Summary
While the original game did have its following and fair share of supporters,Helldivers 2blew those numbers out of the water when it first came out, ever-increasing its player count on Steam and retaining over 300,000 players at a given time, which is incredible for a month-old game. Of course, this led to the tile becoming a massive point of discussion online for gamers, and its live-service approach is already paying off in various ways, such asHelldivers 2adding mechsas a community unlock. However, as often happens with games that prove to be massive hits for audiences, there are some issues surroundingHelldivers 2’s popularity - namely, the game may have a huge embedding problem on Twitch.
Embedding on Twitch is nothing new, and it has always been a controversial topic due to the platform’s policy regarding viewbotting. Embedding is not against Twitch’s terms of service, but the use (and abuse) of it can sometimes lead to sites and other platforms boosting their view count artificially, and that seems to be what’s happening withHelldivers 2. Recently, popular content creator Gothalion took to Twitter to bring attention to a specific Twitch user who has been dominating theHelldivers 2directory with what is essentially embedding gameplay 24/7 for quite some time, and this can be especially problematic for both the game and its community.
Helldivers 2’s Twitch Embedding Problem Explained
Why Twitch Embedding Can be Problematic and How it Differentiates From Viewbotting
One of the problems with embedding is that the user or entity doing it may even have the best of intentions, such as embedding their Twitch channel with past streaming sessions or similar content onto their main website, made specifically to direct viewers to the streaming channel. However, even in such cases,embedding on Twitchcreates “void spaces,” in the sense that the channel that is embedded is actually empty at that time, and so is its chat. This doesn’t reflect on the outside looking in when one sees hundreds or thousands of “viewers” on a given channel, which may very well sit at the top of its directory.
In the case ofHelldivers 2, a single user is at the very top of the directory with thousands of viewers, and this is a twofold problem. For starters, Twitch users may find this channel first and foremost when looking forHelldivers 2Twitch content, possibly forTwitch drops, only to discover that the chat is empty and the streamer is not even there. Furthermore, this actively detracts viewers from active communities and content creators who are actually live, creating a vicious cycle where they are not promoted as much as the embedding channel, and thus the game and their content are hurt as a result.
Helldivers 2 is About Community, and Twitch Embedding Ruins That
In this specific case, the Twitch streamer embeddingHelldivers 2content does so 24/7, and their progress doesn’t match. For example,Helldivers 2’s level cap is 50, and by streaming “legitimately” for 24 hours a day one would hit it quite fast, whereas the user called out by Gothalion is below level 40. Not only that, but it seems that the replays are from past patches.
This can hurt the game quite a bit, especially so becauseHelldivers 2calls on its community to play togetherand unlock objectives as a whole. Embedding content on Twitch 24/7 doesn’t foster the community because the channel’s chat is empty and the content shown in the videos is not even reflective of the current experience due to being pre-recorded (on different patches, too). There may be no direct solution to this unless Twitch changes its embedding policy, maybe by making viewers gained this way not count toward directories and live streaming. Until then, though,Helldivers 2may be stuck with this issue.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Do you believe in freedom? Can you stand in the face of oppression – and defend the defenceless? Wage war for peace. Die for democracy.Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth, in this multiplayer co-op shooter for PS5 and PC from Arrowhead Game Studios.Step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest and most explosive tools in the galaxy.Helldivers don’t go planet side without proper backup, but it’s up to you to decide how and when to call it in. Not only do you have a host of superpowered primary weapons and customizable loadouts, you also have the ability to call on stratagems during play.Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission and complete objectives together.1Enlist in Super Earth’s premier military peacekeeping force today. We are heroes… we are legends… WE ARE HELLDIVERS.
