Gamers often complain that streamers have some advantages on Twitch. Often, these are exaggerated examples, but they are not entirely wrong. Actually, it doesn’t matter at all. On the contrary: It’s even good if streamers don’t have to work everything out themselves, says MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus.
“He can only do that because he is a streamer.” This or something similar regularly echoes in the chats of major streamers, in forums, or on Reddit, and even in the comments here on MeinMMO.
What advantages do streamers have? Streamers get to play games earlier, streamers receive pre-made characters from the devs, streamers get their own servers, and everyone helps the streamers as much as possible. And they also get paid for it.
The accusations are manifold, and sometimes the dispute escalates to such a degree that a true “us against them” mentality arises. And to be fair, I must say: Yes, streamers have their advantages.
In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, there was recently an outcry that criticized exactly that. The streamer Rich Campbell completed a raid of the game after a week of progress, with help from a group of established veterans:
He was “carried,” as it’s called in jargon – relying on others to compensate for his supposed inability and carry him through. Similar accusations are repeatedly made against Asmongold (featured image), one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. Whether and how much this is true remains to be seen. In any case, it’s absolutely fine for something like this to happen.
Show me the game, not how you fail
That’s why “streamer bonuses” are fine: If streamers can get through certain content, I also benefit as a viewer. After all, I get to see what a game has to offer that I might never finish myself.
Of course, I don’t want to see my hero fail over and over again. I don’t want to watch someone get stuck somewhere; I want to know how it gets solved and continues. Sure, now and then we all enjoy watching people fail. But if that keeps repeating – like in FFXIV over days or weeks – it becomes boring.
Streamers are entertainers, and as such, they don’t have to be professionals. They should entertain me and give me insight into what they are doing. If they lack the skills to achieve it themselves, then let them organize a capable team to help them. The main thing is that I can watch my favorite streamer.
Then they should just get better! Why? It’s not a streamer’s job to be the best at their game. If I want to see top gameplay, I watch the pros who usually also stream or are active on YouTube.
If I don’t like the style or content of a streamer, I watch something else. If everyone does that, he will be forced to change his content – or he disappears because streaming is no longer profitable. This is how Twitch has worked for ages.
Entertainers fill their stream with interaction and work through games and their emotions to convey them. In both cases, it’s about seeing what the respective game (or category) really has to offer.
“Literally doesn’t affect you”
The well-known content creator Frosty frequently accompanies “World First” races in Final Fantasy and is deeply rooted in the community there. He has also commented specifically on the discussion about Campbell.
In a tweet, he states: “Whining about the successes of others that literally do not affect you makes you look like spoiled brats. Just so you know.” (via Twitter.com) And yes, what advantage would you get if streamers fail over and over again?
I personally would lose interest in a game if I don’t see any progress. Even less so if people constantly nag at me for it.
Don’t be jealous, enjoy the content
The anger towards such “advantages” of the streamers is often born out of envy or a lack of understanding of the job, as far as I have observed. It is often complained that streamers supposedly only get paid for playing games and actually do no work.
This attitude is … strange. What exactly is good about someone playing a game in front of me that might not even be finished, or getting help from others?
Just because someone else plays earlier, my enjoyment of the game doesn’t suffer because of it. Moreover: If that person gives their opinion and I trust it, I can much better assess whether I want to spend money on a game myself.
The same goes for help from the community or from pros. Everyone has the opportunity to ask for help on Reddit or in Discords, and there are enough helpful players in almost all games. But not everyone wants that, as the feeling of reward and “I did this myself” gets lost in the process.
Some of these advantages, we journalists have as well. Publishers provide us with preview keys or invite us to events where they guide us through the game. We process this information and present it to you.
Streamers operate similarly, only that they primarily take a personal approach. Their strength lies in scoring through personality and an opinion that fans trust or want to engage with. In both cases, however, it’s important to thoroughly examine a game.
Some streamers even cleverly use the hate directed at them as publicity:
The most popular streamer on Twitch is also the most hated: That’s her plan
