Twitch? I don't get it.

Tandor

Shadesofkin wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

I've seen the posts about Twitch Crates but had very little knowledge of what Twitch is. I heard a business podcast on how the company got started (very interesting, btw, if you're a fan of business startup stories) so I knew the general premise but I'd never looked into what it actually does.

With all the talk of Twitch and Crates, I did some research. I'm in a bit of shock...

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

Literally no difference between watching Twitch and watching Sunday Football.

Other than the rather significant fact that you can play the game that's on Twitch yourself, but not the Sunday Football match that's on TV.

Inklings

Dottzgaming wrote: »

It always makes me... frustrated... to see people have such a negative view on content creators and content creation in general. While, yes, many creators do portray themselves in a negative way or have toxic personalities, a huge majority of creators are people who love to play a game and want to share that passion with others. Maybe they're particularly good at once facet of the game and want to use services like YouTube, Twitch or their own website to share that with others or even educate those who dont understand something. There is a lot of time, effort, and love that goes into content creation, and it makes me laugh how people make fun of others for enjoying watching streams or saying "i dont get it therefore it's stupid" and just writing the entire thing off. Obviously if you just dont like watching streams, thats fine, you dont have to enjoy watching streams just like some people dont enjoy watching sports, but i do get annoyed when those same people crap on others or crap on creators for enjoying streaming. Do you like when people crap all over the things you like and tell you what you enjoy is stupid? Then dont do it to other people.

People pay millions to watch people run around and play with various balls, pucks, etc for entertainment.
People watch reality TV about people who work at restaurants and have drama, live in a particular place, eat weird stuff, etc.
People watch educational TV to learn more about a certain topic.
People spend tons of money on hobbies they enjoy like card games, modelling, clothes, fishing, any hobby you can think of.
And so much more.

What is at the root of all of these things? Entertainment. Maybe someone just really likes ESO, and wants to chat and interact with someone else playing ESO and watching their gameplay, maybe they want to learn something about the game, watch someone's gameplay to further elevate their own, maybe they want to watch it for the entertainment value, maybe they want the sense of community that comes from chat, there are many reasons people watch streams, and just because you think it's stupid doesnt mean people shouldnt be able to enjoy the things they love. And yes, people pay for entertainment and those doing the entertaining make money. That's how it works. It's supply and demand. There is a demand for entertainment, and people will pay money for that entertainment to be supplied. Being an entertaining and interactive streamer and content creator takes time, energy, practice, research and talent just like any other entertainment skill, and if their fans choose to kick them some money for the amount of hard work, time and dedication they put into their content then good for them, their hard work is being rewarded.

I've said this before to people IRL who talk crap to me about streaming and video games before and Ill say it again: make fun of it all you want, laugh at it all you want, but streaming, esports, all this stuff is still new, and it's already a multi-million dollar industry, and it's not going anywhere.

It's only the beginning.

Why should we listen to you Dottz, yOu DoNt EvEn UsE IlAmBrIs On YoUr Dk. /kappa

Thank you for writing this well written post. Its amazing how narrow-minded people are being on this topic. Hopefully this helps others see what people enjoying in both streaming and watching streams.

Inarre

I thought the same thing when my friend told me he watches professional hockey.

I mean, honestly, who would WATCH people play a game instead of play it?!

krachall

Inarre wrote: »

I thought the same thing when my friend told me he watches professional hockey.

I mean, honestly, who would WATCH people play a game instead of play it?!

You have a friend who can play professional hockey???

pdebie64b16_ESO

krachall wrote: »

I've seen the posts about Twitch Crates but had very little knowledge of what Twitch is. I heard a business podcast on how the company got started (very interesting, btw, if you're a fan of business startup stories) so I knew the general premise but I'd never looked into what it actually does.

With all the talk of Twitch and Crates, I did some research. I'm in a bit of shock...

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

If its for free some players do everything for it.

Raraaku

Who cares how people enjoy their off-time? Different people have different interests, shocking isn't it?

