Physical Entertainment Can Now Tweak Live Streaming Tech to Dominate Digitally

Entertainment very much takes place across two plains of existence: physical and digital. In the physical world, you get to go to concerts, play board games, or watch sports, while digitally; there are things like mobile apps, and many would cite social media feeds as a form of entertainment. The controversial oddity that is Andrew Tate was likely followed by so many (5.4 million on Twitter alone); for his shock entertainment factor put out digitally by people of that persuasion.

The digital and physical realms of entertainment are now able to blend together thanks to advances; and tweaks to live streaming technology. According to ResearchandMarkets, the live streaming industry is set to be worth $2.6 billion worldwide by 2031, showcasing tremendous growth. Much of this will come down to people developing the tech further to suit more purposes while making the most of its most engaging elements: real-time reactions and physical connections.

Here’s a look at two major ways that live streaming has been leveraged to enhance a digital product with a physical one to create an immersive; real-time experience that allows it to stand out in the modern entertainment space.

Taking a digital creation and making it real

Randomization in itself can be the core allure of an entertainment product; and can also help you beat laziness with this Techk Times guide. Most prominently, it has been the core driving force behind the ever-strong popularity of slot machines. From one-armed bandits to the modern online slot, it’s the randomness that the games possess that makes them attractive; because players don’t know what each spin will return.

Modern slots, online and physical, are governed by a random number generator. As Techopedia rightly details, RNGs aren’t wholly random as they have to be programmed; and for the product to work, they need to work within set limitations. For online slots, this includes the return to player percentages and the volatility. On the latter, this mechanic determines the size and regularity of payouts over a massive number of plays. So, low volatility slots like Starburst pay more often in lower sums on average than high volatility games like Trojan Kingdom.

Volatility is usually the deciding factor in the experience that any given slot player has; but after 9 Pots of Gold – a medium volatility slot – gained popularity; OnAir Entertainment decided to do something a bit different. Using the slot as it is; the studio set it up on a huge digital screen behind a presenter with a big button to run the game. Released to Betway, this live-streamed version of the slot has proven to be a big hit. It’s quite the novelty as most other live casino games stream classic tables or new game shows; while this one enhances the most popular of digital casino games into a real-time, immersive; and human experience thanks to the game host and live stream.

Remote-but-real experiences

There are few experiences quite like beating a game of perceived skill to get a physical reward. In online casinos, you have to wait for that physical reward or perhaps never get it in its physical form; unlike at physical casinos with chips and cash-ins. This was also the case for arcade games like the drivers, shooters, basketball hoops, and, especially, the claw machines. Now, you can play physical claw machines for real prizes on your iPhone.

Naturally, claw machines are less a game of skill and more a game of timing the right drop; but the feeling of landing a prize and taking it from behind the flap isn’t any less enjoyable. What apps like Clawee and even the Sega Catcher Online achieve is a live-streamed connection to these machines that put you in control of the claw. If your claw lands, grabs, carries and drops a prize to the box; you’ll get sent that prize in the post if you so choose. It’s fair to say that wholly digital claw machines hold little appeal, but an interactive live-streamed one very enticing.

For Gigantic, the team behind Clawee, this began with regular claw machines. From there, custom machines built with several cameras within the box to stream out to players. High-speed internet cables also installed across the warehouse to ensure real-time streaming to the software that players use to activate the machines and play the claws. It requires a 24-hour team to keep everything running, but the company does make use of suppliers from Florida; and China to make sending out the prizes won by its millions of users.

Classic forms of entertainment are being taken from the physical world to the digital world; and yet, they uphold their physical charms and realism through live streaming.