What is Live Streaming?
Live streaming, in relation to gaming, is when someone broadcasts themselves playing a video game on services such as Twitch.tv or YouTube. In the last seven years it has exploded in popularity. In May of 2018, Twitch.tv, the leading game streaming platform, announced it had 15 million daily active users and 2.2 million people broadcasting new content each month. At any given time, there are approximately 1 million people watching a stream on Twitch. Most of those users have 1 thing in common, they love playing and watching games.
These streaming platforms are important for game developers because they provide a unique opportunity to directly interact with their player base and foster a sense of community around their games.
1. A Brief History
Twitch launched in 2011 as a gaming-focused spinoff of Justin.tv, a live-streaming platform on the internet that began in 2007 and quickly rose in popularity. By 2014, Twitch was the fourth largest source of peak internet traffic in the US and the company was acquired by Amazon for $970 million.
Over the years Twitch went from being focused on video games to offering a great diversity of content for its users. Some categories include Music & Performing Arts, Talk Shows & Podcasts, Art, and Just Chatting. It is also the primary platform for watching eSports, a rising industry which could reach an annual revenue of $1 billion in the next year. Additionally, Amazon has experimented with broadcasting traditional sports content on Twitch, such as the NFL’s Thursday Night Football game.
2. Available Platforms
Because of the popularity of streaming, most of the tech giants have released their own platforms for broadcasting. Twitch.tv, YouTube Gaming, and Mixer are owned by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Facebook is also getting involved and launched fb.gg, a central location to watch gaming streams on Facebook.
The most recent generation of gaming consoles have integrated live streaming into their operating systems. When Sony launched the PS4 in 2013, they replaced the traditional Start and Select buttons with Options and Share. On Xbox One, users with a Kinect can start streaming with a simple voice command. By utilizing friends lists it is easy to see who is currently broadcasting and join in on their stream.
3. Business Benefits
Live streaming is a great way for businesses to build their brand by creating content that engages with users. Streaming can promote brand loyalty and trust by providing the opportunity to interact with viewers in chat and answer their questions. Broadcasting events like employee discussions and tours of the office can help viewers get a sense of what the company is like behind the scenes.
Live streaming is unique because the people viewing your content are there by choice and are more likely to be engaged. Once you have established your channel it can be used for launching products, making announcements, showing trailers, and holding community discussions. If you’re promoting a game, then it may be beneficial to develop relationships with other streamers on Twitch and have them stream your game as well. This can be worth investing some marketing dollars in, but often it is best to let this happen organically.
Another effect of the rise of streaming is gaming companies are beginning to drop out of traditional conferences that rely on press coverage in favor of streaming directly to their audience. Sony recently announced that they will not be attending the largest gaming conference, E3, this year, and instead are “exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019.”
4. Legal Issues
Anytime you upload content to the internet you have to be sure you have the legal rights to do so. In general, if you are just streaming yourself playing a video game then you are covered by Fair Use law. Check out Twitch’s community guidelines for a full list of what is legal to stream on their service. One area to pay close attention to is playing copyrighted music on your stream. Unless you want your VODs to be muted, it’s best to only stream music that you have permission to use.
If you’re interested in streaming Nintendo games, then you’re going to have to do some extra work. Nintendo is overprotective of their games being streamed and offer no way to stream their games without a capture card.
5. How to Get Started
First, you need to figure out what kind of content you want to stream. Ask yourself what you are good at and what you enjoy doing. Streaming something you are interested in will always result in better content. For instance, just because you’re a game developer doesn’t mean you have to stream yourself building a game. Find a way to interact with your community through whatever you enjoy doing most.
Gaming, creating art, and teaching a skill such as programming are all great options for content to stream on Twitch or YouTube. You could even stream your weekly Dungeons and Dragons game or maybe you would rather just stream yourself hanging out and talking to people in chat.
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