Asking for donations on Twitch? I don't get this.

[Misuteri]

I see a few top WoW streamers making almost full time money with their Twitch streams.

However they are people from world first guilds, multiple 3v3 tournament wins or people that had huge YouTube audiences to begin with and moved to Twitch.

In addition to that the people donating are likely jockeying for lessons, carries, etc. It's very easy for guilds and players to say they are not doing paid carries, they are doing streams with subscribers.

However I am amazed that dumb chicks can do random BG's, farm fel iron show some side boob and have top donations over $1,000.

I will never underestimate just how completely stupid and desperate some gamers are.

[vevox]

Is this what twitch has become now? Just stream some random game, throw up a donation goal and hope that your good looks will get you a few bucks here and there? Am i missing something?

How else am I supposed to find my future wife?

[Louisa Bannon]

Apologies, but this stuff is idiotic. What passes for entertainment now is absolutely "less than."

I can't be bothered to play most games myself, so I sure the hell am not going to watch other people play those games either. I might watch something for the purpose of a review, or to understand something about the game I didn't understand or wasn't sure how to accomplish. Absent some kind of information or learning motive, there's no chance I watch any of that shit. And even when I have a purpose in mind, I speed through youtube type stuff and skip ahead to the pertinent parts. I don't watch 15 minutes of nonsense for the salient 30 seconds contained therein, I try to get to that bit straight away.

I recognize that most people are easily entertained. I understand that there is a whole world of people that watch reality TV, Kardashians, DIY type shows on gardening, home improvement, auto repair, cooking, sport fishing, golf, etc. They aren't themselves going to move from the sofa, but they will watch all of that crap like antiques roadshow, pawns stars, or whatever. I don't watch talk shows, paternity test shows, throw chairs shows, etc. To me all of that shit is unwatchable and I have no intention to keep up with any of it, but I am not so divorced from reality that I don't at least know about it all.

The whole spectator versus actor thing just makes no sense to me. I'm not going to watch it, I'm going to do it myself or have none of it.

I mean, it's like porn. Porn is total garbage. An empty experience from end to end. By contrast, I could watch my nude partner all day long. Actual sex is absolutely on the menu. We have sex all of the time, often daily and sometimes even a few times a day. In real life I never talk about sex because people would not believe how great my personal life happens to be and I am not in competition with them anyway. I figure talking about it could only serve to make others jealous or make me seem puffed up and full of myself. I only mention it here because of anonymity.

If you wouldn't do it, why watch it? If you are doing it, why watch it - isn't that redundant?

So if I understand things correctly, people aren't subbed to WoW and aren't playing it - but they would watch TheLazyPeon, Asmongold or some such idiot run through a raid?

Why?

[Destump]

If you wouldn't do it, why watch it? If you are doing it, why watch it - isn't that redundant?

So if I understand things correctly, people aren't subbed to WoW and aren't playing it - but they would watch TheLazyPeon, Asmongold or some such idiot run through a raid?

Why?

I don't watch streamers myself, but I'd guess people watch it for the same reason they watch sports games etc.

[Docturphil]

Because you enjoy the person that plays it? People have personalities you know.

Sure, I get that part. But why does it have to be live? Why not just find someone you like on youtube? Seems to me like pre-recorded and edited videos are going to be better because there is more work put into them.

[Deleted]

The 'good looks' comment and specific note of gender is very likely your own faulty bias and misogyny. Deeply problematic.

Dude, I didnt see you throw textbox feminist phrases ,like those purple-haired landwhales ,in the past. You used to be pretty chill. What happened?

[DarkAmbient]

panhandle.tv

Haha, that's actually quite a good description.

I simply don't understand why people give streamers money. "I'm going to sit here and play games, please give me money" Er, how about fuck off?

[Vash The Stampede]

Well, it's the way twitch works. Most streamers don't run adds because they don't really pay, as you need really high viewer numbers to be worth, but actively drive people away when played. It's s catch 22 of a sort. And subs are not really an option for most people, as you would need around 300 of them monthly to total up to a reasonable wage. Hence tips and donations.

That said, I also do not like the culture, and constant interrupts to read out donations, as well as interactions with chat is the reason I do not watch twitch.

Twitch could be something cool if it expands. I personally don't watch streams of people playing games, but I do stream when I play lately. Just to see what this is all about. Personally, I understand why people watch girls play games cause I would be really bored watching regular Joes play games. A gamer girl is already most mens fantasies, and one with boobs and a cute face just makes it better.

I think Twitch should expand to be more like YouTube, but for gamers. A good amount of YouTube's content revolves around games one way or another. Twitch could even expand to have non gaming related content on its site. Cause right now, YouTube is probably heading for failure.

[Zylos]

I feel like this argument is overblown...the most popular streamers are generally great players or very very entertaining players; not the twitch camgirls. Almost every streamer I watch has a donation goal...many of them will also take requests if the individual donation is over a certain amount (to do something silly or play a certain song or character or class or spec or w/e depending on the game). Some will also have text to speech active for certain dollar amounts so viewers can have audio put behind their silly message.

[s_bushido]

Haha, that's actually quite a good description.

I simply don't understand why people give streamers money. "I'm going to sit here and play games, please give me money" Er, how about fuck off?

"Why would anyone pay to see a bunch of grown men toss a ball around for 3 hours?!"

[DarkAmbient]

"Why would anyone pay to see a bunch of grown men toss a ball around for 3 hours?!"

That's a terrible comparison. Football players don't beg for their money like streamers do. Also I wasn't arguing against the validity of streamer watching as a form of entertainment.

[Mirishka]

Yet another reason why I think 'streaming' is one of the dumbest fads in all of gaming.

"Instead of playing games yourself, watch ME play games and talk about inane bullshit. Oh AND DONATE PLZ SO I CAN HAS NEW PC."

[Therec]

I don't see anything wrong with having a donate button on the stream. Actively asking for donations though is sad. People aren't dumb or blind, they're not going to donate just because you asked them to do it.

- - - Updated - - -

Yet another reason why I think 'streaming' is one of the dumbest fads in all of gaming.

"Instead of playing games yourself, watch ME play games and talk about inane bullshit. Oh AND DONATE PLZ SO I CAN HAS NEW PC."

Fad is a strong word. It's not going away any time soon.

[s_bushido]

That's a terrible comparison. Football players don't beg for their money like streamers do. Also I wasn't arguing against the validity of streamer watching as a form of entertainment.

I've literally never watched a stream where someone was begging for money. I've watched streams where they were trying to raise money for a cause (either GDQ or when Maximilian_D00D was raising money for someone whose wife died), though. And everyone knew that was the purpose on that given day. Maybe your taste in streamers just sucks.

I assume people don't like the sports comparison because we no longer live in a time when that's not seen as a legitimate profession. No one is going to go up to a football player and tell them to get a real job, but you have dipshits saying that about streamers and youtubers all the time.

[Vash The Stampede]

I don't see anything wrong with having a donate button on the stream. Actively asking for donations though is sad. People aren't dumb or blind, they're not going to donate just because you asked them to do it.

YouTubers are doing the same thing now cause YouTube ain't paying some of them. So now they rely on Patreon, which is basically a donate system. People do need to eat and pay bills, so donating keeps that content flowing.