Yakidafi

Dottzgaming wrote: »

It always makes me... frustrated... to see people have such a negative view on content creators and content creation in general. While, yes, many creators do portray themselves in a negative way or have toxic personalities, a huge majority of creators are people who love to play a game and want to share that passion with others. Maybe they're particularly good at once facet of the game and want to use services like YouTube, Twitch or their own website to share that with others or even educate those who dont understand something. There is a lot of time, effort, and love that goes into content creation, and it makes me laugh how people make fun of others for enjoying watching streams or saying "i dont get it therefore it's stupid" and just writing the entire thing off. Obviously if you just dont like watching streams, thats fine, you dont have to enjoy watching streams just like some people dont enjoy watching sports, but i do get annoyed when those same people crap on others or crap on creators for enjoying streaming. Do you like when people crap all over the things you like and tell you what you enjoy is stupid? Then dont do it to other people.

People pay millions to watch people run around and play with various balls, pucks, etc for entertainment.
People watch reality TV about people who work at restaurants and have drama, live in a particular place, eat weird stuff, etc.
People watch educational TV to learn more about a certain topic.
People spend tons of money on hobbies they enjoy like card games, modelling, clothes, fishing, any hobby you can think of.
And so much more.

What is at the root of all of these things? Entertainment. Maybe someone just really likes ESO, and wants to chat and interact with someone else playing ESO and watching their gameplay, maybe they want to learn something about the game, watch someone's gameplay to further elevate their own, maybe they want to watch it for the entertainment value, maybe they want the sense of community that comes from chat, there are many reasons people watch streams, and just because you think it's stupid doesnt mean people shouldnt be able to enjoy the things they love. And yes, people pay for entertainment and those doing the entertaining make money. That's how it works. It's supply and demand. There is a demand for entertainment, and people will pay money for that entertainment to be supplied. Being an entertaining and interactive streamer and content creator takes time, energy, practice, research and talent just like any other entertainment skill, and if their fans choose to kick them some money for the amount of hard work, time and dedication they put into their content then good for them, their hard work is being rewarded.

I've said this before to people IRL who talk crap to me about streaming and video games before and Ill say it again: make fun of it all you want, laugh at it all you want, but streaming, esports, all this stuff is still new, and it's already a multi-million dollar industry, and it's not going anywhere.

It's only the beginning.

@krachall

STEVIL

some people watch golf...
some people watch soap operas
some people watch pro wrestling
some people watch beach volleyball
some people watch video games, rpg play, talk shows, crafting stuff and convention panels (and are all on twitch)

The key is i do not have to understand why folks like any or all of these... just that they do and that is cool.

Taysa

krachall wrote: »

I watch mountain bike videos, ski movies, white water videos, surf videos, and drone racing live events.

People actually watch other people ride a bike? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else ski or ride a bike. Nope...that's it?

But watching someone else ride a bike is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

geonsocal

the times - they are a changing...gotta get wit it...


don't fight it...

cuz, it's everywhere...

power to the twitch...

NeKryXe

krachall wrote: »

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

i understand you and i'm with with the surprise.

anyway, i already saw worst than that, something really scary: people watch other people playing soccer!

that's the weirdest thing i saw in all my life, people do have fun watching some guys kicking balls. yep. insane.

mikemacon

Yeah. It's so weird watching someone else play something. Pshaw.

{{turns on baseball game}}

Inarre

krachall wrote: »

Inarre wrote: »

I thought the same thing when my friend told me he watches professional hockey.

I mean, honestly, who would WATCH people play a game instead of play it?!

You have a friend who can play professional hockey???

Are you saying that we all play professional ESO????

krachall

Taysa wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

I watch mountain bike videos, ski movies, white water videos, surf videos, and drone racing live events.

People actually watch other people ride a bike? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else ski or ride a bike. Nope...that's it?

But watching someone else ride a bike is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

There's a little bike race called the Tour de France that is the second most watching sporting event in the history of the world.

Maybe that will put your silly little Twitch into perspective. ROFL.

Did you really not know a bike race was the second most watched sporting event in the world before you posted this? ROFLMAO I think this is the ESO equivalent of being one-shotted. I'm still chuckling.

geonsocal

krachall wrote: »

Taysa wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

I watch mountain bike videos, ski movies, white water videos, surf videos, and drone racing live events.

