Ludic capital: a reflection of the algorithmic technoculture in performances on Twitch streaming platform

Abstract

The possibility of broadcasting gameplay sessions over the Internet updated the technoculture of videogames to the environment organized by the algorithms. In addition to the transmission of these sessions, competitive events have also been transposed to the Internet, with a global audience. In this scenario, the act of playing is transformed into content for video streaming platforms and, as a consequence, becomes a source of income. This work aims to offer a perspective about this relationship from a case study of Twitch, one of the main services dedicated to this purpose. Its guidelines foster a condition analogous to work, where it comes from a skill in a ludic activity (playing) or from entertaining from that. This activity, however, is performed in search of attention, subsequently reverted to monetization for the company and the player through goals pre-established by the platform. So, the ludic capital is represented by these specific skills of the players who, consensually, share it with the streaming platform. This capital is exploited to obtain financial profit - not always shared between both.

Keywords: Ludic capital. Gaming streaming. Social communication.