Hey Everyone!
If you feel like reading, go right ahead...if not, just take this link to get a feel for the Minelogix Stream Team on Mixer! It is obviously a work in progress, but I think it has a lot of potential.
This is something I have been meaning to do for quite some time...
Beam, a streaming site I really liked the interface of, was purchased by Microsoft awhile back and more recently had a revamp and name change...the site is now known as Mixer.
Mixer, which kept the interface I love so much, is integrated into both Xbox One and Windows (PC) streaming. This is a very nice asset and makes streaming much more accessible for those outside the loop.
In addition to very low latency (ie you are much closer to the real time action), Mixer introduced a really cool "co-op" stream where you can have up to four people streaming on the same channel. Case in point, if myself, BlackPants, Omenix, and Cellcia were all on the Minelogix Server and streaming to Mixer you could go to any one of our channels and watch all four perspectives...pretty cool, huh?!
Likewise, their pleasant User Interface allows VIEWERS to earn "Sparks." Sparks are an on-site currency that you literally earn while you watch streams...doesn't that make sense? When a streamer "goes interactive" you can use your Sparks to cheer them on and highlight comments etc. It is like Twitch, but you didn't have to shell out cash.
In addition to this making streaming more fun for the viewer AND streamer, I like the setup.
I streamed once on Beam when Twitch was acting up. My only real complaints remain the lack of a direct export to YouTube and the lack of a video editor/highlight tool. To the best of my knowledge, both are said to be in the works.
As many of you know, I had long touted how much I liked the Beam interface and wished more people would try it...well, that shot in the arm came when Microsoft began integrating it into their consoles.
On the flip side you have Twitch. I primarily stream Skylanders there and they give the game NO LOVE. I'm not talking about featuring it ahead of Overwatch, Hearthstone, or Player Uknown's Battlegrounds...I mean that Skylanders doesn't even get game art! Seriously! Out of all the games, only Giants has proper game art. That is pretty sad imo. Twitch also tends to be a little over-reaching for myself and many others. When you are partnered you basically have to sign off that you won't stream elsewhere (see also YouTube and a few other outlets). While I liked the idea of diversifying when I began on Twitch, I streamed regularly for years and only mustered 100+ followers.
I polled viewers (on YouTube of course) and they tended towards preferring YouTube by a wide margin. Granted, when I had started, YT streaming wasn't really a thing. I tried it out (due to Twitch pushing some things I don't agree with) and instantly had not only more viewers, but a very common comment of, "Hey, I never knew that you did live streams!" Freakin-a! All those years, people would have watched, but didn't know I streamed on Twitch. I did my best to make it obvious...end slides on videos, links in description boxes, and of course tweeting. Still, if you are embeded in the YouTube eco-system, you might still remain oblivious to my outside dealings. This is an obvious advantage to streaming on YouTube.
However, there are still a few shortcomings there. Anytime I stream a Nintendo game...it is a copyright nightmare! Despite being a member of the Nintendo Content Creator Program, the games get flagged immediately and a series of 14 or so e-mails heads your direction.
I still, for whatever reason, have not figured this out, but when I stream games from the Big N, they wind up archived very weirdly. If I do NBA Playgrounds, it goes right to my Video Manager and is ready for release as soon as it processes. The Nintendo games are filed away to the point where sometimes I can't get to them. Then when you do, and you want to edit them into smaller clips for a couple of videos (ie dividing 2 hours of Mario Kart into 4 videos, or a month of Animal Crossing into weekly installments) you have to deal with their Video Editor. It isn't bad, but it certainly ins't good. Twitch does have the slight edge here, although with any effort at all, YouTube could (and should) easily over take them.
With that said, I really want to stream Mario Kart and Yoshi's Wooly World, and more Breath of the Wild, but it is a total pain to deal with that on the YT side. This is where Mixer may come in...
I haven't tried it yet, but as soon as things slow down I hope to stream a little Nintendo action to Mixer. I will then try downloading it and editing it before uploading (totally not ideal for someone like me with bad internet), but having a local copy to edit will save TONS of time over YouTube's lackluster video editor. It just sucks that the quality of the stream still won't be great (see also my bad internet).
It sucks to leave years of streaming and those hard earned 100+ followers on Twitch, but instead of just sticking to games, they tend to feel the need to push divisive social/political agendas, and I have a hard time tying myself into that mess. Plus, I haven't forgotten that Amazon totally screwed me over on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and their "guaranteed day of release delivery." If you didn't know, Amazon bought Twitch fairly recently. And yes, in the past I was a proud proponent of Amazon, as they have continued to grow, however, I feel that the customer service I admired early on has become increasingly lack luster...I hope that changes as they are a great source for some hard to find products.
Ironically, I actually think I'd qualify for the new Twitch affiliate program. That said, I've never been all about the money (YouTube added Super Chat to their live stream interface to combat Twitch and I have yet to see someone use it), and I really, really don't like the way Twitch handles it. The thought of someone paying real money for glittery bits to throw in my beggar's cup is just kind of weird. It makes a donation to show your support/appreciation for the streamer into more of a, "Oh you poor thing" as you drop change in a cup. Most people don't argue with free money, but I just find the whole setup odd, and I'd much rather have people rewarded for watching the streams in the way Mixer has setup. Also of note, no one really seems to donate on YouTube, it is like it is frowned upon because everyone just assumes if you are making videos on YouTube, you are an undeserving millionaire. I don't get that as it couldn't be farther from the truth for 99% of YouTubers, particularly gamers, but whatever. On Twitch, people throw money around like it is a requirement.
Mixer just fits my style so much better than Twitch. You watch the stream, you get on-site currency (see also: FREE) and then YOU can use that to interact with me. Why does no one else do that?
I still plan to stream on YouTube, but I am wanting to try a few games out on Mixer. If it is a pain to download footage, edit it, and upload it to YouTube, I might change course a bit...but tentatively I am thinking about trying to stream Minecraft, Forza, and possibly some Nintendo titles to Mixer.
Again, way back when I started on Twitch (I remember when it was Justin.tv btw), my idea was to diversify from YouTube in the event things went downhill...well they did and my efforts to diversify were for nothing. Everyone always raves about "the Twitch community" but I honestly just felt like I was just streaming...and my viewers were about 99% subscribers from YouTube (again, a lot of this has to do with the games I play and the fact that they'd be buried on the Twitch listings, but still...if a Triple A game from Activision, a major publisher, can't get game art, I don't think they really care about myself, or anyone else streaming Skylanders.
All that aside, Mixer being tide into the Microsoft family of services appeals to me...Microsoft has Minecraft and Forza, so it makes sense to start there and see how it goes. Again, I might also do some Nintendo action on Mixer to avoid a round of copyright emails. I wish my internet was on-par with others, but it isn't so I can't do super HD streams. I max it out for what internet I have and then take it in stride.
That said, as of now, early morning July 4th, 2017 I have set up a Minelogix Team page on Mixer and I hope to give it a go with some other members. It just makes sense given the built in integration and I am hoping it is optimized so I might be able to squeeze out 720 HD for the streams.
As always thanks for your support! If my internet continues to suck, I'll just keep on recording offline and uploading as I've done for years...if something pans out on this front hopefully I can stream a little more frequently again.
Hope you all have a great Independence Day!
