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The Twitch Effect - Does it hurt game sales?

Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234

I have been watching Towelliee on twtich play ESO - I have found that watching his experience is sufficient enough to feed my curiosity. Has anyone else had any similar experiences with either ESO or other games?

I can say I have had this experience with WoW, Reaper of Souls, Titanfall, Dark Souls 2, ESO, and Wildstar so far. Most of the time I see the games on twitch and I guess I'm not impressed. The one thing in ESO that caught my eye was the Cyrodil pvp. I am considering buying Wildstar and for the first time I am thinking watching the WoW raids on twitch will suffice for me.

This got me thinking are there games listed that do not make me feel this way. I would say DayZ easily came to mind, watching one play and experiencing it are different experiences entirely, I would also include multiplayer shooters that have even playing fields, the shooters probably don't have the effect because growing up I mostly played shooters and it's something I can easily monitor my skill level with.

I think alot of how this works is because I'm not out to prove myself through playing video games. 

I guess as I watch him play (even though his is terribad) but as I watch him play, I see the content and I guess I find that to be good enough. I see the content, formulate how I would handle the situation and it's almost as though that's good enough, I've seen it, I could do the same thing, time to move on.

The title of his stream right now is "ESO - So you don't have to" - I find it to be ironic and he didn't title it to be a smart ass, he hasn't focuses on any bad things about the game and really just tries to point out the good things about it, so he really didn't title it to be a smart ass.

Comments

  • zevianzevian Member UncommonPosts: 403

    I dont let twitch influence me too much when/if i buy a game.   Ill watch WoW a lot instead of playing it, but watching it sometimes gives me the itch to resub (and sometimes i do).    I prefer watching Dayz over playing it, the streamers really make it a good time (towliee was super funny playing Dayz).        I bought Rust only because i watched people playing it and decided it looked fun (it is for a while!). 

     

    I also enjoy watching streams because it can give me some tips or insight on how others are doing something in a game, like simcity for example. 

     

    Twitch has probably caused me to buy more games, or rather i should say more games i would enjoy.    

  • Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234
    Originally posted by zevian

    I dont let twitch influence me too much when/if i buy a game.   Ill watch WoW a lot instead of playing it, but watching it sometimes gives me the itch to resub (and sometimes i do).    I prefer watching Dayz over playing it, the streamers really make it a good time (towliee was super funny playing Dayz).        I bought Rust only because i watched people playing it and decided it looked fun (it is for a while!). 

     

    I also enjoy watching streams because it can give me some tips or insight on how others are doing something in a game, like simcity for example. 

     

    Twitch has probably caused me to buy more games, or rather i should say more games i would enjoy.    

     

    I see your just the opposite of me with respect to everything....

    But when you resub - are you satisfied? I do the same thing but usually by day 2 I'm like oh man why did I resub?

     

     

  • zevianzevian Member UncommonPosts: 403
    Originally posted by Righteous_Rock
    Originally posted by zevian

    I dont let twitch influence me too much when/if i buy a game.   Ill watch WoW a lot instead of playing it, but watching it sometimes gives me the itch to resub (and sometimes i do).    I prefer watching Dayz over playing it, the streamers really make it a good time (towliee was super funny playing Dayz).        I bought Rust only because i watched people playing it and decided it looked fun (it is for a while!). 

     

    I also enjoy watching streams because it can give me some tips or insight on how others are doing something in a game, like simcity for example. 

     

    Twitch has probably caused me to buy more games, or rather i should say more games i would enjoy.    

     

    I see your just the opposite of me with respect to everything....

    But when you resub - are you satisfied? I do the same thing but usually by day 2 I'm like oh man why did I resub?

     

     

    LOL no not at all, after I get my quick fix i realized i wasted that 15 bucks and go back to watching it on a stream haha.

  • Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234
    Originally posted by zevian
    Originally posted by Righteous_Rock
    Originally posted by zevian

    I dont let twitch influence me too much when/if i buy a game.   Ill watch WoW a lot instead of playing it, but watching it sometimes gives me the itch to resub (and sometimes i do).    I prefer watching Dayz over playing it, the streamers really make it a good time (towliee was super funny playing Dayz).        I bought Rust only because i watched people playing it and decided it looked fun (it is for a while!). 

     

    I also enjoy watching streams because it can give me some tips or insight on how others are doing something in a game, like simcity for example. 

     

    Twitch has probably caused me to buy more games, or rather i should say more games i would enjoy.    

     

    I see your just the opposite of me with respect to everything....

    But when you resub - are you satisfied? I do the same thing but usually by day 2 I'm like oh man why did I resub?

     

     

    LOL no not at all, after I get my quick fix i realized i wasted that 15 bucks and go back to watching it on a stream haha.

    :-) nice that's also how I came to just watching is good enough because by day 2, I've realized I just wasted $15 and I'm off to battle.net to make sure my sub doesn't automatically re up.

