Streaming has become one of the more popular jobs in the past decade thanks to Twitch and YouTube. At the risk of sounding parasocial, it’s like watching a friendly acquaintance play a game in a public Discord call. You have a stream on in the background as you eat, clean, or do your work. The streamer will play their game and talk to their chat or themselves, filling in the silence of your day. They also bring an assortment of games to your attention, and it’s up to you to decide what to take from the viewing experience.
It’s a Free Live Demo
If a streamer is popular enough, they can gain access to closed beta games like Deadlock. Getting a sneak peek into these games from streamers develops interest in the average viewer and hopefully leads them to following the game’s development.
It could also give you an introduction to a new game. I can’t count how many games I’ve tried out because a streamer introduced me to it. It’s a chance to expand your game library and discover a new genre of games you probably wouldn’t have considered before.
Don’t Want to Play the Game
Some people prefer to watch a stream because they don’t want to buy the game because it’s either too expense or they don’t have interest in it. For example, I watched a streamer play Silent Hill: F because I had no interest in playing the game, but I heard the story was interesting.
Games that require monthly subscriptions like World of Warcraft, FFXIV, and Runescape are costly and time-consuming. Watching someone you enjoy play a game they’re passionate about is entertaining, even if you don’t have any interest in playing the game yourself or can’t afford it.
Interact with Streamer Communities
All streamers have chats. While the rules for each chat differ from streamer to streamer, most fans talk on social media. They organize events, draw fan art based on streams, and develop a sense of camaraderie among each other on there.
There are also games that bring streamer communities together. Currently, many streamers are playing Tomodachi Life 2 and are putting whoever they want into the game and watching them live in the world. This brings the fans of multiple streamers together to compare notes about what’s happening on each streamer’s island via social media.
Learn Tips and Tricks
If you’re like me and play competitive Marvel Rivals, you want to get better at the game. Sometimes, I’ll sit around and watch some streams to learn a few things from better players. Sure, I have no plans of ever making it out of Platinum rank because I only play for the ranked skin and the title card, but I also don’t want to be in Gold 3 at the end of my placement matches each season.
There are a lot of professional e-sport players on Twitch who spend their days grinding in competitive settings. It’s a great resource for the average player to learn from.
Silly Challenges
A key part of successful streaming is to be entertaining. While there isn’t a set way on how to do this because every streamer is different, there is one thing that does help: challenges. These can be silly or difficult, but it entertains the viewer.
Sometimes streamers do silly challenges during streams. Some of these include: drunk Mortuary Assistant, Elden Ring with a DDR pad, or playing a co-op game with friends, but everyone speaks a different language. Are these things you can probably do yourself? Maybe, but it’s funnier to watch someone else do those things. I know I’d throw out my DDR pad after 30 minutes of dying in Limgrave to dogs.
Every gamer watches streams for different reasons, and there’s a streamer for just about anything. It depends on what you’re looking to gain out of the experience.
