Current Events > I don't understand Twitch, i'll never understand Twitch.

(+) Yeah! (+)

What the fuck is Twitch?

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It's a site that focuses on users live streaming playing video games

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

It's a site that focuses on users live streaming playing video games

Now its a site that just focuses on live streaming in general.

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Its pretty easy to understand

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p a r a s o c i a l

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But why would someone want to spend hours of their day watching other people play a video game instead of playing it themselves?

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Conflict posted...

Then don't watch people play games you'd rather play yourself.

Exactly, who the fuck would rather watch someone play ANY game than play it themself?

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EffectAndCause posted...

But why would someone want to spend hours of their day watching other people play a video game instead of playing it themselves?

because you don't always feel like playing something yourself.
and you can interact with the player and the other viewers

it's not hard to think of why people enjoy it.

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why do you watch wrestling you can just wrestle with your friends in your backyard

(seriously though why do you watch wrestling)

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sometimes people watch more for the streamer and not the game itself they are playing. some people will watch anything a favorite streamer plays. I don't really spend much time on twitch though. I mostly stick with youtuber Let's Plays

Wetterdew posted...

because you don't always feel like playing something yourself.

Must be a generation gap because id always rather play a game myself than spend hours watching someone else play it.

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How's it feel to be out of touch with the kids?

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Joenage posted...

why do you watch wrestling you can just wrestle with your friends in your backyard

If I could be a pro wrestler in the WWE I would not be watching wrestling, I agree.

But im able to purchase and play the exact same video games these people are playing myself.

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Who the fuck is Twitch and why were he/she/they playing Pokemon?

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If it was just gameplay without commentary I would mostly agree with you, but streamers are entertainers which is why certain individuals are more popular than others. It's only partly about the game.

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EffectAndCause posted...

If I could be a pro wrestler in the WWE I would not be watching wrestling, I agree.

But im able to purchase and play the exact same video games these people are playing myself.

Twitch isn't just about pros though. It's also an outlet for what are essentially entertainment shows made by people who happen to also play videogames

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Conflict posted...

It's definitely not a generation gap. A large amount of people that use Twitch, especially people that watch Mario Maker streamers are in their 30s.

They must have stunted development then.

Jabodie posted...

How's it feel to be out of touch with the kids?

It makes me feel better about myself, actually. All my life ive been told playing video games is a waste of time but thats nothing in comparison to WATCHING people play video games.

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I don't get how people can watch other people on a schedule for hours just playing video games while commenting on random shit. And then people pay them to get their name said by them even though no one in chat knows who the fuck they are and the streamer doesn't know who the fuck they are >_>

I'm too old for this I guess

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Its always odd to me that people cant understand the appeal after its been explained to them. Many streamers are entertainers first and foremost, and Id liken their job as being more similar to radio dj than to a professional gamer, for instance. I also have to assume that people who cant conceive of the appeal also cant understand the appeal of chat rooms.

cjs28 posted...

I don't get how people can watch other people on a schedule for hours just playing video games while commenting on random shit. And then people pay them to get their name said by them even though no one in chat knows who the fuck they are and the streamer doesn't know who the fuck they are >_>

I'm too old for this I guess

Yup, im officially a 31 year old boomer.

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EffectAndCause posted...

It makes me feel better about myself, actually. All my life ive been told playing video games is a waste of time but thats nothing in comparison to WATCHING people play video games.

I don't see how it's any more of a waste of time than watching sitcoms, or sports, or any number of other types of shows

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cjs28 posted...

I don't get how people can watch other people on a schedule for hours just playing video games while commenting on random shit. And then people pay them to get their name said by them even though no one in chat knows who the fuck they are and the streamer doesn't know who the fuck they are >_>

I'm too old for this I guess

That's the extreme part of Twitch, most of Twitch isn't actually like that, it's just what gets highlighted the most

Personally I have a select 3-4 streamers whose streams I pop into for maybe 20 minutes if they're live when I'm free, their communities are much smaller and generally pretty chill so I enjoy them a lot more

But yeah there are a lot of people who seem to spend hours at a time watching streams which seems OTT.

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"why would anyone watch their favourite sport on TV when they can just play themselves"


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Conflict posted...

I think you're probably the one with "stunted development" because you're upset people like something you don't like and you seem to have severe reading comprehension defects

this. he keeps ignoring anyone who explains it to him.

this person is right

NeoShadowhen posted...

Its always odd to me that people cant understand the appeal after its been explained to them. Many streamers are entertainers first and foremost, and Id liken their job as being more similar to radio dj than to a professional gamer, for instance. I also have to assume that people who cant conceive of the appeal also cant understand the appeal of chat rooms.

eston posted...

I don't see how it's any more of a waste of time than watching sitcoms, or sports, or any number of other types of shows

Twitch is the equivalent of watching someone watch those things.

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ktownslayer16 posted...

"why would anyone watch their favourite sport on TV when they can just play themselves"

If I could be an NFL player I would not watch NFL, I agree.

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But it's like watching a NFL player watch an NFL game. It's weird >_>

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EffectAndCause posted...

Twitch is the equivalent of watching someone watch those things.

But how does that make it more of a waste of time than watching those things?

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EffectAndCause posted...

Twitch is the equivalent of watching someone watch those things.

again, like I said, I am more coming from a youtube perspective but it's mostly about the person making the video not the game. here is an example of some people playing games on youtube and how they act and why some people watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqOd1jyK6S0

people watch anything someone will play, if the person is entertaining or funny. a lot of people don't even watch the gameplay they just turn on the video and do something else while listening to the commentary

It's a younger brother simulation.
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I watch Twitch a lot so let me chime in on why I personally do something considered stupid by even a younger version of myself. It's taken some number of tough years, but I officially reached that point of my life where everything burns me out and I have no passion to actually do something but I like the idea of it.

Case in point, I love Overwatch and have been playing it for the better part of 2.5 years. Am I decent at the game? Sure, if you consider my average routine of 1-2 games of Competitive while I wait for my GF to join me for an hour or two of Quickplay, and this is usually just on the weekends. It's not quite as fulfilling as I would like and to be completely honest, I don't even have that "killer instinct" anymore to climb in any first person shooter.

What I do to keep that Overwatch itch from getting too itchy is watch a streamer like Harbleu, Kephrii, or Fran on nights after a (usually stressful) day of work and watch them do their magic instead.

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Zikten posted...

people watch anything someone will play, if the person is entertaining or funny. a lot of people don't even watch the gameplay they just turn on the video and do something else while listening to the commentary

Yeesh, yeah im definitely too old for this. And here I always thought id be a hip young cool person.

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harley2280 posted...

It's a younger brother simulation.

O_O

I think you just nailed it.

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EffectAndCause posted...

If I could be an NFL player I would not watch NFL, I agree.

Does LeBron have stunted development for watching Kobe's final game?

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EffectAndCause posted...

But why would someone want to spend hours of their day watching other people play a video game instead of playing it themselves?

Tagged TC as "doesn't understand varying degrees of interest"

why do people like things i dont like waaaaaaaaah

im actually older than you and I like this stuff. I watch the channel that clip I linked is from. most of their fans are younger than me but whatever. I think they are funny.

it's a streaming website. which is a just a new age term for a live broadcast

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ChrisTaka posted...

Does LeBron have stunted development for watching Kobe's final game?

Hes already a professional NBA player and was not on the team at the time.

Its easy to understand watching people do things you cant do yourself.

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EffectAndCause posted...

Its easy to understand watching people do things you cant do yourself.

Honest question bro

Are you like

slow