Female Twitch Streamers

From UBC Wiki

Females in Streaming

The world of eSports is a competitive scene dominated by males. The discussion of eSports usually refers to those that "...have XY chromosomes - or at least, the vast majority of them do."[1] The streaming of eSports is no different. On the popular social video platform known as Twitch, millions gather to watch strangers playing video games and share the viewing experience with many others because they appreciate highly skilled gameplay. For females, the journey is tough as they face constant harassment from an online community bred on toxic behaviour but there's no denying how profitable a career in streaming video games online is.

What is Twitch?

Twitch Logo

Twitch is an online streaming platform which is much more than a viewing experience. It is "live social video that relies on audio and chat to enable broadcasters and their audiences to interact about everything from pop culture to life in general as they game."[2] Twitch "caters to the entire video game industry which includes game developers, publishers, media outlets, events, casual content creators, and the entire eSports scene."[2] The platform was created for gamers to showcase their gameplay online, market themselves in hopes of garnering more views, and all the while making money as a result of their efforts.

Streaming Revenue

Being an average streamer on Twitch doesn't immediately allow you the luxury of monetizing your stream. In order to partake in the share of revenue from broadcasting, one has to become a Twitch Partner. To be a twitch partner, you must have an average concurrent viewership of 500 or more and broadcast at least three times per week. If somebody was coming from Youtube and wanted to become a Twitch Partner, they would have to have over 15,000 views per video and also have over 100,000 subscribers.[3] Being a Twitch Partner opens up many opportunities to increase streaming profits which include: subscription fees, ad revenue, sponsorships, and donations. [4] There are also several different websites dedicated to introducing streaming as a viable career option [5]. These websites help to outline how people can go about becoming a successful streamer and in what ways they can monetize their stream. The issue being brought to the forefront by lesser known streamers is that a majority of the more well-known female streamers have been taking shortcuts to get to where they are today. More specifically, these streamers have gained notoriety for selling more than just their personality on camera in exchange for more subscriptions, donations,sponsorships and viewers.

Subscription Fees

One of the perks of being a Twitch Partner is that your viewers can pay a monthly fee of $4.99 to subscribe to your stream. A subscription usually grants the viewer additional benefits such as "emoticons in chat, their username broadcast on the live stream, and access to subscriber-only chat mode."[4] Being a subscriber enhances the viewing experience while also allowing viewers to support their favourite broadcasters. Despite the added benefits, some users see it as a "pat on the back to the streamer".[6] They subscribe because they enjoy the streamer's content and want to contribute what they can to show their appreciation for the content they put forward.


Donations

Almost every streamer has integrated a PayPal donation button to raise money without having to share a piece of it with Twitch. Broadcasters prefer that viewers who wish to support the stream donate instead of subscribe because of this. There are some users that are famous for donating large sums of money to individual streamers. Some do it for internet fame, while others do it to simply support the livelihood of the streamer who perhaps is streaming as a full-time job.[7] Streaming is sometimes the sole source of income for broadcasters and donations are extremely appreciated, no matter the sum.


Sponsorship

Sponsorships are a major contributing factor to streamers looking for additional revenue.[4] The monetary incentives that sponsorships add to a streamer's total income varies depending on the capacity of the sponsorship. For instance, a sponsorship could range from being recruited by a reputable gaming organization and representing them at competitions or simply just streaming under their brand. In either case, sponsorships are a big addition to any streamer's repertoire. Depending on your average viewership, a variety of companies sponsor streamers. Types of companies consistently seen sponsoring streamers include computer hardware and software, online gambling, fantasy sports betting, game server hosting, and gaming improvement platforms. Many of these sponsorships also provide a small fee to the streamer every time they refer anyone into their services.


Taking It Too Far?

