Top Twitch manager Reed Duchscher encouraged streamers to start viewbotting to get ahead of the curve, or they will be at a disadvantage. Duchscher is the founder and CEO of Night Media, a talent agency that manages Twitch streamers like Kai Cenat and Hasan Piker, and also had MrBeast as a former client.
Viewbotting is a form of artificial engagement farming via the use of third-party apps on streaming platforms, which has long been a controversy among creators and viewers alike. In July last year, Twitch strengthened its commitment to crack down on bots by rolling out updated detection systems to remove artificial users. However, even Twitch CEO Dan Clancy said it could be tricky to filter out bots from real viewers, noting that some third-party apps were able to avoid getting spotted. While it is possible for streamers to intentionally inflate their viewership numbers using bots, it could also get complicated as people can utilize third parties for harassment purposes without the streamer noticing at times.
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Twitch Manager Claimed Viewbotting is the Way to Go
Despite many people’s criticisms of viewbotting, Duchscher suggested in a social media essay that this method would be a great strategy for growing streamers to break through the noise and rise up to the ranks faster. The manager noted that while he wouldn’t explicitly tell streamers to turn to viewbotting, he also posits that they would be at a disadvantage if they didn’t follow the trend, especially if others were allegedly partaking in it. He explained further that having good content alone won’t cut it anymore these days, which could be why streamers are turning to bots and other paid distribution tactics to ramp up their views. This was also why Twitch changed its Clip feature back in November to reflect genuine viewer engagement and combat bots.
Duchscher also emphasized towards the end that if botting was normalized, it could erode the trust of the entire Twitch ecosystem in the long run, especially since advertisers might not be able to identify who’s real or not in chat. Meanwhile, his post has also garnered mixed reactions from netizens and avid Twitch users, with most questioning why he seemed to be encouraging viewbotting to game the system. The concern is valid considering that popular streamers like Trainwrecks and Jack Doherty have been accused of viewbotting in the past.
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Twitch streamers can earn through a number of ways, such as tips from subscribers, ad revenue, and average viewer count. According to a report, if a small streamer averages 100 viewers per broadcast, they could rake in around $1,000 to $1,500 every month, while mid-tier streamers could receive $30,000 for 10,000 average views. Seeing how this is a recent trend among streamers, it provides perspective as to why up-and-comers opt for bots to get more eyes on their content. This would also align with Duchscher’s insight that paying for bots could help bolster a streamer’s career in terms of viewership numbers, especially with Twitch’s ad revenue reportedly being down for some people.
Meanwhile, viewbotting and other forms of fake engagement farming are considered violations of Twitch’s policy. If a streamer is caught running a third-party tool to beef up their views and/or organizing viewbotting harassment towards another streamer, it could lead to an indefinite suspension. However, reporting a streamer for viewbotting won’t be a quick solution, as Twitch has to determine if the act is done intentionally or if another user was sending bots as harassment. If this method does indeed become normalized in the future, it could become more difficult for Twitch to identify fake viewers, which could affect the audience’s perception of the platform.