When a group of strangers are dropped into a stressful, unfamiliar situation, it is very likely that there will be some personalities that clash. When that group of strangers is made up of content creators and that unfamiliar situation is the multiplayer survival sandbox game Rust, that clashing of personalities plays out for all to see on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming.
This is essentially what has happened on a private Rust server, hosted by content creation group OfflineTV. The mix of streamers has led to some contentious moments, with some of the invitees to the Rust server griefing other players and stirring up drama. This, in turn, has generated headlines and attracted viewers.
A game like Rust creates the perfect environment for "entertainment" of this type. With only some very basic goals driving gameplay, how the game develops for those involved largely depends on the interactions between players. This allows streamers' own personalities room to influence the game. If someone is competitive, the game will take on a more competitive nature if that person's influence is strong enough. Likewise, if a majority aim for collaboration, the game will shift and become a more cooperative affair. Personality types emerge, and soon enough, the whole thing begins to resemble another form of entertainment: Reality TV.
Drama in the Rust OfflineTV Server
In the week that the OfflineTV Rust server has been active, there has been conflict between some of the participants, but most of this seems to revolve around controversial streamer Felix 'xQc' Lengyel. The French-Canadian streamer has found himself in hot water before, having been banned on Twitch for a number of reasons including stream sniping and broadcasting explicit material on his channel. But here, xQc threw an accusation of stream sniping at fellow Twitch streamer Ali 'Myth' Kabbani after being killed in an out-of-the-way area of the map.
This was followed shortly by another accusation of stream sniping against Edison Park, a former OfflineTV member. xQc and his Rust clan "Team Rocket" crashed a helicopter in the game, leaving behind a fair amount of loot. Park received outside information indicating where the crash site was, and was able to collect all of xQc's left behind loot. Park offered to return everything to Team Rocket, feeling bad he had collected the gear using outside information that shouldn't have been available to him. xQc took to Twitter to bemoan the "double standard" he was being held to with regard to stream sniping.
Finally, while all of these stream sniping accusations were flying, xQc also got into a spat with streamer ash_on_lol. After Ash tried to help xQc, she was berated by the streamer for being "useless." Despite clearing the air and xQc apologizing for going too far, it didn't stop his fans from sending Ash death threats.
The Fallout from the Rust OfflineTV Server
While there is officially no right or wrong way to play a sandbox game like Rust, many players in the game saw xQc's behavior as unbefitting of the spirit of OfflineTV's server. Popular streamer Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek wanted xQc gone, saying the members of xQc's Team Rocket were making him "low-key mad" with their aggressive playstyle. This was after noting, quite presciently, days earlier that xQc's presence on the server would likely lead to it "imploding."
The PvP-heavy elements of the game, and perhaps the aggressive behavior of the Team Rocket clan, would be too much for OfflineTV member Imane 'Pokimane' Anys to handle. After only a couple of days on the server, Pokimane announced she would be quitting Rust, saying that she would possibly return if there was a greater focus on role playing.
As a result of all the drama, OfflineTV's BaboAbe has announced that a new Rust server will be set up. This server will focus more on role-playing elements, with controlled PvP interactions. OfflineTV is working with Rust's developer, Facepunch Studios, to make the changes, which will include some "special features" according to Shroud.
OfflineTV to RealityTV
A successful reality TV show, one that draws in eyeballs, is usually one that has strong characters and is steeped in drama, such as Housewives of [insert city here] or Big Brother. Bringing together A-type personalities and expecting them to play nice is never the intention. Confrontation is inevitable, and savvy Reality TV producers know it means ratings.
The majority of the OfflineTV Rust server participants seem like laidback, friendly streamers. After all, OfflineTV member LilyPichu is giving gifts to her fans in an effort to bring more positivity to 2021, which makes the decision to include streamers that generate controversy, like xQc and Myth, seem almost intentional. A Big Brother house where everyone quietly and politely lives with one another would see viewership drop off quickly. Fans of the OfflineTV crew would tune in, but a private server for a two year old game where everyone gets along wouldn't get attention.
In one of his streams, xQc talks about wanting to stir up trouble, saying that it would "make a great narrative." This is a fairly clear admission that he knows what he is doing is creating drama. He enjoys playing the villain role, and that's fine. That is xQc's brand of entertainment, but it doesn't have to be so dramatic. Taking a break from causing chaos, xQc represented fellow streamer Blaustoise in a mock murder trial on the server, showing that the controversial French-Canadian streamer can shift gears and take part in role-playing elements civilly.
Similarly, Myth sees the reality TV element of the Rust server, tweeting out "the season finale for the rust server is happening today" while also aware that his antics are causing grief, tweeting "another day, another opportunity to make team rocket mald" [the portmanteau of "mad" and "bald" used to describe rage on the internet].
When considering how these conflicts brought in viewers, the trumped-up drama has made the OfflineTV server a success. It likely elevated the profile of those involved, as follower numbers for Shroud, xQc, and Myth all probably saw substantial bumps during their Rust streams. Not only have those involved seen a boost, but Rust is also benefiting from increased exposure.
The game quickly moved into Twitch's top 5 in viewership numbers, increasing nearly fourfold to well over 100,000 viewers and creating more involvement from all walks of life. One new Rust server, known as EGOLAND, has formed and features some of the biggest names on Twitch, with Auronplays, El Rubius, ibai, and TheGrefg all taking part. With this latest server, Rust now sits firmly in the top spot for Twitch viewers, reaching over 1.2 million viewers on January 3rd. The game is likely looking to maintain this newfound momentum, as Rust has PS4 and Xbox One versions coming out in 2021, and these servers likely go a long way in maintaining that.
Is This Good Twitch TV?
The whole experiment seems to have gone as expected, as attention was gained with the introduction of wild card streamers like xQc and Myth. Viewership numbers for streamers involved and for the game itself likely went up. Now the developer is working with OfflineTV to bring changes to the game, and thanks to the buzz generated by the drama in the Rust server, those changes are getting equal parts attention.
Everything about this just feels like a reality show. The problem with reality shows that force drama is sometimes fans, or those involved, take it too seriously. Ash_on_lol receiving death threats proof of that, while it remains to be seen how reception and interaction in this serve makes some of the participants feel. It could be that the OfflineTV server got out of hand unintentionally, but the optics of inviting controversial streamers to participate make it seem as if OfflineTV was welcoming the potential for things to go off the rails. The accusations, insults, and death threats thrown at other streamers that resulted doesn't seem positive for anyone. Hopefully, future attempts to create content on private servers doesn't completely devolve into reality tv territory.