“But perhaps it is we who need to defrag.”
April 24, 2019 5:20 AM Subscribe
LonelyStreams Shows You What Happens In Twitch Streams With Zero Viewers “But Twitch isn’t just star gamers; it’s pirate streams, bizarre Tim and Eric-style broadcasts, and average Joes just streaming their Overwatch matches. [...] All that anyone really needs to stream on Twitch is a computer and one of the various capture programs, like OBS or Fraps. If there are really thousands of unviewed streams hiding in the tall grass, it stands to reason that for the dozens of Fortnite players streaming, there’s plenty of weird shit in there too. And LonelyStreams gives me the perfect sieve to find them.” [via: Kotaku]
• The Gentle Side of Twitch [Gizmodo]
At any given point in time there are about 3000 livestreams on twitch alone with 0 viewers. Most of the creators are making great efforts of setting everything up and making sure their stream runs properly. It's a shame that nobody is watching. So feel free to browse around and appreciate their hard work.
• The Gentle Side of Twitch [Gizmodo]
“But there’s a quieter side of Twitch, with much less stimulation and shouting. There is joy and amusement to be found in the shrieks of loud, gregarious streamers, but an emerging sector of the platform—“Twitch for introverts,” as Hall called it—is offering up a different, more relaxed experience. These quieter places on Twitch are more evocative of a slower form of entertainment, not unlike Norway’s slow TV, which broadcasts long train rides or a 12-hour knitting marathon, and the holiday tradition of watching a yule log burn.”• Relax and Watch a Hard Drive Defrag Forever on Twitch [Tech Crunch]
“And what better way to defrag your brain after a long week than by watching the strangely satisfying defragmentation process taking place on a simulated DOS machine, complete with fan and HDD noise? That’s what you can do with this Twitch stream, which has defrag.exe running 24/7 for your enjoyment. [...] The whole thing is simulated, of course. There isn’t really just an endless pile of hard drives waiting to be defragged on decades-old hardware for our enjoyment (except in my box of old computer things). But the simulation is wonderfully complete, although if you think about it you probably never used DOS on a 16:9 monitor, and probably not at 1080p. It’s okay. We can sacrifice authenticity so we don’t have to windowbox it.”• This Guy Accidentally Fell Asleep On Twitch And Woke Up To Hundreds Of People Watching [Buzzfeed News]
“At the time he fell asleep, no one was even watching his channel. Daugherty’s channel didn’t have a huge following — a couple of hundred followers and a loyal subscriber. Subscribers, unlike followers, pay $5 a month, which the streamer gets a cut of. Sound asleep and oblivious, Daugherty’s channel blew up as he snoozed. His chat box was full of people watching him dozing, and he had no idea. This went on for three hours, with the chat reacting to his every move and sound. In a rather endearing clip on his channel, Daugherty can be seen slowly coming to and realizing how big his audience had gotten. The clip, titled “The awakening,” now has more than 2.6 million views. “I saw the total of 200 and I thought that was wrong,” he said. “Then I saw how fast the chat was moving and I was like, okay, that’s not wrong.””• I can't stop watching the most entrancingly boring games on Twitch and YouTube [Games Radar+]
“But as of late, I've found myself most contented by the polar opposite: low-stakes, leisurely games that must seem positively mundane by typical Twitch standards. Turns out, there's a whole wide world of streaming enjoyment beyond the realm of the hottest games being played by the most energetic people. I've become hooked on watching chip-ins from the bunker that gently roll into the hole for an Eagle. Birds chirping and people politely clapping after a perfect tee shot. Nights spent cruising down freeways in a big rig, taking care not to damage the cargo. Troublesome left turns when AI drivers struggle with the rules of the road. These moments and the games that create them might sound like a recipe for voluntarily narcolepsy to you, and I'll readily admit that they're not exactly riveting, edge-of-the-seat thrill rides. But there's a distinct charm to the streams and VODs of gameplay that soothes rather than excites, performed by people whose volume rarely rises above an inside voice.”
but the idea of clicking into a livestream and seeing that I am some person's "1 viewer"
See, I love these types of interactions. I mostly seek out twitch streams that are in the single digits or maybe the teens. It gives me a chance to just hangout and chat with them and I feel like I'm just chilling in the same room and watching them play a game or shoot the shit.
I mean there's something to be said for those massive streams where 200,000+ people are watching an eSports event of some kind, like a big fighting championship. That's a different kind of fun though where you're just one of many in a crowd and you're cheering and the chat stream is a river of non-sense.
