Streaming

Turner Tenney aka Tfue quickly topping the list of go-to streamers.

A majority of Tfue’s clout comes from his “Fortnite” days and now he’s eviscerating in “Warzone.” Making it look easy too. The guy’s shear skills makes up for his bro-ish behavior that some find divisive (including me). But he’s really grown on me.

Tfue doesn’t grovel to chat like other “Warzone” streamers out there. Huskerrs, Teepee, Cloakzy and plenty more are very guilty of this offense. Just too annoying. At least if Tfue talks to chat, it’s not over-the-top theatrics. Makes for such better viewing experience.

Tfue’s personality is something to be celebrated. Streamers are known for their antics-schticks, and most of the time it comes off as either off-putting or cringe-worthy. Turner, on the other hand, leans into his confidence as a video game player, he doesn’t need to pander to the viewers. Doesn’t feel like a business transaction.

If you haven’t already, give his stream a shot. Tfue is nailing it on all fronts as a streamer.

What a hard pill to swallow. The beloved streaming service has officially taken a turn for the worst. When and why? Let’s look.

Ninja

On August 21, 2019, Twitch suffered a huge lost when the biggest name in streaming bounced to rival Microsoft service Mixer. Ninja’s family friendly style made for easy watching is sorely missed. Ninja’s noticeable void on the platform has been filled by edgy gamer bros. Old guns like Dr. DisRespect and Summit1G just seem over streaming all together. They don’t make up for Ninja’s absence.

Ads

Literal ads playing at all times. Not just 1 or 2, like 6. Twitch and streamers alike want money and ads serve that purpose. Of course this comes at a cost of the viewer’s sanity. Who enjoys advertisements popping in at the worst times? Forget about it.

Game Rotation

Twitch goes as follows. “World of Warcraft” has taken over the broadcast airwaves. “Grand Theft Auto” RP isn’t funny or entertaining to watch. “Fortnite” streamers sound and act all the same. The days of 24/7 “PUBG” are over. Sad.

Will this Twitch drought be forever? We can only hope not. Is it aggressive to say Twitch is bad? Maybe. The platform does need a return to form though.

Everyone–including myself–has had enough of this Mixer charade.

The bold statement above could be hyperbole. Xbox owners and Microsoft lovers sure are stoked that Ninja, one of the most recognizable streamers around, has chosen Mixers as his new home. Bitter FireTV Twitch watchers can go F themselves aka me.

Ninja did a few things well on Twitch. His viewership numbers were through the roof at all times. Despite being finally outdone in viewers by the likes of Tfue, the numbers don’t lie, he was popular AF. Ninja was a family friendly streamer on Twitch. Cussing didn’t happen. Major bro moments didn’t happen. Stupid edgy content didn’t happen. Little stream details that I’ve really come to appreciate about Ninja.

But all that is gone now. All lost to Mixer… It’s actually a little sad. Watching Twitch doesn’t even sound like a very fun option at this point. Guess it’s time to actually play some video games. Lol.

DrDisRespect attempts to veer from family friendly?

When Ninja changed up his on-stream antics, described here, he took a lot of heat. Seems like Doc has thit factor playing in the back of his head. But instead going light on the stream behavior like Ninja, Doc is going harder. Being much more willy nilly on the cursing. Except all the cussing has a twist. Doc throws heavy hitters like F-bombs around very lightly. Almost like he don’t actually want to say that kinda garbage at all. A good example of this kind of cussing is at 00:17 in the clip below.

I’ve been watching Doc do his thing on Twitch since 2016. To some viewers that’s not a long time, but if my memory serves me correctly, he didn’t really start using strong language regularly until recently.

Honestly, Doc’s persona without the cursing resonated more with me. His ’80s action hero character doesn’t need to stoop to that level. Doc’s the 2x after all.

Leave a comment and tell me why I’m wrong. No login required, fam.

Damned to ad hell.

