Is Streaming Changing the Gaming Review Industry?

In gaming, reviews have always held a rather important position – for the big AAA titles they reveal whether or not the growing price tag holds its value as many are now releasing at well over $60 for a new title, they reveal if the latest indie game to hit the market stands out from the rest of if it’s not worth the lower price to try, and everything in between from features to the ups and downs. But reviews are very one dimensional, written context from an individual point of view is certainly something that is a thing of the past, and differing opinions and sponsored posts can have a big influence over how a game scores in review.

The rise of streaming has allowed for games to be shown in a very different way – a live first-hand account, even if sponsored, has shown a new light on gaming reviews – but is it changing the industry?

(Image from towardsdatascience.com)

On the one hand, the answer is almost a resounding yes as new big game releases can pull in tens of thousands, if not more, viewers for the biggest streamers, and some games success comes as a direct result of this streamed content too – take a look at recent releases like Valheim, whilst an great example of everything going right in the indie industry, the big streamers that were able to pick up the game and show it for what it really was certainly led to the huge popularity within the title, and even now as the big streamers continue to show the game off it continues to grow – no fluff, no jargon, just straight gameplay and an opportunity for viewers to see the features and how the game performs.

Whilst there are of course sponsored streams, often the broadcaster is given the option of honesty, rather than just saying they like the game for payments sake and have become the most important difference between the two.

There are still some markets that will struggle to make the change here though – mobile is the biggest example as shifting away from online mobile reviews particularly in certain industries like online slot reviews for example may not be easily interchangeable, and there will exist a written market particularly from players rather than from the big reviewers themselves but are still important to the development of the games all the same.

As many big reviewers continue to lose some credibility as they have over the past few years, the stock of the individual reviewer and the big streamers will certainly go up – the value of the review is changing but are still just as if not more important than they ever were, and it’s important to know how to identify which may serve your better interests, and which may be used purely as a sale tool.