Twitch is one of the most successful and well-known streaming services. As the most prominent streaming platform in the gaming industry, it is no surprise that so many content creators out there would like to utilize it, as its broad reach, interactivity, and monetization possibilities are too valuable to pass up. Today, we’re taking a look at a small part of that platform, learning everything you could possibly need to know about lurking on Twitch.
Read on to pick up some top-tier streaming tips and find out the most important facts about Twitch lurkers.
Here are some Basic Tips for Streaming on Twitch
- A good streamer should have the right mindset and be consistent.
- It would be best if you had the right quality equipment, such as a webcam, microphone, and a stable internet connection.
- You must be clear and concise when streaming
- Always look for creative ways to make your stream unique.
Many things contributed to Twitch’s success, but one stands out more than the others. In addition to all the commercial maneuvers, the Twitch chat was the major factor that kept the people coming back for more. This even led to many streamers who became famous for ‘just chatting’ on Twitch.
With Twitch chat being a large part of streaming, it is important to understand certain terms and features, and one of these is Lurking.
What does ‘Lurk’ mean?
According to Webster’s dictionary, the term “lurk” means to move furtively or inconspicuously. It also means to lie in wait in a place of concealment.
What is Lurking on Twitch
On October 16, 2019, Twitch defined lurking as:
“viewers who are watching but not chatting, muted, or watching multiple streams simultaneously.”
Many people assume that viewers who aren’t talking are view bots, but this isn’t always the case. As a matter of fact, a lot of people in a stream are technically considered lurkers. They tune in, watch and listen but do not engage in any way. This isn’t usually a problem, even for streamers who are always conscious of who is watching their stream.
There are also many reasons why someone would want to lurk. Some of these are:
- People want to watch the broadcasts but lack the resources (or the desire) to give, subscribe, or participate in chats.
- Some People want to support their favorite streamer with a view (to boost the streamer’s statistics) but do not actually have time to watch the stream.
- Some people are also shy and may want to avoid getting bullied by other toxic viewers. Viewers like this prefer to stay passive.
- Lurking allows you to watch multiple streams at once without too much effort.
The easiest way to lurk is to join the channel you’d like to lurk in and not do anything. Leave the stream running, but chat with viewers or the streamer at no point.
Another way people lurk on Twitch is to announce it via the command “!lurk,” which is the common command most streamers use. This will often give a custom response of something witty or fun made by the content creator while also signaling to them that the viewer will not be active for some time.
What is the “!lurk” Command?
The !lurk command is a command that the streamer has created in their channel that allows viewers to announce that they are present in the stream but lurking. Usually, this command prompts a message in the channel.
Examples of Twitch Lurk Messages
The lurking message should be tailored to your stream’s brand, so get creative. Streamers are only limited by their creativity. Here are a few examples of messages that could be used:
“………………. is hiding behind the refrigerator watching from a distance.”
“………………. is one of our favorite lurkers.”
“………………. tears open the pinata with the speed of a mongoose before falling asleep.”
Additional Slang for Twitch
We’ve talked about lurking on Twitch and given you everything you need to know about lurking. Here are a few additional pieces of Twitch slang and terms.
- Kreygasm: This is when fans start flooding the chat with comments after a satisfying moment happens on stream. A Kreygasm spam can be triggered by completing an objective after several tries or by doing so on your first attempt.
- Video on demand (VOD): Each live broadcast gets automatically saved to its history as a VOD. You’ll be able to watch all the past broadcasts in the Videos section of a streamer’s channel.
- Bitrate: Bitrate has to do with a stream’s quality. Occasionally, a streamer’s internet connection prevents them from streaming at high resolutions. Thus they must reduce their bitrate in order to lower the overall quality.
- Bot: Some bots are considered good, while some are considered illegal. They are friendly bots in a chat that usually try to help viewers by providing useful information, while they are some bad bots used to cheat statistics.
- Better Twitch TV (BTTV): It originally started as a chrome extension, but it quickly became a part of twitch culture thanks to its emotes and other features.
- Partner: Streamers should only use Twitch affiliation as a stepping stone. The highest level a streamer may reach on Twitch is partnership status, which gives them access to extra revenue streams, emotes, and a partnership contract.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has taught you everything you need to know about lurking on Twitch. At first, lurkers on Twitch sound like people who want to take more than they give. However, lurkers can really help out a stream, whether they’re boosting a view count, subscribing, or recommending the streamers to all their friends. They will always be part of streaming and are never a bad thing. Some of your biggest fans may be lurkers, and to dissuade people from lurking in your channel would be a huge mistake.
Read Also: Twitch banned words list
FAQs on Lurking on Twitch
No, it isn’t. The problem is when streamers use third-party tools to inflate viewership with “fake lurkers.”
That is a very common misconception, but in fact, there are creators on there streaming about food, music, and more.
Twitch offers its users the ability to run a network test.
Lurkers, just like chatters, still count as viewers on Twitch.
Lurkers still count as viewers on Twitch, and streamers can find out the names of logged-in lurkers by looking at their chat list.
