TwitchTV effecting Gaming sites?

Over the last year I have noticed significant changes in how I go about researching games I’m thinking of buying. In fact, many of my friends seem to be doing the same thing. Originally, I would head straight to Game trailers and even glance at meteoritic for insight. This year has been different, my pattern has changed. I’m spending more and more time on TwitchTV asking live streamers their opinions on a game as opposed to reading/watching reviews from prominent websites. Personally found this to be an effective way to determine whether or not I might like a game. Sometimes, I would even join 5 or 6 different streams asking the same question to get multiple perspectives. It feels more real to me when talking directly to the person. I’ve also noticed that I’m starting to pull away from visiting gaming websites as much as I used.

Does anyone else here do the same ?

Quick Looks are usually enough for me to decide. And/or reviews. I don't browse Twitch.

nope.

Nope. If I wanted to listen to someone who wasn't a professional, I'd just ask my friends.

I never go to twitch unless it's a stream on here. They have this ass backwards idea of only allowing super HD streams on most channels and it's impossible for me to watch as I never watch things live. If they smarten up and start offer streams for people that don't have blazing fast internet then maybe I would go there more.

Also, the majority of the people on there are idiots who just scream into their mics like the fools I mute in game. Not going to go out of my way to subject myself to that.

Many of these streamers have way more knowledge and skill than lets say 99% of these professionals. Also they are way more honest without trying to please everyone and publishers as well. So yeah If I am uncertain of games I will look at twitch streamers playing these games and talk about it.

I never considered videos a source of information; rather, a source of entertainment. I guess that is why I never used YouTube all that much until I worked for sites that had channels (or primarily functioned via video content). I mostly use Twitch for watching my friends and people I know play games on their PS4 since I'm woefully without one, but that is as far as it goes. I prefer a written review or preview over video content (I know, that is so old fashion).

Professional?

Just because the GB crew are paid to play games doesn't make them anymore knowledgeable then people who stream on Twitch. In fact most the time they are less knowledgeable about the game that they are quick looking then most people. I don't care about them not being good at the games they show off because I think it's still entertaining to watch, but I feel streamers are more reliable at the giving in depth looks at games.

I disagree. Go look at twitch, Unless you're looking at the top 2 or 3 streamers on a particular game, They're just normal dudes, not experts. And most promonant streamers are personalities from other things such as these sites, unless of course we're talking about all of the league streamers, which, lets be honest: who the fuck cares about league?

And if you think game sites like Giantbomb are just trying to please publishers, maybe you should read some reviews.

Over the past years TwitchTV has had some significant upgrades. When they introduced their strict cbr codec rules this made all Mobile phones/tablets and other devices able to watch streams. Then they introduced the ability to chat on the mobile phones and tablets. Now, there is the PS4 and soon Xboxone both to have TwitchTV. In my opinion , within a years time we are going to see a massive growth in TwitchTV viewers and I think this is going to significantly effect gaming websites. Who knows what Twitch will add next. Seeing as how many PS4 owners are embracing this I think we can expect Youtube streaming and uploading to be added next.

Every time I listen to podcasts like lets say Weekend Confirmed I have to facepalm how they are talking about games and what they call difficult and that they play games on normal etc.

For Giantbomb. I give a few people credit. Like Jeff for example he knows his shit but Brad ? Not so much. Same goes for people like Sessler. or other people. They are personalities but not really very skilled gamer.

And your skill does not depend on how many viewers you really have. But guys like dansgaming has probably more knowledge and skill then most of the gaming press. Not forgetting all these more indy streamer like cobaltstreak which is an absolute expert in Binding of Issac. If I want to see live gameplay I watch twitch streamers more than live streams from video game sites.

Giantbomb is an exception because it is really really entertaining to watch these guys but I do not come here for skillful playthroughs or videos^^

I find there are a lot of streamers ,like Whiteboy , who offer some really good tactics and ways to better play games that I have not seen on any gaming website.

Only reason I get on twitch is to watch League streams to see if I'm going to be in a game with the people that stream. Doesnt really effect me in anyway regarding GB

I also don't think any of that pertains to the OP.

He's looking for opinions, not skill based playthroughs.

Twitch is equivilant to asking a friend if you're going to it for opinions.

Affect

Nope. 99.9% of the time, I'm 100% sure whether or not I would ever buy a game due to a few screenshots and/or a gameplay trailer or two. Whenever I feel the need to do actual "research" though, a text and/or video review is usually more than enough which means gaming sites (and sometimes Youtube because that's the only place some video reviews are posted) are pretty much the only sources of info I need.

