The internet has had many landmark events, but the advent of live streaming has to be up there with the best of them. After all, without it, it’s highly unlikely that the gaming industry would be what it is today. You could argue there would be no esports market at all, for instance.
Because of the impact of live streaming, developers are now having to change how they make their games. Indeed, they need to consider how their product will look if it’s broadcast online by a game influencer.
Live Streaming Was Made Famous by Online Casinos
Live streaming blew up towards the end of the 2010s, but it was in place much earlier at online casinos. The booming gambling industry helped the format grow, and live streaming continues to be an integral part of all leading gambling providers online.
The fact that the live casino category has expanded so much highlights how many people are in search of games in this format. The best live casino sites in the UK have an eclectic mix of games now, spanning way beyond the classics like roulette and blackjack. For example, there’s a whole category dedicated to game show-style offerings now, with options like Crazy Time and 9 Pots of Gold attracting a lot of players.
Studios in the online casino market are clearly trying to innovate and expand the live streaming category as much as possible. Despite the rise of virtual reality in recent years, it’s clear that this platform is still seen as one of the most lucrative areas to be in.
Developers Now Considering Streaming When Making Games
Thanks to the rise of platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, developers are now having to ensure that their games have the “streamability” factor. That’s because a lot of players now look to their favorite streamers when deciding what to play. So, if a game isn’t worthy of being streamed, it’s unlikely to garner much attention.
There are a few factors that make games fit this bill. Of course, they need to be easy to follow, as viewers are likely to dip in and out of streams at random points in time. They should also be instantly engaging with plenty of reasons to get excited. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a great recent example of a game that has all these qualities, and the title from Mediatonic has been a sensation in the live streaming era.
Longevity should also be a factor that studios consider, however. Games like Fall Guys are novel at first, but this can quickly wear off. The ideal scenario would be to create a game that people are able to play for years, in which they can constantly come up with new things. Titles like Minecraft and Roblox are great examples of this, as they allow content creators to come up with endless ideas within their sandboxes.
Developers used to only have to consider the end user for their games. Now, they need to think about multiple factors such as whether they will engage audiences and inspire live streamers to keep playing them. Live streaming is going nowhere, and it will continue to have an incredible impact on gaming long into the future.
