A Look at Online Entertainment: Video Game Live Streaming

Video game live streaming used to be a niche market within the world of online entertainment. That’s changed in recent years and live streaming isn’t solely constrained to the world of entertainment gaming. Even so, gaming continues to hold a near monopoly on popular streaming categories. 

Streaming has continued to grow exponentially during 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. It’s become an easy way to not only keep in contact with friends, but also to spend time with them safely through quarantine. Though, it isn’t a world without its dangers. 

The #MeToo movement is still happening within the gaming community and it’s a prevalent topic on most social media threads to do with the community. A shift in both the gaming stars and the gaming audience has occurred. Gaming companies and teams are stepping forward in order to fight against allegations of misconduct or to apologize (and permanently ban streamers from their platforms). 

With the dangers of predatory streamers as well as a predatory audience at times willing to dox or swatting streamers; there’s also a need to keep up with ever adapting softwares. Streaming platforms and different types of software keep popping up and then there is the question of the proper equipment for steaming and revealing your face or using a 3d face tracking program instead, as VTubers do. 

Virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, are entertainers who use a virtual avatar for their videos rather than revealing their faces. This style evolved in the mid-2010s in Japan. The first well known VTuber was Kizuna AI and her popularity sparked a rise in VTubers from around the world. 

Since VTubers use 3d face tracking programs, this allows them to achieve levels of creativity that typical streamers wouldn’t be able to reach. The “face” of the VTubers can be anything, from anthropomorphic characters to humans or characters who barely have any human traits. 

The world of live streaming continues to evolve at a fast pace. The video game live streaming world of 2021 is a different world than 2014’s. New technologies, philosophies and creators continue to rise to the top.