VTubing as a safer way to stream

December 8, 2021 6:01 AM

“It’s kind of like an escape. You have artistic freedom to present yourself however you want,” she says. “It's like a mirror, but it shows you what you want to see. It’s powerful, but also comforting.” - How trans women are finding safe spaces on Twitch and YouTube
posted by simmering octagon (11 comments total)

This is so nice, niche communities really are the best. You hope it stays undiscovered or that if it's discovered by the mainstream, the community there can keep away the trolls.
posted by subdee at 6:07 AM on December 8, 2021

Some aspects of this timeline are less crappy than all the rest.
posted by signal at 6:17 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

I would probably be really into this if I understood anything at all about VTubing, VR, game streaming, or modern pop culture.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:21 AM on December 8, 2021

What a brilliant idea! Where can one get an avatar? This would make a perfect Christmas present.
posted by parmanparman at 8:46 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Parma, you can usually get one commissioned by an artist through various social media sites or fiverr. It keeps artists employed and people happy! Though it requires a little bit of know-how in one or two programs to make it work. Live2D is currently the best for flat non-3d avatars.
posted by Philipschall at 8:57 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Yes, you need an avatar design and then a separate Live2d rig if you want to use it for streaming.

A basic explanation.
posted by MartinWisse at 9:16 AM on December 8, 2021

Getting a custom 2d model rigged is pretty expensive if you consider both the actual art and the rigging (i.e. $500 to $1000+).

If anyone is interested in trying out vtubing, Vroid Studio is free and can export a rigged 3d model ready for something like Wakaru to stream through OBS or similar.
posted by simmering octagon at 10:17 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

As one might guess, vtuber streaming is pretty big in the furry community these days as well. There are certainly options for someone who isn't as flush for getting a vtuber avatar, though they're significantly more limited (e.g. you get two frames, one for mouth open and one for mouth closed, and otherwise it's a static picture). "PNGtuber" is the term for this style, if you want something to search.
posted by Aleyn at 12:04 PM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

I've seen "PNGtuber" programs that let you manually switch the avatar between different states too, so it doesn't have to be as basic as mouth open and closed. You can set up different things like "Happy" and "Sad" and "Scared" and swap between them with a button press to give your avatar a bit more life.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:59 AM on December 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

while i'm largely happy people are finding ways to be comfortable online, and i'm quite aware that anime-as-an-art-style has been recontextualized, borrowed, and adapted...

i've always been slightly uncomfortable with how asian aesthetics, and in particular, japanese/anime ones, have been taken largely by caucasian trans women.

it's not asianfishing, not like what's been happening on tiktok and with arianna grande, but it definitely raises an eyebrow.
posted by i used to be someone else at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2021

I mean, plenty of western animation studios have been shamelessly using the anime style for a couple decades now, and from what I can tell no one has found that particularly problematic, so I don't think of it as appropriation. It's an art style, not a race, and to my knowledge almost no one using this style is claiming to be Asian or Japanese while not being so, which would be a problem.
posted by Aleyn at 2:31 PM on December 10, 2021 [1 favorite]