REFLECTION

Our work represents what can be possible on a larger scale in online media distribution. Our goal was to demonstrate how a content creator can incorporate their audience into the media they are making in real time, and music is a very effective way of visually and audibly showcasing the possibilities of this concept. Having an audience take part in a live streaming event is not a new phenomenon, with events such as ‘Twitch Plays Pokemon’ still being a fantastic example of what can be achieved through online streaming sites, but our concept offers a more intimate approach, and focuses on what each individual viewer can bring to the production, instead of treating the audience as a mass group.

Through doing this test, we learned that platforms would need to undergo a transformation to support our concept. The idea of live interactivity through streaming is not something that is being done on the scale we are aiming for, and would most likely have to be implemented into a social video game to be effective. Our idea is perhaps better suited to a dedicated game than a phone app, purely because the response time between an app and a stream would not be ideal. Platforms are not at the point of supporting live audience integration yet. However, our test does demonstrate how effective streaming platforms hypothetically could be if they were to support this kind of entertainment. If a site like Twitch were to integrate some kind of creation features into their app, streamers could tailer an experience specifically for their content, and give their audience a more meaningful way of connecting to the content they love.

Our project expands upon what I learned in my development posts in that it offers an alternative to linear content. As we learned in week 3, some concepts do not function effectively in a traditional linear format, and in order to be impactful must give the audience some element of choice and control. For a piece to be truly interactive, it cannot have a traditional narrative path driving the viewer, as it eliminates a true sense of choice. In our planning, we considered creating a narrative story and giving the audience the option to pick between multiple branching narrative paths. This however took away too much of a sense of control from the audience, and did not build upon our previous test in a meaningful way. By using music to demonstrate live interactivity, we were not limited by a narrative or restricted by set paths. There are limitless options with music, and it proved to be the most effective way for us to find a balance between giving the creator control and the audience freedom.

We still have many questions in regards to the technical side of things. For our concept to become a mainstream thing would require average internet speeds to significantly increase, and would greatly increase the strain put on streaming services if they were to host and relay all the data back and forth between the streamer and the audience in real time. It’s an ambitious concept that in theory works perfectly, but we don’t have the means to make it a fully functional project yet. For me personally I think this raises questions regarding how online platforms are going to adapt to features like this if they ever become a reality. Right now, online facilities do not exist to support projects like this, at least not every aspect at once. I believe that if audience interaction becomes a more integral part of online media, we will see many major sites such as Youtube, Twitch and Facebook adapting and implementing advancements on their sites to allow for these possibilities.

DEVELOPMENT

To further develop off of our previous idea, Jackson and I decided to create a theoretical interactive musical piece that exemplifies what could be achieved through modern streaming and web 2.0. Our last creation allowed audiences to influence the decisions of streamers through comments, whereas for this piece we wanted to give viewers more direct control over what they were experiencing on screen.

The idea was to have a musician streaming themselves creating music and have viewers participate in the creative process. We came up with a theoretical app that can sync with the streamers performance and allow viewers to add to the music in real time; while the streamer carried out their performance, viewers would hypothetically log into the app and add musical textures to the streamers performance, creating a direct connection between the viewer and entertainer. Compared to our last assignment, this one gives the audience more choice in how they interact, and the impact they can have upon the final creation is much more apparent and unique.

To allow the streamer to maintain control of their performance, they would be given the ability to control certain elements of the app. By controlling parameters such as tempo, key, pitch, and tones, the streaming musician would still be able to dictate the overall feel and sound of their performance. We chose to add this restriction so that the audience interaction would not become overly chaotic. We also found that the experiment worked best with three to six viewers, as any more would cause the music to become overwhelming, and the elements that each viewer added would not be heard or appreciated. Giving the streamer the ability to limit how many notes each viewer could add is also a feature that we would add to the service, as it would allow for a less cluttered sound and also for more participants to take part at once.

To carry out our idea, we created a beat using a sample pad with a set tempo of 150 bpm. The pad gave visual feedback through lights and patterns, which made it easier for viewers to understand what was happening rhythmically, as well as making it more visually appealing and suitable for a streaming platform. To simulate our hypothetical app, we used an app called ‘Rolling Tones’, which is a simple step sequencer that can be used to create multiple melodies to a set same tempo. It is very intuitive and easy to use, and is almost exactly what our version of the app would ideally be like, only without any form of connectivity to allow for collaboration. However, the app did allow us to restrict the tempo and key of the notes, which meant that playing multiple recordings over one another would not result in a messy sound, and rather would create a weird but nice harmony when played all at once; the different melodies were in the same musical scale so that it sounded appealing when they were all blended together.

