Whenever I mention that I frequent twitch.tv, the goliath video game streaming service on the web, people always ask the same question: “Why would you watch someone else play video games?” Despite being asked this question so many times, I’ve never really taken a step back and examined what makes video game streaming so enjoyable.
On first thought, the question does make a lot of sense. While other media for entertainment, such as television, film, and novels focus on a narrative independent of the actions of the consumer, video games have largely developed as an interactive form of entertainment.
So why would anybody want to watch someone else’s interaction? In reality, this question has many answers, because different people watch these “streams” for different reasons. I think it’s safe to place the answers into three main categories: Education, availability, and community.
By education, I mean watching “streamers” who play at or near a competitive level. Series such as Counter-Strike or Starcraft have long histories of competitive play, where teams or individuals sponsored by companies compete at LAN or online events for thousands of dollars in prize pools. In recent years, eSports has grown tremendously, with Valve’s 2015 Dota 2 International tournament featuring a prize pool of over $18 million. People are always eager to get better, and video game streaming services have enabled skilled players to showcase their abilities and help them do so. In video games with a large player base, such as League of Legends, professional streamers who are exceptionally popular make more money from streaming than they do from competing in events. Some of them quit the competitive scene altogether in favor of full-time streaming.
Another popular reason for video game streaming is availability. While most games featured on twitch.tv have been released, a significant portion of the viewerbase exists in games currently in the “closed beta” state. This means that the game is available only to a limited number of players, largely content creators, who in return provide advertising for the game. For example, Blizzard Entertainment’s new IP, “Overwatch”, recently entered closed beta two weeks ago. For the first few days, the viewers of “Overwatch” streams on twitch.tv topped the site’s charts, often frequenting around 100 thousands viewers at a time. These viewers, excited fans without access to the beta, anxiously tuned in to watch gameplay. On the other hand, games that have been recently released, such as the new “Call of Duty”, are watched in order to make an informed decision before purchasing the game. Potential customers can view the gameplay and determine if it’s worth their money.
Lastly, and representing the majority of the regular viewer base of video game streaming sites, is community. The largest and most popular streamers, without exception, feature two things: A live webcam of the streamer, and regular and frequent interaction with the viewer base. In the same way that talk-show hosts pull a regular viewer base on television, video game streamers create a community of viewers that can interact with each other and the streamer using twitch’s chat feature and other services. These viewers enjoy watching their favorite personalities, who often cycle through new games to keep experiences fresh.
While it’s true that video games were created for the purpose of entertainment based on interactivity, I find it no surprise that video game streaming has continued to grow due to these reasons. Whether you watch a stream for one of these reasons, or all of them, you’re certain to find something you like.
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