RanceJustice
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 6,633
Good afternoon all. Over the past few months I've been approached every so often by someone asking if I stream and if not I should consider doing so. Having taken a little time to appraise the growing "Streamer/channel" culture, at least so far as it is tangentially related to gaming or creative pursuits, deciding on the focus and design of one's streams can be daunting. Thus I come to the forum here which I am guessing has a pretty significant readership and varied preferences, age ranges, and points of view, to ask - What makes for an enjoyable and quality streamer/channel?
First of all, I suppose I should ask what format of streamer/channel content do you enjoy? Do you prefer "lets plays"? Watching "eSports" style competitive play and/or commentary? Instructional/guide streams? Reviews? Discussion and variety? "Just for fun" streams of a variety of content and approaches? Something else?
Next, what genres/content do you prefer? Competitive e-sports titles like League of Legends, Overwatch, CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm, Smite etc...? Other competitive multiplayer FPS/MOBAs? Single player story and/or open world titles? Cooperative and/or Survival titles? Indie, less known, and/or unique titles? MMO / Virtual Worlds?
"Twitch Plays/Community play" events where the streamer allows the community in chat to dictate the course of the game, naming characters, deciding on moves to make etc..? A particular theme such as "Gaming on Linux" , "Early Access / Crowdfunded titles and their development progression", or "Roleplaying in MMORPGs"?
What are the facets of the streamer's behaviors do you enjoy? Conversely, what behaviors do you find annoying and limit your enjoyment of the streamer? Is there a preference for them to show their face or is voice-only acceptible, focusing the visual attention on the game at hand? Do you prefer a streamer to cultivate a notable persona (ie Silly with catch phrases, funny hats, and other memes, or flirty streamers who show up in soft-light makeup and tight/low-cut/cosplay/"geeky-sexy" clothes, or something else entirely?) or do you prefer a more "regular guy or girl" approach to an obvious character? What kind of audience participation elements do you prefer? Are giveaways a major factor and if so, what kind of items are desirable - physical (like hardware), digital (like games), or intangibles/services (access to spots to game with the host, chance to come on a "carry" run for a MMO raid etc)? Many established streamers are involved with charity in some way; does the type or frequency of said charity event play a role? Alternately, if you don't like streamers at all or find that the behavior of some offputting, let me know those elements as well.
Finally, what makes a streamer/channel worth subscribing, Twitch "cheering", donating, patreon, or other financial investment? What kind of perks are desirable for subscribers - special icons on the channel, preferential status/access on secondary community services like Mumble or Discord servers, extra chances to win various giveaways and chances? Is the charity element a major factor in contributing financially and if so, how? What makes it worth your money to donate or subscribe?
I know I tossed out a lot of questions earlier, but really its all framing the idea. Overall, I'm just most interested in knowing what makes a streamer/channel that you enjoy and especially those elements that make it worthwhile to subscribe or otherwise contribute financially; after all, people tend to only pay for something they really like and wish to support! Thanks!
First of all, I suppose I should ask what format of streamer/channel content do you enjoy? Do you prefer "lets plays"? Watching "eSports" style competitive play and/or commentary? Instructional/guide streams? Reviews? Discussion and variety? "Just for fun" streams of a variety of content and approaches? Something else?
Next, what genres/content do you prefer? Competitive e-sports titles like League of Legends, Overwatch, CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm, Smite etc...? Other competitive multiplayer FPS/MOBAs? Single player story and/or open world titles? Cooperative and/or Survival titles? Indie, less known, and/or unique titles? MMO / Virtual Worlds?
"Twitch Plays/Community play" events where the streamer allows the community in chat to dictate the course of the game, naming characters, deciding on moves to make etc..? A particular theme such as "Gaming on Linux" , "Early Access / Crowdfunded titles and their development progression", or "Roleplaying in MMORPGs"?
What are the facets of the streamer's behaviors do you enjoy? Conversely, what behaviors do you find annoying and limit your enjoyment of the streamer? Is there a preference for them to show their face or is voice-only acceptible, focusing the visual attention on the game at hand? Do you prefer a streamer to cultivate a notable persona (ie Silly with catch phrases, funny hats, and other memes, or flirty streamers who show up in soft-light makeup and tight/low-cut/cosplay/"geeky-sexy" clothes, or something else entirely?) or do you prefer a more "regular guy or girl" approach to an obvious character? What kind of audience participation elements do you prefer? Are giveaways a major factor and if so, what kind of items are desirable - physical (like hardware), digital (like games), or intangibles/services (access to spots to game with the host, chance to come on a "carry" run for a MMO raid etc)? Many established streamers are involved with charity in some way; does the type or frequency of said charity event play a role? Alternately, if you don't like streamers at all or find that the behavior of some offputting, let me know those elements as well.
Finally, what makes a streamer/channel worth subscribing, Twitch "cheering", donating, patreon, or other financial investment? What kind of perks are desirable for subscribers - special icons on the channel, preferential status/access on secondary community services like Mumble or Discord servers, extra chances to win various giveaways and chances? Is the charity element a major factor in contributing financially and if so, how? What makes it worth your money to donate or subscribe?
I know I tossed out a lot of questions earlier, but really its all framing the idea. Overall, I'm just most interested in knowing what makes a streamer/channel that you enjoy and especially those elements that make it worthwhile to subscribe or otherwise contribute financially; after all, people tend to only pay for something they really like and wish to support! Thanks!
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