Online gaming and esports as a whole have largely been influenced by the success brought about by the popular streaming platform of Twitch – other big names like YouTube have tried to follow a similar path and are starting to gain some traction with some exclusive titles jumping aboard, and others that have come and gone like Mixer have tried to copy the formula but to less success until ultimately closing. Twitch has been used widely outside of gaming too, for a number of different purposes as it has been used often to rebroadcast big events as some will tune in to watch live euro match games for example when it comes around – but gaming through twitch has changed online content delivery in a number of ways.
(Image from blog.twitch.com)
Live chat has become essential – If Twitch has shown anything, it’s that many viewers favour the live chat experience above everything else as Twitch Chat has become a form of media in itself. More and more streaming services outside of gaming have started to implement their own chat features to deliver a similar experience, however the integration of Twitch chat in different ways has often been key in delivering the experience most hope for, and a reason why rebroadcasts directly to Twitch have been so important.
An unbeatable free experience – Often times, many big events are kept behind a paywall something that is largely understandable given the costs of broadcasting and the cost to deliver content, but it is also something that has turned many viewers away particularly as the free experience offered in gaming has been so high quality – both in terms of production and in terms of the broadcast too. It may eventually force many broadcasters to offer something similar, as it has been such a key part of the success of online gaming and continues to set itself apart from other online options.
Other factors of engagement have been key too – Another big benefit for Twitch has been within the integration of different engagement tools – whether this be giveaways from the stream both from the broadcaster or from an event, it provides an additional extra for just tuning in for those that are more enthusiastic about that, but also something that more traditional broadcast media doesn’t offer. Live chat has also been an important factor here, as it often means that broadcaster can interact with those in chat directly, as such not just a way for users to interact with each other.
Big broadcasting will certainly hope to follow sooner rather than later, as prevalence of big streaming platforms like Twitch continues to grow and what gaming streams offer as a different experience continue to shine through, major broadcasts are certainly falling behind, and online content delivery continues to lead the way.