People actually watch other people ride a bike? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else ski or ride a bike. Nope...that's it?

But watching someone else ride a bike is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Did you really not know a bike race was the second most watched sporting event in the world before you posted this? ROFLMAO I think this is the ESO equivalent of being one-shotted. I'm still chuckling.

raviour

The crates only contain consumables anyway.

Twitching is fun. I don't really watch others unless its a friend but doing it is a good laugh. I DJ so its nice to inflict my stuff on people while running around Cyrodiil or battlegrounds like a madman. I not the worst comedian and its kinda nice to talk away like a radio DJ.

Forgot to turn PC and OBS off the other night and noticed 3 people were watch me do writs the next morning (not the 1st time that has happened).

I even did a stream once called 'Writs and Tunes', had like 4 viewers. Gotta love it...

Faune

krachall wrote: »

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

I'm older as well, and have a completely different outlook on this. I grew up playing, and watching friends/family play video games, in the 80's and 90's. We would sit around for hours and take turns, enjoying every minute of it. To me, watching someone else play a video game I love is similar to my past. It's fun to see others pvp, raid or even just quest sometimes... watching the different ways they handle situations and laughing with them. Getting free crates out of it is a bonus.

GamerAeryn

People/things I've watched while playing game myself:

Malukah: she's adorable no matter what she does (singing our TESO songs was good enough frankly) but watching her play games is hilarious. Playing games I won't play but could enjoy the story as she plays it (I'd never play Life is Strange, now I don't have to). In general I just like her as a person and don't much care what she's doing, I like seeing her.

Andrew Arcade, gitse, tyrynn (various other Simmers): People great at Sims playing Sims as I play Sims. Helps with build ideas, they preview new content, they're enjoyable as people/chatting/company. They also play other games I'll tune in to sometimes.

TESO streamers (including husband and/or alcast type people): playing content I can't play like trials and vMA. Obviously whatever husband plays I don't mind watching him even when we can't play together. And yeah, in general there's a lot of content in ESO I just can't play due to disability so it'd be nice to be able to see things like Cloudrest and other trials.

I will say I've never just watched a stream without playing a game as well cos it's either that or netflix/dvds. I also watch people who sing exclusively. I'm not that old (35) but yeah it does blow my mind that "streamer" is a legitimate job. In some cases these people make more than husband who went to college and has a white collar job. But, hey, long as people are happy I'm not that fussed. I only sub to Malukah via the free Twitch Prime sub token so I don't think I get anything for ESO from that?

Troneon

I watch others play games when I take a dump or when I am suppose to be working.

Maybe I should get a laptop again so I can play while taking a dump and working.....

It feels nice getting paid to watch people play games while taking a dump or at work.

Ankael07

I've seen 2 kinds of people. Ones saying e-sports should be included in the Olympics and others who cant even believe people watch others play a video game

Linaleah

inclinations wrote: »

I like listening to twitch players while I do more boring things in game like writs or grinding motifs or cp. I have learned a bit watching more skilled players.


I don't think its strange, you want to see strange check out the twitch asmr community. They're the weirdos.

oh no you didn't...... dude......


yes, I'm about to out myself as "that weirdo" but asmr did wonders for my occasional insomnia and anxiety. meditation didn't work. working out didn't work - i would just be exhausted and STILL tossing and turning. asmr.. once you find the right triggers for yourself (different people - different triggers, some of the popular stuff actively irritates me for example) can be incredibly soothing - its distracting enough that it gives my mind something to mule over, but at the same time stops it from running in circles. a lot of people start with Bob Ross, funnily enough, because what he did was basically intentional asmr before the term existed. he pitched his voice the way that he did - for a reason. he wanted his show to be a calming experience.

its actualy one of the reasons why I enjoy watching Eloa and Nicky - they are also very relaxing and lovely to watch.

basically, as post on a previous page said. shhhhhhhh. let people enjoy things.

as long as they are not hurting anyone, what does it matter if its something you are not personaly relating to?

