Gaming software and platforms today come in a variety of sizes, performance levels, and capabilities. There are numerous options, ranging from consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch to pre-built or custom computer builds. Game designers are constantly striving to improve visual content, functionality, and storytelling.
Along with these advancements, streaming has grown in popularity over time. Gamers from all over the world would pre-record gameplays for later viewing on the internet. There are a variety of reasons why these YouTube videos attract such a large audience: viewers are looking for new ways to play the game, determining whether the game is worth purchasing, or simply for pure entertainment.
According to a Pew Research Center study of popular YouTube channels, video games were a frequent and highly watched topic on popular YouTube channels during the week and comprised the most common non-miscellaneous topic on the platform. People used social gaming platforms like Twitch and Discord to stream a livestream of themselves playing video games like Fortnite and Minecraft while chatting with their online friends in many of these videos.
Twitch’s popularity grew as a result of its unique interactive live stream between viewer and host, as well as its live esports broadcasting. Individuals can use Twitch streaming to create a community on the platform.
Twitch Affiliates and Partners is another way for streamers to supplement their income. They can also create unique chat emotes for viewers, include chat moderators mods to meet their standards for chat safety, and set their own streaming schedule by building a community.
Streamers can also use moderators, or mods, to protect themselves if users abuse the chat option. In cases of spam, moderators can impose a timeout and censor any inappropriate words that the host cannot filter out.
Similarly, the more content and engagement streamers provide for their channel on YouTube, the more likely they are to find their audience. By “raiding,” some streamers send their own viewers to boost other people’s channels. This happens when a creator finishes their stream and can send their viewers to another person’s channel.
The safety of streamers, on the other hand, has been a source of concern. It’s just as simple to join Twitch as it is for them to be attacked. Hate raids, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and swatting are some of the most common tactics.
Hate raids happen when anonymous users send bots to harass streamers by flooding their chat with negative comments.
DDoS attacks occur when an attacker sends a large amount of junk traffic to a target IP address, knocking the target’s users offline. Certain games employ the peer-to-peer model, in which one player serves as the server and all other players connect to them. When this happens, the network is shared and workloads are exchanged, allowing some attackers to gain access to users’ addresses.
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts a user’s online identity and protects their network connection. It’s a common tool used by streamers and gamers to protect themselves from having their IP addresses leaked.
Some go so far as to swat streamers. Swatting occurs when someone makes a false call to the authorities in a streamer’s area, requesting that an armed team be dispatched to their residence. These calls are usually made to report something extreme in order to enlist the help of the SWAT team, and they are dangerous.
Online security is becoming increasingly important. In the worst-case scenario, those building their own platforms should take safety precautions such as setting up a VPN.