Sky Williams: Spearheading the debate on female streamers

Many Twitch streamers, both male and female alike, feel slighted because they believe certain female streamers are resorting to using their natural gifts to unfairly garner views and consequently, their revenue is being negatively affected. To be more specific, some streamers are furious at the fact some popular female Twitch broadcasters are wearing cleavage-revealing articles of clothing, rather than competitive skill to garner views.[8] They believe that these particular streams focus more on the physical characteristics of the streamer than the actual games themselves and are trading credibility for popularity.[8] They are using their cleavage in order to lure the predominantly younger male demographic to their stream and receive a few donations or subscriptions in return. A League of Legends streamer, Sky Williams, made a video discussing this exact issue. He discusses how these women are benefiting themselves at the cost of condemning their own gender and making it worse for other female streamers. He brings to light that "other female streamers, playing in non-provocative attire with her attention on the game, she will be subject to the same torment that you get when you just flaunt your body... You are creating a standard for the female streamers..."[8] He implies that female streamers that show their bodies while streaming are manipulating men and this carries over into other female streams. He also tackles the other side of the debate and places some of the blame on the men that contribute to the harassment but still puts a majority of the blame on the women. This debate grew to such proportions that Twitch itself was forced to modify its Rules of Conduct: "Dress...appropriately Nerds are sexy, and you're all magnificent, beautiful creatures, but let's try and keep this about the games, shall we? Wearing no clothing or sexually suggestive clothing - including lingerie, swimsuits, pasties, and undergarments - is prohibited, as well as any full nude torsos*, which applies to both male and female broadcasters. You may have a great six-pack, but that's better shared on the beach during a 2-on-2 volleyball game blasting "Playing with the Boys." If it's unbearably hot where you are, and you happen to have your shirt off (guys) or a bikini top (girls), then just crop the webcam to your face. Problem solved. We sell t-shirts, and those are always acceptable. #Kappa".[9] Twitch is a gaming platform and should be used as such. If one wanted to show their bodies there are appropriate sites that cater to that type of entertainment.


Kaceytron

Kaceytron in her streaming attire
Example of Kaceytron's Twitch Chat

A Twitch streamer who is frequently singled out in this debate is Kaceytron. Kaceytron is a "23-year-old Native American and French stunner...[and] some 400,000 viewers tuned in to watch her play League of Legends, with her ample cleavage on prominent display".[10] She receives a lot of criticism and notoriety for her persona but what she does is successful so she sees no point in changing how she runs her broadcast.[11] Kaceytron's logo is similar to that of a very popular porn site and this is a very smart marketing tool she has employed. A majority of viewers on Twitch are young males that are most likely familiar with the major pornographic sites and recognize the resemblance that her logo bears to a major pornographic site. As a result, this draws viewers in and this is the exact issue that Sky discusses in his video. Whether it's her body, logo, or gameplay that brings viewers back for more, nobody can deny the fact that she is one of the most successful female streamers on Twitch.


Not All Women Are the Problem

Women believe that the issue regarding their streaming attire is being overblown. On a live show featuring four prominent female streamers, they tackled the issues that Sky brought up and brought up many key points. They talked about how if women conformed to Twitch's Rules of Conduct[9], then they should be allowed to do what they want with their bodies.[8] As with all issues in today's day and age, a problem few doesn't represent the entirety of the community. It's unfair to condemn the entirety of all female streamers on Twitch simply because a few of them choose to show skin. They discuss how resorting to methods like wearing less clothing is only a short term strategy. People will eventually smarten up to the act and go on to better streams that deserve views for what they're presenting, not a lack thereof. If a streamer wanted to have a long and prolific career in streaming, they would have to have a personality, an entertaining persona, or entertaining content that keeps viewers coming back for more. The argument is that along with the gaming aspect of streaming, the stream experience itself must also be enjoyable and both must have a balance for a stream to be successful. If showing skin is what makes the stream enjoyable, then they've found something that works and shouldn't be condemned for it. If it was true that playing a certain type of character or showing cleavage was as big of a problem as it's being made out to be, then a massive percentage of top streamers on Twitch should be women taking this approach. According to Social Blade, a site that publicly tracks Twitch users and all statistics associated with Twitch, 8 of the top 100 most followed channels on Twitch are women.[12] This statistic contrasts the popular belief of cleavage-bearing women ruling Twitch which leads many to believe that this issue is receiving more scrutiny than it deserves.


Want Equality, Not Cleavage

After all the back and forth that has gone on, both sides are as far apart as they were when the whole debate started. Williams received a lot of backlash for what he said and he attempted to clarify that he didn't mean that women shouldn't show skin. In fact, he wanted to "argue against it being done in a manipulative manner, same as if, for instance, a dude faked crying on stream to get attention or subscribers or money."[8] He doesn't agree with streamers resorting to underhanded tactics such as these to get revenue and attention that other, more deserving broadcasters, should be receiving. Censoring women is not the solution to this issue. If women want to be treated and seen as equals on a platform like Twitch, a platform filled with teenagers and young adults[13], they have to show that they deserve to be where they are and that they don't need their bodies to do so. Many viewers go on Twitch for exemplary gameplay and if they wanted to watch a pornographic film, there are other websites for that. There are female streamers on Twitch that let their in-game skills speak for themselves and many appreciate this. It's only a select view of female streams that make it worse for others but people will eventually learn and streams like these will eventually drift off into irrelevance. Men don't have an issue with women streaming but do so with what some do on their streams.