In the past decade, video games have transitioned from a fun hobby to a serious career goal for many players. Game streaming platforms allow gamers to play their favorite games and live stream at the same time. Unfortunately, injuries as a result of a car accident could lead to many changes in a gamer’s routine. Today we are going to discuss how car accident injuries can impact video game streamers.
The impacts could be large enough to become a part of a lawsuit. If you’re a gamer that’s been involved in an auto accident, the changes to your daily life could become some of the biggest catalysts in your lawsuit. Check out some of the impacts, both financially and emotionally.
1. Monthly Subscribers
Many of the game streaming platforms rely on a subscriber-based system. Each month, viewers will subscribe to their favorite feeds to support streamers. Streamers rely on the income and in return, they will provide streaming content for their fan base. If you are injured in a car accident, your injuries may force you to stop streaming for a certain amount of time.
You could be at a hospital healing through your injuries or unable to physically sit comfortably in a chair. Either way, the less you stream, the more likely you will lose subscribers. Viewers will not pay a fee for a channel without any content. Even when you’re ready to go back to streaming, you may struggle to build up your subscriber count again.
The loss of income could add up month after month and directly correlate with your car accident injuries. In this situation, a lawyer can not only help calculate your current losses but also help determine how much potential loss you will have in the future.
2. Adaptive Equipment
As you heal through injuries, some changes could cause permanent damage. For example, an arm or wrist injury could cause chronic pain or may not heal in the same way it was before. Neck injuries could limit motions and prevent the same movements you previously had. One way to help your return to gaming is with adaptive equipment.
You may need to purchase specialty controllers, adaptive chairs, and new monitors to properly play games. These purchases can add up and result in a lot of extra costs. You may have purchased the equipment already or plan to in the future. Either way, detailed invoices and price guides will showcase your needs.
This monetary data can be used in a lawsuit as a lawyer seeks compensation. You could determine what equipment is also needed in the future as you heal or adapt to permanent injuries due to the car accident.
3. Gaming Skills
Not only may you need adaptive equipment for gaming, but it could take some time before you reach the same skill level you once had. Financially, your skill level could have helped provide income in multiple ways. Game tournaments, special streaming events, and in-person competitions are all ways gamers make money. Sponsors could have added extra income as well.
For example, you may wear specific sponsor t-shirts or gear when you go on live streams. A car accident injury could result in the loss of the ability to play in tournaments, leading to the loss of sponsors. You might also have to rebuild your gaming skills and the process could take time as you adjust physically and emotionally.
The award amounts vary by tournament, but a lawyer could estimate your annual income amounts based upon your various past winnings and sponsors. The compensation will give you time to train again and build your skills without such a major impact on your loss of income.
4. Quality of Life
For many streamers, playing games is not just a way to make money but is something that provides happiness and a daily routine. When the process is disrupted by a car accident, you may lose a lot of your daily routine. When your quality of life diminishes, the emotional changes you go through will become a big part of your personal injury case.
One of the more obvious changes is video game access. As a gamer, video games provide happiness, and stress relief, and are one of your main forms of entertainment. The loss may seem frivolous to some, but when you play every day, the emotional impact cannot be discounted. You may feel sadness or depression that extends throughout your whole healing process.
Video game streamers also have a big social element to their streams. You may have streamed with other players and had live chats and interactions with the gaming community. This loss of socialization could lead to a diminished quality of life and may extend for several months if you’re forced to stop gaming.
A lawyer will detail your quality of life changes along with additional factors like therapy and counseling sessions. All of the little details add up to create the overall picture of your case.
For more information on car accident injury cases and how car accident injuries can impact video game streamers, reach out to our professional St. Louis car accident lawyers at Cantor Injury Law. We have years of experience dealing with car accident injuries and have helped injured people from all walks of life.