Thursday, February 26, 2015

Why I love Forge - #1

Forge, if you are not aware, is a streaming and video highlighting system.  It runs automatically when it sees a supported game, live streaming it.  When finished, you can then easily make highlights/screenshots of your session and share them with the community (or social media).  It requires no extra software like OBS or XSplit.

One of the things I love about the service is that it is all about the games.  I get to watch people play the games they truly enjoy and play on a regular basis.  With services like Twitch and Hitbox, it is often about viewership numbers so people play what they think will bring the people in.  There's nothing wrong with that, I still watch twitch regularly.  It's just a different mindset.

With Forge, I can see how people normally play a game.  Sure, there is no interaction (yet) but that's not a deal breaker for me.  I'm not against a chat system, so long as it is optional and unobtrusive.  I don't want a second monitor just so I can monitor chat.  I also don't want to have to use a mic to effectively communicate with whoever is watching. However, doing that all without interfering with the game I am playing is going to be a challenge.  We'll see what the Forge devs come up with.

Want to try it out?  Click here:  http://forge.gg/invite/Uvjgy5