As soon as the NDA is lifted from Pantheon I'll be streaming it all the time. As VattoLoco says the interaction with the people watching is what makes it so fun. You basically build up your own little community and get to know people over a period of time. Pretty cool if you ask me.
I do watch the odd stream but I much prefer actually being the one doing the streaming. It just feels so much more involving.
Nice mixed replies, I see a lot of the more mature gamers against it than I do the younger ones, which isn't surprising but it is surprising (across Forums, FB and Twitter) seeing how people only think it is a service to watch others play games on, when it is so much more! ;)
Kilsin said:Nice mixed replies, I see a lot of the more mature gamers against it than I do the younger ones, which isn't surprising but it is surprising (across Forums, FB and Twitter) seeing how people only think it is a service to watch others play games on, when it is so much more! ;)
I have to admit that when I first heard of Twitch I didn't understand it either. You really need to jump in and try and stream yourself. I also do some YouTube videos so doing Twitch and YouTube together makes a lot of sense. You can put edited videos together for YouTube and live interaction with your audience on Twitch basically allowing you to do the best of both worlds.
I like streaming- sometimes. I would like to create a stream. I thought YOUR guys streaming was cool.
But
if I were to stream I would not narrate in a south-park-esque monotone. I would bring the necessary drama. Think of the Movie "Master Commander"- any one of the action deck scenes in weather ( Master brooks! / "aye cap'n!"/ I want to see lifelines! lifelines fore and aft! Look lively!/ "aye-aye cap'n!") , or the cannon firing scene.
I would narrate with gusto and if everyone was on ventrillo or somesuch, I would expect the same from them- and if a warrior yellled for sheilds, and the cleric replyed in a scottish accent "I jus' canna do it Cap'n! I need more mana!" a la Scotty from Star Trek- well, that is ok, too, as a one-off.
I dont really just like watching someone play for an extended period of time. At that point I would rather play something than watch someone else play something :) So although I am not into streaming I do feel that Streaming is a very valuable tool:
I have Streamed a couple of things in the past to show my friends and guild things. One example was when I was playing ArhceAge and wanted to show them what the game was about (there weren't many videos out at that time). They were sold when they saw us traversing the seas on our boat! Too bad about how the game turned out though. Another time I used it to show friends a technique in Landmark so they could see my screen. So when I can learn something from streamers I do enjoy it.
I have noticed in the past years that streaming is a very cheap and effective way to promote a game. I am really surprised at the number of people that will buy a game because they were watching a Streamer. There are groupies that follow streamers and are actually social networks themselves now. For a game like Pantheon, it will certainly be a good source of advertisement.
Kilsin said:Nice mixed replies, I see a lot of the more mature gamers against it than I do the younger ones, which isn't surprising but it is surprising (across Forums, FB and Twitter) seeing how people only think it is a service to watch others play games on, when it is so much more! ;)
I would be interested in seeing what you consider the age range of mature gamers ;-) lol
VattoLoco said:Kilsin said:Nice mixed replies, I see a lot of the more mature gamers against it than I do the younger ones, which isn't surprising but it is surprising (across Forums, FB and Twitter) seeing how people only think it is a service to watch others play games on, when it is so much more! ;)
I would be interested in seeing what you consider the age range of mature gamers ;-) lol
I was going to ask the same thing :). While I am not really old not many people call me young either anymore :). I'm 30 by the way.
I could live without it. For one, I don't even know how to stream anything myself. As much of a nerd as I am, I'm not a very practical one. I don't know how to *DO* things.
There has been only one stream that I actually enjoyed watching, and that was some guy playing Skyrim a long while ago. It gave me the itch to play again, so I suppose it did its job. Otherwise, I'm very "meh" about the concept.
-Tralyan
Cromulent said:VattoLoco said:Kilsin said:Nice mixed replies, I see a lot of the more mature gamers against it than I do the younger ones, which isn't surprising but it is surprising (across Forums, FB and Twitter) seeing how people only think it is a service to watch others play games on, when it is so much more! ;)
I would be interested in seeing what you consider the age range of mature gamers ;-) lol
I was going to ask the same thing :). While I am not really old not many people call me young either anymore :). I'm 30 by the way.
Ya same here lol, 31! But ya like Crom said, once NDA is lifted, I will be streaming it every day!
VattoLoco said:Kilsin said:Nice mixed replies, I see a lot of the more mature gamers against it than I do the younger ones, which isn't surprising but it is surprising (across Forums, FB and Twitter) seeing how people only think it is a service to watch others play games on, when it is so much more! ;)
I would be interested in seeing what you consider the age range of mature gamers ;-) lol
It's hard to put an actual age on it but from what I do know, the ages of people replying with less knowledge about streaming tend to be 40+ so I was being polite and replacing a hard number with "mature" lol ;)
When streaming first became a "thing", I really didn't understand the appeal of either end. In the last couple of years, it's grown on me. I've actually streamed af ew times, but because of my cappy internet connection I don't stream regularly, which will be changing in June when I move. (Fiber 'net = love).
