Starting today, December 6, 2022, YouTube Gaming viewers can use Twitch-inspired Emotes on the platform. The feature is explicitly targeted at gamers, given that YouTube’s first sets of Emotes are exclusively gaming-focused.
Google describes Emotes as “fun sets of static images” that could be used to express emotions in YouTube comment sections and livestreams. What makes these emotes interesting is that Google did not actually make them. In the blog post introducing the feature, Google credits three artists for its initial set of gaming-focused emotes. These artists include Abelle Hayford, Guy Field, & Yujin Won.
for the times where words just aren’t enough… introducing YouTube Emotes! 🥳
now everyone can join in & react to all the biggest Ws across streams w/ new emotes.
we’re starting with emotes for Gaming but more types of emotes to come, stay tuned👀
more: https://t.co/H2iZYffWAS pic.twitter.com/rpTmVvnCtj
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) December 5, 2022
Users can access YouTube’s gaming-focused emotes by clicking on the Smiley icon next to the live chat window. Clicking this option will open up YouTube’s emoji picker window that lists all the emotes and emojis available for use. Like Twitch, YouTube emotes also have specific names and can be invoked by typing in the appropriate short code. In addition, YouTube also supports auto-complete of emoji short codes to make life easier.
While Google has limited these initial sets of emotes to be gaming-centric, the company has confirmed that it is working to bring more emote themes soon. Google, however, stopped short of revealing a timeline for the release of this feature, though.
