Jump to content

Video game livestreaming

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Plsubnanprog (talk | contribs) at 02:45, 21 January 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the level design technique, see Level streaming.

The live streaming of video games is an activity where people broadcast themselves playing games to a live audience online. The practice became popular in the mid-2010s on the US-based site Twitch, before growing to YouTube, Facebook, China-based sites Huya Live, DouYu, and Bilibili, and other services. By 2014, Twitch streams had more traffic than HBO's online streaming service, HBO Go. Professional streamers often combine high-level play and entertaining commentary, and earn income from sponsors, subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations, unfortunately this no longer exist because YouTube and twitch are Banning people left and right for the dumbest reasons YouTube is worse than twitch maybe if YouTube really wanted to listen to fans they would actually improve the platform.

Both AAA and indie developers have circumvented rising development costs by utilizing the free advertising live streaming provides. Independent titles such as Fall Guys, Rocket League, and Among Us are examples of games that have experienced a huge increase in player base as a result of streaming. Esports have also gained significant traction and attention from the accessibility of live streaming, and streaming has even been used as a method to raise awareness of social issues and money for charity.

Live streaming offers the allure of transforming a hobby of playing a video game into a full career of streaming, but brings with it the risks associated with this added renown, whether they be inside the video game, like stream sniping, or in real life, like stalking and swatting. Additionally, the low bar of entry in terms of technology and audience allows for a wide variety of streamers and games to be broadcast.

Overview

History

The practice of livestreaming video games began with WSBN, a shoutcasting station, video streaming a competitive Starseige Tribes match via Windows Media Encoder to approximately 50 people in 2001. It later became popular in the mid-2010s on sites such as Twitch.[1] By 2014, Twitch streams had more traffic than HBO Go and eventually hastened the closure of Justin.tv, which Twitch had originally spun out of.[2][3] In 2015, YouTube launched YouTube Gaming, a video gaming-oriented sub-site and app that intended to compete with Twitch.[4] Other notable video-game oriented streaming websites include Microsoft's Mixer, which shut down in July 2020, Smashcast.tv, which was formed after the merging of Azubu and Hitbox.tv, the South Korea-based afreecaTV, and many China based sites like Huya Live, DouYu and Bilibili.

In August 2020, China based video sharing website and live streaming service Bilibili paid Riot Games $113 million for the exclusive rights to broadcast League of Legends World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational and League of Legends All Star for three years in China. It was the biggest deal in the video game live streaming market, and made China's video game live streaming market bigger than Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming combined, according to journalist Rod Breslau.[5][6]

Impact on the video game industry

Live streaming has brought attention to previously obscure video games such as Rocket League, Fall Guys, and Among Us. Rocket League, a vehicular soccer game developed by Psyonix, sold over 5 million copies after becoming one of the top 5 most-watched games on Twitch when it released in July 2015. The game eventually accumulated over 12 million players and earned itself a Twitch Rocket League Championship Series.[7] In September 2020, Rocket League abandoned its traditional pricing scheme and became free-to-play.

This form of live streaming has become a popular form of advertising for video game developers, surpassing traditional mediums such as online magazines and traditional demos.[7] Potential consumers are able to experience newly-released video games without having to purchase them. Major multiplayer titles benefit from this free advertising, but more linear point-and-click titles, such as those from the now defunct Telltale Games, can suffer if the people watching the gameplay are satisfied without making a purchase.

The rise in large-scale “AAA” video game titles have resulted in increased prices for consumers and the prevalence of free-to-play titles containing microtransactions. Smaller developers have utilized crowdsourcing platforms such as GoFundMe alongside streaming services such as Twitch to advertise their product. In turn, digital storefronts such as Steam have become even more popular with features such as built-in streaming integration and Steam early access facilitating a growth in users. By developing games with live streaming in mind, developers can leverage these features and allocate their budget towards innovative gameplay rather than traditional advertising.

Older titles, such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, have seen renewed popularity due to speedruns, or rapid completions, facilitated by live streaming.[7] This has been a key component in diversifying live streaming audiences.

