Unveiled at Meta’s second annual Quest gaming showcase event, Ghostbusters VR will allow up to four players to put on the franchise’s legendary proton packs and team up to hunt down San Francisco’s most mischievous ghosts and “solve a deep mystery across a new chapter in the Ghostbusters universe,” as stated on the game’s Meta Quest store page.

Currently a working title with no concrete release date, developer nDreams is hoping to deliver “all the humour and frights from the original franchise,” as reported by Eurogamer. Sure, for old and new fans alike, this recent entry into the ghost-hunting universe is a very exciting development. But what about the rest of the gaming community—heck, what about the rest of the world? Will 2022 be the year to see a successful Ghostbusters reboot? It certainly looks promising. Here’s why.

Originally released in 1984 and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver, the movie Ghostbusters became a huge cult classic that even spawned a sequel, Ghostbusters 2, which was released in 1989. For the next 27 years however, it was as if the franchise itself had departed to the afterlife. Until 2016 came around with a female-fronted reboot of the same name.

2016’s Ghostbusters starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth. Sadly, it was not particularly well received by fans, with some going as far as to wage “a sexism-fueled war against the Melissa McCarthy comedy,” as Newsweek wrote at the time. Long story short, the remake was a monumental flop and its promotional costs stopped it from breaking even. Definitely not the franchise’s proudest moment, and looking back, it might have been at this point that its loyal fans lost hope of a proper sequel ever being made.

Five years later Ghostbusters Afterlife was released, starring most of the original movie’s cast and Finn Wolfhard of the critically acclaimed Netflix original Stranger Things. Set 32 years after the events of Ghostbusters 2, Afterlife was the sequel fans across the globe had been waiting for. Despite being delayed no less than four times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film managed to gross $197 million against a $75 million production cost. Not bad, eh?

With this success in mind and a new addition to the original story paving the way, it seems that Ghostbusters may finally be leaving the afterlife behind—especially with the announcement of this exciting new VR title. It may not be another film, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Taking the franchise in a different direction could be the answer for a true revival.

Looking at how well the Resident Evil VII and Resident Evil 4 VR versions were received, moving into an interactive and immersive type of media seems like the correct move here. Ghostbusters has just the right type of atmosphere and action that would fit perfectly with VR, just like Resident Evil did. And if the short but sweet trailer is anything to go by, nDream has hit the nail on the head. Meta is only going to improve its VR technology as time goes on, which will open up more opportunities for content like this to be developed. This could be a turning point for the franchise to explore more stories in the Ghostbusters universe and branch out to multiple different platforms. I mean, who wouldn’t want to step into the shoes of a supernatural expert?

So where does that leave us? We may not have a new film on our hands but I really don’t think that’s an issue considering the franchise’s track record. Instead, this new project is exciting and fresh, something Ghostbusters has desperately needed. Will the future hold more ghouls and ghosts for us to bust? Or will they simply be laid to rest (once more)? Only time will tell if this new entry to the beloved franchise can truly bring it back to life.

Jumping on the latest trend is often the key to success for many creators—same goes for Twitch and the concept of a ‘meta’. A ‘metagame’ (shortened meta) refers to finding an optimal way of achieving success in the competitive gaming landscape. As streamers constantly look for ways to maximise growth, reach and income, a controversial meta has been cropping up on the scene. Welcome to the slippery little world of hot tub streams.

Taking off as a full-blown trend last month, hot tub streams usually feature female streamers clad in swimwear—broadcasting directly from their bathtubs or swimming pools. Inflatable tubs, green screens and sometimes even buckets are used by streamers who want to jump on the trend with no major investments. Popular on the platform’s ‘Just Chatting’ directory, hot tub streamers can be found lounging in their tubs for hours chatting to their audience about a wide range of topics.

“I wanted some kind of different content and no one else was doing it,” said variety streamer XoAeriel who jump-started the trend. In an interview with Kotaku, the streamer admitted to purchasing a blow-up hot tub from Amazon with LED lights to go inside before streaming. “Views took off pretty quickly and my following started to grow pretty fast. A few streamers started noticing this and ordered blow-up hot tubs for themselves.”

Since the end of March 2021, popular hot tub streamer Amouranth has gained over 500,000 followers. Indiefoxx, the second biggest streamer to regularly stream from a hot tub, gained almost 300,000 and counting. Although others like Spoopy Kitt and XoAeriel haven’t amassed numbers this large, Kotaku noted how they’ve still managed to pull in thousands of fresh viewers in just over a month.

These streamers also come up with constant innovations to keep hot tub streams alive as a trend. Amouranth, for example, now hosts a podcast with other streamers—engaging in some socially-distanced gossiping sessions broadcasted from their respective hot tubs, be it inflatable or full-blown 8 feet swimming pools. Even the coveted VTubers (Virtual YouTubers) have jumped on the craze, streaming their 2D avatars from customised virtual tubs.

