Low-Tech Video Game Streams Are Taking Off On TikTok (polygon.com) 14
Ana Diaz writes via Polygon: Jack Morrison logs on to stream, he doesn't boot up Twitch, Streamlabs OBS, or speak into a fancy microphone. Instead, he grabs a basic circular mirror and sets it in front of his desktop monitor, facing the screen. Then he sits in front of his monitor, as usual, and plays the game, propping up his cell phone to face him and setting his camera live. When he boots up Apex Legends, viewers see the gameplay reflected in the mirror as they watch him play. This makeshift setup might have been surprising just a year ago, in an industry that seems to be more and more concerned with having the latest streaming technology. But it's become a rather common practice on TikTok, where video game streaming has picked up in the past few months. In September, the company said that one billion people in total use the app each month, and jokes and sounds riffing on video games have long proliferated widely across TikTok. Now, Morrison (JackMorrisonTV on TikTok) and other streamers with similarly crude setups have taken over the app's "LIVE" section, capturing as many as 2,400 viewers at a time.
These streamers are using low-key setups, in comparison to the complex (and expensive) setups that dominate Twitch, where a DSLR camera and the capture card to use it can cost over $800. The exact build of each TikToker's setup varies, but nearly all of them capture video via an external camera that's focused on a screen, or in Morrison's case, a reflection of a screen. A brief scroll through the gaming section of TikTok's live content shows these streamers' ingenuity; some will stream videos of tablets or phones as they play mobile games, while others will just put the camera in front of a screen. The games also vary widely, with people playing games like Snake, Minecraft, and Wordscapes in addition to shooters like Valorant.
The number of live streams is much smaller than the wave of short-form videos being pushed out every single day on the app, making them stand out more. It also feels like a more accessible platform, especially for people who are just getting started with streaming. TikTok streamers are using more basic technology, such as mirrors, cell phone stands, and the like. It's also less competitive than Twitch, which has over seven million unique streamers go live each month. [...] TikTok is also testing monetization features that might make it more appealing for streamers to use. [...] For now, streams seem like a quick and easy way to take advantage of TikTok's massive audience. Whether or not bona fide TikTok streaming stars will emerge on the platform or find a sustainable home there remains to be seen.
These streamers are using low-key setups, in comparison to the complex (and expensive) setups that dominate Twitch, where a DSLR camera and the capture card to use it can cost over $800. The exact build of each TikToker's setup varies, but nearly all of them capture video via an external camera that's focused on a screen, or in Morrison's case, a reflection of a screen. A brief scroll through the gaming section of TikTok's live content shows these streamers' ingenuity; some will stream videos of tablets or phones as they play mobile games, while others will just put the camera in front of a screen. The games also vary widely, with people playing games like Snake, Minecraft, and Wordscapes in addition to shooters like Valorant.
The number of live streams is much smaller than the wave of short-form videos being pushed out every single day on the app, making them stand out more. It also feels like a more accessible platform, especially for people who are just getting started with streaming. TikTok streamers are using more basic technology, such as mirrors, cell phone stands, and the like. It's also less competitive than Twitch, which has over seven million unique streamers go live each month. [...] TikTok is also testing monetization features that might make it more appealing for streamers to use. [...] For now, streams seem like a quick and easy way to take advantage of TikTok's massive audience. Whether or not bona fide TikTok streaming stars will emerge on the platform or find a sustainable home there remains to be seen.
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Wat?
Sounds Like Something Publishers Would Want (Score:2)
I'm sure game publishers would love such streaming setups to take off, especially those who offer such little gameplay that the experience of watching their games in decent/high quality is about on par with playing them (or better, with a charismatic personality at the controls).
* a circular mirror? Really? Is the next hot trend in streaming go
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Vertical filming already dominates TikTok, which is basically this generation's version of the script kiddies of the late 1990s.
Yes, I'm old too.
Having said that, it occurs to me that with a multiple monitor setup, and a large enough parabolic mirror, this could get to be a very interesting art form. Makes me want to get one of those parking mirrors to put behind my chair, just to see what it sees.
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no one makes a living off *live streaming on TikTok*
I doubt that's true. They don't get paid directly for the streaming, but the live streaming is still why they get paid.
No thanks (Score:2)
Watching a videogame played on a landscape-oriented display while being filmed in portrait with a distracting animated watermark that is literally the only reason for the platform's success? Refer to 'Comment Subject' for my opinion.
People relate to crap b/c they see how it's done (Score:2)
It's not some unattainable high tech or intellectually demanding concept. Same reason they prefer to listen to Fox shit for brains: Yes, they're dumbasses, but they're dumbasses LIKE US.
$800? Sure, it CAN cost that much (Score:2)
But you can also get a use DSLR with a halfway decent lens and the cheapass hardware needed to capture from it for about $300. I know because I did. Granted, it's hard to get more than 1080p30 for that kind of money, but that will still offer better quality than this mirror bullshit.
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Even if you stream at 4k (i.e. 2180 lines by 3840 pixels wide), a native 720p recording will cover 1/3 screen height.
So no, you don't need more than 720p if all you want is native resolution on _a fraction_ of the screen.
When doing "zooms" (i.e. the presenter image is amplified on the whole screen) that resolution might be lacking for 4k, but probably still good enough for FullHD.
(Compression will take a bite out of perceived quality also, making _good_ 720p content a valid option).
I nearly went down the streamer rabbit hole ... (Score:2)
... but was smart/quick enough to activate my "IT expert common sense" powers and got a budget setup with cheap but top quality components. I somewhat get the point these low-tech/getto setups. If only for the simple fact that a modern budget smartphone really isn't low-tech, but actually off-the-charts hightech.
The timely insights had when building a streaming setup were the following:
The bottleneck to rule them all is WAN IO. No matter how fast you can enhance, compose and stream 4k60+FPS, the bottlenecks