About KLEI: Crabpack and the Giveaway experience.

[_mylilsunshine_]

I recently won the code for the exclusive Crabpack (Backpack) skin in a Twitch stream giveaway of streamer XY. Before this, I was going to participate in a boss-run tournament of streamer YZ to (most likely) win the code.

Spoiler

While I am grateful for the Crabpack skin that I got for free without spending a single dime toward Klei or any streamer, I cannot describe the experience of giveaways as pleasant. To my knowledge, the gift codes are distributed between Klei's selected ambassadors (amb),

• if I wanted to participate in a giveaway, I often have to join in streams that are outside of my available hours and/or by streamers that I don't particularly enjoy and/or streamers speaking different languages altogether.
• when I join a stream, the giveaway criteria are sometimes arbitrary and not exactly guaranteed throughout the long duration of a stream. Streamers often draw the prize only after X hours, or when Y condition is met. The Y condition is especially ambiguous since you can't know when it will happen or if it will happen at all.
• some conditions feel.. degrading/undignifying. Usually, to enter a giveaway, you just have to type in !ticket or a keyword, and the winner will be drawn later. And I am okay with that. But sometimes streamers ask you to do things and then announce the winner, all in a short window. Looking at chat performing those tasks together to enter the giveaway, I feel like we are [redacted] trying to earn that Crabpack. I understand that I am being personal, and it's only my mind that's making the connection, just that I can't help but feel that way. You can look at it as the streamers engaging with their community in a wholesome manner, and it is completely fair. I just happen to look at it differently.
• the boss-run tournament I mentioned is the only guaranteed chance I've seen so far between all of the amb. But even then, I think it is quite exclusive to those who play the game at a higher level than the others, even if it's only a little bit better. The chance is guaranteed so of course you'd have to put in more of your effort and skill, and you deserve it, but it can feel alienating to a different group of players. (This is not the only Crabpack event by streamer YZ though, there are more chances for everyone)

I understand that the giveaways are meant to boost viewerships for Klei's amb (partially), but I don't think it's a healthy direction for the community to be going,

• I enjoy watching streamer XY, so I had little problems with giveaways. But if someone is not particularly fond of the streaming format, or can't tune in to a long stream at all, which is a definitive fact since there are X or Y conditions before the winner is drawn, participating in these giveaways can be draining.
• I've seen streams of amb where people just frequently type in !ticket !crabpack !giveaway etc. etc. instead of interacting with chat and the streamers. I've seen smaller, non-amb streamers putting no crabpack or no giveaway etc etc in their stream title, which is heartbreaking to think about especially when seeing their exceptionally low viewer count. There's no denying Klei's amb program and now the Crabpack event have been siphoning off potential from smaller content creators.

Spoiler

by u/Tiberian39

• when you present a cost-free way (at least money-wise) to acquire an exclusive, limited-availability item, people will experience the fear of missing out (FOMO). "since it's free, I might as well join", "since it's free, I might have a chance", "I don't know when this chance will come again, so I must take it now" etc. etc. FOMO has never been sustainable, it drains the community by "forcing" them to perform actions that they don't particularly enjoy, and put everyone in a competitive mood for a prize (I think). What is the point of high viewership when some or most viewers can hardly enjoy the time?
• yes, I do know that Klei only distributes the codes, it's up to the amb to then give it away however they like. And I feel like that's precisely the problem, when amb tries to squeeze the most viewership out of those codes, rather than genuinely engaging with their community. Again, however they like, but I am free to speculate on it. 

I'm not the best with words, and all of this is personally speaking. I tried my best to leave out any information that might single out specific creators, and used neutral language. It is not my intention to criticize creators or draw negative attention to you. I apologize if things do go sour. This is to raise the problem about how Klei is handling the Ressurection event specifically, and the Klei ambassador situation as a whole.

Again, I am grateful for getting the skin, but I would've just as happily paid for the merch and then received the code. I believe many feel the same way. I am not making this post to be entitled and want Klei/amb to just give everyone a code. This general problem has been raised before, and the team has acknowledged it. Now I want to bring it back up after the event has been going on for a while. Again, I believe this is not a healthy direction for the team and the community to be going.

I have been thinking about this, but I struggle with medical memory deficits so I might have left out some things. Feel free to chime in and speak your mind.

edit: Some clarifications,

• Do I have to have the Crabpack? No.
• Am I forced or Do I feel forced to participate? No.
• Do I lose anything monetary-wise when I participate? No.

But if someone does want the Crabpack, which is understandable because it is genuinely a good skin and the novelty is attractive, they shouldn't come out of this experience drained and dissatisfied.

