Video Game Streaming Sees Significant Drop In Audience Over Last Quarter

[Kane99]

Source: 

https://hypebeast.com/2022/8/twitch-facebook-gaming-youtube-gaming-hours-watched-decline-q2-2022

I think there are a few reasons why game streams are seeing a drop in viewers.

1) I think Covid helped increase the amount of people streaming, and now that everything is open up again, people aren't watching as much anymore. 

2) I think just chatting streams are becoming more popular these days, and I think that's partly to blame as well. I could see more people viewing a just chatting stream versus a gameplay stream. Look at that Hassan guy, he gets like 30,000 viewers watching his stuff. It's crazy how many people are watching him. Plus the hot tub streamers are probably taking viewers away from game streamers as well, but I doubt it's a lot. 

But yeah, those are my thoughts on it. What about you? 

 

[Withywarlock]

I don't know much about streaming, but I do know how quickly the novelty of lockdowns wore off, and now people are desperate for physical interaction. For example, no longer is D&D something just done over Roll20 and Discord and Twitch; people are buying physical box sets. Board games boomed in about 2017 and naturally would've halted unless they could be delivered to the house or played through Tabletop Simulator, but just today while out with my partner I've seen so many board games in stores that don't normally stock them like they do now (namely HMV, GAME, and Waterstones).

So I definitely think it's mostly down to Covid restrictions being reduced. They've played their games, they've watched people play games and now they perhaps crave interaction in some form or another, physical or digital.

It's all just guesses on my end, but I'm not surprised streaming has come down from its high.

Thanks for sharing the article, it's an interesting read.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Withywarlock

[Clasher]

I don't really stream video game content and it got really big during the pandemic since everyone was getting creative then and looking for other forms of entertainment they could engage in from home.

Netflix was at their peak point during the pandemic and it is for other forms of entertainment you could get with a data subscription, so it's no surprise that people are beginning to do more outdoor activities and it's summer already a time for a lot of concerts and outdoor activities.

[Kane99]

On 8/13/2022 at 2:04 PM, Withywarlock said:

I don't know much about streaming, but I do know how quickly the novelty of lockdowns wore off, and now people are desperate for physical interaction. For example, no longer is D&D something just done over Roll20 and Discord and Twitch; people are buying physical box sets. Board games boomed in about 2017 and naturally would've halted unless they could be delivered to the house or played through Tabletop Simulator, but just today while out with my partner I've seen so many board games in stores that don't normally stock them like they do now (namely HMV, GAME, and Waterstones).

So I definitely think it's mostly down to Covid restrictions being reduced. They've played their games, they've watched people play games and now they perhaps crave interaction in some form or another, physical or digital.

It's all just guesses on my end, but I'm not surprised streaming has come down from its high.

Thanks for sharing the article, it's an interesting read.

I agree. I think people are finding more interesting people to watch. That's why I think just chatting streams are becoming so popular these days. I prefer to watch let's plays for the games I want to see, and I don't care much for watching streamers play games anymore. 

[Yaramaki]

People are finally starting to realise that playing the game themselves is much more enjoyable then watch a stranger playing the game on a livestream. Never really understood the point of watching somebody playing a videogame when you can play it yourself, if you are in the same room i'm all for watching somebody i know play a game but a complete stranger i could care less about watching them play a game. Not that i'm pointing a finger at somebody who likes doing that as it's your free time and you have the right to do what you want with it.

Could the decline in viewerships also be the case of just too much streamers around, like for every populair game there are atleast 500-1000 people streaming the same game, it's a bit oversaturated if you ask me, but what do i know?

[runswithspatulas]

On 8/11/2022 at 3:59 PM, Kane99 said:

Source: 

https://hypebeast.com/2022/8/twitch-facebook-gaming-youtube-gaming-hours-watched-decline-q2-2022

I think there are a few reasons why game streams are seeing a drop in viewers.

1) I think Covid helped increase the amount of people streaming, and now that everything is open up again, people aren't watching as much anymore. 

2) I think just chatting streams are becoming more popular these days, and I think that's partly to blame as well. I could see more people viewing a just chatting stream versus a gameplay stream. Look at that Hassan guy, he gets like 30,000 viewers watching his stuff. It's crazy how many people are watching him. Plus the hot tub streamers are probably taking viewers away from game streamers as well, but I doubt it's a lot. 

But yeah, those are my thoughts on it. What about you? 

 

I feel like a lot of the gaming streams are taking a hit because of several things. First off they want you to subscribe to their stream as well as follow them. Then they want you to follow their friends who all want you to subscribe and follow their friends. See where this is going? 😁

Second of all, Covid. Covid took away jobs and now everyone wants to work from home as a gamer. And they expect us working folks to help pay their wages. I don't know about the rest of y'all but I can't afford that. Meanwhile there are places in desperate need of workers and these folks wanna get pd. to play video games all day & all night. With the current cost of living that isn't feasible for many of us.

