Suggestion for Zenimax to increase player base/income

GnGEmpire · April 2016

So I was thinking to myself, how come there are so few people on the ESO:TU channel on twitch.tv

It seems that the vast majority of the top games on Twitch.tv are competitive ones and that the vast majority of the big time streamers are involved with these type of competitive PvP games.

I think that if Zenimax had introduced proper competitive content, (instanced PvP comes to mind) we would be seeing:

1. More streamers coming to check out the game
2. Followers of those streamers coming to check out the game

Because let's be honest, watching streamers stream quests or even running around in monsterous cyrodiil is boring in comparison to watching a streamer stream live action 24/7.

I strongly believe that adding instanced PvP to the game will help capture much more of the Twitch population.

Also, from what I understand, a large part of the existing playerbase is aching to see this implemented, so not only will this help increase playerbase, but will help increase the longevity of existing players and subscribers.

Any feedback is welcome

phaneub17_ESO · April 2016

I find watching other people playing a game really boring, but that's just me. I can't follow along with streamers without wanting to change to something else after a few minutes. I don't know how you people do it watching them go for 30 minutes to hours!

UndeadBlood · April 2016

Not saying you're wrong, but I really like watching a good streamer in Cyrodiil. I mean it's not non stop action, but it is very entertaining to me, as long as he/she is activly looking for the action. Even if that involves defending, and waiting a little.

UltimaJoe777 · April 2016

Don't worry OP. PvP Arenas and stuff are coming.

Lysette · April 2016

To me the streamed content is basically always the same, regardless which game, it is just combat with a lot of particle effects and a whole lot of chaos. I don't know, why people watch this, but I can understand that not many want to see this.

GnGEmpire · April 2016

Just to clarify, I am absolutely not a PvP'er in this game, I play PvE so this thread isn't a biased one based on my own desires. I would simply like to see the game I love in a better place and wrote about one of the ways I believe this can be achieved.

Malmai · April 2016

GnGEmpire wrote: »

So I was thinking to myself, how come there are so few people on the ESO:TU channel on twitch.tv

It seems that the vast majority of the top games on Twitch.tv are competitive ones and that the vast majority of the big time streamers are involved with these type of competitive PvP games.

I think that if Zenimax had introduced proper competitive content, (instanced PvP comes to mind) we would be seeing:

1. More streamers coming to check out the game
2. Followers of those streamers coming to check out the game

Because let's be honest, watching streamers stream quests or even running around in monsterous cyrodiil is boring in comparison to watching a streamer stream live action 24/7.

I strongly believe that adding instanced PvP to the game will help capture much more of the Twitch population.

Also, from what I understand, a large part of the existing playerbase is aching to see this implemented, so not only will this help increase playerbase, but will help increase the longevity of existing players and subscribers.

Any feedback is welcome

Bro Greed took this game, there is no way back...

GnGEmpire · April 2016

Malmai wrote: »

GnGEmpire wrote: »

So I was thinking to myself, how come there are so few people on the ESO:TU channel on twitch.tv

It seems that the vast majority of the top games on Twitch.tv are competitive ones and that the vast majority of the big time streamers are involved with these type of competitive PvP games.

I think that if Zenimax had introduced proper competitive content, (instanced PvP comes to mind) we would be seeing:

1. More streamers coming to check out the game
2. Followers of those streamers coming to check out the game

Because let's be honest, watching streamers stream quests or even running around in monsterous cyrodiil is boring in comparison to watching a streamer stream live action 24/7.

I strongly believe that adding instanced PvP to the game will help capture much more of the Twitch population.

Also, from what I understand, a large part of the existing playerbase is aching to see this implemented, so not only will this help increase playerbase, but will help increase the longevity of existing players and subscribers.

Any feedback is welcome

Bro Greed took this game, there is no way back...

I agree, it did. However, I wrote this post from a business perspective.