Edited March 18, 2025 by _mylilsunshine_

[Cheggf]

Yes, this whole thing sucks. I'm ignoring it completely, since I don't really care about jumping through all the random hoops random people have set for me wasting hours of my time in the hopes that maybe if I'm lucky there's a chance I'll get a skin in a videogame. 

1 hour ago, _mylilsunshine_ said:

What is the point of high viewership when some or most viewers can hardly enjoy the time? 

More Twitch viewers pushes the game up, it's like free advertising. 

[Captain_Rage]

I haven't tuned in to the streams because I don't find them interesting in general and what you wrote confirms the worries I was trying to avoid. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and summarizing your experience. Even on the rare occasions I was investigating if there are any fun streams out there (nowadays and long ago), it all-so-often boiled down to what you described. There are a few bad actors on top who use despicable practices to gain more views which hammers the channels that don't resort to such things to gain followers. Handing out exclusive items under the guise of good faith and generosity indeed will make the discrepancy between the bad people on top and more casual streamers wider. Of course most popular streamers are good people who has built a wholesome community together, but the exceptions out there were enough to keep me from interacting with any of them for any reason, even though their methods never affected me personally.

[_mylilsunshine_]

7 minutes ago, Cheggf said:

More Twitch viewers pushes the game up, it's like free advertising. 

Yup I get that, I was trying to speak to Klei as a concious team of developers instead of something capitalistic and profit-driven.

5 minutes ago, Captain_Rage said:

There are a few bad actors on top who use despicable practices to gain more views which hammers the channels that don't resort to such things to gain followers. Handing out exclusive items under the guise of good faith and generosity indeed will make the discrepancy between the bad people on top and more casual streamers wider. Of course most popular streamers are good people who has built a wholesome community together, but the exceptions out there were enough to keep me from interacting with any of them for any reason, even though their methods never affected me personally.

It's kinda like what Cheggf said, jumping through hoops and wasting your own time for a chance. Or like someone else has said, like those Mine Mine Mine seagulls in Finding Nemo. I find some of the giveaways made me feel undignifying, and taken advantage of. 

[Dandefender]

1) 95% of the skins were distributes through randomly generated winners from time to time. I know that because I participated of 4 random "insert crabpack and wait for a name to be selected at random".

 

2) The codes were given to embassadors to be distributed as they wanted it. If the streamer likes boss rush and think it's cool to have a community engagement that's his problem ( and viewers who like him). It's not "degrading ".

 

3) Several giveaways are done by "insert name and wait". It's nothing new. 

 

4) Now you wrote a whole essay to complain about the 1% YOU CHOSE AND COMPLY to participate of one skin given by an unusual way once.

 

Yes, you indeed have a lot of free and useless time in your hands buddy... you just don't realize it.

 

 

 

[_mylilsunshine_]

49 minutes ago, Dandefender said:

902 words, about a high school-level essay 

[Cheggf]

51 minutes ago, Dandefender said:

4) Now you wrote a whole essay to complain about the 1% YOU CHOSE AND COMPLY to participate of one skin given by an unusual way once.

 

Yes, you indeed have a lot of free and useless time in your hands buddy... you just don't realize it.

I am able to type the amount of words that he typed up in this post in about five minutes. If I want to make it all fancy and proofread it and such it might take at most 10 or 15 minutes. To act like what he's done is a ridiculous amount of effort is to betray the fact that you are unable to write things at the speed I was able to do so way back in middle school.

Be more constructive next time. Your comment is just angry insults. This serves no purpose.

[_mylilsunshine_]

@Dandefender

I can only assume this is you referencing my post in YZ's stream? It's one thing to be unconstructive in my post, but it's another to twist my words with other people and use it against my point, especially behind my back.

 

Edited March 18, 2025 by _mylilsunshine_

[Cruvimaster]

I think all the incentives that Klei provides to content creators are important. There are creators whose only source of financial income is Twitch.

About the backpack, I think it's ugly, but I'd like to have it just for the collection. The Gloomer backpack is the one I'd really like to have. And I usually use this backpack in the first few days of a new world (3 to 5 days) until I get the piggyback.

Unfortunately, Klei doesn't bring new skins for piggyback...

[_mylilsunshine_]

3 minutes ago, Cruvimaster said:

I think all the incentives that Klei provides to content creators are important. There are creators whose only source of financial income is Twitch.

I understand and I totally respect that, this is just to once again expand on the giveaway&Klei ambassadorship situation that they have already acknowledged. 

