Streamer Trends Nobody Ever Asked For
Streaming games has become its own beast within the gaming industry. Simply put, people enjoy watching other people play video games. Whether they react to fan favorite titles or are checking out the games that fans are looking to buy, streamers have carved out their own sizable niche in game culture. But even with their massive popularity and growing influence, streamers are only human. And even the most devoted followers can't be fans of everything they try to do.
Streamers have been guilty of some pretty questionable behavior in the past. What's more, some of their more frustrating actions have been repeat offenses. There are trends among streamers that are just hard to watch, and no matter how much fans enjoy checking in on their favorite personalities on Twitch, there are just some things that have gotten really old, really quickly. Nobody really asked for the following streamer trends, and they're getting a bit tiresome.
Breaking their stuff on stream
Gamer rage is a very real problem. In competitive scenes or especially frustrating sections of single-player campaigns, any gamer can get annoyed or fall victim to fits of anger. But sometimes, those fits can go too far. And other times, those fits can cause actual property damage.
Streamers aren't immune to fits of rage at a game, even if they are being watched. But in certain cases, not even their own stuff is safe from their outbursts. Some streamers have been seen live on Twitch smashing their keyboards to pieces, throwing their controllers, and wrecking personal stuff on their path of destruction. It can happen to anyone — but it's always really awkward to watch.
And as cringey as they can be to watch, they aren't taken lightly by the community. In 2019, Ubergizmo reported that while playing "Apex Legends," streamer Dellor was recorded smashing his keyboard against his face during a game. He was subsequently banned from Twitch and was reported to be seeking treatment for his depression.
Spending thousands on gacha games
Free-to-play games are always a double-edged sword. On the one hand, a potentially fun game is completely free on its own. On the other, the pay-to-win model has been the bane of players' existence, especially when it comes to gacha. Some players avoid it entirely, or spend just a little cash on banners and weapons they want. But some people go off the rails at their wallet's expense.
As Sasha Erfanian Dow wrote for The Escapist, some gamers and streamers are "whales," a Moby Dick reference that basically means that money isn't an object when it comes to their loot boxes and gacha. The dark truth is that some free-to-play games simply aren't free.
A popular free-to-play gacha game called "Genshin Impact" has drawn in plenty of streamers and content creators, some of whom drop thousands of dollars on new characters and weapons. There's something so unreal about watching people drop that much money on what is essentially a gamble, especially when the BBC recently reported on a study that linked loot boxes to gambling addictions. Games are fun and wanting to do well in one is a natural impulse, but maybe you don't have to drain the bank over them?
Normalizing slurs
In today's social climate, it has become more important than ever for public figures to use their platforms for the good of others. Unfortunately, even the most popular streamers have become infamous for perpetuating some problematic culture. And it usually comes in the form of slurs.
Outlets like Kotaku and The Verge have previously reported on well-known content creators like Ninja and PewDiePie who have come under fire for using explicit racial slurs while streaming games. While they've issued apologies for using such words in the past, these incidents have cast controversial shadows over their careers. PewDiePie even lost a deal with Disney over his part in utilizing anti-Semitic imagery in his videos.
In December 2020, Twitch issued a press statement on its "Hateful Conduct & Harassment Policy," indicating to users and streamers alike that the service will take swift action against the use of slurs on its platform.
Live temper tantrums
There's a reason why "gamer rage" compilations exist on YouTube. They're popular, and even kind of amusing from time to time. Watching professional gamers have intense outbursts at their losses brings a certain sense of hilarity to the proceedings, and they can feel surprisingly relatable. But there's a fine line between amusing outbursts at a game and throwing a full-blown temper tantrum in front of thousands of viewers.
Streamers like Tyler1 have made their bread and butter on rage-filled screaming and over-exaggerated fits while gaming. Originally a pro "League of Legends" player, Tyler1 was eventually banned from competitive play by Riot Games for his "toxic behavior," with the developer calling him "a genuine jerk" (via Newsweek). He was eventually welcomed back, but his reputation as a bit of a hothead still precedes him.
It might be popular to watch streamers lose their cool live on Twitch, but sometimes these live temper tantrums can get to be a bit too much. And unfortunately, this seems to be one trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
Cheating live
No matter what setting your competition takes place in, cheating is always looked down upon. That's why it's so disheartening when streamers do it live in front of everyone.
Streamers have been caught cheating in all sorts of situations, either as part of their regular broadcasts or even during a tournament. According to a February 2021 PC Gamer report, "Call of Duty: Warzone" streamers Icy Vixen and BeardedBanger were caught cheating during a competition, where another streamer spotted evidence of hacking during their matches. Though both streamers denied the allegations, Icy Vixen received disciplinary action from Twitch while BeardedBanger purged all of his archived gameplay footage.
The crackdown on cheating in "Warzone" has been intense. Screen Rant reported that as of April 2021, the "Warzone" devs had banned over half a million players for hacking the game. In fact, according to Screen Rant, one streamer named "Wagnificent" even received a ban during live gameplay.