If you’re missing the meta breaking #1 hot tub stream of 2021... then who really are you?!? 💦 https://t.co/HJjRccbMon pic.twitter.com/6LQS2YNRHj

— Jake'n'Bake @ Los Angeles 🇺🇸 (@jakenbakeLIVE) April 3, 2021

Let’s start by breaking down the demand and impact of hot tub streams on its audience. While hot tub streams usually pan out like all other streams featured on the platform’s ‘Just Chatting’ section, one of the major differences lies in the conversations that go down in the chats. While some viewers ask standard questions about the streamer’s day and future plans, others leer, pass offensive remarks and go as far as imploring female streamers to remove pieces of clothing.

Firedancer, a variety streamer specialising in makeup and cosplay, outlined how harassment has gone up on Twitch ever since the mainstream popularity of hot tub streams. “Some viewers have also gotten very toxic in the last few weeks,” the streamer added in the interview with Kotaku.

One can first-handedly experience these claims themselves by keeping a close eye on the chats under hot tub streams. For the 10-minute window I watched Amouranth’s recent live, I could spot a plethora of suggestive comments—if not emoji combinations—popping up in numbers hard to keep track of. While some engaged in regular conversations with the streamer, others used zeros to replace the os in the word ‘boobs’ to avoid being banned by the moderators in the chat. Some publicly admitted wanting to see an “accidental wardrobe malfunction” while others advised her to start an OnlyFans.

Amouranth, however, mentioned how she has learned to roll with the toxic side of the popularity. “I’ve seen a lot of more conservative (in terms of attire or demeanour) female broadcasters get undue hate or sexual harassment regardless,” Amouranth said to Kotaku.

As for the case with their fellow streamers, hot tub streamers in particular have been accused of stealing viewers by taking advantage of “horny nerds” on the platform. These niche streamers have been slut-shamed for being “scantily-dressed” and “acting provocatively” in order to increase their viewership and subscriber count. Dubbed “the most pathetic thing seen on Twitch in forever” by co-streamers like xQc, hot tub streams have spurred another controversy as to what constitutes a ‘real gamer’.

While some argue that streamers who “flaunt their body” and focus on looks to succeed can’t be termed ‘real gamers’, others highlight how hot tub streamers set standards for other female streamers—making it difficult to retain subscribers who increasingly expect them to jump on the trend.

However, it should be noted that a ‘gamer’ isn’t necessarily a tag for a special class of people. If you whip out your dusty little Oxford dictionaries, you can see how the word is used to define absolutely anyone with interest in video and role-playing games. It all boils down to our social conditioning in the gaming landscape—where women have to often prove that they’re ‘real’ gamers whereas men are just given the benefit of the doubt.

Went on twitch and seriously got confused as too what app I was actually on....
What in the actual fuck happened to twitch...?!
I really wanna know.... 🤢🤮 pic.twitter.com/gs6LDjRpey

— Nanners 🎮🍣☕️🦋 (@MsBananas_) March 27, 2021

Twitch is a platform well-known for the strict reinforcement of its community guidelines—resulting in numerous bans for the streamers who dare violate them. So why are hot tub streams still a craze on the platform? Why hasn’t Twitch expectedly cracked down on the trend?

“Swimwear is permitted as long as it completely covers the genitals, and those who present as women must also cover their nipples,” reads Twitch’s policy around sexually suggestive content. “Full coverage of buttocks is not required, but camera focus around them is still subject to our sexually suggestive content policy. Coverage must be fully opaque, even when wet. Sheer or partially see-through swimwear or other clothing does not constitute coverage.”

Well, hot tub streams technically abide by all of these rules mentioned. Neither do the cameras “focus on breasts, buttocks, or pelvic region” nor do the streamers wear “sheer or see-through swimwear.” This is why the trend has garnered a ‘loophole’ status in the community—allowing streamers to ‘exploit’ the loophole and broadcast in swimwear from any location which previously required them to be near a pool or beach to do so.

“People are frustrated because they feel like Twitch’s platform is being taken advantage of,” said QTCinderella to Kotaku. “However, hot tub streamers are not taking advantage of the platform because the platform is currently allowing it.” The female streamer thereby urges Twitch to be more vocal with their audiences about their stance on the issue. “By not doing so, it is encouraging a bizarre pent-up resentment,” QTCinderella added.

Over the years, female streamers have been banned from Twitch for wearing tank tops and swimsuits in other contexts. Branded “titty streamers” and other derogatory terms, the controversy around ‘appropriate’ female attire has prompted Twitch to consistently crack down on these streamers. Hot tub streams could either be an ironic ‘movement’ fostered from the ashes of these bans or be a fad waiting for another meta to replace them.

My preferred hot tub stream pic.twitter.com/P8CKCMgGx2

— BIGMAC (@bigmaclostt) April 25, 2021