Perceived Foolishness: How Does the Saltybet Community Construct AI vs AI Spectatorship?

Abstract

The spectatorship of games has become a topic of growing interest with the parallel rise of esports and livestreaming platforms. Taking Saltybet.com as its primary case study, this paper examines cases where zero-player games played by artificial intelligence-controlled characters are the focus of spectatorship. A discourse analysis identifies trends and themes in the recorded chat transcripts of 15 livestreamed tournaments from Saltybet.com where players bet fake money on the outcome of fighting game matches between AI opponents. Several themes are identified that guide discussion on how spectators discuss AI players as well as their own and the community's behaviour. These insights may be applicable to understanding the broad appeal of the entertainment people derive from AI generally whether they were meant to entertain or not. The discussion explores how the absence of human players and the scale of Saltybet's niche audience contribute to a unique, but foolish space.