All posts by Emil

Twitch

How One Twitch Channel Is Fighting Abuse in the Gaming Community

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Twitch has enjoyed a swift and seemingly unshakeable rise since its start in 2011. It has already become an established presence in online streaming and gaming communities, yet that success hasn’t made it immune to the familiar toxicity problems that plague other aspects of gaming culture.

Women, LGBTQ folk, and people of color are often subjected to a deluge of discriminatory abuse via Twitch chat that is at best disgusting and at worst potentially life-threatening. While Twitch is working to find a solution, current practices aren’t proving effective.

Misscliks, a Twitch channel founded by four women with prominent backgrounds in eSports and gaming, is hoping to end the abuse with a different approach to community management. Continue reading How One Twitch Channel Is Fighting Abuse in the Gaming Community →

Twitch

Order pizza right from your Twitch stream with Hungrybot

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Streamers can sell pizza and fans can purchase it with this new chatbot.

When you’re chilling on the couch watching your favorite esports stream on Twitch and hunger hits, pizza is just a few keystrokes away.

Hungrybot is, as the name implies, a bot meant for streamers to run in their Twitch channels to let fans order pizza straight from the chat itself. By allowing viewers quick access to pizza at a discount, it also offers streamers a chance to monetize their streams by earning up to $1 per pizza orders.

Here’s how it works. You’ll type in “!pizza” to order or via whisper, then you’ll be given a choice of which pizzas are currently available at a discount. The example page given by Hungrybot shows off a Domino’s pizza order for 10% off. Once you place your order you’ll complete payment on a separate secure page, and then it’s all said and done. It’s the ultimate in lazy, without even requiring you to migrate over to a pizza chain’s website to order anything.

According to Hungrybot, supposedly fans who order pizza tip streamers more, offers streamers more money, and keeps users more engaged. It seems like you’re robbed of options for pizza, like light sauce or which toppings you want, but if you’re that dedicated to keeping your eyes on the stream or if you’re a streamer yourself and want to make some extra cash, selling pizza isn’t that bad of a way to do it.

Originally posted on Engadget.

Twitch

Invite all your Twitch friends to a stream or broadcast

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Activity Sharing bolsters Twitch’s “Friends” social network.

Twitch’s social network-like Friends feature just got more useful if you want more company for streaming or broadcasting. A new feature called “Activity Sharing” will notify your entire Friends list if you’re doing something interesting so they can join in. Conversely, you can check your Friends list to see what others are doing and join in, as shown in the GIF below. Users can keep broadcasts or streams private, if they prefer, by un-ticking the “share my activity” box. Continue reading Invite all your Twitch friends to a stream or broadcast →

Twitch

Twitch Doesn’t Only Want to Play Games

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Now that live video is mainstream, where does that leave the Amazon property?

Amazon was never supposed to buy Twitch. Two summers ago, as rumors swirled that the livestreaming video site was set to be acquired, tech bloggers declared that Google was the secret suitor. The pairing made sense – Google owns the world’s biggest video site, YouTube, and Twitch had quickly managed to become the largest livestreaming site in the U.S. by tapping into the burgeoning pastime of watching other people play video games. Continue reading Twitch Doesn’t Only Want to Play Games →