Taking Game Streaming to the Next Level

From what was originally derided as an unnecessary and even silly idea, game streaming has become a major international part of interactive entertainment. Attracting millions of streamers and viewers from all over the world, systems like Twitch are now an inseparable part of the modern gaming environment.

Yet, as far as these have come, there’s still potential to take things a step further. Looking at how other industries manage streaming, we want to investigate how game streaming integration could be taken to the next level, and what forms it could take.

“Twitch Gamescom” (CC BY 2.0) by dronepicr

Borrowing from Online Casinos

As a basis for where we see streaming going, we want to consider the examples set by live casino games. On these websites, live titles have grown to cover a wide range of different genres, including roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and more esoteric offerings such as Crazy Time and Money Drop. In many ways, these play exactly as their regular online versions do, except they extend the concept of in-casino realism and fuse it with at-home convenience. With hosts shared by many players, this concept could provide an interesting direction back in the video game industry.

A New Class of Boss Fight

In streaming, there is an enormous problem among popular names called stream sniping. For those unaware, this centres around players following popular streamers, and using the streamer’s video to gain an advantage. This problem has become so pervasive that it is referenced directly in Twitch’s guidelines. This made us wonder, what if online games could take a cue from online casinos, and lean into the idea of a central visible streamer?

In action, this concept could take the form of a game embracing full Twitch integration, where various streamers could adopt the role of a boss character to be taken down by the masses. With the right approach, this streamer could appear in-game, with their stream giving players insight into where the boss is, and how to take them down. It would create an interesting dynamic of competition that we’ve never really seen before, but which could be a huge hit in the modern streaming environment.

Of course, putting this idea into action would require significant collaboration between game developers and Twitch, but there is precedent. One of the more popular examples of this occurred in 2020 with the release of Doom Eternal. In this instance, the developers at ID were so enamoured with the VTuber Korone that they included an easter egg directly referencing her videos. As a major AAA title jumped in without hesitation, this would suggest that the greater market might also accept further efforts.

“DOOM Eternal / They’re Hungry” (CC BY 2.0) by Stefans02

Of course, interest is just one side of the equation. Much more problematic to the implementation of ideas like this is the fact that there isn’t any legal precedent. A form of relationship between a service like Twitch and a full game has never been explored on this level, so the first to do it will have to break major ground. Make no mistake, stronger relationships between multiplayer gaming and Twitch are inevitable. The only questions are what form will come next, and when the next evolution could take place.