video game culture

Do You Need a Webcam to Be a Successful Streamer?

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Is a webcam needed to build a community?
byu/Chrystalias inTwitch

Webcam or no cam? That is a question that I had to ask myself when I started making videos years ago. It’s a question I still see now on Reddit and other message boards. While it seems like using a webcam is the standard, I don’t blame anyone for wanting to opt out. Being in front of a camera changes the dynamic of gaming in a way that can feel invasive and unnatural.

It’s not impossible to succeed as a streamer webcam-free. Lirik is one of the biggest Twitch streamers and he doesn’t use a camera. There are other streamers like him who excel with a camera-free setup. During these discussions online, I’ve even seen viewers who state that they prefer streamers who don’t use a camera.

Does that mean you or any other camera-shy streamers will find the success you’re looking for? As a hobby streamer with a tiny-but-growing audience that I love with every fibre of my being, I’m not an authority figure on the matter. But I think it makes for an interesting discussion about why users would tune into a particular streamer watching video of the same game from any other source.

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Tetris 99’s 5th Maximus Cup Gives You The Opportunity to Earn a Splatoon 2 Skin!

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While I knew that new skins were on the way for Tetris 99, I wasn’t expecting this!

Starting on Friday, July 12th at 12:00am PT to Monday, July 15th at 11:59pm PT, you can unlock a Splatoon 2 skin in Tetris 99! All you have to do is partake in the game’s online battle mode and earn 100 event points. Unless you finish 99th place every time, you should be able to unlock the skin without much trouble.

From what I’ve seen, the theme looks and sounds great! Love the visual cues it takes from Splatoon, while also incorporating the game’s different themes in smart ways. Once I unlock it, I plan on using this theme for quite some time!

As a heads-up, I have preliminary plans of streaming Tetris 99 this weekend with this theme! Not sure if it’s going to be on Friday or Saturday morning, but I’m looking forward to us enjoying this Maximus Cup together! You can follow me at twitch.tv/inthirdperson and turn your notifications on so that you don’t miss it! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram where I always make an announcement before I go live!

Now that Nintendo has opened the doors for skins to go beyond past classic Tetris themes, where would you like to see Tetris 99 draw inspiration from?

Buy Tetris Effect Now From Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Discussing the Pros and Cons of the Recently-Announced Nintendo Switch Lite

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Though rumors of new products in the Nintendo Switch line have been circulating for almost as long as the Switch has been in existence, Nintendo finally unveiled what may be the first of many iterations on the Switch hardware. Known as the Nintendo Switch Lite, this portable-only unit will be released on September 20th, 2019. Let’s talk about some of the pros and cons of this console variation!

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Gaming Room Decor Patch Notes

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As part of my overall streaming redesign, the space that I play in has become an integral part of the viewing experience. Starting out with just a Snorlax beanbag chair on the floor, I’ve since decked out the wall behind me with decor that reflects my interests and life experiences within and outside of gaming. Always get a kick out of eagle-eyed viewers commenting on the wall, whether they have a shared appreciation for a piece or have a question about something on display.

Every few weeks, I swap in a few new pieces here-and-there. Partially because I want to get use out of the many pieces that have sat in storage since we moved into this house, and partially to keep the backdrop fresh for viewers. This time around, the wall has gone through its most dramatic shakeup yet.

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Let’s Play Paper Mario is Complete! What Do We Play Next?

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Cross one off the bucket list! After months of streams, Paper Mario is finally complete! It was a wonderful game to play and I’m glad that so many of you shared that experience with me!

Though my schedule fluctuates from week-to-week, I like the idea of having at least one Let’s Play game going at a time. It’s an opportunity for us to experience a game together in full. Here are a few games I’m kicking around as the next Let’s Play candidate!

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Streaming Pet Peeves

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As a viewer or as a streamer, what rubs you the wrong way? Twitch streamer Gullible Gambit posed the question on Twitter and got a lot of great responses. I know this thread is a few weeks old now, but I wasn’t able to squeeze this in before my trip. The subject is still worth covering though! Thanks for the question Gullible Gambit!

Let’s do this!

https://twitter.com/GullibleGambit/status/1136608979788812289

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10 Years of In Third Person: Strength in Numbers?

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This is my car, circa 2011. I took this picture of it before driving it off the lot for the first time. Not long after, I wrote a post about it. It’s not gaming-related, but buying my first brand new car was an event worth celebrating however I wanted.

What happened after that was…unexpected.

Not long after posting, traffic to that post took off. So much so, that it’s still one of my most most popular posts. On one hand, it droves me nuts that this one off-topic post took off, while so many of the gaming posts that I care a lot more about are more deserving of the eyeballs in my opinion. However, it also served a teachable moment with regards to what the numbers can (and can’t) tell you.

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Nintendo’s Presence at the Louvre

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In 2012, Nintendo became the audiovisual guide provider of the Louvre. Using a 3DS, users are able to access dozens of hours of audio commentary, rotate 3D sculptures for a unique look, visually highlight details that the average person would probably miss, and even provide direction through the console’s GPS. Though I remember thinking it was an odd pairing at the time, it didn’t cross my mind again until I saw the 3DS guides at the museum on this recent trip.

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Content Creation and Load Management

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One of the trendiest phrases in NBA jargon is “load management”. This is the practice of forcing healthy players to sit out regular season games as a means of keeping them fresh for the playoffs. Though it’s a touchy subject – as it devalues the NBA season while robbing paying fans of their opportunities to see the best players at times – we’re starting to see the potential benefits in this strategy. Case in point: Kawhi Leonard on the Toronto Raptors this past season.

Coming off the previous season where he only played 9 out of a possible 82 games due to injury, the Toronto Raptors put Kawhi on an aggressive load management program to keep him fresh. Instead of playing all 82 games, he played about 60, while skipping at least one of two games that were scheduled on consecutive days. Kawhi might have been visibly limping by the end of this past season, but he had enough gas in the tank to lead the Raptors to their first ever NBA championship. Though we’ll never know for certain, there’s a chance his body would have broken down prematurely had he played the season in full.

While I am not a superstar basketball player, applying the concept of load management to the way I manage In Third Person may not be a bad idea.

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GameCube Week | My Life During the GameCube Era

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Made this one post for GameCube Week, but it kind of morphed into something else. I’m just gonna post it anyway.

On November 18th, 2001, I walked into a Zellers and bought a GameCube. Five years later, I was in line with my friends at that same Zellers, waiting to pick up our Nintendo Wii pre-orders. Between those two sentences, I did a lot of growing up.

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