EPTI've been trying to figure out how to better post what I'm trying to accomplish with this blog post so thank you to Chill for helping me here. I've been watching streaming StarCraft content for the last 5 or 6 years but the fantastic growth in the representation of viable streaming options and communities in the United States (and globally) has really exploded over the last year and a half with the release and beta of SC2. It's entirely possible to spend more time watching content on a site like twitch.tv and own3d.tv than it is to watch major cable broadcasts during the week and major tournament streams on the weekends.
As I've been working my way through the graduate system at UT I've been presented with more opportunities to explore these digital environments. In TV there is a long history of audience research that stretches back to the creation of the TV. We're still sitting on the cusp of that same research with the internet and streaming content. The rise of streaming digital content like StarCraft II and LoL is starting to get noticed by the academic community as well.
The questions I have been curious with right now are fairly basic and exploratory.
h1. Is the viewing experience different when you watch TV as opposed to when you watch content online?
h2. The internet allows us to be more interactive. Are people taking advantage of that interactivity and actually talking to each other as viewers and producers of content?
h3. In addition, there is a lot of money flowing through the system right now. Is there a demand for paid content? If so, what does a payment guarantee as far as a product for the audience. If half of the audience watches a stream in 360p because that's all they can get on their mobile phone or tablet then does highlighting 1080p choices even matter?
Phew! Lots of questions. One of the nice things about the internet is that we can participate and figure these things out about ourselves. I've created a short 5 minute survey that people can take here: [Survey Link] if people want to participate in the survey. One disadvantage of surveys like this is that the results can only be attributed to the the audience. One great thing is that despite this, it's still possible to find out some really interesting features about our attitudes and choices regarding how we watch StarCraft II that could be used in the future to increase the quality of content production we see or demand.
If you don't want to take the survey that's fine. I would still love to hear about the way that you watch streaming content. There is still a lot we have to learn about producing the next generation of content that people watch with StarCraft II.