Rage quitting
As awkward as Twitch rages can be to watch, it's even worse when streamers cut everything off with a rage quit.
If someone gets especially frustrated during an online game with other players, they'll sometimes quit the game or shut off their consoles to avoid actually seeing the loss on screen. Games can get frustrating, but it can come off as pretty unsportsmanlike for a streamer to cut off a game like that, especially when people are watching you do it. In April 2021, for example, Ninja was seen rage quitting a "League of Legends" match after a repeated series of losses.
Of course, several games with online functionality have in-game protocols in place that discourage this type of behavior. "League of Legends," specifically, has the LeaverBuster. This automated system offers several warnings to repeat offenders of rage quitting, and penalizes them by placing them in lower priority queues for online matches. Worst case scenario, your "LoL" account may even get suspended.
Rage quitting on stream is one thing, but streamers would do well to be careful with their sportsmanlike conduct when they play online in front of an audience. One trend that fans definitely don't want to see is their favorite streamers getting locked out of games as a punishment for continued rage quits.
Shaming the audience for not donating enough
It's one thing to clap back at hecklers or creeps when you're on stream, but when you're guilting them for not paying you enough, it can sound pretty greedy.
Popular streamers have gone on rants while streaming about not receiving enough donations from their fans and viewers. In January 2020, streamer BadBunny complained about wanting more subscribers, arguing that they should be able to afford "$5 a month" just to watch her stream.
In April of the same year, Insider reported that Toronto-based streamer InvaderVie faced fan backlash for similar reasons. She told her viewers that they should be finding work if they don't have the money to watch her content. She even doubled down when someone commented that they were unemployed and only had enough to pay for basic necessities. Her comments came at the height of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and subsequent quarantine, and they were not very popular among Twitch viewers. InvaderVie would later post a lengthy apology for her fans.
More recently, infamous streamer Dr Disrespect has used his patented attitude to slam an audience member who donated 99 cents to his stream.
Clickbait thumbnails
This trend is certainly more pervasive among the entirety of YouTube, but streamers definitely have a hand in perpetuating those thumbnails. You know, the ones with the big eyes and silly reaction faces, topped off by way too much Photoshop? It's hard to find anyone who's a fan of those.
Though plenty of streamers like Ninja have used these kinds of oversaturated pictures in the past, even streamers like BrookeAB and Pokimane are sick of them, according to a Dexerto report. BrookeAB in particular has reacted poorly to fanmade clickbait thumbnails that depict her in compromising situations with other streamers. She's called them "gross" and "blatant lies," arguing that her family could easily look her up and see them.
In Pokimane's case, she has also been the victim of these misleading images. She commented on this unfortunate trend in an apology video from 2020, and she's since emphasized how important it is for famous streamers to clear the air and advise their viewers to discern fact from fictional tabloids.
Sleep streaming is a thing now?
People make money doing all sorts of things on Twitch. While it's traditionally used for gaming, you can still use it for things like music, chatting, or regular sports. But who knew that Twitch's repertoire would eventually include sleeping?
As reported by Wired, sleep streaming is apparently on the rise, and it's exactly what it sounds like: people on Twitch are getting paid to sleep on a livestream. While it's not the most orthodox way to make money on the platform, Matthew "Mizkif" Rinaudo reportedly made over $5600 when he purposefully fell asleep during one of his streams. Some viewers even refer to these streams as "slumber parties," and actively wish streamers a good night when they eventually doze off.
While the idea of making money while you sleep sounds like a dream come true (at least according to fans on Reddit), some Twitch viewers are definitely baffled by it. As noted by Wired, more than a few fans were confused by Mizkif's schedule and overall streaming process. Ninja himself is pretty irked by the newest trend, referencing the fact that he once lost several subscribers for not streaming for 48 hours.
Subathons and the "endless" stream
How much of people's lives could they really spend streaming on Twitch? That's a question that streamer Ludwig Ahgren ended up answering with his historic "subathon" stream.
In March 2021, Ahgren promised to keep his stream running for an extra 15 seconds for every new subscriber. Twitch viewers took that as a challenge, and new subscribers kept pouring in. Alongside his usual gaming and video-watching streams, Ludwig also invited viewers into his everyday routine, including eating and working out. This went on for 31 whole days, and even received attention from the New York Times.
While the story went viral and Ahgren became Twitch's most subscribed streamer, it also kicked off a new trend among popular streamers — one that may quickly get old. As reported by Dexerto, xQc almost immediately took aim at Ahgren's record. Meanwhile, a streamer named IZIDORE achieved some Twitch fame (and a jump in subscriber numbers) while trapped in a closet with balloons — for 21 hours.
Ahgren himself faced some backlash for his subathon stunt, as some people viewed him as an already-popular streamer who was simply trying to pull off a stunt for even more viewers. With other popular streamers looking to get in on the action, it should be interesting to see how the controversy plays out.