Twitch is great in that it offers both and you can curate who you follow and what you're into. If you love knitting, there are plenty of knitting streams, if you want to watch D&D games, that's covered too, there's just so much variety, it's far more than "just gaming".
posted by Fizz at 5:50 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
See, I love these types of interactions. I mostly seek out twitch streams that are in the single digits or maybe the teens. It gives me a chance to just hangout and chat with them and I feel like I'm just chilling in the same room and watching them play a game or shoot the shit.
I mean there's something to be said for those massive streams where 200,000+ people are watching an eSports event of some kind, like a big fighting championship. That's a different kind of fun though where you're just one of many in a crowd and you're cheering and the chat stream is a river of non-sense.
Twitch is great in that it offers both and you can curate who you follow and what you're into. If you love knitting, there are plenty of knitting streams, if you want to watch D&D games, that's covered too, there's just so much variety, it's far more than "just gaming".
posted by Fizz at 5:50 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
I do think this shows (or is an early proof of concept experiment) that when we are able to upload human consciousness into some kind of super computer, not only will it be adopted there will be a virtual land rush.
posted by sammyo at 6:05 AM on April 24, 2019
posted by sammyo at 6:05 AM on April 24, 2019
I follow a great Minecraft Twitch streamer who attracts a modest following - maybe 175 - 250 viewers at any one time during a stream.
At the end of his stream, he makes it a point to find another MC streamer who is currently streaming and has just a handful of viewers, and then does a "raid" (when you automatically direct your viewers to someone else's stream). Some of the reactions this sudden influx in cheerful viewership have been just so amazing and heartwarming (and I now watch a few of those people as well). When your stream has maybe 5 viewers and someone randomly shows up with 150 people (all throwing around bits and being friendly in chat) it can really feel like the moment that is your big break.
Twitch gets a lot of shit for the loud crazy parts, but I really love the quieter corners. It just helps people feel less alone.
posted by anastasiav at 6:05 AM on April 24, 2019 [27 favorites]
At the end of his stream, he makes it a point to find another MC streamer who is currently streaming and has just a handful of viewers, and then does a "raid" (when you automatically direct your viewers to someone else's stream). Some of the reactions this sudden influx in cheerful viewership have been just so amazing and heartwarming (and I now watch a few of those people as well). When your stream has maybe 5 viewers and someone randomly shows up with 150 people (all throwing around bits and being friendly in chat) it can really feel like the moment that is your big break.
Twitch gets a lot of shit for the loud crazy parts, but I really love the quieter corners. It just helps people feel less alone.
posted by anastasiav at 6:05 AM on April 24, 2019 [27 favorites]
when we are able to upload human consciousness into some kind of super computer, not only will it be adopted there will be a virtual land rush.
Not to sidetrack the entire conversation but this completely reminds me of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV and how there are legit battles/disputes when it comes to virtual realty/housing. We've discussed it on the blue in the past. Worth checking out if you're interested in that kind of a thing.
posted by Fizz at 6:07 AM on April 24, 2019
Not to sidetrack the entire conversation but this completely reminds me of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV and how there are legit battles/disputes when it comes to virtual realty/housing. We've discussed it on the blue in the past. Worth checking out if you're interested in that kind of a thing.
posted by Fizz at 6:07 AM on April 24, 2019
I once joined a Twitch art stream with zero viewers to find the artist in the middle of a seemly practiced, professional monologue. This continued for about twenty seconds until the lag caught up, at which point his computer beeped. "Lurker...", he growled after consulting his screen, before continuing his drawing and his monologue. I left out of sheer awkwardness.
There's like no anonymity when you're the only watcher in a stream, they're aware of you just as much as you're aware of them.
posted by Eleven at 6:09 AM on April 24, 2019 [12 favorites]
There's like no anonymity when you're the only watcher in a stream, they're aware of you just as much as you're aware of them.
posted by Eleven at 6:09 AM on April 24, 2019 [12 favorites]
There's like no anonymity when you're the only watcher in a stream, they're aware of you just as much as you're aware of them.
