movements, tracking, and toggles that give life to the model.

It’s a slow and meticulous process so it can take months to finish. For that reason, the prices can vary from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

Some vtubers start with a premade model that they can modify to their needs and preferences, but most choose to commission a custom model so it fits their vision.

Then they use that model to create content on different platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, or Kick.

Basically, we are regular content creators who use a virtual avatar to create content for social media and interact with our audience in ways that wouldn’t be possible if we used our real bodies.

That’s pretty much what vtubers are, we are not that complicated.

There are a few reasons for creators to use these virtual models instead of their real bodies though and we will get to them next.

Why become a vtuber?

Anonymity

The internet is a blessing and a curse.

As a creator and vtuber, you have the chance to connect with many people, network, and build a community.

However, not everyone online has your best interest in mind which is why we are always looking for new ways to remain safe in this digital environment.

Vtubing has turned out to be a safer way to remain anonymous while also letting you build a brand online.

Sure, some vtubers show their faces or are well known outside of the space, but most of us prefer to keep it private and there is nothing wrong with that.

Branding

Vtubing lets us have a semi-personal brand where you can better customize your model's appearance to tell the viewer what kind of content you create as soon as they see you.

For example,

• A model with a fantasy theme might hint that you are interested in Dungeons and Dragons and ARPGs
• A model with a science fiction theme can hint that you are into tech and software or games in a cyberpunk setting
• A model with a cozy theme might hint that you do ASMR or like low-energy games like Animal Crossing

In a way, how your model looks can help you get noticed by people who are into a specific type of content, topic, or theme.

Now, this doesn’t mean that vtubers with these kinds of models are only interested in these types of content, but viewers might put you into these boxes when they meet you for the first time so it is up to you to educate them on what your content is about.

Creative Outlet

One of vtubing greatest strengths is that this medium allows you to interact with your audience in ways that were not possible before especially on Twitch.

That’s because they can use a feature called channel points to do things like:

• Throw stuff — these are vtuber assets that you can throw to the model using certain software
• Change models — vtubers with many models can set their redeems to swap them
• Remove or add stuff— a popular thing I’ve seen is when Chat can remove things like the hair and leave the model in its bald glory or they add things like sticky notes with a funny message

These are the ones I can currently think of, but I’m sure there are more and you can use all these tools to create funny moments with your community, friends, and collaborators.

Socializing and Working

Because of the previous things mentioned, vtubing has the potential to become a way for people to meet others, build friendships, and possibly make a living.

They just need a model, a computer, games, and internet access.

That’s why many people try their luck in this space, especially those who have some sort of disability that makes them unable to have a normal job.

Many of them just want to be seen as normal people so they use a model to interact with others instead of their real bodies and some are able to build friendships in this space.

This is the thing I like the most about the vtubing space.

Final Thoughts

Vtubing is a new form of content creation that is great for creative people because it lets them explore a side of this space in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Thanks to the technology behind it, we can have funny moments and connect with people who are the same kind of weird as us.

There are also people like Ironmouse in this space who have benefited tremendously and can now afford to support their families.

I hope this post helped answer some questions about our community.

Anyway, that’s all for today.

See you later bros.