While it’s a field I never got into, there is a large group of people out there who like to stream their gaming experiences for the internet to see. Previously, this has been done almost exclusively on PCs through a medium called Twitch, which let users film what they were doing on their computers for all their viewers to see. I did watch one Twitch feed on playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but other than that I have not been very involved in the field. It seems that Twitch is now ready to bring this technology to the mobile field, as they have released a software toolset that will permit app developers to include the option for live broadcasting in their apps. This means that, for those of you that actively use Twitch.tv, you may start to see feeds of games like Jetpack Joyride or Angry Birds. Now the larger issue here is if the service will gain traction. I cannot say for certain if it will, so we will simply have to see as time goes on.
One major perk to this service would be that people could view apps being played before they decide to buy it or not. While there are plenty of staged gameplay videos available out there, a potential buyer would be able to see true live gameplay and be able to judge if it is something they are willing to spend their hard-earned money on. For example, if people had been able to watch and see just how frustrating Flappy Bird was before downloading the app, then who knows if it would have become as popular, or perhaps more popular given how people like a challenge, than it did. Of course, then the question becomes if there are even enough mobile games out there that would merit a broadcasting system. Yes, there are many mobile games that are fun time-killers, but is it worth watching them as well? I know one of my favorite time killing games is Super Monsters Ate My Condo, and I know I would not want to sit and watch someone else play it. To me, this service has limited use, but I may be proven wrong by all the Twitch users out there. What do you think? Do you disagree with me, or have any other general comments? Sound off down below!