Why is Twitch a thing?

[Damajin]

You see, this is what I wanted to know. I just haven't really gotten the hang of it, but I guess I can give it another try.



Phew, sorry to get your panties twisted.. I'm genuinely interested in knowing what I could be missing in watching Twitch..

I wasn't that into it when I started watching people on Twitch, but I found that the merger of gaming, entertainment and social interaction was a pretty good thing. You've got a wide variety of streamers to pick from, the alpha tryhards, the emo ragers, the chilled out casuals, the cancer chat troll streamers, the regular everyday types, all sorts of things. Now that Twitch added the Creative and Talk Show channels you've got people doing paintings and other artwork, making their cosplays, getting their friends together for roundtable like talks about this and that, all sorts of things. Just explore it based on what games you enjoy or want to find out stuff about and go from there.

[Therougetitan]

Isn't watching sports basically watching someone else play a sport, which you can be playing as well anyway? Obviously that comparison is harsh, but you get my point.

imo, watching sports is dumb and I'd rather be playing. Which sums up how I feel about watching people play games (unless it's a game I don\t have access to.

[Mlz]

I rarely watch streams but occasionally they are quite entertaining. It's either I watch some of the best guilds streaming their progress (only happens with new tiers obviously) or random streams with really weird people on them. Like there was a girl yesterday who was streaming some LoL and was titled "Lux IRL" or whatever and she was a pretty spastic creature. It was actually funny to watch until she eventually ragequit and turned off her stream because everyone was calling her autistic. I never understand why people choose to watch "levelling my 5th mage #hype"-type of streams though but that's me.

[The Glitch]

Why do we do anything, read books, watch TV, play sports, watch sports, have hobbies, because entertainment.

Twitch provides a platform for those that do that through gaming, They have channels that host tournaments for specific games, which I find entertaining.

Also the streamers themselves, can be entertaining, whilst playing a game you like, sometimes I don't want to play a game, but enjoy the banter of the streamer whilst they play, much better than most of the shite on TV in my opinion

[Feali]

Are you Jimmy Kimmel?

[Life-Binder]

pro-level gaming/tournaments, professional level casting

in HS you can learn and get better by watching them play and listening to their comments

fun/entertaining streamers

you are too lazy to play yourself

twitch chat is its own culture

[A Dark Knight]

some guys arent worth buying, not every 60$ game is good, so when someone else buys and pays it, saves me the money

Also a lot of people on twitch are funny, you enjoy watching them and their friends play something and screw around together

The there is the professionals (lol dota hs csgo), they are simply way better than everyone, and watching them exile is awesome.

[Marinai]

Compare Twitch like the McDonalds Hamburger. You look at it, you like what you see and you want to have a taste of it afterwards. So you pay it and you enjoy it yourself.

However, some would prefer to know what is in the hamburger before deciding (calories, certain ingedrients), just like how some would prefer to know what is in a game before deciding (gameplay, story, graphics). This is where information from various sources helps.

Twitch helps in making a decision of a game and is immensely popular for the first reason. The second is that it's a show, there can be certain elements of comedy in it (a more known example is PreachGaming with his Drama Friday) as well as something serious. If you want to have another comparison, it's like watching Top Gear, some serious and some comedy.

ok, great..

Let me take it a step further.. When it comes to WoW, what do you guys like to see the most? Do you have any favorite streamers?

[Aydinx2]

So I was thinking, why is Twitch actually a thing? Not just a thing, but why it is also seemingly rather popular?
Isn't Twitch just basically watching someone else play a game, which you can be playing as well anyway?
I can understand if someone who is playing the Overwatch would get a fair share of views, because it's in closed Beta, but LoL? Minecraft? Even WoW?

Tell me, what is it that I'm missing from not going on Twitch?

EDIT: So, I seem to have struck a nerve.. Let me change it up a little bit then..

Why do you go unto Twitch, what is interesting there for you?

