In A New Video Game, Twitch Chat Decides Your Fate

In its basic form, Twitch’s chat box allows its users to comment on gameplay footage and spread dank memes. A new video game, however, will give Twitch chat a lot more power. It’s called Choice Chamber, and it leaves the fate of each player for his fans to decide.

Choice Chamber, from developer Studio Bean, doesn’t allow its players to choose any of their own circumstances. Instead, viewers use Twitch chat to vote on the environments the player must traverse, the weapons he can equip, and the powerups he receives. It’s the most recent game designed around the participation of spectators; another recent example of this trend is Jackbox’s Quiplash.

Twitch is not just the platform on which Choice Chamber is hosted; in addition, the streaming video platform kicked in funds to support Studio Bean’s Kickstarter and ensure the game’s production. Twitch’s active participation in the development process should not be a surprise, given the incredible success the site has seen with other games based around its chat. Most significantly, Twitch Plays Pokemon

became a worldwide phenomenon when it gathered thousands of simultaneous viewers for a chaotic playthrough of Pokemon Red.

“The Twitch community has already shown extraordinary enthusiasm for interactive games using Twitch chat,” said Brooke Van Dusen, Director of Business Development at Twitch, as quoted by The Next Web. “Choice Chamber is an excellent example of how developers can embrace this next-generation concept, so we are helping support this evolution of gameplay experiences in the age of social video.”

If you’d like to give Choice Chamber a spin, you can pick up a copy through Steam or Humble Bundle. Be forewarned, though; if you want to get the full experience, you’ll need to bring in some followers.