[Uedo]

I've never seen the incentive, I simply couldn't care less about getting a skin for watching a streamer I don't know, or care about. In this instance I'm pretty happy with my current backpack skin, but yeah generally I just don't think it's worth it - there have been nice skins i've liked in the past
 

[_mylilsunshine_]

13 minutes ago, Uedo said:

I've never seen the incentive, I simply couldn't care less about getting a skin for watching a streamer I don't know, or care about. In this instance I'm pretty happy with my current backpack skin, but yeah generally I just don't think it's worth it - there have been nice skins i've liked in the past

I feel the same way, I would've been fine with or without the skin. But during the event, I tuned into some ambassadors' streams because they were recommended to me. And now I gave my thoughts on what I saw, even just briefly. I participated 5-6 times in streamer XY because I was already there, watching and interacting, so it's an- "eh why not"- kind of feeling. I got lucky, and even when I claimed the skin to see if it felt good, well not quite exactly.

So if I don't like the skin even when redeemed and don't like giveaways in general, why do I complain/participate in something I don't like? Well, I just don't want this kind of event to happen again, when a skin that I do like appears and it's too late to make suggestions. I believe Klei can handle these things more elegantly and efficiently.

Edited March 18, 2025 by _mylilsunshine_

[wormwood123]

Correct me if i am wrong. Didn't they say that it would be available to purchase in someway later down the line?

[Cheggf]

2 minutes ago, wormwood123 said:

Correct me if i am wrong. Didn't they say that it would be available to purchase in someway later down the line?

That is correct

[_mylilsunshine_]

1 minute ago, wormwood123 said:

Correct me if i am wrong. Didn't they say that it would be available to purchase in someway later down the line?

No you are correct, here is the exact wording:

Quote

We have skins that are no longer available because they are proof of purchase rewards on official merch that are no longer for sale. We want to make these available to players but do not want to disrupt the inherent value that they have by their rarity and cost to acquire. We also have players that cannot get these skins through purchasing our merch due to issues with supply or the cost of shipping.

When introducing a new Resurrected Skin, we will give it away for a short period of time for free - through various methods. Either at that time or just a short while afterward, that skin will then also be added to the game as available for purchase based on a percentage of the original cost of the physical good that digital bonus item was linked to.

For our first Resurrected skin, we are giving a number of the Resurrected Crabpack skin codes available to ambassadors to give away in any way that they choose. It will become available for purchase in game at a later time. 

But I think that this information is not exactly well-known, or is overshadowed by the Giveaway event. I think it would be fine if they had just said that.. the skin would be available for purchase in-game.

So Klei is using the early-access and exclusiveness of the skin to draw in viewership, and those who want the skin early and/or free are paying with their time and views. This is a fair trade-off, win-win I suppose, and a known business model. I just don't like it.

[Cheggf]

3 minutes ago, _mylilsunshine_ said:

So Klei is using the early-access and exclusiveness of the skin to draw in viewership, and those who want the skin early and/or free are paying with their time and views. This is a fair trade-off, win-win I suppose, and a known business model. I just don't like it.

Also we don't know how much the skin is going to cost. Some people believe the skin is going to be like $40. I think that's obviously wrong and a tenfold exaggeration, but I still have seen quite a few people think it's going to be really expensive so they gotta get it on Twitch for free.

[_mylilsunshine_]

Just now, Cheggf said:

Also we don't know how much the skin is going to cost. Some people believe the skin is going to be like $40. I think that's obviously wrong and a tenfold exaggeration, but I still have seen quite a few people think it's going to be really expensive so they gotta get it on Twitch for free.

The original owner of the skin had to buy the plush for the code, or get the code when buying the plush. People have argued that the cost for later-owner should be proportional or similar to the OG owner. Klei also agreed that they "do not want to disrupt the inherent value that they have by their rarity and cost to acquire."

Here is a plush I found online, with no code it's already $20, not to mention shipping and such. So if later-owner wants the Crabpack skin, they'd have to pay close or more than that price for it to be fair to the OG owner. This does not include inflation. I don't know about the original price of the plush though.

Spoiler

 

[mima_]

i dont mind about the giveaway thingy but once i go to one streamer with 10 viewers randomly (FYI i already got the crabpack, i just like to see small count streamers)..
he and the chat said (might be misstranslation but i think its done in unpleasant way) to one of random viewers that ask if the giveaway still available in english (streamer speak in another language but use english tag) and they said why should this streamer go to someone who join just to get the skin and never come back,laugh about it.. 
lmao...
 