You can say the exact same thing about sports on T.V.
The person talking (streaming/casting) is entertaining to listen to, and the game is entertaining to watch.
It's called entertainment.

[Deleted]

You might aswell be asking why consumer entertainment is a thing.

I mean, why read a book when you can write one yourself.

[Life-Binder]

also Kappa


Kappa

[Marinai]

Are you Jimmy Kimmel?

Wh-what? Me? No! Why would you ever think that I'm this big, good looking, charismatic, well-hung, hunk of a man?

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also Kappa

Kappa

Ah.. So that's what that face meant.. Thanks for clearing that up lol

[Kauko]

I am also asking this myself. I mean, ok for competitions and even stuff like beta Overwatch as you said. But why people watch someone play a game that they can play themself... especially streamers that dont even say sh*t to the public and just play the game... I kinda understand people like to watch streamers like Towelliee, he communicates with his public, he makes a show, talks about stuff, gives away tons of prizes.

But, every person for himself... ^^

[Marinai]

You might aswell be asking why consumer entertainment is a thing.

I mean, why read a book when you can write one yourself.

I think that's slightly different though.. In general games are meant to be played, books to be read, movies to be watched.. Of course, you can make your own, and hope they're successful, but you don't really go around watching someone watching a movie, or reading a book.
By now I figured out why people watch Twitch from personal experience, but for me it just wasn't clear before.

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I am also asking this myself. I mean, ok for competitions and even stuff like beta Overwatch as you said. But why people watch someone play a game that they can play themself... especially streamers that dont even say sh*t to the public and just play the game... I kinda understand people like to watch streamers like Towelliee, he communicates with his public, he makes a show, talks about stuff, gives away tons of prizes.

But, every person for himself... ^^

Indeed, this is what I was thinking before, I've heard of Twitch does Pokémon for instance, that is a pretty funny concept, but then at least you're still 'participating'....-ish.

You can say the exact same thing about sports on T.V.
The person talking (streaming/casting) is entertaining to listen to, and the game is entertaining to watch.
It's called entertainment.

Same comment here as I had with Ixuzcc.

[Adramelch]

Twitch helps in making a decision of a game and is immensely popular for the first reason. The second is that it's a show, there can be certain elements of comedy in it (a more known example is PreachGaming with his Drama Friday) as well as something serious.

Twitch's popularity is by no means for the first reason. All the high-viewed games in there are games that everyone knows what they are. It's primarily for the show.

[Ryme]

Because it turns out watching entertaining people play entertaining games is entertaining.

[The Glitch]

ok, great..

Let me take it a step further.. When it comes to WoW, what do you guys like to see the most? Do you have any favorite streamers?

I don't personally watch people playing WoW. That is one game I find not too interesting to watch, I prefer playing that.

However I do watch Hearthstone streamers, Reynad is a good one, he gets real *salty* I also enjoy Strifecro and Noxious.

Minecraft streamers I watch are Syndicate - Captainsparklez - OMGitsfirefoxx - iijeriicoii - Soaryn - Bacon_Donut the first 4 do a minecraft series called Mianite, kind of a produced storyline driven series, which is a lot of fun. Soaryn and Bacon and mod pack creators and do playthroughs of those mod packs.

Binding of Isaac Rebirth - CobaltStreak

I watch many more and varying games, it just depends what I'm feeling on a particular day.

[Marinai]

I used to play Super Street Fighter 4 when I was still living in the Netherlands. There I would watch many youtube videos of people playing either Cammy or Bison, just to see where I've been lacking, or where they are just plain.. better. Never tried to look for any streams for that, because of the micro-seconds of lag..

[Life-Binder]

Twitch's popularity is by no means for the first reason. All the high-viewed games in there are games that everyone knows what they are. It's primarily for the show.

I agree

in fact Ive never used twitch to decide whether I want to play a game or not

[MakeMeLaugh]

Isn't Twitch just basically watching someone else play a game, which you can be playing as well anyway?

I don't get it also. Man, why would people watch TV sports channel, when they can play it? Makes no sense to me.