Today is a day full of games that are completely different than the past generations. Many games today gain followings that either revolve around or are built upon the ability to watch them when you aren’t actively playing them. This new level of game enjoyment means that developers can approach game development in two ways, for the enjoyment a player gets while playing or for the enjoyment of the viewer watching. New marketing approaches mean that developers get a lot better of a result if they code with viewers in mind.
When developing a game, the developer can focus on a few different approaches for a viewer focused game, the first of which being competition. This is most obvious when viewing games in the battle royale genre. It’s the same as when people tune in for sports but is much more accessible. Viewers begin to get an attachment to a streamer and will begin rooting for them against all the others when they are playing PUBG, Fortnite or any other game of the genre. When only one can win, it adds suspense and pride to fighting for and earning that top spot.
The second way of a game captivating a viewing audience is to embrace the creativity of the player. This is often seen in things like MInecraft where you can do anything you can imagine. While some people will be enticed by the idea of exploring every cave and temple generated, others will enjoy the potential of being able to create amazing creations such as 3D recreations of things like the Enterprise or Westerose. Others still challenge themselves to do something different with the way the world is created, such as to create a working calculator or to create a bustling village at their home base.
Yet another way to keep viewers attention is to create a game that has viewer interaction such as the Jackbox games. These games can range from letting viewers submit answers to letting them vote on their favorite answer provided by the players. While they are relatively light on actual interactivity, they do still have an impact on the gameplay and make viewers want to stick around for longer and to be more active. A couple of games have even gone further and have given viewers the ability to change what will occur in the game itself. The best example of this is a game called Choice Chamber, where viewers can determine what the player will find in upcoming rooms. They can reward the player with health or a better ability, or troll the player with more enemies or poor powerups.
Then you have games that keep viewers attention with randomness such as games like Enter the Gungeon and Far Cry. These games excel in their ability to play in such different ways. While rogue like games such as Enter the Gungeon are played over and over again, they are fantastic because every single run can play out insanely differently. A streamer who goes by the name of Brownman on Twitch has played the game Enter the Gungeon for over 55 hours on stream and has always had a very busy viewer base ranging from individuals who never played the game to those who are very active and play daily. This contrasts with the controlled chaos in games such as Far Cry and its game mechanics of how different parts interact. Far cry always has the same encounters, but you are able to approach those encounters in a way that fits your personal style. These different game mechanics, like the animals attacking enemies and the player, can result in wow moments that make players encounter the content differently. One player may clear an outpost without any issue while another could see a tiger or a bear come through and attack the enemies or themselves.
Creating a game that can be streamed and can keep a viewing audience enticed is one of the best ways to grow a game in today's day and age. This streaming causes viewers to see the game as a sort of preview of how the game works. On top of that constant preview, if the game is developed to be entertaining for the player and the viewer, then that players enjoyment of the game will also cause the viewer to view the game positively. In addition to both of these, games that get streamed regularly are able to generate crazy amounts of hype when they climb up the top games of Twitch out of nowhere. Many will go away, but you never know what will become the next Fortnite.