MeinMMO author Johanna studies something related to media, but she can’t always motivate herself to study. However, a category on Twitch has helped her prepare better for her exams.
Studying is difficult. Not necessarily always because of the material, but often due to a lack of discipline. It can be hard to motivate oneself to study when there isn’t the pressure of an upcoming exam.
And even that doesn’t always have the desired effect.
Just like with me when an exam was approaching, for which I simply didn’t feel like studying. I much preferred hanging out on Twitch and watching my favorite streamers, who distracted me from my academic responsibilities.
But this very platform should be the reason why I actually sat down to study and why I also came out of the exam with a good grade.
Twitch is mostly a platform for entertainment. In the video, we present to you the 5 most relevant Twitch streamers in the German space:
A Twitch category becomes a lifesaver
What helped me? One day while I was on Twitch and none of the current streams really appealed to me, I browsed through the categories of the platform. Under “Creative Ideas,” there is the category “Co-working & Studying.”
Here, people stream themselves working or studying (on the computer). I clicked on the first stream where a student was sitting at her desk, writing in her notes.
I had once heard from my lecturer that meeting with other students to study together can help with learning. This increases each individual’s productivity through “social facilitation.” This means that we find things easier when we do them in a group where others are doing the same task.
The problem with this: Through my distance learning program, I knew my fellow students, but they lived much too far away for a meeting in a library to be possible. However, this Twitch category seemed like the perfect substitute.
For the effect of “social facilitation,” it is often enough just to see another person on a screen who is studying. For example, on YouTube, there are videos where students have filmed themselves studying and then uploaded it.
However, that somehow wasn’t enough for me. My brain didn’t feel “tricked enough,” so I couldn’t really concentrate better on my study material. I didn’t pursue the concept any further. However, with Twitch, this changed.
Co-Studying on Twitch: The livestreams happen in real time. So I knew that the student on my screen was also studying, which in turn stimulated my productivity.
I selected a stream where a young woman was filming her desk and herself. She was working with the Pomodoro Technique, and I adjusted to her by actively studying and taking breaks.
And indeed: It worked. All of a sudden, it was much easier for me to concentrate and actually accomplish the things I had planned for the day. I applied this learning technique every day for a week and became increasingly confident with my material.
The result: I sat in my exam confidently, and this time my productivity was not boosted by a Twitch streamer, but in real life by the other students around me. I was finally able to celebrate a grade of 2 in the exam, and all of this was thanks to Twitch!
A Twitch streamer who also streams under the category Co-working & Studying, and whom I regularly checked out, is the author Anabelle Stehl. She edits her current book live on Twitch and lets her viewers participate: Streamer works quietly on her own book on Twitch and inspires 4,000 followers to be productive
