Up-River and In-Universe: How the Metaverse will affect Streaming
Over the last decade or so, gaming streams have risen to become one of the most popular forms of online entertainment content. This has largely been supported by the development of digital platforms alongside a growing public demand for long-form live content they can interact with.
One of the most interesting potential opportunities for gaming streams at the moment is the metaverse. The continued development of this virtual online space is geared toward creating the ultimate interactive experience between the physical and digital worlds. While it’s still very much in the early stages of popular adoption, the technology required for users to engage with it is more accessible than ever. As such, game streamers and their audiences are likely to be brought closer together in a variety of ways.
Let’s take a look at how the metaverse is likely to affect gaming streams in the near future.
More Immersive Experiences
At its core, the metaverse is a tool for digital immersion. Users will experience the online space using virtual reality and bring elements of it into their lives through augmented reality. In all likelihood, their social media accounts will be closely linked to their activities in the metaverse. Users will also build private spaces for themselves inside the virtual world. The end result is there’s almost no way to be physically closer to digital space.
But what could this level of immersion mean for gaming streams? Firstly, it has the potential to create a deeper level of experience for both audiences and streamers. As the number of virtual reality games rises, viewers could view the stream from within the game itself. Indeed, there are already titles that allow viewers to look at the action of a stream from different camera angles. As such, audiences and content creators can share a more interactive connection during the live video feed.
Perhaps the most important outcome of immersion in gaming streams is a better level of engagement. For streamers, the better able they are to drive audience interactions, the more likely it is they can cultivate a following and attract brand sponsorships. However, for audiences, there can be an impact on a more emotional level. They have the chance to feel closer to the entertainment and entertainers they relate to. They can also enjoy a more meaningful social experience with their online friends by immersing themselves in a shared passion.
Higher Quality Data Use
Data is king in our digital landscape. It influences decisions, drives change, and in many ways is as valuable a resource as hard cash. This is only likely to be more pronounced in the metaverse. After all, it’s a purely digital environment in which all interactions and even the fabric of the world are built from data. When this much information is being produced and shared, it’s vital not just to efficiently mine the data but to also warehouse it. Warehousing is the storage of the data extracted during mining for those storing it to access as needed. As an ecosystem of digital real estate, the metaverse could be the perfect space to efficiently harvest, store, and analyze data in this way.
Why does this make a difference to gaming streams? Well, having access to more and higher quality data can be a valuable tool in running a streaming channel as a business. It helps content creators gain better insights about their viewers in order to make production and marketing decisions. It’s also a great resource for finding and pitching to the most relevant sponsors or partners.
From the audience standpoint, it means that metaverse streaming platforms can more effectively suggest gaming streamers they’ll be interested in. Indeed, there’s potential for data to create a more convenient and rich experience for audiences. There are expectations for the need for compatible devices to play games to be a thing of the past. This means that platforms can analyze user preferences and make suggestions not just for great streams to watch but also to provide the opportunity to play the game alongside the stream.
A Surge In Popularity
The rise of the metaverse is likely to see a larger number of audiences getting involved with interactive digital experiences. Users will join the metaverse and be eager to find engaging forms of entertainment that are designed for the space. At the moment, TV shows and movies haven’t reached a level of interactivity that would make them likely targets for these audiences. Games and gaming streams already have this aspect built-in, which could make them among the most popular forms of entertainment in the metaverse from an early stage.
It’s difficult to overestimate how big game streaming could become in the metaverse. It’s worth looking at eSports as an example of the meteoric rise of gaming media. There are already well-established professionals in the field and dedicated fans in the hundreds of millions that both watch streams and attend tournaments. The metaverse has the potential to push this growth further, providing virtual access to events and tournaments wherever audiences happen to be.
Unlike more traditional sports, viewers won’t need to travel to stadiums or have the disconnected experience of watching on TV. Through metaverse gaming streams, they can attend every game and perhaps experience the action from within the game itself. This, alongside the growing sponsorships and business partnerships in the field, could make eSports streaming as popular as other current forms of mainstream media. This could have a knock-on effect on a more varied range of games not covered in sports.
Conclusion
The metaverse is still in the relatively early stages of development, but it shows significant potential for gaming streamers. The immersive experience could forge better connections between content creators and audiences. Joined data mining and warehousing systems can allow streamers to better understand and tailor for their audiences. Game streaming may also see a surge of popularity as an interactive media that is ideally suited for the virtual digital environment. There are some exciting opportunities as platforms, streamers, and audiences continue to explore the metaverse.
