How To Make Twitch Viewing Pleasant Again

Disclosure - This is a collaborative post

With all the inter-streamer dramas between influencers being made more than they should, communities at loggerheads, and large names being absorbed by new, well-paying platforms like Kick, it’s not hard to see why many people have become relatively disillusioned by Twitch.

While it’s true that taking measures to block Twitch ads that have become increasingly intrusive can help improve your viewing experience, it’s harder to get over the cultural changes or tiresome UI faults that can make your experience less enjoyable.

So, let’s discuss how to make Twitch viewing pleasant again, even if you’re a relatively light consumer of the platform. Or, perhaps you could decide to add your own voice to the pile, producing your own content by downloading Open Broadcast Software (OBS), hooking up your game capture plugin, and showing us your excellent plays.

Regardless, enjoying the platform again is the first step to contributing to it. In this post, then, we’ll help you achieve exactly that

Use Third-Party, Feature Enriched Tools

You’d be surprised how better user features can make the viewing experience much better to deal with. With a browser extension like BetterTTV, you can view more emotes, set your own custom emotes for your channel, switch around the dimensions of the layout (such as flipping chat from right to left on your second monitor), and also add many smaller conveniences, like timestamping chats etc. In some cases, tools can better help you block ads or even set time limits for how much you watch. If you have a particular need, apps like this can help you.

Follow Per Game, Not Per Streamer

It’s very easy to get tired of the viewing experience, especially if you’re watching the same content repeatedly. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with following distinct personalities you like, but you may be able to find a few gems if you follow the games or content you like, such as seeing small-time musicians, smaller streamers putting real effort into their content, and more. 

Following per game can also help you identify if a certain title is something you’d like to buy or not, giving yourself the space to detach from streamers and explore on your own. That’s always healthy, after all. Moreover, it could inspire you to begin streaming your own content, using what you’ve learned to present the games you really love and do so for the love of it, not for building an audience.

Remove The Obligation By Following Events

It’s very easy to feel “obligated” to certain streamers, particularly your friends if they’re going live and trying to push content out. This can remove the love of the platform for you, making it feel like a second job. Just turn up when you want to, and never feel obligated to donate to people or join online communities outside of Twitch. There’s something to be said for being a passive observer, and of course, other streaming services and platforms exist if you’d like some differentiation.

With this advice, you’re sure to make Twitch viewing pleasant again, in the best possible way.

Michelle