[Radicaljoe]

I like the giveaways. But, I may be biased because I like watching streams. If no one is in your time zone/ streaming at reasonable hours I can understand not liking the method of getting the crab skin.

My only issue with the system is that one person can get multiple codes, and I've heard some people have been selling codes after winning them. But, I'm not worried about scalping prices, because klei said they are going to sell the item later at a percentage of the original plush, and with how reasonable klei is, I imagine around $10.

[_mylilsunshine_]

8 minutes ago, Radicaljoe said:

I like the giveaways. But, I may be biased because I like watching streams. If no one is in your time zone/ streaming at reasonable hours I can understand not liking the method of getting the crab skin.

My only issue with the system is that one person can get multiple codes, and I've heard some people have been selling codes after winning them. But, I'm not worried about scalping prices, because klei said they are going to sell the item later at a percentage of the original plush, and with how reasonable klei is, I imagine around $10.

mm but the thing is, there's a chance that people might not know about klei selling the skins later, so they might buy from a scalper. and we still don't know exactly when or how or just the details of the "sell later", so for now, there's still a chance people might take advantage of this situation and people might get taken advantage of.

[BezKa]

If you go at it with "I want the skin so I'm watching random people" it will feel unrewarding for everyone.

If you're watching a streamer because you like them, and they have codes on hand to give out, it feels way more fun. It is the "ideal" scenario and not the case for most people.

Not to say I blame anyone for wanting the skin, it's cute and I have it from the plush i bought and am overjoyed more people will get to have it, but it has been confirmed you will be able to buy the skin yourself if you don't like to deal with streamers' whims.

I don't think there's much Klei can do, other than make some guidelines for streamers (which either already exist, or are pointless because that would greatly limit the hijinks streamers can come up with) or my next suggestion, so it's mostly on the community to make the situation better- supporting streamers that do something fun with the giveaways, muting people who say things "only here for the skin lol" and such.

And for Klei here's my suggestion: give the codes and release the skins for buying at the same time. People who want the skin NOW can just go buy it, and people who want to risk random draws and jump through hoops to earn them from a streamer can go do just that.

[_mylilsunshine_]

13 minutes ago, BezKa said:

If you go at it with "I want the skin so I'm watching random people" it will feel unrewarding for everyone.

If you're watching a streamer because you like them, and they have codes on hand to give out, it feels way more fun. It is the "ideal" scenario and not the case for most people.

yeah i didn't participate in random ambassadors' streams, i don't even type out !giveaway or !crabpack to see how they're giving it out. i watched for a while before deciding if i like the stream and should stay. no luck though.

so i stick with my comfort streamer XY who, unfortunately for me and not their fault, streams from midnight to early morning at my time. so it's either watching overnight, find another streamer, or not get the crab. i remember me barely reacting to when i won the crab because i was sleep-deprived (i was also staying up late for a different reason, i didn't have to stay up late for the giveaway).

13 minutes ago, BezKa said:

I don't think there's much Klei can do, other than make some guidelines for streamers (which either already exist, or are pointless because that would greatly limit the hijinks streamers can come up with) or my next suggestion, so it's mostly on the community to make the situation better- supporting streamers that do something fun with the giveaways, muting people who say things "only here for the skin lol" and such.

one of my streamers discussed the possibility of a DST trivia contest for the crab, which sounded really exciting for me. i sometimes watch this streamer/youtuber Polarlotus who often host public servers with their community to do silly contests and such, like snowman building contest or hell's kitchen cook-off. i thought that would've been lovely to compete for the crab.

13 minutes ago, BezKa said:

And for Klei here's my suggestion: give the codes and release the skins for buying at the same time. People who want the skin NOW can just go buy it, and people who want to risk random draws and jump through hoops to earn them from a streamer can go do just that.

this sounds really good to me, like genuinely what i thought had been the case. 

Edited March 18, 2025 by _mylilsunshine_

[WilsonHiggs]

Didn't they say that the skins would be avaraible in the klei shop after a while or did i dreamed that? Would be good if true because i dont have time to hunt for giveaways or to watch streamers for hours to get it

[_mylilsunshine_]

1 minute ago, WilsonHiggs said:

Didn't they say that the skins would be avaraible in the klei shop after a while or did i dreamed that? Would be good if true because i dont have time to hunt for giveaways or to watch streamers for hours to get it

yeah i answered it here

 

[Jakepeng99]

4 hours ago, wormwood123 said:

Correct me if i am wrong. Didn't they say that it would be available to purchase in someway later down the line?

Tbh that also makes the whole twitch thing feel more pointless.