  • ErgloadErgload Member UncommonPosts: 433
    I don't watch game streams, so no. I never liked watching other people play games, I'd rather play the game myself. I'll look at screenshots and read a review and maybe watch a gameplay video before buying a game but I don't find live streaming games with commentary enjoyable.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] UncommonPosts: 0
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  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,373
    This concept of watching other people do anything is foreign to me, I prefer to make history, not watch it.

    So no influence at all, what the hell is Twitch again?

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

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    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

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  • PrecusorPrecusor Member UncommonPosts: 3,589
    the folks that watch net "celebrities" playing games can have a good influence on certain game sales.
  • KuviskiKuviski Member UncommonPosts: 215

    I cannot speak for anyone else, but personally I don't find watching streams very interesting. I sometimes watch videos of stuff like bossfights or PVP, but those just make me want to do the content myself.

     

    I guess any game can be fun to watch when there's a nice person commentating. But good games you want to play yourself and watching them on a stream isn't enough.

    But seeing as today the mentality is that everyone must be able to complete a game and do all the content it has to offer, no matter their level of dedication or skill, I guess watching a game from a stream is pretty similar to playing the easymode of a dungeon or whatever - both feel like passive experiences.

  • DauzqulDauzqul Member RarePosts: 1,982
    Twitch is fantastic for some games. Kripparian, for instance, brought a flood of players (probably a few thousand) to Path of Exile due to his influence and high-sub streaming with Diablo 3.
  • Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234
    I traditionally do not like to watch anything either, so I understand where some of you all are coming from. I think I got into watching though as I contemplated buying each game. ESO being the latest. I watched and as I watched I looked for things that I felt were unique or substantially entertaining. I played ESO beta and have watched enough stream now, but there is nothing that blatantly tells me I should invest in the game. On the flip side I have seen games I have never imagined I would see and think to myself I might actually enjoy that. Just to illustrate, watch someone play Goat Simulator - now who in a million years would think Goat Simulator could be fun, but it's uniqueness and it's an open playground, I may not have purchased it, but I see that fundamentally it's unique compared to these mainstream games like eso and Wildstar.
  • AlBQuirkyAlBQuirky Member EpicPosts: 7,432


    Originally posted by Kuviski
    I cannot speak for anyone else, but personally I don't find watching streams very interesting. I sometimes watch videos of stuff like bossfights or PVP, but those just make me want to do the content myself.I guess any game can be fun to watch when there's a nice person commentating. But good games you want to play yourself and watching them on a stream isn't enough.
    I am pretty much in the same boat. Watching someone else play a video game is not my idea of a fun time, even when in person and I am sitting next to them on a couch.

    However, when I am looking for information about a game, short gameplay video clips can be helpful in deciding whether or not to pursue the game further. Never have I watched a video and thought, "OK. Now I've played it."

    I just do not bother with Twitch.tv, unless directed there by a link.

    - Al

    Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.
    - FARGIN_WAR


  • Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234
    If a game doesn't allow me to be creative anymore I'm not interested and i don't mean create as in minecraft, I mean creative as in how I handle each situation. Twitch helps me determine that, before twitch you would have had to buy the game, because even most reviews are very skewed toward the favor of selling the game.
  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775

    no .. i don't watch video game videos except to check out the graphics, or may be learn a bit about the gameplay. But the watching itself is not fun to me.

    However, i would play a demo (or a f2p game), and quit if it is not fun in 15-30 min.

     

  • Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234
    Originally posted by nariusseldon

    no .. i don't watch video game videos except to check out the graphics, or may be learn a bit about thours ameplay. But the watching itself is not fun to me.However, i would play a demo (or a f2p game), and quit if it is not fun in 15-30 min. 

     

    I'm running dual monitors, so I'm gaming and watching at the same time, I've been watching the Towellie eso stream now since Sunday when I game. The guy streams 14 hours a day every day. Each time I've tuned in, there has never been one thing that has been shockingly amazing other than his reaction when he dies. Diablo reaper of souls - more of the same - world of warcraft - more of the same - if you can get people to carry you in any game you can get geared in a couple days - all mobas are exactly the same - the difference between sandbox and theme park is dramatically enhanced. Themepark I can watch and be like ok been there done that, sandbox - each stream and each gameplay is different. I guess i should haveasked does twitch hurt themepark sales?
  • mmoguy43mmoguy43 Member UncommonPosts: 2,770

    Watching twitch or other videos could very well hurt game sales. Mainly those folks that are on the fence about buying it, when they might ordinarily buy it out of impulse. You could be swayed easily for or against it depending on the video you watch.

    When I'm on the fence I'll probably only spend 5 mins of watching some video to decide. Or if I had no intention to buy the game anyway I might watch someone else play. I don't watch a lot of twitch feeds though.

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