Twitch is surely the most recognized streaming platform in recent years. Platform that has a large number of content creators and therefore audiences. In fact, yesAccording to various estimates, the purple platform has a total of 21 million daily active users.. A real barbarism. To this, we must add that every month more than 9 million people stream at least once. Ultimately, we have significant supply and demand.
In itself, Twitch has served as a medium for many content creators who have moved away from other more conventional platforms like YouTube. However, in recent years, the platform has not been immune to controversy. Some time ago, the hot tub affair would have come to light.
A category within streaming where the content creator is limited to streaming in a hot tub, pool, or on the beach. Something seemingly innocuous, but which was used to somehow sexualize the content of the live and of course, attract more audiences. A practice that has been widely criticized, but which is still valid on the platform today. Indeed, this category currently has more than 472,000 subscribers.
Already at the time, Twitch had to come to the fore to talk about this controversy. And that’s it, it’s somewhat incomprehensible how much censorship or limitations the platform postulates and how lax it is on other occasions. However, As we well know, the answer to these cases is usually quite clear; the money. So, after a few statements in which they claim that finding another sexy person is not against the rules of the platform, the circus continues to operate.
It’s not just about video games anymore.
That said, it’s clear that the platform isn’t just a place to explicitly stream video game content anymore. There’s a lot more content and obviously it’s not always harmful. In reality, one of the most popular categories; Just Chatting, has over 20 million followers. Which makes us see that users don’t want to see just one person playing video games, they want to meet them and share moments with their favorite streamer. In short, thanks to these categories, the viewer manages to humanize the content creator and see beyond a voice. By this I mean that all content that is not purely video games is therefore not bad.
However, I must say that the company policies regarding certain attitudes are quite unfortunate. After lightly covering the aforementioned spa category controversy, it seems that a new front has opened up, a new threat, which personally concerns me much more. In this case, we have to talk about the Slot machines. In itself, the Anglo-Saxon word perhaps tells us nothing, since, as usually happens on many occasions, he sounds softer, sweeter than his hispanic counterpart. Because, as we know, saying crunch is much finer and more delicate than saying exploitation through work. Something like this happens with the term slot machines, which literally translates to slot machines.
To be honest, my mind did not conceive the idea that this type of content could be broadcast on a platform, which as we know is still mainly video games. But as always, the reality is much colder than we think. They recently circulated on Twitter multiple clips of Spanish streamers making big money live.
It is disturbing that this type of behavior manifests itself as if nothing has happened, as if it has no consequences, as if it is a cause for global celebration. It seems incredible that Gambling, the result of popular ignorance, is seen as something that almost never happens, as a problem of people asking for it or people who would simply fall for anything. We rarely assume that the reality, cold as I mentioned, is much more terrifying and we are faced with a problem that is much more common than we think and which, unfortunately, can knock on any door.
gain weight on the issue
However, as I said before, many users are unaware of the risk and scope of these practices. Moreover, when someone approaches to criticize these practices, they only receive derogatory and nonsensical comments from the fans of the streamer on duty. Which, with the cry of “no one is forcing you to see it”, they minimize the negligible practice carried out by one of their referents. And that’s the problem.
When we see a referent carrying out this type of practice, we tend to normalize it, to remove risks from it and sometimes to see solutions in it. Conceiving that we can earn thousands of dollars immediately, makes us think in a moment of weakness that this can be a good option. And no, you don’t have to be crazy to come to this thought. It can happen to anyone. Additionally, the risks increase when a streamer’s target audience is underage. As we already know, it is easier to influence them and make them make quicker and more hedonistic decisions.
With data in hand
Leaving that aside, I want to focus this article on some data that I believe needs to see even more light. First, the number of people who suffer from pathological gambling in Europe. According to the Spanish Federation of Rehabilitated Gamblers (FEJAR), there are currently 680,000 people who suffer from gambling. But beware, this is the number of people who have a confirmed diagnosis. What do I mean by that? What, the numbers are much higher
To these data must be added those people who are already beginning to have a gambling problem, but which the DSM-V diagnostic manual does not include as gamblers. Also, other interesting information resides in your report. One of them being middle age. In this sense, 44% of those diagnosed and treated are under 26 years old.. We can therefore see that the incidence rate is quite high in juvenile populations. Apart from these data, The organization indicated the existence of 61,200 cases of possible gambling addiction in populations aged 14 to 18 years.
On the other hand, as expected, the rate of virtual players is higher than that of face-to-face players. Indeed, there are many ways to access these platforms from a simple mobile phone, which means that we are always connected to these gaming platforms. Which is ultimately an even greater risk. It’s because of it I find the audience quotas that this type of live receives extremely worrying. Since only the Slots category has more than 1 million subscribers. And it is not strange to find that it has more 60 thousand spectators at any moment.
dark face
I think with all of this, it’s pretty clear that we’re up against a problem that should be eradicated from a platform like Twitch. Especially since many of these direct are financed by the “casino” platforms themselves, which remunerate the influencer to attract his followers in the world of bets. Trying to show viewers that it is easy and viable to make money from this type of practice. However, it seems that the purple platform andShe’s more concerned about muting live streams that use 15 seconds of copyrighted music.to take on this case.
It is for this reason that we wanted to launch this short article from here, to clarify some fundamental doubts about this growing problem and that, unfortunately, it does not receive the attention it deserves.
Psychologist who loves cooperative games, RPGs and shooting anything that moves.
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