Twitch is an excellent platform to showcase your gaming skills and monetize videos to earn extra income. Twitch is popular with gamers because of its interactive features that allow users and streamers to connect.
An excellent example of Twitch’s interactivity is the chat function. Usually, viewers leave comments showing their support, and the streamer will respond.
While Twitch’s overall interactivity is excellent for gaming, some users take it too far with what is considered backseating.
Backseating on Twitch is when a viewer continually comments or suggests different things on the Twitch chat section. While most streamers encourage comments as they show involvement and support for their craft, offering continuous unsolicited information is distracting and annoying. Note that there’s a difference between helpful comments and backseating. Backseating is similar to criticizing the streamer’s gameplay, making the experience unpleasant.
Read this post to the end to learn more about backseating on Twitch, including the term’s origin and how to tell when you’re backseating.
Overview of Backseating on Twitch
As explained earlier, backseating on Twitch is when a viewer offers several continuous and unsolicited opinions about a streamer’s gameplay. Backseating is distracting and annoying.
If you’re unfamiliar with live streaming or gaming, you may be curious about the term backseating. Backseating is derived from the word backseat.
Before applying it to gaming and live streaming, backseating referred to a person sitting in the car’s backseat but offering unsolicited opinions to the driver about how best to drive.
A few examples of how people initially used the term backseating include:
- “Take the right turn instead of the left. It is much easier and faster.”
- “Overtake the trailer ahead. Otherwise, we might be here all day.”
- “We are on a highway; you should drive at 160 mph or higher.”
The above comments come from someone in the car’s backseat offering several unsolicited comments to the driver.
While the first and the second comment may be considered helpful, the third and any other comment after is backseating and can be regarded as distracting criticism. The word backseating goes as far back as the 19th century.
Regarding Twitch, the same principle as backseating in a car scenario applies. The viewer offers several unsolicited comments, usually on direction, speed reaction, or other gameplay aspects, sometimes to intentionally annoy the streamer.
Note that commentary is helpful, especially to new streamers, but you should avoid going overboard.
Next, we’ll discuss various ways to know when you’re backseating and how streamers can best deal with backseaters.
How To Know if You’re Backseating on Twitch
Backseating may not be obvious to some viewers. Here are some pointers to help you learn if you’re guilty of this behavior.
- You send several comments advising the streamer on what to do or to avoid.
- You share unsolicited opinions of the streamer’s gameplay, including their skills, the game, and techniques.
- You engage in a back-and-forth when the streamers take a different direction.
- You tend to get angry or frustrated when the streamer ignores your advice or does something different.
- You prefer to be in control to enjoy a game.
- You feel you understand the game better than the streamer, even when it’s not the case.
If you do any of the abovementioned things, you’re backseating. Backseating is annoying to streamers and other viewers for many reasons.
The first is because it’s distracting. The streamer can’t concentrate on the game if you’re rolling out several comments with unsolicited advice.
Another reason is that you’re limiting the streamer’s ability to enjoy the game. If you always point out what they are doing wrong, they will feel unqualified, diminishing their gaming experience. Finally, several unsolicited comments in gaming are as rude as in other settings.
If you are guilty of backseating in Twitch, there are a few things to do to avoid it: Here are a few examples.
- Avoid sending three of four comments telling the streamer what to do
- Allow the streamer to enjoy the game without interjecting with advice
- Avoid forcing other people to take your opinion of a game
- Understand that people handle various aspects differently, including gaming on Twitch
If you’re a streamer constantly dealing with backseating in your broadcasts, tell your viewers you don’t condone the habit.
Additionally, add chat rules every viewer and subscriber should follow. This will ensure everyone knows how to conduct themselves in the comments section.
Summary
Backseating on Twitch refers to viewers offering several unsolicited comments, usually telling the streamer what to do.
The word backseating originates from the term backseat referring to a person sitting at the back of the car but telling the driver what to do. This habit is annoying and distracting.
