Bridge has seen a lot of streaming and recording lately.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s part of a natural evolution process for the game – and it might very well be one of the things considered integral to the future of playing bridge online. Recorded bridge also means that games can be watched by thousands and played back long after the cards have been packed away. 

It allows players to watch, learn, broadcast and play. 

The acceptance of webcams into the world of bridge can also mean that there’s more opportunity for emerging flaws, faults and faux-pas related to camera use.

Mistakes and embarrassments can be streamed. Gasp! Now, they can be recorded.

Here’s a look at webcam do’s, don’ts and disasters for bridge.

#1: When Not in Use…       

When they’re not in use, webcams are best unplugged, removed entirely or disabled in your settings. 

Keeping a webcam perpetually set to on forever can lead to unintentionally broadcasting, streaming or recording things that aren’t your bridge game (and weren’t meant for people to see). It can also leave you vulnerable to webcam hackers of the internet.

As a side-note, remember that webcams are both visual and sound input. This means that you might also have to check your device’s microphone settings.

Covering the camera with a sticker (or sometimes a lens cap) helps.

For security reasons, the webcam is one of the most important things to secure on a new PC.

#2: Dress for It

A two-way webcam connection means that, well, someone’s going to see what you look like. It also means this image might go on the internet.

Dress for the occasion when recording or streaming: No, this doesn’t mean dress fancy. What this means is: Remember to wear pants.

There’s a video on YouTube of an unfortunate interview where one of the users assumed their camera was off, stood up from their desk – and, well, remember what I just said up there about remembering to wear pants? He didn’t, to the horror of everyone else. (I won’t, of course, link it.) 

What more needs to be said about that?

#3: About Backgrounds

If you aren’t used to webcam streaming, it’s easy to forget that the background you’re pointing the camera at is going to be part of your stream. 

There are a lot of things in the average house or apartment that you might not want to broadcast to the internet. Anything from dirty dishes to that book collection you’d put away when your parents visit. 

Do at least one webcam “test” and pay attention to what’s in the background of your video capture first. (This includes but isn’t limited to, weird reflections off other things.) 

#4: Cleaning the Lens

Clean the lens. 

This can’t be said enough when it comes to webcam streaming or recording – and, well, people tend to forget to do it.

It takes just a little bit of alcohol spray (or, well, vodka) dabbed over the lens, then this wiped over with something dry and clean.

No blurry bridge players necessary and we actually want to see the cards.