Be careful when you gaze into the abyss.
posted by dazed_one at 6:14 AM on April 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
Be careful when you gaze into the abyss.
posted by dazed_one at 6:14 AM on April 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
Being the only one in chat would stress me OUT. My sweet spot is when you have a handful of people where you can actually read chat and type somewhat coherent thoughts, as opposed to just using emotes because chat is at warp 9.999.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:26 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:26 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
This sort of reminds me of the intitle:"Live View / - AXIS" searches for unsecured webcams.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:44 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:44 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
There are still some open "Live View / - AXIS" cameras out there ...
posted by scruss at 7:00 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 7:00 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Somebody did a version of this for Spotify back when (songs with no plays). Is there one for YouTube?
posted by Going To Maine at 7:16 AM on April 24, 2019
posted by Going To Maine at 7:16 AM on April 24, 2019
A friend of mine who's also a puppeteer did Twitch streams for a while where about 3-5 of us would show up. I know she'd have appreciated a huge audience for her puppet builds, but it was really more like a video hangout among pals when it was that small, so I can see the appeal of finding other streaming folks who are just hanging out with a limited audience for a bit.
posted by xingcat at 7:19 AM on April 24, 2019
posted by xingcat at 7:19 AM on April 24, 2019
I love this, and coincidentally I'm having internet installed today primarily for the purpose of enabling me to stream on twitch (apartment comes with wifi, but it's pretty unreliable) without any ambitions of success. I've recorded a bit for youtube and found myself getting bogged down by editing, and at the same time started following some creative streamers with the sort of relaxed, low-key style that I hope to share in my own stream. The possibilities of a leisurely pace, unconstrained by file limits and decisions of whether to edit out this or that mistake, cough, or other evidence of humanity are immensely appealing. I look forward to having absolutely zero followers for quite some time to come as I build happy little Craftsman homes and tell convoluted stories with Sims.
Skill is worth watching, sure, but I think many of us just wish we could still invite our friends over to play dolls and build things out of Lego--- or that they'd show up if we did. The [verb]-with-me aspect of it all restores interactivity to entertainment for those who have gotten tired of entirely passive participation, everything short of a multiplayer experience (and I think that donations and subscriptions do make it a multiplayer experience, just with different types of play).
And on a different level, I remain over-optimistically excited by the potential for twitch or a better-moderated and less profit-oriented platform like it for cohering support/therapy groups (formal and informal) and facilitating things like worship, or skills training, for people whose access to traditional communal spaces is made more difficult by geographic distance or mental/physical disabilities.
posted by notquitemaryann at 7:23 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
Skill is worth watching, sure, but I think many of us just wish we could still invite our friends over to play dolls and build things out of Lego--- or that they'd show up if we did. The [verb]-with-me aspect of it all restores interactivity to entertainment for those who have gotten tired of entirely passive participation, everything short of a multiplayer experience (and I think that donations and subscriptions do make it a multiplayer experience, just with different types of play).
And on a different level, I remain over-optimistically excited by the potential for twitch or a better-moderated and less profit-oriented platform like it for cohering support/therapy groups (formal and informal) and facilitating things like worship, or skills training, for people whose access to traditional communal spaces is made more difficult by geographic distance or mental/physical disabilities.
posted by notquitemaryann at 7:23 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
I’ve been streaming for the last few years, generally to about 1-3 people, many times there are stretches where it’s 0, just me sending out the bits to nobody. I’m ok with this, because I’m not hoping to take off as a Twitch streamer and find fame; I stream on a sporadic schedule and don’t advertise my streams and will only stream for an hour or so, which stifles viewer growth.
The conversations I can have with the individual viewers can be really charming. Last night my one viewer and I talked a bit about a fear of thunderstorms for a while. I was attempting a difficult part of the game repeatedly and they were cheerful and supportive. I have a few regulars that it’s fun to catch up with, and sometimes people come in just because they like the game I’m playing and want to see someone else discover it. I like playing games, and being able to combine the act with being social with strangers on the internet in a relatively non-toxic way is somehow very nice.
posted by RubixsQube at 7:39 AM on April 24, 2019 [12 favorites]
The conversations I can have with the individual viewers can be really charming. Last night my one viewer and I talked a bit about a fear of thunderstorms for a while. I was attempting a difficult part of the game repeatedly and they were cheerful and supportive. I have a few regulars that it’s fun to catch up with, and sometimes people come in just because they like the game I’m playing and want to see someone else discover it. I like playing games, and being able to combine the act with being social with strangers on the internet in a relatively non-toxic way is somehow very nice.
posted by RubixsQube at 7:39 AM on April 24, 2019 [12 favorites]
I would be so much more inclined to use twitch (as a viewer) in general, and on Toby streams like this in particular, if it weren't for the ubiquity of twitch chat. I just want to watch something. I do not want to watch a dude spending half their time thanking people for subscriptions, getting distracted from whatever their stream is supposed to be about answering inane questions from chat. I do not want anyone to stop what they're doing to say hello if I join a steam. In my ideal world, twitch would not have chat. Slightly less ideal but still acceptable, the steamer can't see it.