Itz all about da skillz son. I only listen to the opinions of OpTic Clan and FaZe when it comes to gaming. Have you seen da youtube montages? Son they be illin'!!!Trickshots and y-y fakies all over this biiiieeeeeeeetch!!!

These old fucking dinosaurs ain't kno shit. Jusss cuz u waz around to play pacman or any dat shit in ur arcades don't mean shit. Go back to finishing Ryse on eazy difficulty after ur done cashing in ur M$ checkkz....

nah, dont go for twich at all except for salty bets and giant bomb if there is a live quick look or something.

I dont go to twitch for anything. Quicklooks from here are great and work well enough for a gameplay display. If i need more or am looking at a game that they haven't quicklooked i'll youtube it.

Twitch is weird to me.

Did you really have to respond to his perfectly reasonable comment like a complete douchebag? Come on, man.

I'm probably watching twitch streams 10 hours a day for entertainment values. Usually a StarCraft II stream if DeMuslim is on because he's one of the few who's pleasant to listen to. Otherwise i like speedruns, mostly old GTA games and Super Mario 64.

I use twitch the same way i do GB, for entertainment and nothing else.

Show me the video and i'll make my own mind about a game, i don't need someone telling me if its good or not.

That being said, i find the idea that so called "professionals" working for for established sites have more value than streamers and youtubers doing this stuff from their house on a cheap webcam laughable. There's a lot of really smart people out there that make do with limited resources and yet the content itself is solid. Newsflash: there's no school to become good at and knowledgeable about games. Just because it says Editor or Reviewer or whatever next to their names on a website doesn't make them better.

You make a good point. You can go to school to become an editor but there really is nothing to teach you how to be good at reviewing games.

Twitch feels like a rabbit hole. I spent a night watching a guy speed run Resident Evil gamecube with a knife. I feel you get what you want when you look into it. It seems to be more social for teenagers who have no idea how to stream.

@kadash299: I do not think so. A friend maybe does not play a lot of games for example. Twitch streamers are more like independent reviewers for me. Just like review sites you first need confidence in their work and if you watch or read their reviews long enough you will notice if they fit your own taste and likes about games or not. And here begins the problem for me.

How can I trust peoples opinion when they play lets say a Dragon Age Origin on normal and call it tactical and challenging wile the twitch streamers play it on the hardest difficulty in their first playtrough which i also would do while sharing this with the "world". Another reason is that you can see the whole process while some reviewers do not even finish a game before reviewing it.

I'm certain the rising popularity of Twitch forces sites to reconcider some of their content. That might be a good thing. But I don't think Twitch will ever replace the (hopefully) more in-depth and informed coverage of a professional outlet.

I usually watch streams of games I'm already into, such as Path of Exile and Dota. And if I want to know something about new or upcoming games, it's still Giant Bomb or Gamespot.

I never use Twitch in that way, to get opinions on games I'm considering buying. The only times I'm watching Twitch is when GB is streaming, some Saltybet and to watch people be good at games I already play (DOTA, SC2 mainly). I don't really go to other gaming sites than GB on a regular basis either though, I've lost most of my interest in "traditional" gaming coverage like written previews.

I'm not sure if Twitch will affect gaming sites, but I do think Youtube already has. Some Youtubers have gathered an enormous following, and I do think that the success of those people have and will continue to influence more traditional gaming sites. You already see how Gamespot has been trying to become more "personality-driven" with more video content (a smart move to have Danny move to America, since he's the most "natural" on camera of those guys), and I think a lot of that is because of Youtube. Like Jeff Green said on the podcast, I think Jeff and Ryan had the right idea when they started GB, and the site is well placed to continue to grow.

Twitch is still for the hardest of the core. Most of the viewers on Twitch come there to see people stream games they already play, like LoL and DOTA, and I don't think that takes away from IGN or Gamespot. So far, very few gamers come to Twitch to watch streamers play games they've never played before. That might change with the ease of streaming from PS4 and (soon) the Xbone, or it might not.

@amyggen: I don't think that lets say 10K viewers for a Beyond playthrough on one channel alone is a very few. New games and certain streamers will get to 5k to 10K people watching these streams and there are always multiple streams of each game as well. A number gamespot and co dreaming on to archive with their live streams^^

@darji: Certain streamers will always get those numbers, sure (and some regular streamers of certain games will get far higher numbers). But I disagree that 5k-10k people watching a guy play Beyond/any other game a few days before release is very many people in the grand scheme of things, or that it takes away noticeably from regular coverage.