Garldeen · April 2016

Not twitch based but loving the leaderboard concept behind ffxiv new Pvp. Runs for a six week season and then rewards at the end of that. The Pvp is short arena type games, which, from what I have seen, seem to last under ten mins. Pvp here is good but it would be good to have a mode like this. If you want to stream it then make it a knockout event for pre made groups, best out of three type thing

LadyNalcarya · April 2016

I dont understand the whole streaming thing, imo watching others play is boring, and if youre looking for cheesy remarks, there's plenty in any active guild ts.

Also its really weird for me how people worship streamers and video makers, even though they just let others watch how they play... Maybe Im that negative because most of streamers I saw are too self-conceited and childish (not in a good way) and I'm not a fan of this type of guys.

But more variety in pvp is actually needed, it will surely attract people. Better promotional media would help, too.

MikeB · April 2016

This list is longer than the net code for ESO.

Mojmir · April 2016

Worst and best thing for advertising is word of mouth.it's free

Garldeen · April 2016

KoshkaMurka wrote: »

I dont understand the whole streaming thing, imo watching others play is boring, and if youre looking for cheesy remarks, there's plenty in any active guild ts. Also its really weird for me how people worship streamers and video makers, even though they just let others watch how they play... Maybe Im that negative because most of streamers I saw are too self-conceited and childish (not in a good way) and I'm not a fan of this type of guys.
But more variety in pvp is actually needed, it will surely attract people. Better promotional media would help, too.

I've just spent the last week or so writing a uni research paper on the rise of Twitch as an advertising platform so it is funny the topic should come up now

People find it odd (no personal attack to the original poster here) that so many people watch someone stream a game. Yet they would happily watch sports on tv - in both situations we are watching someone else undertake an activity that a majority of people are able to do themselves. Most of us can play games, most of us are lucky enough that we could kick a ball around a field etc. However, we often choose to watch other people do it for us on TV.

For many gamers, Twitch channels are more than just Mr X playing a game and hoping people watch him. it is a sense of community - we all post on here because we have a shared interest in the game, for them it is the same - a chance to 'hang out' (doesn't feel right writing Hang Out as a 36-year-old man from a middle-class part of south England. I'm not exactly a teenager from California

) Streamers serve a number of purposes; they entertain. People are not just watching the channel to see so and so play the game. They are 1,000s of people playing that game at any one time. They are watching the stream because of the way the streamer engages with his audience. Twitch streamers are also the David Beckhams, the "insert American footballer here" for video gamers. They give younger gamers someone to look up to, a role model and a sense of community. The same which other people get from sports teams.

Businesses love Twitch too. A number of games now have product placements and in-game advertising. However, due to having to concentrate on the game, many gamers miss these the first time around. Guess who doesn't miss them though.......people watching others play games. The big streamers are given free copies of the games not just to help promote sales of the game, but also to help promote the brands advertising within games. Many games companies know that there will be a lot of people pirating their games or lending it to a friend to play, both denying them revenue (or buying pre owned) so they use product placement and in-game ads to get some kind of revenue from these non buyers.

I may have gone a bit off topic

Count yourselves lucky. The full paper i've finished is 6,000 words

Edit: This is a very interest read on the topic "How Twitch Turned Video Game Voyeurism Into Big Business" by Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-the-big-business-of-twitch/

khele23eb17_ESO · April 2016

UltimaJoe777 wrote: »

Don't worry OP. PvP Arenas and stuff are coming.

Balance sh*tstorm coming to the forums at the same time.

Gargath · April 2016

KoshkaMurka wrote: »

I dont understand the whole streaming thing, imo watching others play is boring, and if youre looking for cheesy remarks, there's plenty in any active guild ts. Also its really weird for me how people worship streamers and video makers, even though they just let others watch how they play... Maybe Im that negative because most of streamers I saw are too self-conceited and childish (not in a good way) and I'm not a fan of this type of guys.
But more variety in pvp is actually needed, it will surely attract people. Better promotional media would help, too.