Impact on eSports

With the ability for anyone to watch from home on their devices, eSports viewership reached 213 million in 2016 and continues to grow every year.[8] Popular eSports titles include Call of Duty, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Overwatch.[9] One of the biggest prize pools in eSports was for the Dota 2 tournament, The International, which totaled a pool of 25 million USD in 2017.[8]

Smaller video game communities, such as the Super Smash Bros Melee community, have benefited from the visibility they have gained from video game live streaming.[10] In 2013, several members of the Super Smash Bros Melee community live streamed in order to raise money to become the 8th game featured at the prestigious tournament Evolution Championship Series and overturn a decision by Nintendo to ban the game from the event.[11]

Social activism

In December 2019, famous streamer, Dr. Lupo, hosted a 24 hour charity live stream to have all donations and earnings earned during the stream donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The stream managed to raise $2.3 million, with Twitch itself donating $1 million of the total.[12] In 2020, American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez live streamed herself playing the popular game Among Us with other streamers who have large followings in an effort to encourage people to vote in the 2020 United States presidential election.[13]

Profession

Professional streamers often combine gameplay with highly knowledgeable or dexterous play and entertaining commentary. They can generate sufficient revenue from viewer subscriptions and donations, as well as platform advertisements and sponsorships from eSports organizations.[14] An October 2017 report from SuperData Research estimated that more people subscribed to video game streams and Let's Play videos on YouTube and Twitch than for all of HBO, Netflix, ESPN, and Hulu, combined.[15]

Benefits

As a profession, video game live streaming allows people to play the games they love while supporting their livelihood. As they gain bigger followings by streaming consistently and marketing, streamers are able to take advantage of the tools within most streaming platforms, such as subscriptions, donations, or advertisements, to support themselves.[16] Streamers can also become sponsored, or offer rewards in the form of competitions or games to the viewers in order to promote their channel and increase viewership and monetization. Some competitions offer large money prizes for the winner. A professional Fortine player, Bugha, won 3 million dollars at the Fortnite World Cup in July of 2019.[17] In addition, streams can control their work schedule and their success on their platform can give a strong sense of personal accomplishment.[18] Video game live streaming appeals to many for the ability to transform a hobby of playing video games into a profitable career of streaming them, in addition to the social benefits of being in a position of renown with a large viewership and semi-celebrity status.[18]

Risks

Streamers run the risk of being victims of stalking, as is common with other public figures. For example, a teenage viewer showed up uninvited to a streamer's house and requested to stream with him after having saved up for a one-way transcontinental flight.[19] Another risk to streamers is swatting, where someone makes a false report to police of serious criminal activity taking place at the streamer's residence, resulting in a raid by police, which is often captured live by the streaming service.[20] Such activity can create serious risk to the streamer, and has even resulted in deaths. In the 2017 Wichita swatting, police officers killed a man named Andrew Finch at his Kansas home. Finch was the unintended victim of the swatting after two Call of Duty players on the same team got into a heated argument about a US$1.50 bet. LAPD arrested 25-year-old serial-swatter Tyler Raj Barriss, known online as "SWAuTistic" and "GoredTutor36", in connection with the incident, who was later sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the offense.[21][22][23][24] In another instance, a streamer by the name Jamie Lynn Greenwood was swatted while playing Minecraft.[25] Swatting is a dangerous act of high jinks that can become a serious problem for the people involved.

Stream sniping is a common tactic to gain an advantage in a video game by watching the live stream of an enemy player while playing.[26] Several video game developers have taken measures against stream sniping, and video games such as Rust and Fortnite now hide the names of popular streamers.[27][28] In November 2018, live streamer Ninja controversially threatened to report a player who he thought had killed him in Fortnite by stream sniping.[29] While stream sniping happens somewhat rarely for most streamers due to the countermeasures set by the games, as well as tactics set up by the streamers themselves like covering up the in-game map or setting a delay for the stream, there are cases, like for the popular Twitch streamer Forsen, where stream sniping plays a part in a streamer's entertainment and therefore the streamer allows it.[30]

Streamers also run the risk of mental health issues. These mental health issues can be caused by amount of sleep, time playing video games, and the intensity of the video game being played. Intensity of the video game has proven to be more important regarding sleep issues, which then can affect a streamers mental health. These mental health related issues can also directly effect a streamers physical health as well. Streamers that have better mental health also have a lower risk of low sleep quality. Sometimes streamers will take an extended hiatus to improve their mental health.