And this is before getting on to just how awful the default seems to be for twitch chat. It's genuinely competitive with YouTube comments: yes, you can find individual examples of where it's very well moderated and not painful to read, but as a whole, as a phenomenon, it's the absolute worst the Web has to offer.
posted by Dysk at 7:56 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
And this is before getting on to just how awful the default seems to be for twitch chat. It's genuinely competitive with YouTube comments: yes, you can find individual examples of where it's very well moderated and not painful to read, but as a whole, as a phenomenon, it's the absolute worst the Web has to offer.
posted by Dysk at 7:56 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
In my ideal world, twitch would not have chat. Slightly less ideal but still acceptable, the steamer can't see it.
I know there's the option to hide the chat so you can just focus on the streamer, but I completely under your point. The reason it likely does not default to this is because twitch is still a company that is all about generating revenue/profit so they default to keeping things open.
The chat is also a way for so many users to give money to the streamer/platform with extra emojis/coins/bits/etc. It is definitely a mixed bag and you often have to wade through a river of shit to find the gold.
posted by Fizz at 8:10 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I know there's the option to hide the chat so you can just focus on the streamer, but I completely under your point. The reason it likely does not default to this is because twitch is still a company that is all about generating revenue/profit so they default to keeping things open.
The chat is also a way for so many users to give money to the streamer/platform with extra emojis/coins/bits/etc. It is definitely a mixed bag and you often have to wade through a river of shit to find the gold.
posted by Fizz at 8:10 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
It does suck though that the onus is on us as consumers to wade through that shit.
*sighs*
posted by Fizz at 8:22 AM on April 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
*sighs*
posted by Fizz at 8:22 AM on April 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
Yeah, it's like the YouTube format (good chunk of video given over to encouraging likes, subscriptions, comments, thanking and plugging patreon, etc) but in real time, and bigger, more pervasive. I get it - a lot of people are making a living off of streaming (and YouTube, patreon, etc) or trying to, but wow does it just get in the way of whatever interesting thing you're trying to watch, and they're trying to do. Like giving a speech but having to stop to plug your sponsors at least twice a sentence.
And unlike so much of the rest of internet commercialisation, you can't adblock it, you can't just skip it (like you so easily can with YouTube) it just pollutes the whole thing all the way through.
Sorry, I have a lot of grar for twitch culture, and the way it reflects a more pervasive modern tendency for people to see their entire selves as a product, a thing to be monetised. The term "content creator" (which is more a YouTube thing) twinges the same nerves. It's one thing for the joyless suits to see a bunch of filmmakers, musicians, let's-players, etc in that way, but to see these people and their audiences uncritically adopting the same framing and terms - "keep up the great content!" - just makes me despair.
posted by Dysk at 8:25 AM on April 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
And unlike so much of the rest of internet commercialisation, you can't adblock it, you can't just skip it (like you so easily can with YouTube) it just pollutes the whole thing all the way through.
Sorry, I have a lot of grar for twitch culture, and the way it reflects a more pervasive modern tendency for people to see their entire selves as a product, a thing to be monetised. The term "content creator" (which is more a YouTube thing) twinges the same nerves. It's one thing for the joyless suits to see a bunch of filmmakers, musicians, let's-players, etc in that way, but to see these people and their audiences uncritically adopting the same framing and terms - "keep up the great content!" - just makes me despair.
posted by Dysk at 8:25 AM on April 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
"I watch...I enjoy...I joined...I stream...."
I'm curious: are folks just putting the various twitchy streams on and task watching them for...now and then? full screen (or big monitor/TV screen)? all day? while cooking? 20m before bed? Surely not at work? When? How long? (Is that enough questions?)
For decades, I used screen savers (flying toasters, matrix, etc.) set at slowest speed. Sure, I'd just zen out on them once in a while and they were on whenever I wasn't working/gaming. And sure, I'd put a webcam on once in a while to watch some part of the world wander past it. But never full attention for more than a few minutes.
