I started watching Twitch in 2014 for a highly specific purpose: watch video games played with skill and possibly interact with/support skilled gamers. I stopp

I started watching Twitch in 2014 for a highly specific purpose: watch video games played with skill and possibly interact with/support skilled gamers. I stopped watching Twitch in 2018, when it became apparent that Twitch has less to do with video games and more with watching the streamer react to what's happening while feigning to interact with the viewers. When I watch Twitch today, I feel like I'm the one being gamed. I loathe forced interactions, the incessant notifications, popups and added Twitch UI that clutters the screen, even when I maximize the video, making it feel like I'm watching the game through a pinhole. I hate the streamer's constant "thank you for the <X> months sub, <username>" that disrupts any gameplay immersion. In the chat, streamer's bots dominate with their !<command> walls of text while I can't type in anything because I can get banned for certain faces or just can't post at all unless I follow or subscribe (pay money). Besides, it became increasingly more difficult to find skilled gamers because everyone started trend surfing. If SodaPoppin plays an indie game, all of a sudden everyone is playing it to leech off of the fact he can push any category to #1 in the Most Watched group. This leads to tons and tons of crud and brainless filler as streamers play low-value games designed to elicit shock reactions. Why would a skilled guy play an obscure game for his 25 viewers when he can trend surf and grab hundreds of new followers, subscribers and viewers just by playing whatever SodaPoppin is playing? Twitch pouring money into dating content means a perverse incentive to trend surf to the max, game the audience and produce contrived drama. Here's a great example of typical Twitch content, minus the notifications, from CohhCarnage: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/614909188?t=00h13m48s https://www.twitch.tv/videos/614909188?t=00h13m48s Nothing of substance happens in that ~1h video as he plays Fallout 76, he just walks from one merchant to the next, buys stuff, plants veggies, kills 1-2 enemies, reads some text logs and the video ends. It's total filler, with no insightful commentary, no skill portrayed and nothing worth watching. The guy has over 1.2 million followers for no discernible reason. That's Twitch, rewarding the producers of filler. The closest replacement I found was CarcinogenSDA Youtube channel that does old video game speedruns, most often in the "no damage taken" category. It's fascinating and comes in two versions: with or without the player's commentary. That's what I want—turn on a video game speedrun lasting 3-4 hours with no interruptions or the player's contorted face and just enjoy the show. If I want to know how he figured out a certain trick, I can watch the version with the commentary and that's that. No forced interactions, for the love of God. The last fun thing I watched on Twitch were the Power Rangers and YuGiOh marathons in 2018, and even then only because of the 24/7 chat that made them fun.