What is NPC Streaming?

[00:16] balloon. Gang gang. Indeed NPC or non playable character Tiktok Live streams are the newest Live streams are the newest tiktok craze. Streamers earn real money as they repeat short real money as they repeat short sounds and phrases and carry out odd robotic movements like

[00:30] you're seeing here with more on this strange and very lucrative tiktok trend. I'm joined by Vice tiktok trend. I'm joined by Vice reporter and senior editor of Motherboard. Samantha Cole. Motherboard. Samantha Cole. Samantha This is absolutely fascinating to me. I had no idea

[00:44] fascinating to me. I had no idea about this NPC trend. What's going on here? This is so wild. going on here? This is so wild. Yeah it's fun to watch right. It's kind of crazy and maddening to watch. Um it's thousands of people watching this woman. Do these motions in response to

[00:58] these motions in response to gifts, so people are paying her to respond to little roses or a little emojis or filters, and she does the kind of corresponding action with it, corresponding action with it, and she's making money in real time doing that. And so she does

[01:12] time doing that. And so she does this for hours on end If I'm not mistaken, and this one, the mistaken, and this one, the woman who we were showing she is really the Queen of NPC is known really the Queen of NPC is known as Pinky Doll. She's a Canada based streamer. I mentioned this

[01:26] based streamer. I mentioned this is lucrative. And you mentioned that people are paying for these that people are paying for these icons and for her to do these noises as she's live, she's icons and for her to do these noises as she's live, she's she's made up to $7000 a day and

[01:38] she's made up to $7000 a day and you spoke to her? What'd you learn from her? Yes So I learned that she got into this after she was she ran a small business like cleaning company that she unfortunately lost. So she was like I need to be able to pay rent need to make money somehow,

[01:51] rent need to make money somehow, and she turned to Tiktok to become a creator. Um And yeah, she's making hundreds of thousands of dollars a day doing this people watching and paying this people watching and paying her to these little funding emotions and yeah, it's crazy to

[02:03] emotions and yeah, it's crazy to watch. Can you just talk a little bit more about this idea of non PC? I mean, what is the fascination? Do you think with it because when I'm watching it it because when I'm watching it , and like I said, it is fascinating, and I could watch

[02:16] her. I think for hours because she seems Like she's almost not her. I think for hours because she seems Like she's almost not real. Yeah that's so in gaming characters are just other people. You interact with their scripted so they don't have like

[02:29] a role beyond what the video game developer has program for them, So that's kind of what she is pretending to be. In a way people are interacting with her , and she says the same thing every single time. I think it's kind of like that casino affect that candy crush effect. It's

[02:44] that candy crush effect. It's very bright and shiny and fun and Kind of noisy and cute and it's mesmerizing. You could watch it like you said, like I could watch it for, you know, at this kind of thing, um, an embarrassing amount of time spent on tiktok watching people

[02:59] do this stuff and lots of people are copying her as well. So there's a lot of it out there varying success. I mean, she makes it seem easy. She told you that it's a breeze for her. Obviously this is a talent of hers to be able to do this trends, though, come to come

[03:13] trends, though, come to come come to also be, um maybe side. Lined by some downside, So the downside perhaps to this is that it's become sexualized in some way. Is that right? Yeah I mean,

[03:25] tiktok is there's no explicit content allowed on tiktok so content allowed on tiktok so people creators are very careful about not going past that edge. around that is, you know, you make something that is fascinating and mesmerizing to

[03:38] fascinating and mesmerizing to watch in a way that you have to watch it and say what's going on watch it and say what's going on here is this sexualized, Is it not? It's definitely you know, a pretty woman doing something that I don't really understand. So in that way, it is a little

[03:50] So in that way, it is a little fetish. E. Um but yeah, it's safe for work on Tiktok. But she also has an only fans, and she has other other sidekicks as well. So she does have an only well. So she does have an only fans as well. But safe for work on Tiktok and I think what she's

[04:03] on Tiktok and I think what she's making seven figures at this point. Yes She's making a lot of money she's making. I don't I don't know the exact amount, but it's safe to say she's making a living easily. Easily Alright, Well, I'm a fan of Pinky doll now, and I'm a fan of yours.

[04:19] Samantha Cole. We want to also let people know you've written a book. Very interesting. One is called how sex changed the Internet and the Internet changed sex and unexpected Internet and the Internet changed sex and unexpected history. By Samantha Cole. It is

[04:31] history. By Samantha Cole. It is available now. She is the senior editor of Vice's motherboard. available now. She is the senior editor of Vice's motherboard. Thanks