Just kinda confused that this thread implies that lots of these twitch/streams are a TV show type thing and constantly streaming content (even with no one watching)? An aquarium or a street webcam or someone playing a video game for an hour every night, sure.
Perhaps these are just a rehash on Warhol's 1963 film "Sleep" ?!?
posted by CrowGoat at 8:32 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm curious: are folks just putting the various twitchy streams on and task watching them for...now and then? full screen (or big monitor/TV screen)? all day? while cooking? 20m before bed? Surely not at work? When? How long? (Is that enough questions?)
For decades, I used screen savers (flying toasters, matrix, etc.) set at slowest speed. Sure, I'd just zen out on them once in a while and they were on whenever I wasn't working/gaming. And sure, I'd put a webcam on once in a while to watch some part of the world wander past it. But never full attention for more than a few minutes.
Just kinda confused that this thread implies that lots of these twitch/streams are a TV show type thing and constantly streaming content (even with no one watching)? An aquarium or a street webcam or someone playing a video game for an hour every night, sure.
Perhaps these are just a rehash on Warhol's 1963 film "Sleep" ?!?
posted by CrowGoat at 8:32 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm curious: are folks just putting the various twitchy streams on and task watching them for...now and then? full screen (or big monitor/TV screen)? all day? while cooking? 20m before bed? Surely not at work? When? How long? (Is that enough questions?)
A good chunk of my job involves a very repetitive task that doesn't require a whole lot of thought. I absolutely have twitch on at work on a second monitor when I have to do this. I also do this with youtube videos. It's definitely something that has made my job a lot more palatable, I'd go crazy otherwise.
posted by Carillon at 8:51 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
A good chunk of my job involves a very repetitive task that doesn't require a whole lot of thought. I absolutely have twitch on at work on a second monitor when I have to do this. I also do this with youtube videos. It's definitely something that has made my job a lot more palatable, I'd go crazy otherwise.
posted by Carillon at 8:51 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
I can see watching a Twitch stream of someone playing a game in much the same way as you'd watch a really skilled player at an arcade, just watching with your jaw open as they do really well at the game they're on. I've not only done that, but also gathered audiences myself. (I'm _really_ good at Ms. Pac-Man.) I could also see getting something out of someone playing a building game like Minecraft, or SimCity, or RollerCoaster Tycoon, as it's as much of a creative act as a game. A digital "The Joy of Painting" in a way, except they might be clicking to plant happy little trees instead of making them out of paint. Something that can give you ideas and teach you new things for when you sit down and play.
Not sure how much of that is on Twitch, though.
posted by SansPoint at 8:52 AM on April 24, 2019
Not sure how much of that is on Twitch, though.
posted by SansPoint at 8:52 AM on April 24, 2019
I'm curious: are folks just putting the various twitchy streams on and task watching them for...now and then? full screen (or big monitor/TV screen)? all day? while cooking? 20m before bed? Surely not at work?
I think I consume more YouTube/Twitch than I do any other streaming service (including Netflix). It's just easier to dip in and out of these days and I watch a fair bit of video game streams/reviews/commentary.
Sometimes I'm super engaged and chatting, other times I just watch, and some times it's just on in the background while I game myself and I half-listen. It's just nice for distractions and entertainment.
posted by Fizz at 8:52 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
I think I consume more YouTube/Twitch than I do any other streaming service (including Netflix). It's just easier to dip in and out of these days and I watch a fair bit of video game streams/reviews/commentary.
Sometimes I'm super engaged and chatting, other times I just watch, and some times it's just on in the background while I game myself and I half-listen. It's just nice for distractions and entertainment.
posted by Fizz at 8:52 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
Surely not at work?
I have a stream on right now at work, actually - it is playing the background while I fold letters and get distracted by Metafilter.
The recently posted about Critical Role D&D weekly livestream game runs in the middle of the night for me (and is four hours long), but I would totally watch it live if it was on while I was awake. As it is, I watch the archived stream in the evening, while I'm making dinner and doing evening at home stuff.
Twitch streams are just people doing things and broadcasting it on the internet. Yes, you can watch it like a TV show (and get super invested in the chat, and interact with the player/streamer in real time) or just leave it on as a podcast, or just dip in for a few minutes.
Right this second, the featured stream is a chess match. There are a decent number of cooking shows. Just Chatting is a popular category. Talk Shows and Podcasts, but live, so you can interact (sorta) with the hosts live if they see your question in chat (or you can pay bits or tips to draw attention to your question or comment).
