IMO, streaming can count as a job, but it isn't the video game aspect of it that is work, it's being an entertainer. The best comparison I can think of is stand up comedy. Technically, anyone can go up and tell jokes, but if you're not entertaining, you won't be successful. Anyone can stream on Twitch, but if you don't bring something unique to the table, you're not going anywhere. And for some people, that's fine. It's just a hobby, just like some people perform stand up during an open mic night for enjoyment and not to make a career out of it.
The problem is, Phil doesn't understand streaming, despite the fact he's been doing it for however many years now. In typical Phil fashion, he's trying to fake like he understands it which is why he constantly mentions how his streams are interactive like that's some new and unique draw. Phil thinks being a professional video game player is a thing, and not in the sense of e-sports or competitive gaming or whatever. Just playing games.
Sometimes, there are people who just want to see gameplay, usually if they're on the fence about getting a game and want to sample how it goes. But, that's what YouTube is for. At most, they might check Twitch for a few minutes to make a decision, but they're not going to stick around. What makes people stick around is the streamer's personality or in some niche cases, their gimmick, things like challenge runs or speedruns or whatever. The only real exception to this is e-sports stuff or the odd celebrity streaming stuff, but that's so far outside of Phil's realm it doesn't really matter.
Phil can't be entertaining on his own because he is a bitter and boring hermit. He's also too proud to lean into the bad gamer thing, despite that and the drama being the only things actually keeping him relevant.