I agree that Gamespot and IGN get very low numbers on their live streams for how big those sites are. But that's more because those sites don't really have a community, and most of the people who cared about live streams moved from GS to GB. You only have to look at the Extra-Life numbers of GB and GS to confirm that fact.

Unless Twitch can actually break through to the mainstream like Youtube Let's Play people have, I don't think it will impact traditional coverage in a big way. It's still very much a niche thing for mostly hardcore gamers who like to watch people be good at specific games.

I do not think you can count 45 monthly unique viewers as niche anymore.

San Francisco-based Twitch now counts 45 million monthly unique viewers for its streams, which show videos of players’ sessions in real-time over the Internet. The service has enabled the pastime of game spectating, and in turn, that has helped build huge audiences for professional gaming tournaments, also known as eSports.

http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/30/with-45m-monthly-viewers-game-livestreaming-startup-twitch-raises-20m/

Of course LOL, DOta 2 and starcraft have a lot to do with it but i would not underestimate normal channels as well. There are already many streamers who actually can finance to do this as a real job and publishers as well take more and more notice of Twitch as well. Since I discovered Twitch I almost have abandoned YouTube in terms of gaming. Interacting with people and chatting while watching is much more entertaining. And of course as you said they build up very very strong communities as well.

@darji: I hate to say it but I agree with Darji for once on his twitch market penetration comment. I regularly watch League streams and when clicking through I'll see a new game come out and have 10 different people all hitting many times the number of live viewers that a Giant Bomb stream gets, some of these people hitting 10-20k viewers with a dedicated audience, I'm inclined to believe that the majority of people watching those streams are making purchasing decisions based on the stream and what the streamers say about said game in the same way that many will use a quick look.

Are they more qualified than anyone else? that's something people could argue in circles about constantly as different people will view different criteria as important.

There are drawbacks to Twitch though and fundamentally Youtube and Twitch serve and service different needs. Basically, Twitch is great a live broadcasting while Youtube is not but Twitch is terrible at control you need for a serious production while Youtube provides a lot more controls and tools to help.

Especially for Dota 2, Twitch is great for hosting a night of games where a viewer can watch a bunch of people play Invoker but Twitch is terrible for actual info or "How to play Invoker" videos.

These are my thoughts exactly.

Who knows how popular live streamers can become,10-20k this early in Twitchtvs life is a pretty scary number for 1 person to have. Lets plays are dominating YouTube in terms of views and I can see the eventual decline of traffic to prominent gaming sites as people slowly deem their opinions irrelevant.

A new game comes and people flock to TwitchTV to see it in action, this will inevitably become the norm.

Will TwitchTV affect gaming sites?...IMO..............you would be silly not to thinking it already has.

I understand that no-one here wants to have their gaming websites loose traffic, but it's clearly already happening.

To be fair most streamers also have a YouTube account but due to the fact of subscriptions are very easy to maintain and your control about ads is a huge advantage for twitch. Also you can lock your archives for subscribers only or completely lock them as well. But luckily not many people actually do this. Another very positive fact is that you can control your crowd due to bans, bots and other possibilities like slow mode subscribers only mode and so on while the comment section in Youtube is basically a now law zone and a paradise for trolls.

As for your comment about purchasing decisions: I bet a lot of games especially indy ones got so famous because of these streamers. Like Bidding of Issac for example. I bought also several indy games because of streamer like Tornis showing them on their screen.. Latest example was Desktop dungeons which I never heard of before but than saw a stream and bought it on the same day.

Sorry...dad! My comment is perfectly fitting for a dumb conversation like that. Are we really going to equate being good at a certain video game with having a good understanding of the video game industry?

@vinny_says: It is not only about skill but also knowledge. As I said before. Certain people certainly know more than many fans. Like Jeff for example especially about the old stuff. but most of them do not even have the knowledge of a "normal" gamer. Only thing they have is insider infos which they can not use much since they are bounded by NDA's all over the place.

The only gaming press/ review website I visit is good Ol' Giantbomb. If I'm interested in a game but want to see more I'll check Twitch or youtube. If there's a demo I'll play that instead.

There's never a demo.

Twitch doesn't effect my purchases at all as I find 99% of people on Twitch to be annoying. YouTubers, especially people like PewDiePie...or whatever he is called, can actually make me dislike a good game because of how insanely annoying and off putting he is. Quick looks, at best, are all that effects my purchasing. Reviews, especially if I went by the Giant Bomb time table of getting up reviews, are up far too late to effect my game purchasing.