Have you noticed the severe uptick in ads on Twitch? Whether it’s a big or small streamer, ads are literally blaring continuously right after tuning in. When did this become the norm? Streamers have always pushed for donations and subscriptions but getting hit with a slew of ads for being an unsubbed pleb feels like punishment. (FYI, subbing to a channel disables ads). It’s pre-roll and mid-roll too!

According to Twitch guidelines, partnered streamers determine the length and frequency of advertising on their live feed. Some are guiltier than others. Once, TSM_Viss ran 11 commercials before I could actually see his gameplay. Excessive. Dr DisRespect and Ninja spring mid-roll ads on unsubbed viewers all the time now. Twitch plays its own ads in front of streamers who aren’t partnered. Like my boi, helladopeguy’s stream. Commercials on his stream! It used to not be that way.

Are gamers feeling strongly about these overplayed ads? Money-forward antics are triggering. Well if you haven’t noticed the BS yet, you definitely will now.

Everything can change in a flash.

Shroud’s recent scootering accident that shattered his left elbow is a prime example of that. Being essencially a god at–new and very popular–Apex Legends, the famous Twitch streamer was at the top of his game. Now, one of Shroud’s appendages that makes him money has taken a devastating hit.

All freak accidents are depressing and quickly remind me life is fragile. Almost a week before Shroud’s crash, a 21-year-old girl was walking through a parking lot when 2 tires flew off an 18-wheeler and struck her dead. A truly freak accident.

These incidents are trippy to think about. It’s morbid. Just the possibility of them happening kinda makes me want to curl up in bed and read manga.

So, play every round like it’s your last.

“Life’s a fragile thing, Har. One minute you’re chewin’ on a burger, the next minute you’re dead meat.”

Let’s take a moment and appreciate Shroud’s broiling genius:

https://twitchtracker.com/ninja/statistics

*adjusts nerdy glasses* As you can see from the numbers above, Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins’ Twitch numbers have dropped significantly in the month of August. Average viewership is almost cut in half since his heyday in April. It’s wild to see.

I have some theories about Ninja’s sharp crash in viewers. For one, “Fortnite” aka Bros Introduction to Video Games is whack and has been whack since the beginning. Are people starting to see behind the veil? Let’s hope this is the case for everyone’s sake. Two, the amount of Twitch streamers who own at Bros Intro to Gaming is astounding–e.g. Myth. This TSM sponsored guy manages to be more annoying than Ninja. Yet, Myth is the second most popular Twitch streamer by subscription numbers, according to Kotaku.

The Twitch space is weird right now. All this “Fortnite” mixing with straight-up bizarre streaming personalities leaves me, a viewer, confused. I want to be involved in this epic gaming revolution but the game and people involved don’t really do anything for me.

Anyway, getting off topic. Ninja’s viewers are going down. Could the Bros Intro faze finally be slowing up? We’ll have to wait an see.

So, you’ve made a name for yourself on Twitch. Averaging 15k viewers a stream and that looks to be only the tip of the iceberg! Things are lookin’ good and it’s definitely time to sellout.

Get in touch with G FUEL, Monster Energy and Red Bull. Make a deal with the company that offers you the absolute most money. You’ve earned it, after all, you’re raking in 15k viewers a stream. Getting an energy drink sponsor is the easy part. On to the more difficult venture.

Stop being your authentic self. Stop cussing, turn your stream into some sort of PG-13, or even PG, variation. Alienating the viewers who were there from the beginning is the goal. Start playing with streamers who will cling to your fame like squelching leeches. Then cut those people off completely without explanation. Make sure not to cuss though, keep it PG, K dawg?

When your stream starts taking a dip in viewership numbers,  say something like “I run a dying stream” over and over. Rousing your top donators (new and old) into throwing money at you. Classic tactic. Complain about getting bits instead of cash donations too. Your opinion on how money is handed to you while you sit and play games matters.

Finally, launch a whack merch line. Congratulations, you are a sellout on Twitch.