P.S. seriously. on making money. all i have to say is.. keeping up with Kardashians and real housewives of whatever and big brother and a number of other reality TV shows that are about people just.. doing whatever in their lives. its entertainment.

also.. i have personaly given money to youtubers that have made tutorials that helped me. and have turned off add block specifically for them. because.. if not for their videos I'd have to pay a lot of money to take a class somewhere and STILL may not have learned particulars I saw in those tutorial videos that helped me with something I was struggling with, like certain manufacture tricks for jewelry, or various other craft that I enjoy. so... for me at least its a no brainer to let someone make money of something they are doing well. and for others - its a no brainer to give someone money for doing something they find highly entertaining. /shrug

ol_BANK_lo

krachall wrote: »

I've seen the posts about Twitch Crates but had very little knowledge of what Twitch is. I heard a business podcast on how the company got started (very interesting, btw, if you're a fan of business startup stories) so I knew the general premise but I'd never looked into what it actually does.

With all the talk of Twitch and Crates, I did some research. I'm in a bit of shock...

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

Haha. I don't know most streamers, but there is a guy named Ninja who has 7.7 million followers and over 196 million views on his streams. These people make millions of dollars streaming games. ESO is not a very big streaming game.

Ydrisselle

krachall wrote: »

Taysa wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

I watch mountain bike videos, ski movies, white water videos, surf videos, and drone racing live events.

People actually watch other people ride a bike? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else ski or ride a bike. Nope...that's it?

But watching someone else ride a bike is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

There's a little bike race called the Tour de France that is the second most watching sporting event in the history of the world.

Maybe that will put your silly little Twitch into perspective. ROFL.

Did you really not know a bike race was the second most watched sporting event in the world before you posted this? ROFLMAO I think this is the ESO equivalent of being one-shotted. I'm still chuckling.

@krachall

I watch Giro d'Italia (it's usually more intense than the Tour), Tour, Vuelta a Espana, many short cycling races, 1-week races... and I'n regularly watching Twitch: dev streams, raids for MMOs, people try to finish games... It's the same. Yes, I can play the game too, but I also could grab my bike, travel to Monte Zoncolan and go up to the top (although I think I might not be able to do that alive...).

Currently Bethesda is doing a Twitch stream. It started 8 hours ago. Right now 120k people are watching it. And it's not even the biggest stream.

PS: you missed the sarcasm in the post of @Taysa Watching a cycling race is just as silly as watching a gaming stream. And drone racing? That's stupid. Even more stupid than a darts world championship (yeah, I watch that too...).

Ydrisselle

Tandor wrote: »

SolidusPrime wrote: »

Welcome to the year 2005 where people watch others play games.

I'm not a fan of Twitch or watching others play games in general myself, but pretending like you've never heard of it just to make some condescending point is a bit...weird.

I wouldn't over-estimate the number of people who've heard of Twitch. I only came across it through ESO Live, and one look at the Twitch chat was enough to make me maximise the ESO Live window and dump the chat. I've never regretted that. As for watching other people play whether it's through Twitch or Youtube, it's likely to be only a tiny minority of MMORPG players.

I'm quite sure that many, many MMO players watched at least once a WoW bosskill video on YouTube (especially if they were playing WoW too). Or some kind of gameplay video (like an E3/PAX/BlizzCon reveal).

degarmo_ESO

It's just another form of entertainment.

That's it.

Nothing you do is wasting time, really. It's either that, or EVERYTHING you do is a waste of time.

ol_BANK_lo

krachall wrote: »

I've seen the posts about Twitch Crates but had very little knowledge of what Twitch is. I heard a business podcast on how the company got started (very interesting, btw, if you're a fan of business startup stories) so I knew the general premise but I'd never looked into what it actually does.

With all the talk of Twitch and Crates, I did some research. I'm in a bit of shock...

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

Here is a recent interview with Ninja on CNBC talking about streaming and the income. CNBC reported he is making more than $500k a month between his 7.7 million Twitch followers, 5 million YouTube followers, etc.

If the value of this is an indicator, keep in mind that Amazon purchased Twitch a few years ago for $970 million. There is obviously a profitable business there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXuM-LpVD50

Thogard

krachall wrote: »

I've seen the posts about Twitch Crates but had very little knowledge of what Twitch is. I heard a business podcast on how the company got started (very interesting, btw, if you're a fan of business startup stories) so I knew the general premise but I'd never looked into what it actually does.

