Hello and welcome to Website Wednesday; the day of the week where I tell you where you can go watch people play games LIVE over the internet, and the try to explain why you would want to do that.
 |
| The screenshot used in this image is of, (and therefore property of), www.twitch.tv. |
Have you ever wanted to watch someone else play a game for some strange reason? Maybe they're funny, or you want to see what the game is like? No? If you're under the age of 30, I'm tempted to call you a liar. (*Cough* Pewdiepie *Cough*) Twitch is simply the logical step forward, where you get to watch them; Live.
I talk about gaming and things like commentating fairly often on this blog, considering my articles about League of Legends, Hearthstone, YouTubers that I can't stop watching, etc; so it's only to be expected, I suppose, that I would end up talking about Twitch.tv, the premier gameplay streaming service. (Don't quote me on that.)
Twitch.tv is a free online streaming service for which users can sign up and watch a rather large variety of games be played by an equally large variety of online personalities, both famous and not. Mainly, I personally do make a habit of watching Quill18, Northernlion and MathasGames (as they are known online), because they don't simply play games, but bring a fair bit of entertainment to the idea in their commentary, which is essentially the entire idea. Simply watching a game is, at least in my opinion, quite boring; but the witty remarks, intelligent discussion and just plain tactical thought brings a level of entertainment that the game cannot bring itself.
Perhaps something that brings a greater interest to Twitch.TV though, is what sets it further apart from simply watching the YouTube channels that most of these online personalities maintain: The interaction. YouTube may allow you to watch the videos at any time and post comments that may or may not be read by the poster, but Twitch streaming allows viewers to talk to streamers in near-realtime. Perhaps not an attraction to everyone, but I suppose in today's internet based society, talking to you favorite streamer is like being winked at by your favorite singer while you attend their concert or something. (I wouldn't know though, I've never actually been to one. *gasp* Please don't burn me at the stake.)
Perhaps a fringe benefit, is the ability to "subscribe" to these Twitch streamers. "Subscribing" on Twitch doesn't work quite like you would expect on YouTube. In terms of Twitch, to subscribe as you would on YouTube, you would "follow" the channel, to be told whenever those channels begin streaming. However, Twitch gives the user the ability to "subscribe", usually for a fee of about $5, which gives a variety of benefits determined by the streamer. In the case of perhaps one of my favorite YouTuber/Streamers, Quill18 has one of the interesting benefits of being able to play multiplayer games with him if you are a subscriber, as well as other benefits. (To be fair, it does sound like an odd thing to spend money on, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.)
Perhaps a fringe benefit, is the ability to "subscribe" to these Twitch streamers. "Subscribing" on Twitch doesn't work quite like you would expect on YouTube. In terms of Twitch, to subscribe as you would on YouTube, you would "follow" the channel, to be told whenever those channels begin streaming. However, Twitch gives the user the ability to "subscribe", usually for a fee of about $5, which gives a variety of benefits determined by the streamer. In the case of perhaps one of my favorite YouTuber/Streamers, Quill18 has one of the interesting benefits of being able to play multiplayer games with him if you are a subscriber, as well as other benefits. (To be fair, it does sound like an odd thing to spend money on, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.)
In the end, gaming is fun, and people have reasons to rather watch someone else play games. Maybe you will find some of streamers I mentioned earlier to be entertaining, in which case, I'm happy to have found you something fun to do. Twitch.tv is certainly an interesting indicator of gaming's popularity as a hobby in today's world. Do you think I forgot to mention something? Or maybe you would like to tell me about another fun Twitch streamer? Make sure to let me know in the comments below; and don't forget to share this with any gamer friends of yours, maybe they'll like it. Finally, if you particularly liked this article, or simply like the way I write, don't forget to like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter using the associated buttons on the right so that you can get all my newest posts, as they are posted. Regardless of what you do though, I thank you for taking the time to read this article, hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will see you tomorrow.
Cheers friends.