And, of course, video games. Lots of video games. Like watching a sports match where you can talk to the player.
posted by anastasiav at 8:53 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have a stream on right now at work, actually - it is playing the background while I fold letters and get distracted by Metafilter.
The recently posted about Critical Role D&D weekly livestream game runs in the middle of the night for me (and is four hours long), but I would totally watch it live if it was on while I was awake. As it is, I watch the archived stream in the evening, while I'm making dinner and doing evening at home stuff.
Twitch streams are just people doing things and broadcasting it on the internet. Yes, you can watch it like a TV show (and get super invested in the chat, and interact with the player/streamer in real time) or just leave it on as a podcast, or just dip in for a few minutes.
Right this second, the featured stream is a chess match. There are a decent number of cooking shows. Just Chatting is a popular category. Talk Shows and Podcasts, but live, so you can interact (sorta) with the hosts live if they see your question in chat (or you can pay bits or tips to draw attention to your question or comment).
And, of course, video games. Lots of video games. Like watching a sports match where you can talk to the player.
posted by anastasiav at 8:53 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
For a period of time, internet streaming radio wasn't regulated, and then it was; the costs associated with "broadcasting" music on the internet is quite high these days.
Does streaming on Twitch fall into that same category (already regulated as internet streaming radio) or is it the wild west at this point?
posted by davejay at 9:11 AM on April 24, 2019
Does streaming on Twitch fall into that same category (already regulated as internet streaming radio) or is it the wild west at this point?
posted by davejay at 9:11 AM on April 24, 2019
I do not want anyone to stop what they're doing to say hello if I join a steam. In my ideal world, twitch would not have chat.
Does Twitch have an "invisible" mode where the streamer can't see that you're in chat unless you choose to start typing? Because I'd use that feature.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:13 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Does Twitch have an "invisible" mode where the streamer can't see that you're in chat unless you choose to start typing? Because I'd use that feature.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:13 AM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Anyway, I imagine that the vast majority of these lonely streams are Apex Legends Wraith mains with "TTV" in their username.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:13 AM on April 24, 2019
posted by tobascodagama at 9:13 AM on April 24, 2019
Does Twitch have an "invisible" mode where the streamer can't see that you're in chat unless you choose to start typing? Because I'd use that feature.
You can turn off the chat. (I do that for Crit Role.) I think the issue is that a lot of streamers interact heavily with their chat, including having there be popups and shout outs when people subscribe, give "bits" (Twitch currency), other donations, and just generally answer questions and talk with the chat. There are certainly streamers I don't watch because they interact more with the chat than they play the game, but I also do watch non-chat-centered stream (again, Crit Role would be one of these).
posted by anastasiav at 9:17 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
You can turn off the chat. (I do that for Crit Role.) I think the issue is that a lot of streamers interact heavily with their chat, including having there be popups and shout outs when people subscribe, give "bits" (Twitch currency), other donations, and just generally answer questions and talk with the chat. There are certainly streamers I don't watch because they interact more with the chat than they play the game, but I also do watch non-chat-centered stream (again, Crit Role would be one of these).
posted by anastasiav at 9:17 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm curious: are folks just putting the various twitchy streams on and task watching them for...now and then? full screen (or big monitor/TV screen)? all day? while cooking? 20m before bed? Surely not at work? When? How long? (Is that enough questions?)
My partner and I watch an artist we've met and are somewhat chummy with draw and chat. She and her partner have separate streaming days (though they're both usually present), where they'll hang out, camera on their art, and chat with the chat and finish commissions or work on their comics or what have you. We'll hang out and draw with them, and my partner occasionally hangs out in the chat. It's a pleasant, lowkey way to send an evening.
Aside from that, it's almost always people I've vetted beforehand. Various Left-tubers who stream too, usually just playing games, plus a few GDQ vets. I had a few select Fortnite streamers too, but I've seen moved on.
Short answer, sometimes I watch for a long time, sometimes I don't. I rarely chat, though with the right people that could be fun.
Does streaming on Twitch fall into that same category (already regulated as internet streaming radio) or is it the wild west at this point?
I looked into this a couple of weeks ago (AskMe), because I thought it would be fun to hang out and spin records and chat with folks. The conclusion was "just fly under the radar and do it until they tell you to stop."