Entry

Players involved in eSports can get into streaming by using their popularity or by using their honed skills and in-depth game knowledge during their livestream.[18] People on YouTube or other social media platforms often become streamers as well to interact more with viewers. Other types of people that enter streaming include video game creators and people who write articles or blogs about video games.[18]

To build an audience, experienced streamers recommend that newer streamers stream a popular game because it is more likely to interest viewers.[3] Popular titles in the mid-2010s include League of Legends, Dota 2, first-person shooters such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and card games such as Hearthstone. Viewers are more interested in players who play and entertain well, offering jokes, pop culture, and current event commentary instead of repetitive gameplay. Streamers also recommend keeping a schedule so viewers know when to watch, self-promoting on social media, and holding giveaway contests to increase followers.[3]

Streaming equipment

Microphones are critical to live streaming because they allow streamers to vocally communicate with their audience.[31] Webcams are also useful because they allow the audience to see streamers and recognize them.[31] If using a webcam, many streamers have additional lighting to brighten up their faces when streaming to allow viewers to see them clearly.[31] An ethernet cable is highly recommended for streamers because it minimizes stuttering while streaming.[31]

Home video game consoles, such as the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox One, contain built-in streaming and optional camera integration for streamers to use. Streamers using computers use software such as Open Broadcaster Software or XSplit to upload a livestream to the Twitch servers.[3] For streamers using laptops, many gaming laptops are coming with new graphics cards and better connectivity to help streamers to stream their gaming experiences.[32]

List of video game live streaming websites

Active

The following is a list of sites that primarily focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of eSports competitions, in addition to other types of content.

Website Domain Launch Owner Note
Twitch twitch.tv June 6, 2011 Amazon
YouTube youtube.com/gaming Google
Facebook fb.gg Facebook
Steam Broadcast steamcommunity.com 2015 Valve
DLive dlive.tv September 2018
Trovo Live trovo.live March, 2020 Tencent[33]
Huya Live[34] huya.com November 24, 2014 Tencent (50.1%), JOYY (43%)[13]
Nimo TV nimo.tv May 3, 2018 Huya Live 's global site
DouYu[34] douyu.com 2014 Tencent (37%%)[35]
Bilibili[36] live.bilibili.com Tencent (Minority ownership)[8]
Kuaishou live.kuaishou.com Tencent (Minority ownership)[8]
YY[34] yy.com 2012 JOYY[13]
Caffeine caffeine.tv January 31, 2018
afreecaTV afreecatv.com May 11, 2005
Rawa TV rawa.tv April 3, 2018

Defunct

Website Domain Launch Owner Note
Mixer mixer.com January 5, 2016 Microsoft Mixer has shut down on July 22, 2020. (Microsoft currently partners with Facebook)[37]
Smashcast smashcast.tv May, 2017 Defunct as of 2020
Azubu azubu.tv 2012 Shut down and was succeeded by Smashcast
Hitbox hitbox.tv October 2013 Acquired by Azubu and then succeeded by Smashcast
Main article: Legal issues with Let's Play videos

Live streaming of video games has many of the same legal issues that Let's Play videos may have. First and foremost, such videos can be considered a copyright violation, though is argued to be protected by fair use defenses. Streamers with larger audiences can also promote the game before its release by receiving a copy of the game from the developer to play on their platform, which runs the risk of violating ethical business practices if they stand to make a substantial amount of income from this promotion.[38]

