Does anyone do Twitch? Do you think it is a good way to promote your own game or to earn extra money from doing live streams etc? Or you do a screencast of yourself programming a game for extra motivation.
I wonder what the VR version of Twitch would be like. You would go into a virtual world where you would stand around someone playing a computer game on their sofa.
i too would like to know other devs experience with twitch, anyone utilising twitch can offer advice?
I think there would be many benefits to twitch streaming, although I do not actually broadcast it myself. If you are playing your own game on twitch, and can advertise it so people will actually come and sit down then it would be a good way to gain some following for your game and if it is fully released then it would encourage others to download and play it. I dont see twitch streaming being very profitable unless you are able to gain a very good following and have people watching your content actively. I also see merit in recording yourself programming etc, and then posting the videos on YouTube so that people can watch you develop your games. This will create some “hype” for when it actually comes out.
I’ve streamed a little bit on Twitch but got too busy to do it regularly so I never accrued a huge following or anything so take anything I say with a grain of salt.
Starting out and getting traction is always the hardest part. If you don’t have people coming in through other social media, people only find you by specifically looking through the creative category and then choosing gamedev. And then they have to find you inside among the other dev streams. Compared to gaming streams, dev streams get waaay fewer viewers. Also, I’ve noticed that most of the people who will watch those streams aren’t gamers, but other developers. Which makes sense considering those kinds of streams are usually not very entertaining and only really insightful for other devs. Moreso than videos on youtube, twitch streams create lots of “dead air” while the dev is quiet and thinking.
I’ve watched a few dev streams, but by far the most watched and popular had been by Vlambeer when they regularly streamed while working on their game Nuclear Throne, which had been in Early Access at that time. This stream also attracted gamers because the game was already out and popular so people were invested, and they felt like they could weigh in on the development process during those streams.
There are also devs who will document their progress on youtube, but I’ve yet to see one who gained a lot of followers. Again, devs seem to watch these videos rather than gamers.
Also, it’s a lot harder to make money on Twitch than it would seem. There are conditions for getting partnered with Twitch (iirc you have to stream at least 3 times a week and you have to consistently get more than 500 viewers, though they might have changed those conditions so don’t take my word on that) and outside of that, you could open up a donation box, but without a following in the first place, that might not yield great results.
In the end, it really comes down to the fact of whether you like to stream while working on your game. If the thought sounds stressful or uncomfortable, you probably won’t lose out on much. But if you want to stream, do it for the joy of it but don’t expect anything.
Software-wise I’d recommend OBS. It’s free, it does what it’s supposed to, and most people on twitch use it. The initial setup takes a while, but after that, it should be smooth sailing.
My right eye sometimes starts to twitch when I work too many hours at the computer. Not good. More eye breaks are in order. But that’s not at all what you’re asking about, so I’ll leave now.
lol 
I tried twitch a couple of times. It was slower then regular development, and I didn’t get much interaction.
So unless someone specifically wants to see how I develop, I’m not likely to try it again.
I’m not sure if I understand how to use twitch completely…
Is it okay to offer advice to those streaming, or is that considered intruding onto their space, like backseat driving, or is that the purpose of streaming, to get live feedback?
Programming stream will be one person staring at the same spot for 8 hours. It is not a very interesting experience.
I guess it would depend if your good at doing commentary but its probably going to take you a few years to build up a good following, couldnt hurt.
Does checking the forums count as an eye break? 
I’ve not participated in any live twitch stuff, but watched several archive vids. I find modeling and sculpting content interesting, though I don’t know about the community too much. From my understanding from watching archived videos, the streamers commonly ask/answer questions while they work.
I have seen some good dev streams, but the thing with twitch is, that one should be comfortable with being infront of a camera (people like to see faces) and being comfortable talking without getting response. Also, in order for a game dev to utilize it for marketing purposes I think it would need to be somewhat regularly…Although I have seen wildcard using it for developer teammember interviews and event announcements (with countdown).
The guys from worlds adrift also seem to use it quite regularly to update for their process.
This is a good point, I think it is best if you pay people that already have a twitch following or someone who is going to upload regular content to play your game and advertise it for you. You would have to spend a lot of time on twitch to make it worth it, when you should be spending that time developing, marketing and doing other things instead.