Discord announced today that it has temporarily increased its Go Live streaming audience limit from 10 to 50 viewers. The company hopes the increase will help people who are working, taking classes, or socializing remotely as a result of the global coronavirus health emergency.

When it was released, I said Discord's Go Live streaming was one of the best features. When you are playing a game on a voice channel, you can click a certain button (the Go Live button, naturally) and start streaming the game to anyone in the voice channel who wants to watch. This is a convenient way to share a game and have a conversation about it, not unlike doing a public show on Twitch.

A review of Discord's privacy and moderation policies also revealed that Discord does not actively monitor what is streamed on its private servers.

If you prefer to chat via Discord DMs or private calls, the video call screen sharing limit was also raised from 10 to 50 people.

We don't know how many companies are using Discord for remote work, or if it will really replace classrooms, but it is possible. Educators are already getting creative about how to weather the facility's closure: for example, NYU Gaming Center professor Robert Yang recently taught a class on streaming on Twitch due to the school's decision to offer remote classes for the time being.

I am not sure if there is a class on Discord server management that could achieve a similar conceptual and practical confluence, but it is one option for educators looking for a makeshift teleclass solution.

(Update: Discord representatives point to several examples of educators discussing Discord as a distance learning solution on Twitter.)

Discord warns that, at least for now, high stream viewership can cause performance issues.50The viewer limit will not last forever, and Discord says it will remain in place "while it is most critically needed."