Maybe if there were any cool rewards only from watching others playing, more observers would join. A good example is CS:GO championships, insane situation when hundreds of thousands idlers are watching the teams playing, just to wait for a single precious drop, which usually doesn't drop at all

. Can alt+tab the video and do other things, but still I'm there - "watching". If I'd known that by watching ESO streams I could win a rare mount or motif, I'd give it some more time.

Danikat · April 2016

I don't understand the appeal of watching someone else play a game. But then I don't understand the appeal of watching someone else play sports either. I've literally fallen asleep every time I've tried to watch a football match and some of those were quite significant, high profile matches (England vs. Germany in the world cup or something or other).

My main concern however would be that if the type of content that appeals to Twitch viewers is small instanced matches the people who would join as a result of that would be primarily interested in playing those small instanced matches and the effect on the overall population in the rest of the game would be insignificant. So ZOS would have to divert a large portion of their resources to developing and maintaining a new game mode, to attract people whose sole interest is that one mode. It seems like it'd be a lose/lose deal for the rest of us.

Lysette · April 2016

GnGEmpire wrote: »

Just to clarify, I am absolutely not a PvP'er in this game, I play PvE so this thread isn't a biased one based on my own desires. I would simply like to see the game I love in a better place and wrote about one of the ways I believe this can be achieved.

Just go to low level zones and have a look - the game is all but in a bad shape population-wise. Actually it is more crowded than end of last year. All these assumptions that ESO would have less players than ever is bogus, it's population is thriving.

GnGEmpire · April 2016

Lysette wrote: »

GnGEmpire wrote: »

Just to clarify, I am absolutely not a PvP'er in this game, I play PvE so this thread isn't a biased one based on my own desires. I would simply like to see the game I love in a better place and wrote about one of the ways I believe this can be achieved.

Just go to low level zones and have a look - the game is all but in a bad shape population-wise. Actually it is more crowded than end of last year. All these assumptions that ESO would have less players than ever is bogus, it's population is thriving.

Not sure why you quoted me there because at no point did I claim that ESO has less players than ever.
I don't have the data to make any such claim, but I am sure that judging a games population by the amount of people you can see around you in starting zones means almost nothing.

In any case, this thread was created with a sliver of hope that Zenimax could improve their game based on it, I wasn't suggesting that the game is currently in a bad state (which may or may not be the case, I don't think any of us really know), but being in a better place is always possible.

Lysette · April 2016

GnGEmpire wrote: »

Lysette wrote: »

GnGEmpire wrote: »

Just to clarify, I am absolutely not a PvP'er in this game, I play PvE so this thread isn't a biased one based on my own desires. I would simply like to see the game I love in a better place and wrote about one of the ways I believe this can be achieved.

Just go to low level zones and have a look - the game is all but in a bad shape population-wise. Actually it is more crowded than end of last year. All these assumptions that ESO would have less players than ever is bogus, it's population is thriving.

Not sure why you quoted me there because at no point did I claim that ESO has less players than ever.
I don't have the data to make any such claim, but I am sure that judging a games population by the amount of people you can see around you in starting zones means almost nothing.

In any case, this thread was created with a sliver of hope that Zenimax could improve their game based on it, I wasn't suggesting that the game is currently in a bad state (which may or may not be the case, I don't think any of us really know), but being in a better place is always possible.

The problem is, that both statements are true, somewhat - the game is broken in PvP, it is very healthy in solo PvE content and has flaws in group content PvE. So it depends on how you play, if you see it as in good shape or not. I would guess, that most players are rather casual players, which will be for a long time in the solo PvE part of the game and so they will experience the game in a healthy state - and they might never get to the broken parts ever, because their time to play is too limited. So my guess is, for the majority of players the game is in good shape.

vyrusb23 · April 2016

What is the lure of watching someone else play a game instead of playing it yourself? I just don't get it.

vyrusb23 · April 2016

Danikat wrote: »

I've literally fallen asleep every time I've tried to watch a football match and some of those were quite significant, high profile matches (England vs. Germany in the world cup or something or other).

Oh, you're talking about soccer. I can see why you would fall asleep.