Like and subscribe - how videogame streaming has turned entertainment on its head

In 2010, Felix Kjellberg, a 20-year-old Swedish man with nothing more than a PC and a webcam at his fingertips, filmed himself playing the cult horror game, Amnesia. Whilst playing, Felix (aka PewDiePie) produced an endless parade of vocal screams, yells and swears, constantly leaping out of his chair, gurning at the camera and flailing his arms around with exaggerated, manic energy. How do we know this? Because Felix uploaded the footage to the still fledging YouTube platform as a series of short videos containing nothing more than his face, his voice and footage of the game being played.

The results were so ridiculous (and novel) that Felix gained notoriety in gaming circles, but his reach quickly extended far beyond a niche audience. Within a few years, Felix’s subscriber count pushed into the millions and every video he uploaded was voraciously consumed by a huge audience evidently hungry for this new form for entertainment: personality-driven playthroughs of videogames, replete with stream-of-consciousness commentary and OTT reactions.

Felix had seemingly created a new form of entertainment: videogame streaming.

Some 15 years later, streams of videogame playthroughs, via online platforms such as YouTube or Twitch, have achieved almost total ubiquity as a form of entertainment amongst children, teens and many adults. Videogame streaming is a massive industry, creating obscene amounts of wealth for those lucky enough to become successful, and generating hundreds of thousands of hours of video footage of games being played. Some streamers are now more popular, more well known and more financially successful than most film actors or TV personalities could ever dream of.

So what is it about this form of entertainment that makes it so popular? Why do so many people want to watch other people play games? Why has videogame streaming turned our entire understanding of entertainment on its head and made celebrities of people who sit alone in their bedrooms playing a game?

For some, watching another person play a game is simply a way of experiencing a new game they are otherwise unable to play i.e. age ratings, localisation issues or not enough money to buy it for themselves. For others, there is pleasure to be found in watching someone else experience a game they’ve already completed; comparing playthroughs; the different emotional reactions another person has to the story beats; or the way they approach different set piece moments. Or maybe a person lacks the skills to play a game at its highest level but still has a huge appreciation for those with the capabilities to fully explore a game’s mechanics and systems. Then, like me, someone may simply want to see what a game looks like before parting with their hard-earned money.

However, there is one more reason that people enjoy watching other people play games: a genuine sense of connection and comradery with that videogame streamer. Having spoken to numerous young adults and teens, one recurring reason for watching videogame playthroughs is the streamer themselves: their personality, humour and delivery. People become fans of specific streamers and their content. They feel a kinship with the streamer and find it comforting to have these streamers in their lives. And, of course, streamers are aware of this and will carefully curate a personality, commentary and editing style that appeals to, and grows, their audience.

The viewer benefits from this relationship through regular video content produced by someone that almost feels like a friend or a comfortable presence in their lives; a warm comfort blanket to keep them cosy and snug when the world just gets too much.

But this also opens viewers to exploitation from streamers and content creators. Maybe the streamer accepts financial sponsorship from a less than reputable business or pushes a dubious product or service onto their viewers. Your favourite, friendly streamer might promote iffy gambling sites or dodgy crypto currencies. If these promotions were pitched and marketed to an appropriate audience, then maybe it could be considered an acceptable practice (emphasis on maybe) but all too often the audience will be below gambling age and susceptible to their favourite streamer’s recommendations. Promotions and gambling are often not clearly identified or flagged within the video or video description. It could be argued that these practices are morally bankrupt, taking advantage of a trusting, passionate and potentially vulnerable audience, many of whom might be young children. This was a particularly problematic issue a few years ago during the sudden and rapid development of this form of content; a new and digital wild west of entertainment in an industry without the degree of oversight and regulation other forms of entertainment and media are subjected to.

Things are improving. The audience is now savvier to dubious content and often steamers will get called out for dodgy promotions and iffy advertising. There is also more oversight from the platforms that host the video content. Twitch has separate channels for gambling related content; YouTube has more guidelines to help flag the nature of a video’s content; and platform holders seem more prepared to pull down videos, or de-monetise those that don’t abide by these guidelines.

However, to make these concerns the focus of this piece does do a disservice to the many, many streamers out there simply trying to create entertainment for people and turn their passion into something that can financially support and sustain them. This form of entertainment clearly has value for many people, especially those that find a sense of friendship, community and comfort with the streamer and their content.

So, what is the future of videogame playthroughs and streamers? Well, the thirst for this form of entertainment shows no abating and, if anything, its popularity is only going to increase, at least in the short term, as the gaming industry continues to grow and develop as a global form of entertainment and art. In the longer term, over-regulation of content by YouTube and Twitch might see streamers jump to new, alternative platforms to host their video content, and claims of copyright infringement from developers and publishers (accompanied with cease and desist letters) would potentially limit the kind of content videogame streamers could produce. Ultimately, we may find in a generation or two that a new craze has swept the internet and streaming videogame playthroughs is considered outdated and something only ‘old people’ do.

But for now, we have an industry that forms a significant part of many people’s lives, for better and for worse. And while I am often perplexed by videogame streamers and how they are lauded and celebrated for simply playing a videogame, I cannot deny that for many watching a streamer playthrough a videogame on YouTube or Twitch is a vital and important form of companionship and community whilst also being an enjoyable, innocent way to spend an hour or two.

So, what do you think? Is videogame streaming an important part of your life? Do you have favourite streamers, or favourite games you like to watch? And where do you believe the future of videogame streaming is headed? I would love to know. Meanwhile, I’m off to check out a no commentary playthrough of a game I’ve had my eye on for a while; I want to see if it’s something worth spending my money on!

- Dr Nick Hampton

Find out more about BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming and Design here.

Head over to YouTube to hear Nick talk video games on Solent's ...Explained! podcast.