Ever heard of Drop Farming on Twitch? Well, you hopefully won’t anymore.
Twitch has been really upping its game lately, with various new updates that seem to really help streamers. One of these new updates, which was recently posted on Twitch's website, talks about the enforcement they plan to take on Drop Farming.
So, what is Drop Farming? And what will Twitch be doing to get rid of it?
What is Drop Farming? A look at the popular scam on Twitch
Drop Farming has been a popular tactic that many people have used on Twitch for years now. It is unfortunate that Twitch has taken this long to start combatting it, but better late than never.
So, let's explain what Drop Farming is. This tactic is when a streamer puts their stream in a Twitch Drop category, while streaming something completely unrelated.
For example, a new game has dropped, and those streaming it with Drops enabled will be boosted by Twitch's algorithm.
Drops often help small streamers become more discovered, as many people will sit in whoever is live to try and obtain the Drop. I don't think much explaining needs to be done on how streaming something outside of a Twitch Drop, but still having that Drop enabled is a tad bit immoral.
Yet, many streamers have been bypassing the system by doing this for a long time.
"Drops are meant to be earned during live gameplay," said Twitch on its website. "Not through streaming unrelated content like static images, rebroadcasts of past VODS/footage or other scenarios where you are not interacting with your community."
Accounts that do not follow these rules will be subject to termination.
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Is a "Be Right Back" screen considered Drop Farming?
The big question many have asked is whether or not a Be Right Back or Stream Starting screen falls under the Drop Farming category. Technically, you are not interacting with your community during these moments, so the question comes off as valid.
Twitch, however, was sure to address this.
"Allowed example: Streaming a game with Drops but taking a small break with a temporary 'Be Right Back' static image," said Twitch on its website.
This just means you cannot leave your stream unattended for hours while Drops are enabled. Make sure to be there with your community!
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