And there are sooooooo many. I could never afford to support all the streamers I follow. No way! Then some of the streamers whine about their followage or about the game they're playing which is an automatic turn off for me. 

[Empire Of Sight]

On 8/12/2022 at 4:59 AM, Kane99 said:

Source: 

https://hypebeast.com/2022/8/twitch-facebook-gaming-youtube-gaming-hours-watched-decline-q2-2022

I think there are a few reasons why game streams are seeing a drop in viewers.

1) I think Covid helped increase the amount of people streaming, and now that everything is open up again, people aren't watching as much anymore. 

2) I think just chatting streams are becoming more popular these days, and I think that's partly to blame as well. I could see more people viewing a just chatting stream versus a gameplay stream. Look at that Hassan guy, he gets like 30,000 viewers watching his stuff. It's crazy how many people are watching him. Plus the hot tub streamers are probably taking viewers away from game streamers as well, but I doubt it's a lot. 

But yeah, those are my thoughts on it. What about you? 

 

Its def the covid ending, people back to work and lives just getting busy again.

However people get bored of watching the same games, same streamers and new / more interesting dopamine giving content will overide it. Youtube really blew up because gaming videos / pranks/ memes in the start but now its more focused on Vlogs and random stuff like that.

 

In the future chances are it'll just be 24 hour IRL streams like the Truman show where the streamer does it all and the audience tunes in at specific times to watch what they want to watch.

 

EOS

[Justin11]

I think COVID-19 decrease made it that way. Lots of people who stayed indoors have gone back to their respective working place, and wouldn't have that chance again to steam all the time. You can imagine when you're totally exhausted, what you'll imagine that time is sleeping in order to rest your body. 

[Empire Of Sight]

50 minutes ago, Justin11 said:

I think COVID-19 decrease made it that way. Lots of people who stayed indoors have gone back to their respective working place, and wouldn't have that chance again to steam all the time. You can imagine when you're totally exhausted, what you'll imagine that time is sleeping in order to rest your body. 

Sleeping or living your own life haha, I guess during rona everyone wanted to escape their world and fall into someone elses for a while.

[Justin11]

1 hour ago, Empire Of Sight said:

Sleeping or living your own life haha, I guess during rona everyone wanted to escape their world and fall into someone elses for a while.

Sure, we were trying hard to cope with the dreadful period of the pandemic and engaging something that brings fun, that's why the heat wasn't as it supposed to be. During the first wave of covid 19 I played lots if video games in order to kill off depression. 

[Empire Of Sight]

1 hour ago, Justin11 said:

Sure, we were trying hard to cope with the dreadful period of the pandemic and engaging something that brings fun, that's why the heat wasn't as it supposed to be. During the first wave of covid 19 I played lots if video games in order to kill off depression. 

Honestly I feel the gaming during depression, growing up its what got me through the darkest of the dark times. 

Haha where I'm at lockdowns still happen.. I just spent 2 months inside of a hotel without being able to leave, and had to pay for it REEEE

 

 

[Justin11]

6 minutes ago, Empire Of Sight said:

Honestly I feel the gaming during depression, growing up its what got me through the darkest of the dark times. 

Haha where I'm at lockdowns still happen.. I just spent 2 months inside of a hotel without being able to leave, and had to pay for it REEEE

 

 

You mean the lockdown still occurs in your geography? Here in my locality normal life has already started no one feels the pressure of being infected by the dreaded desease. 

[Empire Of Sight]

11 hours ago, Justin11 said:

You mean the lockdown still occurs in your geography? Here in my locality normal life has already started no one feels the pressure of being infected by the dreaded desease. 

Yes where I'm living we have major full city lockdowns still, can happen randomly where the entire city goes into lockdown for weeks at a time.. plus must get tested every 72 hours... its rather painful xD

[Justin11]

18 hours ago, Empire Of Sight said:

Yes where I'm living we have major full city lockdowns still, can happen randomly where the entire city goes into lockdown for weeks at a time.. plus must get tested every 72 hours... its rather painful xD

That's way too painful, I got your message and the downtime your country is facing due to Covid 19 issues. I just hope you guys go out from lockdown and return to normal activities. 

[Empire Of Sight]

4 hours ago, Justin11 said:

That's way too painful, I got your message and the downtime your country is facing due to Covid 19 issues. I just hope you guys go out from lockdown and return to normal activities. 

Thankfully if I ever want to leave I can I just feel I've invested way too much money and time here over the last few years to run before its impossible to stay for mental health xD.

Would love for all the nonsense to end but there's some understanding that the population has almost zero resistance at this point because of the measures taken over the last 3 years... Still I would love for a magical "we are done with zero covid the "war on the virus is won!" because the global economy needs that message more than anything right now.. The markets have spanked me this year haha.

One thing cool thing is to watch a countries ability to randomly lock down a city of 25million people in 4 hours completely. That was an insane sight to behold lol.

 

EOS