So Microsoft officially announced that you will be able to stream YOUR games live on Twitch. This is welcome news as streaming your 360 games is an expensive pain.
This is also a game-changer (pun unavoidable) for the competitive community. In sort of a roundabout way this could be what amounts to the new “50”. With Halo 2 and 3 we allowed the rank system to determine who was good at the game. You looked at someone rank and made an assumption. Now you will be able to watch individual players in action, and as they say, actions speak louder than words. I’ve always said that a computer-generated rank using game statistics to quantify “skill” is problematic. A far better method is direct observation and consensus. In this case, the best players will have the most followers, and those players will not want to sell their accounts, nor would it be wise to buy one.
I’m wondering what the community thinks in general, and the competitive community in particular.
> So Microsoft officially announced that you will be able to stream YOUR games live on Twitch. This is welcome news as streaming your 360 games is an expensive pain.
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> This is also a game-changer (pun unavoidable) for the competitive community. In sort of a roundabout way this could be what amounts to the new “50”. With Halo 2 and 3 we allowed the rank system to determine who was good at the game. You looked at someone rank and made an assumption. Now you will be able to watch individual players in action, and as they say, actions speak louder than words. I’ve always said that a computer-generated rank using game statistics to quantify “skill” is problematic. <mark>A far better method is direct observation and consensus.</mark> <mark>In this case, the best players will have the most followers, and those players will not want to sell their accounts, nor would it be wise to buy one.</mark>
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> I’m wondering what the community thinks in general, and the competitive community in particular.
Who are the judges?
I don’t know but I honestly think that the streamers have been of the biggest account-levelers there are. Most of them do it for free though, as they will get more viewers.
Twitch is more for entertainment–it can’t judge relative skill between two players. Sure, if we watch a player get a Killimanjaro and a Running Riot with only a BR and a Sniper Rifle, he’s probably good, but it wouldn’t mean much if he’s playing against a team of very, very unskilled players. It’s the same reason no one uses montages as a sole measurement of skill.
> I’ve always said that a computer-generated rank using game statistics to quantify “skill” is problematic. A far better method is direct observation and consensus.
I would think observation would be much more problematic. For example, there are players who consider running away to be a coward’s strategy. But as a good Halo player once pointed out to me, there is no such thing as cowardice; only what works and what doesn’t. If running away brings the player/team to a more advantageous position for the win, then it works and was a good move to make. However, if the “consensus” was that coward-like behavior is unskilled, then players who run away may be “ranked” lower despite that they are more likely to win.
> Twitch is more for entertainment–it can’t judge relative skill between two players. Sure, if we watch a player get a Killimanjaro and a Running Riot with only a BR and a Sniper Rifle, he’s probably good, but it wouldn’t mean much if he’s playing against a team of very, very unskilled players. It’s the same reason no one uses montages as a sole measurement of skill.
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> > I’ve always said that a computer-generated rank using game statistics to quantify “skill” is problematic. A far better method is direct observation and consensus.
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> I would think observation would be much more problematic. For example, there are players who consider running away to be a coward’s strategy. But as a good Halo player once pointed out to me, there is no such thing as cowardice; only what works and what doesn’t. If running away brings the player/team to a more advantageous position for the win, then it works and was a good move to make. However, if the “consensus” was that coward-like behavior is unskilled, then players who run away may be “ranked” lower despite that they are more likely to win.
OK, I’m not saying Twitch would be the judge, nor would it be ranking anyone. What I’m saying is that players that play well will get more followers than players that don’t. It isn’t any more complicated than that.
> OK, I’m not saying Twitch would be the judge, nor would it be ranking anyone. What I’m saying is that players that play well will get more followers than players that don’t. It isn’t any more complicated than that.
I see. I’ll agree with that as a general rule. But again, Twitch is more for entertainment, which means that players who have more followers may not necessarily be more skilled than players with fewer followers. Ninja is a great example–he’s talked about so much more than other pro Halo 4 players not because he’s better than all of them, but because he’s likable and fun to watch.
What I’m trying to say is that Twitch could never be “the new 50,” as you put it.
> > OK, I’m not saying Twitch would be the judge, nor would it be ranking anyone. What I’m saying is that players that play well will get more followers than players that don’t. It isn’t any more complicated than that.
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> I see. I’ll agree with that as a general rule. But again, Twitch is more for entertainment, which means that players who have more followers may not necessarily be more skilled than players with fewer followers. Ninja is a great example–he’s talked about so much more than other pro Halo 4 players not because he’s better than all of them, but because he’s likable and fun to watch.
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> What I’m trying to say is that Twitch could never be “the new 50,” as you put it.
Perhaps I should explain what I mean by “the new 50”. My experience with the Halo 3 online community back in the day was that having a 50 was supposed to mean you were skilled, and therefore knew everything. People bought 50s to gain credibility. If you bought a 50 and never used it in a game, it was difficult for others to dispute your claim to skill.
Now, enter the Xbox One and live streaming via Twitch. Everyone that thinks they’re any good at all will be streaming. While it’s true that entertaining players will get a lot of followers, players that play very well will also get followers. I’ve watched Ninja on Twitch when he played Halo 4. I did not find him all that entertaining, and I was more impressed by his ability to get host than his ability as a player. In any event, I’ve watched better players. Point is now that you won’t need a PC and a capture card to stream, the pool of streamers will be much larger, and I don’t know about you, but when I go on Twitch to watch Halo 4, I’m not looking for the most entertaining streamer. I’m looking for the most skilled. I want to see people playing Halo well. I’m thinking having a lot of followers will take the place of having a 50.