Does Developing For A Client Using A Twitch Feed Sound Wrong?

Just been asked by a potential client if I will develope the game on twitch?

Am I old or does that sound wrong to you?

PS Currently sitting in front of PC in bathrobe looking disheveled! As seeing the mirror this early in the morning is something I put off as long as possible I don't think I should inflict the sight on others.

Also unless the client pays you up front couldn't they be just stealing your work!?

 

I wouldn't do it, but I'm over 30.

Instead of rejecting the job you can accept it but up your quote by whatever price would change my mind from 'nope' to 'fine'. This way your response is essentially still yes, and most likely they will drop the requirement since it wasn't that important (they probably just want to see regular progress updates).

And yeah some up front payments as insurance would be in order too.

 

Seems both wrong and counterproductive to me, but then again I'm old

What's their purpose exactly? Is it for their own benefit so they can count how many keystrokes you spent on their game? Or is it to drum up some buzz? Because I think the former is not the kind of client I would want to work with, and the latter is not the optimal way to go about generating interest compared to, say, weekly or even daily office hours.

If you're comfortable with being on cam then it might be a good idea to charge by the hour, because time is going to be wasted answering questions and/or engaging with the audience.

 

unless he is building some "virtual office" where everyone is always "present" then definitely no. Even then still no, since I imagine having a conference call on all the time would still be mightily distracting. I barely don't turn off Skype.

 

If they are paying you, sure, why not? If a paying client asked me to build a rocketship working in a gorilla suit, I would come up with a price that takes into account the harsh working conditions of wearing a gorilla suit, plus danger pay (gorilla suits are flammable).

The point is quote him a price.

 

Yeah it sounds like he has some weird fetish.

 

2 words
Ass cam.
That would change their mind quickly.

 

I am just thinking cam girls myself

 

Code in undies. Awkwardness ensues

 

Real world coding: in undies or bathrobe, scratch nuts, eat deciduous food, brush crumbs off gut, belch, fart. They'll soon want to turn the feed off (and wash their eyes in dettol).

 

This. If he wants you to put on a show, charge him appropriately for putting on a show. Take into account the additional hours this will cost you, equipment, loss in productivity.

I'd also make sure that you don't have to do the whole thing live - the other day I did a 6 hour hunt for one bug, which was a "go somewhere quiet by myself and nut through it" kind of job, not a "broadcast it on the internet for everyone to see" kind of job.

I'd also make sure there are clear expectations in place. I'd also only do it if I were comfortable with it. Is the client a voyeur or a control freak? Are they trying to protect themselves from dodgy practices which have burned them in the past? Is it trust issues? Or, like has been suggested, is it their way of trying to keep a broader team in better contact?

On the whole it sounds pretty iffy to me, and I probably wouldn't do it for a client. If I was assembling a remote team for a project then some kind of regular teleconference could definitely be in order, though.

 

I definitely agree with the charging the client additional if that's what they want (and charge them quite a bit if babysitting is their intention but perhaps marketing is their motivation). I would like to mention since I didn't see anyone else mention it that twitch streaming doesn't have to include a camera. It can certainly just be a stream of your desktop (albeit that would be a boring stream). There are certainly many streams that don't include a camera of themselves. Just the stream and the text chat (and many people only glance at the chat once in awhile).

 

There doesnt seem to be many people interested in the game dev streams anyway.

 

I'm not an expert, but does a Twitch feed actually require a cam? I'd think he wants to see your screen while your work, not your face/ass/other_bodyparts

 

Real awkwardness is if the channel becomes popular. That would be one hell of a pivot for a game company.

 

Sounds like a good way to get more women into game development to me...