Streaming in the Age of COVID

How’s self-isolation treating you? Personally, it’s been really tough. My support network’s pretty strong, and I have many ways to keep busy, but I’m getting vibes from when my alma mater went on strike. The only difference is that I have nowhere to go wind down because everything’s closed! Isn’t that great?

Anyway, with my job currently on suspension, I’ve been outsourcing entertainment. I have my writing, and Zoom’s been lots of help, but it’s not the most enjoyable situation to be in. Thankfully, much of my time has been spent on Twitch with people around the world who are as bored as I am. It makes me feel less anxious.

See, last Summer I purchased Super Mario Maker 2 for my Switch. The game was a lot of fun, but its primary gimmick, designing levels, was too daunting. Even with having purchased a year’s subscription to Nintendo Online, I wasn’t getting much use of my Switch save the occasional VS match in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So by the time I was ready to make levels and share them online, I was over Super Mario Maker 2. Ergo, I shelved it.

Fast-forward to late-February, when COVID-19 hit. I don’t want to downplay the virus, but all this newfound free time was absolutely perfect to pick up the game again. So I started designing new levels. And because designing levels only takes an hour at best, I decided to sniff out people to play them. My Twitter Mutuals only played Super Mario Maker 2 occasionally, but, fortunately, I went to the one place I knew I could fish for feedback: Twitch.

What makes Super Mario Maker 2 perfect for Livestreams is that the levels are designed to be interactive. Unlike a Zelda game, where the experience is contained, Super Mario Maker 2 thrives on the link between creator and player. The game also allows for feedback, including the ability to comment on the level. This is brilliant, and it’s a great way to keep everything exciting.

Now, Twitch wasn’t foreign before COVID, I’ve had an account for years, but it never really seemed like a worthy investment. With an epidemic forcing the world into hibernation, however, that changed. Now Twitch was my go-to for communication. Now I could share my frustrations as I watched people’s levels get played on Twitch. Now I had something to stay occupied.

And I took full-advantage. Considering that a level has a 9-digit code, all I had to do was “!add” it to a queue and wait my turn. It was no different than waiting for an appointment: it’d come in due time. In the meantime, I had to stay occupied. Sometimes it took a few minutes, others a few hours. But as long as I didn’t leave, my level would be played eventually.

Waiting also gave me a chance to get to know the different Livestreamers’ personalities. Some of them were clowns, and some were straight-faced. Some allowed for profanity, others didn’t. Some were young, and some were old. Some had kids, and some didn’t. But all of them were happy to play people’s levels, irrespective of language or nationality.

I like that. The world can be a dark and scary place, hence I should be careful, but Livestreamers playing my levels was always reassuring. It showed me how connected we all were, as we were simply stuck in a bad situation. It also gave me incentives to make more levels to test out. For comparison, I had 5 levels before COVID-19 hit. I’m now up to 25, and possibly counting.

To finish this off, here are some of my favourite levels that I’ve made, complete with their IDs:

1. No hit coin run (CK1-DLW-0YF)

Easily the best of my early levels. The objective is to collect all of the Key Coins and make it to the end without getting hit. Sounds simple? It’s not. Going by the low Clear Rate, people seem to keep struggling.

2. Link’s uderworld nightmare (SH7-B88-PPG)

When Link was added as a playable character for the Super Mario Bros. 1 template, you knew I’d take advantage of him! Another simple level, this one forces you to use Link (twice) to beat. The second time, you’re required to face-off against Bowser Jr. in a close-quarters arena. Again, this one isn’t easy, going by its low Clear Rate. And yes, I misspelled “underworld”.

3. Henry Thoreau’s Forest (6GY-YC0-BVF)

Inspired by the short story, this is a Key Coin scavenger hunt. For something so personal, it’s amazing how many Clear Checks it took to get right. I kept screwing up basic ideas in-level, only to then create new problems when I fixed them. Still, it works, so...yeah. It’s also lots of fun.

4.-7. Sky-high boopin’ (QD4-7KG-RPF)/Sky-high boopin’ 2 (X95-T99-8PF)/Sky-high boopin’ 3 (G4L-PDJ-LWF)/Sky-high boopin’ 4: Carnivalle! (587-N1B-90G)

The final levels on this list, I grouped them together because they share a motif: infiltrate the airship, defeat the Boom-Booms/Pom-Poms and make it to the end goal. These weren’t only my favourite levels to make, but my favourite levels to watch on Livestreams. They’re quick, breezy and make for some unique platforming. They also follow a straight-forward formula. If I make a fifth entry, and I’m considering it, I might do it in the only template remaining: Super Mario Bros. 1.

That does it for now. Enjoy!