The Two Sides Of Content Creation’s Impact On Gaming

Like it or not, content creation has become a major and impactful part of modern gaming. With easy internet access, people like to come forward and share their views on all sorts of games they play, create curated guides, or just do fun stuff that others like to watch. All this has created a rich community centered around gaming, but today, I’ll try to discuss the implications of this. There are two sides to every coin, including this one.

As countless people create gaming content today, the medium has never been more popular. It’s become a lucrative career opportunity, and I’m all up for it. With modern video enhancer tools, gameplay can be captured and presented quite effectively. However, as it always is with opinions, some people’s views you like, and some you don’t. Now what if the latter gains traction, and suddenly things start tilting towards it as a whole?

Content Creation — Popularity And Outreach

Before I explain that last statement, first let’s take a look at the boons content creation has bestowed upon gaming. For starters, it played an undeniable role in popularizing the medium. Gaming used to be very niche. It couldn’t hold a candle to movies as an entertainment medium, which is exactly why movie tie-in games were so frequent back then. But now, the tables have turned, and we have content creators and social media to thank for a lot of it.

Starting a game yourself is a massive undertaking. You have no idea if its even worth the commitment. But now, you can go on the internet, and someone will surely be playing it. Watching a few videos gives you the motivation, and you start it yourself. Now, multiply this one event millions of times across the world, and you’ll see the result. Chasing popular culture is coded in our DNA as humans. 

New report claims gamers spend more time watching videos about gaming than playing games
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Watching content creators praise or criticize something has brought in even non-gamer audience to the medium. People discover a game after watching their favorite creators, and then swoop in to join the fun. Beyond that, in-depth guides and walkthroughs have made completionist runs a whole lot easier now. And finally, social media has given you favorite games ample community support, that can show itself in the form of mods or crowded multiplayer rooms.

All in all, content creation has popularized gaming beyond belief. The medium now appeals to millions just because they saw someone playing a game on the internet, and liked it. It’s given gaming a chance to grow; with content creators spending a fortune in games to strengthen their accounts, the revenue is off the charts as well.

Games Change To Accomodate Popular Voice

Now, let’s discuss the other side. When something becomes this much renowned, toxicity is bound to emerge. Every content creator has their own thoughts about a game, and some of them are less than exciting. And now that content creation is such a big industry, you come across peculiar opinions a lot more frequently. 

Streaming and content creators have ruined gaming for the casual player, and developers don’t care anymore
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As long as it stays a personal opinion, that’s fine. The problem arises when it becomes popular, and suddenly the game itself starts changing to reflect that opinion. What I’m trying to say is that more often than not, content creators become the de-facto “voice” of gamers. You start a difficult game you enjoy, and suddenly because social media declared it too hard, an “easy mode” patch is issued. Some of these are permanent changes that you can’t even turn off.

Similary, the game industry considers this popular voice for further game design as well. Genres you’re sick and tired of keep emerging, just because they’re good for popular content. Oh, and dont forget about all the microtransactions and battle passes that cater to content creation needs. All this makes you wonder if gaming should’ve become mainstream or not? I’ll leave it at that.