Setting Up the Extra Life Plugin in XSplit Broadcaster
Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Michael Brockbank
XSplit Broadcaster is a great tool for streaming games to sites like Twitch and YouTube. Many of us also contribute to Extra Life, the charity organization that benefits the Children’s Miracle Network. How can you connect these two in your stream?
Overlays give a bit extra when you broadcast. You can add graphics, tools from Streamlabs and run background text scripts with various programs.
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In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to set up the Extra Life overlay in XSplit Broadcaster. It’s actually quite a simple process.
Installing the Extra Life Widget
The first thing you’ll need is an Extra Life account. This is a free profile you can share to help the charity in social media or through direct donations.
Extra Life has a lot of useful elements such as graphic overlays, logos, images and more to boost your stream or to simply add to a blog.
For this tutorial, you just need your profile ID.
Open your XSplit Broadcaster. Go to Tools and click, “Plugin Store.”
Click the icon for, “Sources.” It is here that we’ll find the Extra Life plugin available.
You will see the XSplit plugins list in ascending order by default. For example, mine shows it in alphabetical order, so it’s easy to find the Extra Life plugin among the different tools.
Click the “Extra Life Alert” plugin from the list.
This will load up the tool’s information. Click the “Install” button under its name and version.
It’s a quick process that takes mere seconds. Click the “OK” button once it’s complete.
Now the plugin is installed, it’s time to add your profile ID. Click the “X” icon to close the plugin window.
Close the XSplit plugins list.
Adding the Extra Life Alert Widget
When you install this Extra Life plugin, XSplit adds it as a widget. It’s a source you include in your broadcast as you would your camera.
Go to Add source and hover on, “General Widgets.”
Click “Extra Life Alert” from the list.
This will add the Extra Life overlay into your stream. From here, you can resize the overlay to fit your needs.
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Adding Your Extra Life Account
Until you add you’re participant ID number, the Extra Life plugin overlay won’t do much. It’ll sit there without a profile picture, goal or amount raised.
Right-click the Extra Life Alert widget in your XSplit source panel.
Input your Participant or Team ID number in the box.
This is the number that is after the “ID=” portion of your profile’s URL. Just go to your Extra Life profile page and look in the address bar of your browser for the number. This is a public number, so don’t worry too much about sharing it. Anyone can see it by accessing your profile.
As soon as you add the number, the plugin will connect to Extra Life automatically.
The widget is then live with your current information from the Extra Life server.
Other Things You Can Do
The Extra Life donation tracker for XSplit doesn’t just merely show your goals and the amount you raised. You can add sounds, change the color and modify the layout of the widget to better match your stream design.
Adding Sounds
Personally, I like adding my own sounds to alerts for the stream. It sets it apart from all the others in way.
All of these edits are accessible when you right-click the widget.
Friendly Competition or Support
You can add more than one Extra Life Alert overlay to your XSplit stream. Using the ID number of another person or team, you can show those stats next to your own.
This is fun whether you’re competing to drive donations or just want to show support of another Extra Life participant.
If you have a team, you could show everyone’s donation stats right from your own broadcast.
Adding More to the Stream
The XSplit Extra Life plugin is only one way you can show support of the charity. If you access your account, click the “Resources” button on the top.
This page is full of information regarding Extra Life and all the different ways you can help. Scroll down and click the, “Broadcaster Toolkit.”
The link will open a new browser window that will show a button for Multimedia and one for Broadcasting. If you want to add more overlays and graphics to your stream, click the “Download” button under “Broadcasting Kit.”
Another tab will open that is loaded with all kinds of things to boost your stream. This is a public access Dropbox folder that you can access from the charity organization. Audio PSAs, donation alerts, overlays and more are all available and free to use in your broadcast.
If you really wanted to step it up, you could include your own commercial breaks in mid-stream from within XSplit Broadcaster. This would give you a moment to get up and stretch your legs while viewers are watching more information regarding Extra Life.
My Extra Life plugin says I don’t have a valid ID number?
When XSplit Broadcaster updated to the newest version, some of the older plugins began to fail. This includes the one for Extra Life. Simply go into the Plugin Store and update the plugin. This instantly fixed my problem.
Why Choose Extra Life?
Extra Life is a charity built by gamers to help children across the country. In an age where politics are too political and funding often dries up, platforms like this are needed to help those who are desperate for care.
As a parent, I know what it’s like to sit back and watch as your child is sick and you can’t do anything to fix it. The staff at the Children’s Hospital in Denver did an amazing job with my daughter even though her daddy was frazzled and stressing out. When I learned Extra Life and Children’s Miracle Network supported the Children’s Hospital in Denver, I made it my goal to do what I could to help.
Now, I’m in a position to do even more…which is why 30% of this website’s income is donated to Extra Life. I would donate more, but I need to support myself and my family as well.
XSplit Broadcaster and You
The Extra Life donation tracker is only one of many add-ons you can use in XSplit. It’s easy to set up and you can start showing off your progress immediately. It doesn’t cost you anything except for a few minutes to add the widget and include your ID number.[template id=”543″]
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