Nintendo has generally taken a strong stance compared to other publishers for allowing their games to be streamed or recorded. Initially, they have used YouTube's Content ID system to register their games such that they can generate ad revenue from streaming videos and Let's Play videos.[39] By about 2014, Nintendo crafted its Nintendo Creators Program, which would allow players providing live streams and Let's Plays of Nintendo games that sign onto the program to receive some monetization of these videos through YouTube.[40][41] However, in September 2017, Nintendo changed the program specifically preventing affiliates from streaming video of Nintendo games, monetized or not, though non-affiliated accounts, and Let's Plays with commentary, remain unaffected.[42] However, on November 28, 2018, Nintendo announced that the program was shutting down.[43][44]

The playing of copyrighted music without proper permission may cause archived streams to be removed or muted. Streamers can also be suspended, due to complaints under laws such as the U.S. Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act, or automated content matching. More than 10 popular Twitch streamers, including Félix "xQc" Lengyel and Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi, were banned for 24 hours for allegedly playing a song by Juice WRLD in June 2018. Some of the bans were lifted, with the artist's record label Interscope claiming that the ban was accidental.[45][46] Even backlash from small streamers is on the rise. English live streamer PhatUnicorn420 uses music from his real life brother, music producer SampleTheChef. Even after rejecting and disputing over 200 video mutes to his channel, Twitch are still unable to identify Phat's claims and to stop them reoccurring. Twitch (service) sent a letter to users in October 2020, threatening to remove videos or channels that had copyrighted music on them, and it would not stop streamers from facing punishments due to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violations.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (March 15, 2017). "Gamer's Death Pushes Risks of Live Streaming Into View". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  2. ^ Mugen (2019-12-15). "Mit der PS4 auf Twitch streamen - Guide". Mugens Reviews. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  3. ^ a b c d Graziano, Dan (September 4, 2014). "The complete guide to streaming games on Twitch". CNET. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  4. ^ Dredge, Stuart (August 26, 2015). "Google launches YouTube Gaming to challenge Amazon-owned Twitch". The Guardian. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  5. ^ "Riot signs 3-year deal granting Bilibili exclusive broadcasting rights in China for international events". Dot Esports. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  6. ^ "Rod Breslau on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-08-03. at this point between Huya, Douyu (who were both outbid for the Riot deal), and Bilibili alone, China's live streaming market feels like it's bigger than Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming combined
  7. ^ a b c Johnson, Mark R; Woodcock, Jamie (2019-07-01). "The impacts of live streaming and Twitch.tv on the video game industry". Media, Culture & Society. 41 (5): 670–688. doi:10.1177/0163443718818363. ISSN 0163-4437.
  8. ^ a b c d Drenth, A. R. van (2018). "eSports from the Virtual Stands". Utrecht University Repository. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  9. ^ February 2020, Ford James 04. "Top esports games 2020: Which titles are the biggest in competitive gaming?". gamesradar. Retrieved 2021-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Johnson, Mark R; Woodcock, Jamie (July 2019). "The impacts of live streaming and Twitch.tv on the video game industry" (PDF). Media, Culture & Society. 41 (5): 670–688. doi:10.1177/0163443718818363. ISSN 0163-4437. S2CID 150186565.
  11. ^ "Evo: An oral history of Super Smash Bros. Melee". ESPN.com. 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  12. ^ Favis, Elise. "Livestreams are the new telethons, and they're raising millions for charities". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  13. ^ a b c "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Among Us game watched by 400,000". BBC News. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  14. ^ Leslie, Callum (2014-12-31). "Hearthstone players won more than $1 million in the game's first year". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016.
  15. ^ Bailey, Dustin (October 19, 2017). "Gaming videos are bigger than HBO, Netflix, and Hulu combined". PCGamesN. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  16. ^ "View of The imperative to be seen: The moral economy of celebrity video game streaming on Twitch.tv | First Monday". journals.uic.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  17. ^ "Newsfile Corp.: FORTNITE WORLD CUP Dominated by - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  18. ^ a b c d Johnson, Mark R.; Woodcock, Jamie (2019-02-23). "'It's like the gold rush': the lives and careers of professional video game streamers on Twitch.tv" (PDF). Information, Communication & Society. 22 (3): 336–351. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2017.1386229. ISSN 1369-118X. S2CID 149025429.