With all the talk of Twitch and Crates, I did some research. I'm in a bit of shock...

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

I used to think the exact same thing. I'm 31 and I only discovered twitch about a year ago... and I thought the concept was ridiculous. The streamers seem more like a cross between a car salesman, a stripper, and a motivational speaker.... and I'm allowed to say that because now I am one

The thing that got me to first watch twitch was when someone told me i killed a streamer. I asked "what's a streamer" and they explained it. I said "well that sounds dumb" and they said it's cool but the streamer is talking *** about me.... so of course I had to watch what someone was saying about me lol.

and i got addicted. It's a great community and it's a great way to get better. You can ask different people different questions and it really gives you a very broad perspective of the game.

With youtube, we really only get to see the "highlight reel" that gets compiled, edited down, and then made to look even flashier.

When you watch a streamer, there is no editing.... You're seeing all their wins and successes, but they can't hide their deaths or losses from you either. And there's just something so fundamentally human about being able to say "Hey that happened to me too!" when you watch someone else play a video game.

I have two monitors, so if i'm waiting for a battleground queue I'm almost always watching a pvp streamer. If there's one in the battlegrounds, I will definitely watch him/her so i have an idea of what groups/people are out queueing and who i'm running into.

But really it's about that real time gameplay. It's just so much more honest than a youtube video... and it really did help me improve significantly as a player. As much as we dislike each other now, I truly did learn a lot about how to play a DK from watching Krotha's stream when i was brand new to PvP.

Tandor

Ydrisselle wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

SolidusPrime wrote: »

Welcome to the year 2005 where people watch others play games.

I'm not a fan of Twitch or watching others play games in general myself, but pretending like you've never heard of it just to make some condescending point is a bit...weird.

I wouldn't over-estimate the number of people who've heard of Twitch. I only came across it through ESO Live, and one look at the Twitch chat was enough to make me maximise the ESO Live window and dump the chat. I've never regretted that. As for watching other people play whether it's through Twitch or Youtube, it's likely to be only a tiny minority of MMORPG players.

I'm quite sure that many, many MMO players watched at least once a WoW bosskill video on YouTube (especially if they were playing WoW too). Or some kind of gameplay video (like an E3/PAX/BlizzCon reveal).

Really? There's quite a difference between a non-WoW player watching "at least once" a WoW bosskill video and gamers generally watching some kind of gameplay video reveal from a major gaming convention. I have myself watched a few video announcements but I've never watched someone else playing a game, so I watched ESO Live, for example, when they were chatting through a video preview of Summerset but had no interest in watching it when they were streaming a trial. However, I fully understand why some people do watch live streams, I just don't think it's a very significant proportion of the total playerbase.

Cpt_Teemo

Troneon wrote: »

I watch others play games when I take a dump or when I am suppose to be working.

Maybe I should get a laptop again so I can play while taking a dump and working.....

It feels nice getting paid to watch people play games while taking a dump or at work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNc9phYujWY

Cpt_Teemo

BANK_IT_HERE wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

I've seen the posts about Twitch Crates but had very little knowledge of what Twitch is. I heard a business podcast on how the company got started (very interesting, btw, if you're a fan of business startup stories) so I knew the general premise but I'd never looked into what it actually does.

With all the talk of Twitch and Crates, I did some research. I'm in a bit of shock...

People actually watch other people play a video game? I thought "no way...I must be reading this wrong...surely there's something people do there other than watch someone else play a video game. Nope...that's it?

Maybe because I'm older but actually PLAYING a video game is, by far, the biggest waste of time I have in my life. But watching someone else play a video game is about the lamest thing I've ever heard!

Do people really do that or are they just doing it for free crates? Honestly...

Here is a recent interview with Ninja on CNBC talking about streaming and the income. CNBC reported he is making more than $500k a month between his 7.7 million Twitch followers, 5 million YouTube followers, etc.

If the value of this is an indicator, keep in mind that Amazon purchased Twitch a few years ago for $970 million. There is obviously a profitable business there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXuM-LpVD50

Wait I thought this was the true ninja