However, Twitch and YouTube both have libraries of royalty-free music to put on in the background, and most game companies tend to take the side of streaming/Let's Plays are good for them. Nintendo has notoriously been against streaming, though it looks like that's been changing.
posted by gc at 9:24 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
My partner and I watch an artist we've met and are somewhat chummy with draw and chat. She and her partner have separate streaming days (though they're both usually present), where they'll hang out, camera on their art, and chat with the chat and finish commissions or work on their comics or what have you. We'll hang out and draw with them, and my partner occasionally hangs out in the chat. It's a pleasant, lowkey way to send an evening.
Aside from that, it's almost always people I've vetted beforehand. Various Left-tubers who stream too, usually just playing games, plus a few GDQ vets. I had a few select Fortnite streamers too, but I've seen moved on.
Short answer, sometimes I watch for a long time, sometimes I don't. I rarely chat, though with the right people that could be fun.
Does streaming on Twitch fall into that same category (already regulated as internet streaming radio) or is it the wild west at this point?
I looked into this a couple of weeks ago (AskMe), because I thought it would be fun to hang out and spin records and chat with folks. The conclusion was "just fly under the radar and do it until they tell you to stop."
However, Twitch and YouTube both have libraries of royalty-free music to put on in the background, and most game companies tend to take the side of streaming/Let's Plays are good for them. Nintendo has notoriously been against streaming, though it looks like that's been changing.
posted by gc at 9:24 AM on April 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
I watch almost exclusively Rocket League streamers, or occasionally Marbles (which is really just chatting with a thing going on in the background). I will watch someone just playing the game if they're good, but it helps if they are entertaining, too. The person I watch most actually casts high-level amateur and/or pro players in show matches and does replay tutorials for viewers who pay him for a high-level sub, so I've learned a lot about how to play the game better.
I have a crappy DSL connection, so I can't stream, but sometimes I wish I could. I think people could be entertained by my self-hating comments when I play 1v1 games.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:58 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have a crappy DSL connection, so I can't stream, but sometimes I wish I could. I think people could be entertained by my self-hating comments when I play 1v1 games.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:58 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
so I've learned a lot about how to play the game better.
This is exactly how I learned to be better at Binding of Isaac. I watched NorthernLion, one of my go to streamers on YouTube/Twitch and (outside of his generally chill commentary where he just talks about random shit, it feels very much like a podcast), I've picked up so much about how to play the game better, I now better comprehend the meta of it all because I have seen him play and replay the game a couple hundred times.
posted by Fizz at 11:01 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is exactly how I learned to be better at Binding of Isaac. I watched NorthernLion, one of my go to streamers on YouTube/Twitch and (outside of his generally chill commentary where he just talks about random shit, it feels very much like a podcast), I've picked up so much about how to play the game better, I now better comprehend the meta of it all because I have seen him play and replay the game a couple hundred times.
posted by Fizz at 11:01 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is just to say that streaming-video-with-one-viewer is the backstory to Alyssa Cole's novella Can't Escape Love, and it was really good and fun, even though probably most such situations do not end in romance. (Alyssa Cole previously here and here.)
posted by asperity at 11:16 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by asperity at 11:16 AM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Just the audio from that defrag stream - a bit of white noise as if from a fan, plus the crunchy whirring of a hard drive being put through its paces... I never understood ASMR before, but there's something about the specific frequencies that hits that maybe comes close to that feeling.
posted by wanderingmind at 12:54 PM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by wanderingmind at 12:54 PM on April 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Once in a while I stream Rampart or other such games (but usually Rampart). Here.
posted by JHarris at 1:45 PM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 1:45 PM on April 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
So, no two people using lonelystreams will ever watch the same stream...interesting, in that, the moment a person starts watching, that stream is removed from the set of all streams with no viewers.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:48 PM on April 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:48 PM on April 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
I've only ever used Twitch to stream a game my kids and I were working on together while they were away from home. I didn't have a chat window or anything, I was just streaming the game screen and they watched and talked with me on the phone. Worked great and the delay between us talking and what they could see was occasionally amusing.
Afterwards, I looked at my account and now had 1 follower who was neither of them. I have no idea if someone else was watching us or for how long. I suppose if they had tried to chat it would have been logged?
posted by straight at 3:35 PM on April 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Afterwards, I looked at my account and now had 1 follower who was neither of them. I have no idea if someone else was watching us or for how long. I suppose if they had tried to chat it would have been logged?
posted by straight at 3:35 PM on April 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by Rock Steady at 5:45 AM on April 24, 2019 [13 favorites]