  19. ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (May 2, 2017). "When Fans Take Their Love For Twitch Streamers Too Far". Kotaku. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  20. ^ Hern, Alex (2015-02-05). "Gamer raided by Swat team in front of thousands of viewers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  21. ^ Manna, Nicole (2017-12-29). "Call of Duty gaming community points to 'swatting' in deadly Wichita police shooting". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  22. ^ Darrah, Nicole (2017-12-29). "Kansas police investigate whether fatal shooting was result of prank called 'swatting'". Fox News. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  23. ^ Sommerfeldt, Chris (2017-12-29). "Kansas man shot to death by police was reportedly unintended victim of 'Call of Duty' 'swatting' prank". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2017-12-29.Sommerfeldt, Chris (29 December 2017). "Kan. man killed by cops was victim of 'swatting' prank". NY Daily News.
  24. ^ "Kansas Man Killed In 'SWATting' Attack — Krebs on Security". krebsonsecurity.com. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  25. ^ "Swatted - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2021-11-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Livingston, Christopher (9 August 2017). "Streamers vs. stream-snipers: why cheaters will always prosper on Twitch". PC Gamer. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  27. ^ Grayson, Nathan (21 September 2015). "Rust's Anti-Stream Sniping Mode Exists Because of Cheaters". Kotaku. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  28. ^ Grayson, Nathan (1 June 2018). "Fortnite Players Blame Stream Snipers For Update That Hides Streamers' Names". Kotaku. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  29. ^ Asarch, Steven (11 November 2018). "Streamer Ninja is in hot water for calling player IcyFive a stream sniper". Newsweek. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  30. ^ Grayson, Nathan. "Battlegrounds Streamer's Audience Loves His Loud, Obnoxious Stream Snipers". Kotaku. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  31. ^ a b c d Andronico, Michael (2021-01-22). "How to get started on Twitch, according to the experts". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  32. ^ "Best Gaming Laptops 2019 Reviews by What Laptops". What Laptops Reviews. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  33. ^ Holt, Kris. "With Mixer Dead In The Water, Twitch's Next Big Threat Could Be Tencent". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  34. ^ a b c Agar, Ian (2019-11-19). "3 Chinese Live-Streaming Stocks to Watch". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  35. ^ Haak, Alex (2 April 2020). "Tencent's Option To Become Huya's Controlling Shareholder". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  36. ^ jen. "China Games Streaming Tracker". Niko. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  37. ^ Warren, Tom (2020-06-22). "Microsoft is shutting down Mixer and partnering with Facebook Gaming". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  38. ^ GeraldKerr-Wilson, Fasken-. "Video Game Streamers: Free promotion, copyright infringement, or both? | Lexology". www.lexology.com. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  39. ^ Gera, Emily (2013-05-16). "Nintendo claims ad revenue on user-generated YouTube videos". Polygon. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  40. ^ Tolito, Stephan (2013-06-24). "Nintendo's Turn For a 180? 'Let's Play' Drama Might Have Happy Ending". Kotaku. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  41. ^ Williams, Katie (2014-05-27). "Nintendo Announces Affiliate Program for YouTube Let's Play Creators". IGN. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  42. ^ Alexander, Julia (September 29, 2017). "Nintendo restricts livestreaming games for YouTubers in Nintendo's partners program". Polygon. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  43. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (November 28, 2018). "Nintendo to End Its Creators Program in December". IGN. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  44. ^ Marshall, Cass (November 28, 2018). "The Nintendo Creators Program draws to a close this December". Polygon. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  45. ^ "Popular Twitch Streamers Temporarily Banned For Playing Copyrighted Music". Kotaku. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  46. ^ Goslin, Austen (2018-06-22). "Popular Twitch streamers temporarily banned thanks to DMCA takedowns". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  47. ^ "Twitch's DMCA Takedowns Threaten to Drive Musicians Away". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2021-04-09.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Video_game_livestreaming&oldid=1066976370"