To simulate the effect of multiple people using the app together, we captured footage and audio of several instances of the app playing the music, and then synced all of them up to the drum beat we had created earlier. We then edited the footage and audio with the beat to make a video demonstrating how the idea could work. We displayed the ‘streamer’ in the centre of the screen and placed the instances of the app around it to show how they were all functioning together in ‘real time’.

Musical Collaboration

Music is a fantastic way of seeing progress; every action you make has an audible response, and can be very satisfying for the player as it gives an immediate effect in response to their actions. Exploring how music can be used in an online interactive environment is a promising path to achieving what we want to achieve, which is live collaboration between the streamer and the audience. With the evolution of live streaming, we are now seeing concerts streamed live in virtual reality, allowing fans of artists to enjoy their performances from the comfort of their own computer. I think taking this a step further, and allowing audiences to actually participate in the performance would be an interesting next step.

Building upon what I discussed in my last blog post, I think having a simple musical app that can be synced with the performance of an artist would be an interesting idea. It would allow for independent creativity between the streamer and the viewer, yet could be calibrated in a way that allows for the two performances to work in unison. A very simple version of this could be let viewers add textures to a drum beat, building off what the streamer has started and expanding upon an original idea to create something new and unexpected.

If we pursue music for our experiment, it will make it a lot easier for us to give the audience choice in what they contribute to the piece. A weakness with our previous ideas was that there were too many options, and it led to an unfocused production. To achieve our aim of audience interactivity, we need to use a format that everybody can understand, eliminate the possibility of incorrect responses, which music does very effectively. By using musical notes and rhythms, we simultaneously give participants less choice but more possibilities, and it will enable viewers to contribute meaningfully in a way that is unique to them.

Gamifying Interaction

To expand upon our previous assignment, I continued to look into other ways people have implemented live audiences into online experiences. Our last test involved incorporating a live audience into a game of cards against humanity, giving them the chance to influence our decisions as we played. Something that achieves this is a much more effective way however is the “Jackbox Party Pack”, a collection of party games that emphasise audience participation, and does so in a meaningful way.

The games included in the pack have found popularity amongst many Youtubers, as it gives them an efficient way to allow their audiences to participate in their content. Most of the games involve improvisational humour in response to a prompt, which is then voted upon by the audience. All of this is done anonymously, which means that when the audience votes, they do not know who is responsible for what answer. This to me is a great example of how an audience can be incorporated into online content, as they have a measurable effect of the outcome of the match by voting on the winners of each round. Whilst I don’t necessarily want out next project to be “competitive” I do want to achieve a similar kind of measurability of the audiences participation, and give viewers more control over what they want to see.

Another thing I found appealing about the Jackbox collection was the incorporation of an app. The game is actually played on an app, which connects to the game console or PC. This means that players and audience members can all work in tandem with each other, instead of using a turn based system. This was something that limited us during our last experiment, and I feel it would have been more effective if there were two dedicated screens for both the audience and the streamer.

I think this method of interactivity is something we will investigate in Assignment 2, and I believe it would be interesting to give an audience more control and choice over how they wish to contribute to the entertainment.

GAMES DONE QUICK

I researched more examples of how audiences have determined the outcome of a live production and came across a charity event entitles “Awesome Games Done Quick” or AGDQ. This event is a charity event put on to support organisations such as the ‘Prevent Cancer Foundation’ and ‘Doctors Without Borders’ to name a couple. The event itself is made up of gamers doing ‘speed-runs’ of games. Many of these gamers are streaming personalities who typically provide this kind of content on sites such as twitch.com. I found these events to be relevant to my research as they showcased fantastic examples of how a live audience can influence what happens during a stream.

The event is spans a few days with the aim of raising as much money for the chosen charity as possible. To achieve this, they include what’s known as ‘stretch goals’ into the program. This means that if a certain amount of money is donated within a certain time period, certain things will have to be achieved in whatever game is being played. This incites audience participation, encouraging viewers to donate money to the event with the promise of a certain feat being pulled off live on stream. There is a strong community built around the Games Done Quick events, and much of this is due to the inclusion and value of the audience.

I found this to be relevant to my research as it shows the best way to ensure audience interactivity is to offer something in return. It is not interesting to the average person in today’s online climate to simply take part in a live chat during a stream. Most online phenomena provide audiences with something they can actively take part in, and usually gives a sense of inclusion to the participants. Games Done Quick pulls this off by allowing the chat to influence what happens on the stream, and for our next project, I would like to find a way to incentivise and audience into taking part in an online production by giving them a more meaningful connection to the entertainers they are watching.