Twitch streamers are really getting creative. Besides completely AI generated content, others have been experimenting with viewer participation in unique ways.

Shindigs is one of the streamers really experimenting with new ideas. He’s streamed as a gun with eyes, a “biblically accurate angel McRib vtuber”, and a Costco hotdog. He also mixes real and animated footage. In one stream, Shindigs went “back in time” every time he died in Lies of P, eventually turning the broadcast into a radio play. He recently let characters play Christmas songs with chat and created music experiments live.

While playing Helldivers, he recently allowed his viewers the ability to use chat to type things in and they pop up in the stream like a helmet cam. The viewers quickly started riffing on numerous themes while he played.

I gave everyone in chat text-to-speech to roleplay as Helldiver HQ.

Instead of combat strategy, they talked about using bug Tinder. pic.twitter.com/pu1CLttDoZ

— shindigs (@shindags) February 21, 2024

He created this effect using SAMMI, a stream tool that connects Twitch chat and Channel Point redemptions to Open Broadcast Software. With it, he created his Twitch plugin called ‘Bug Twitter’ that allowed this functionality. He also created a plugin called ‘strategems’ that uses OBS’s Advanced Mask. Viewers can use Twitch channel points to activate effects like distorting the screen to make it more difficult or ‘Australia mode’ that flips the screen upside down.

I gave Twitch Chat the ability to call down Strategems for Helldivers 2 streams.

These Strategems effect the stream layout in different ways.

None of which are helpful at all. pic.twitter.com/urLWBlfgSh

— shindigs (@shindags) February 22, 2024

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2071145144

Check out his X stream here, or watch more of his videos on his Twitch channel.

He’s not the only one being creative. CardboardCowboy built a cartoon RPG world where the NPCs are played by Twitch chat with TTS (Text To Speech) complete with proximity-based audio that fades off as he moves away.

We are witnessing the evolution of content.

This streamer set up an cartoon world where chat controls NPCs with TTS.

The level of details is incredible, even the TTS audio is based on proximity so NPC's get quieter as the streamer walks away.

This is elevating livestreaming. pic.twitter.com/Uz1DEXUDnI

— shindigs (@shindags) January 7, 2024

Young streamers on Twitch seem to be exploring a lot of extremely creative ideas with a more publicly interactive form of streaming. There’s likely an interesting balance between interacting with the viewers and yet maintaining some sense of cohesive sanity and avoiding trolls seeking to ruin the experience – but what they are doing and trying are wildly creative. Give it a look

Articles:

• https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/streaming/vtubers-are-doing-next-level-stuff-on-twitch-says-streamer-who-invites-viewers-to-help-break-his-helldivers-2-streams/