Re:How to Get Rich Playing Video Games Online
by astura on Tuesday November 14, 2017 @11:21AM
(#15696378)
Same reason why Axel Rose being rich and successful doesn't stop fans from buying albums, going to shows, and buying merch.
Re:How to Get Rich Playing Video Games Online
by dkersten on Tuesday November 14, 2017 @12:33PM
(#15697195)
Well the difference is that most fans don’t mind paying the money to get those items, they don’t typically just hand him money for nothing just because they like him. Twitch subscription is like a concert: you get something in return, but donating large amounts for nothing to already successful streamers is a bit odd.
But not that odd: I’ve backed people on patreon because I liked what they do and wanted to reward them - even though they were already making good money on it - and then never actually accessed the rewards. So I do get it.
Re:How to Get Rich Playing Video Games Online
by graedus on Tuesday November 14, 2017 @12:32PM
(#15697187)
Presumably those fans are buying those things at least in part because they want to have the album, concert experience, or merch. With twitch donations/tips you get comparatively very little in return - your username might pop up in a video overlay for a few seconds, and the streamer might be like "hey thanks, [username]!". Those 3-4 seconds are typically the entirety of your several-hundered-dollar experience.
Re:How to Get Rich Playing Video Games Online
by thaumasiotes on Tuesday November 14, 2017 @07:03PM
(#15700432)
Those effects can't really be considered to be "your several-hundred-dollar experience", because you get them all, even the on-screen "thanks", for a much lesser tip. What people are getting out of the large tips is something else.
I understand the busker metaphor, but the $100/$500 donations we hear about most often are to successful streamers, so it's more like throwing $500 at Axel Rose. That's the bit I find interesting.
Such donations strike me as unusually altruistic for the demographic involved, in a way that we don't see en masse in other public online venues (such as on YouTube, donating to open source, Instagram, bloggers, etc.) I'm quite interested in learning more about the psychology around that because I think other arenas deserve it too.