Introduction

Genvid is an interactive game-streaming solution. It leverages established streaming platforms (YouTube Gaming, Twitch, Mixer, etc.) and extends the user experience with a groundbreaking layer that allows spectators to start taking an active role in their viewing experience.

While traditional broadcasting streams the exact same content to all viewers, Genvid allows each viewer to customize their viewing experience with additional game data that they can choose to view–-or not view. With Genvid, spectators can tailor what additional game information is displayed based on their tastes, transforming streaming from a “one-size-fits-all” type of content to a truly personalized experience.

But it doesn’t stop there. What makes Genvid even more compelling is that the viewing experience is now bi-directional! With Genvid, viewers can now communicate back to the game and influence it remotely. Viewers are no longer passive: They are active, participating members of the gaming experience.

Who is Genvid for? What is its intended use?

Genvid is a broadcasting solution for game developers and professional broadcasters of game content who want to create revolutionary, interactive streams for events, their own official channels, etc.

Genvid is intended to be integrated into a specialized build of your game, dedicated to rendering an interesting view for the spectator; similar to what a spectator-mode client would show. (You must provide a spectator mode to integrate Genvid properly.)

Currently, the intended use-case of the system is for a single or limited number of streams managed by the game developer who is deploying the modified game client to a server and embedding their stream into a website owned by the developer/broadcaster.

Where do I start?

The Quick Tour Guide section gives you a quick overview of what Genvid is, as well as some instructions you will need to get a Genvid Cluster up and running quickly.

The Architecture section explains how Genvid achieves its scalability, illustrates how the various components interact with one another, and defines some key design concepts.

The Genvid Native Software Development Kit and Genvid Web Software Development Kit sections describe how developers can modify an existing spectator client to communicate with the various Genvid components and how to tweak and customize the website they need to operate in order to drive an interactive stream.