Personally, I think games are given the go ahead to be streamed much too early, by the general public. I will kick myself for saying this but, I miss the days of NDA. it kept a game fresh and exciting. I really like what Wildstar did; they gave stream privleges to a few community members and those were the "community ambassadors", so to speak. I felt that it created more of a community feel, because instead of having 100 streamers to watch, there were 5. People would see familiar faces in chat and that created a sense of family before the game was even out.
I don't really use twitch (maybe once or twice) but I do enjoy watching gameplay on youtube, one of the biggest factors for me I think is the person making the video has to be entertaining (not annoying or obnoxious). I'm currently watching a gameplay series of Neverwinter Nights on my phone while I work, though I guess it’s more like I'm listening to it like a radio show :P.
I think it’s also nice if you are thinking about getting a game but are uncertain whether you want to spend the money on it, watch a few videos of said game to get a better feel for it and make a more informed decision (much like the twitch stream of Pantheon pulled in a lot of people who were uncertain of whether they wanted to pledge or not).
Rachael
I am not a streamer, but enjoy watching them a few hours a week so I hope you guys will support and encourage your streamers. I will watch everything from eSports to Felicia Day. Streaming has convinced me to try out new games as well as pick up old games I had forgotten.
I think it encourages a part of the community while providing a valuable resource. I have had great conversations in chat and friended people in game through streams. It's a unique way to see gameplay from another perspective, and can help answer questions like where to find resources and suggestions on builds. Mostly its just a fun, entertaining way to spend some time with people who share the same interest.
I have streamed before. Usually when i do it's to stream for some set of certain people but I have been thinking of doing it for Pantheon. In the past I have streamed boss fights for people not in raid to watch what we are doing and to see the changes we make to strategies.
As for watching them, I watch when I'm at work to check out various games and maybe find something new to try. In new games it can be a good way to learn about the game. Seeing things from another point of view and watching them do things you may have not done yet. So they can be helpful. They can also help to promote the game a lot as a lot of people look for gameplay before investing in a game.
Martini said:Personally, I think games are given the go ahead to be streamed much too early, by the general public. I will kick myself for saying this but, I miss the days of NDA. it kept a game fresh and exciting. I really like what Wildstar did; they gave stream privleges to a few community members and those were the "community ambassadors", so to speak. I felt that it created more of a community feel, because instead of having 100 streamers to watch, there were 5. People would see familiar faces in chat and that created a sense of family before the game was even out.
Except when those streamers are pieces of garbage. Some of the ones that were given stream rights on Wildstar went on to be banned from the game for massively exploiting it. Then you have streamers that people became used to watching who then bashed the game. Have to be careful if only selecting certain people as it could alienate a lot of the people who supported from the start. Especially a game like this that is being crowd funded
If a game is interesting, I can watch a stream. Especially if its a game that I like, but don't care to play it myself. I've spent hours watching my friends play games, especially RPGs. The interaction is what makes it worthwhile though.
Likewise when a streamer is fun and interacts with the viewers, it can be entertaining. I actually found myself watching people play Sim type games (simcity) on twitch for hours last year. The guy was just an interesting character, was good at the game and that made it fun to watch.
I've streamed a bit, but alas, I seldom play games that get many viewers. The most I've ever streamed was probably playing Vanguard the last go-round. Without a decent number of people passing through, its kind of pointless to stream.
Depends entirely on the game or content being streamed.
I enjoy and play Destiny on consoles, but have zero interest in being great at PVP or more specifically the 6 man raids. This can be interesting to see people progress through the encounter with gear and skill I do not possess.
For story based games that I have completed, it can be interesting to see someone experience and see their reactions to the jump scares, WTF moments, and other story developments.
Grinding games or sections can be enjoyable to play and listen to others via streaming. Either getting tips on how to play or seeing what is possible with the right gear can be entertaining while I am multitasking doing other things.
Game events and competitions are great for streaming but it depends on how much attention is required.
For MMOs, which is probably the relevant question, I am unsure. Were it a game like WoW then I would have zero interest in watching or streaming since it is questline content that is available to myself if I play (since everything is achievable given time). The only thing of value I could see benefited by watching streams would be PVP to learn skill choices and play styles.
However for an Everquest-style game that is designed around being social and having some downtime, you should have time for interacting with stream viewers. In Everquest the world was large enough that you could not really do every dungeon, zone, and creature type at level where it was the intended difficulty. The progeny system gives the incentive to go and take the different leveling path and explore new zones, which could either be a detractor or a benefit for seeing the content ahead of time or not. The other factor is if the classes really do play differently then seeing it from a different perspective could be beneficial.
Both yes.
As game industry insider I watch streamers for insights and opinions regarding new games. What works, what does not. etc.
I occasionally have streamed to test out new cutting edge tech and creative idea's that I then feed back to more regular streamers trying to make a living from it.
I am sure I would stream Pantheon initially if only to display it at max resolution. Most streamers do not or can not due to bandwidth and/or system limitations.
But not having the gift of gab, my streaming is not much entertainment. :(.