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Comment by astura | Hacker News Reader

What in Earth do you mean a "quid pro quo?" Twitch user gives entertainment and in return the donor kicks in some cash of they want to. Just like a busker.

If you feel they provide you with $500 in entertainment and you have a spare $500, then it makes sense.

That's like asking "why would you go to a casino when you know casinos make lots of money?"

If you're watching Larry David's shows the business transaction has already taken place. Larry David doesn't stream his shows for free and give you the opportunity to give him donations in exchange and then thank donors during the episode.

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Twitch user gives entertainment and in return the donor kicks in some cash of they want to. Just like a busker.

I understand the busker metaphor, but the $100/$500 donations we hear about most often are to successful streamers, so it's more like throwing $500 at Axel Rose. That's the bit I find interesting.

Such donations strike me as unusually altruistic for the demographic involved, in a way that we don't see en masse in other public online venues (such as on YouTube, donating to open source, Instagram, bloggers, etc.) I'm quite interested in learning more about the psychology around that because I think other arenas deserve it too.

Same reason why Axel Rose being rich and successful doesn't stop fans from buying albums, going to shows, and buying merch.

Presumably those fans are buying those things at least in part because they want to have the album, concert experience, or merch. With twitch donations/tips you get comparatively very little in return - your username might pop up in a video overlay for a few seconds, and the streamer might be like "hey thanks, [username]!". Those 3-4 seconds are typically the entirety of your several-hundered-dollar experience.

Those effects can't really be considered to be "your several-hundred-dollar experience", because you get them all, even the on-screen "thanks", for a much lesser tip. What people are getting out of the large tips is something else.

Well the difference is that most fans don’t mind paying the money to get those items, they don’t typically just hand him money for nothing just because they like him. Twitch subscription is like a concert: you get something in return, but donating large amounts for nothing to already successful streamers is a bit odd.

But not that odd: I’ve backed people on patreon because I liked what they do and wanted to reward them - even though they were already making good money on it - and then never actually accessed the rewards. So I do get it.

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