Abstract
This paper aims to discuss how Twitch.TV has revolutionised the ability for people in our society to have a career online. Specifically, how the site accomplishes this by providing a practical platform that aids in the creation and growth of communities, whilst facilitating the ability for network selves to thrive. These communities take the form of Twitch channels, where a third place exists for its consumers which can be seen in fleeting and plentiful Twitch chat boxes. Twitch works to allow communities to produce monetary gain for their favourite channel, allowing content creators to be prosperous. Twitch has become a place where people arrive to have a career in something they love, and where viewers can go to enjoy unique content, be a part of communities with shared interests and have a sense of belonging.
Main Text
Twitch.TV has revolutionised the ability to have a professional career online by providing a practical platform where communities prosper, and networked selves can thrive. This conference paper will discuss how Twitch as a website, and a company, have been able to provide its users the ability to have a prosperous career online. Beginning by introducing Twitch.TV the media streaming giant, how it came to be and its successes. Discussing the opportunities provided by the site to form and grow communities, which also boosts and encourages monetary commitment. This paper will discuss why Twitch is such a popular third place society arrives too, whilst being an extremely simplistic and practical platform to be used by all.
Twitch.TV is an intuitive and easy to use live streaming platform that has a focus on video games but also facilitates many genres of content. Since its origin in 2011 Twitch has exponentially grown and has quickly developed into one of the biggest sites for streaming and viewing live content online. In 2014 and only being up to three years old Twitch was already attracting tens of millions unique viewers a month, which surpassed many mainstream platforms at the time (Anderson 2017). In 2014 Amazon bought Twitch for 970 million US dollars, with the CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos announcing that “Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon” (Ottelin, 2015 pg. 7) which provided refutable evidence of the importance and impact that the site has on the world. Currently, Twitch is by far the clear leader in the world of live content streaming with over 2 million regular streamers and an average of 2.62 million concurrent viewers at a given time (Clement 2022).
The exponential growth of online technologies has created new and unique career pathways that were previously never thought possible. Twitch continues to be a place that people arrive to have a career in something they love to do, and people love to play video games. In 2018 a survey reported that 64% of US households have a device to play video games and that 60% of people play daily (Kort-Butler (2021). The platform is originally and predominantly utilised by the video game community to stream and share in game content. Twitch is a perfect and very welcoming third place to all gamers alike, it has become a platform that provides the ability to share and consume content like never before, whilst digital communities of likeminded people can form. The usual Twitch stream comprises of an individual playing some form of a video game featuring a webcam of themselves in the corner of the screen. This has grown into a plethora of unique opportunities for individuals to present themselves however they want to their community. As Papacharissi said “A networked self, communicated across collapsed and multiplied audiences seeks social opportunities for expression and connection” (Papacharissi 2010 pg.317), Twitch provides the opportunity to express and connect oneself to an extremely large and diverse community.
Popular live streamer “Shroud” https://www.twitch.tv/shroud
Streams can vary in viewership depending on various reasons which can include entertainment value, individual skill in a game, viewer interaction and consistency of broadcasting. A streamer can receive income in various ways which include viewer subscriptions, “Bit” donations, PayPal Donations, and ad revenue, majority of these are from the generosity of the viewers and are not mandatory. When a new user arrives on Twitch.TV and witnesses a streamer playing the same game as they are but as a job, it is easy to be astounded. With millions of people globally loving and playing videos games, devoting monumental amounts of time to them, the ability to get paid whilst gaming would be to most, a dream opportunity. Individuals engross themselves with Twitch and the ability to consume or create, thus this is where communities begin to kindle, being brought together by a shared passion.
Twitch provides its streamers channels which are essentially a social network page where they can produce and present their networked selves. Usually including pictures, a bio, frequently asked questions and subscription or donation links. This is where a sense of community starts as the viewer begins to get to know a streamer and their channel. Twitch provides a chat box function so that viewers may talk in text, either to each other or directly interreacting with the streamer. This is a unique opportunity that provides a third place for users, to have a space enjoyed by equals, where they can interact with the bases of a shared interest (Oldenburg 1997). Even single player games become a social activity inside the Twitch chat, Twitch channels and its communities have a strong reliance on this chat function to succeed and is also what separates the site from its competition (Anderson 2017).
Viewers have no compulsory requirement to commit any sort of real money to participate in any of Twitch’s services. But viewers can choose to subscribe to a channel which engages them further into the community, becoming a subscriber instead of just another viewer, whilst also being rewarded with chat box icons and usually a warm welcome to that channel community. In 2019 at a TwitchCon event, a survey was conducted to establish why someone would financially commit to a Twitch streamer. The top three motivations were “To provide monetary support to the streamer, wanting attention, and desire to be closer to the streamer” (D. Wohn et.all 2019 pg. 102). The communities built around these streamers can become very large and extremely committed. Some might not understand why people would give money to a channel, an analogy for this would be if you could donate 5 dollars to a sports star you idolise, they read your message and your name out loud on television, then thanking you, many would jump at the opportunity. The more people financially committing to the channel the more it thrives, especially if it gives the streamer the financial ability to commit to streaming as a full-time job. To some viewers, their favourite streamers are idolised and loved so much that to them they can resemble as celebrities. Twitch’s tools and services facilitate all of this to happen and help these communities grow, giving people the ability to have an online career.
Twitch.TV has revolutionised the ability to have a professional online presence by providing an accessible and easily utilised platform. Most people without knowing already have the means to be able to stream on the site, with one of the main requirements being a stable internet connection. With minimal effort the platform allows all its users to begin streaming to the world, within the terms of conditions, streaming anything to world. It allows streamers to broadcast and construct their channel however they like allowing opportunity for creative freedom. This creates opportunities for communities to grow around new and exciting channels that are experimenting with unique content. For example, there was a popularity of nonhuman streams in 2014, we saw a live stream of a fish in a bowel with motion tracking, the movements collected were then provided as inputs into a game. Through to the Twitch plays Pokémon phenomenon, which had thousands of viewers who would input text commands to the Twitch chat, which were received and implemented by the game as actions (Howells 2022).
Vtuber live streamer “CodeMiko” https://www.twitch.tv/codemiko
But without the viewers and the communities the platform would not succeed, Twitch empowers the common viewer with an easy-to-use platform and simplistic designs. The site does well to make the viewers experience extremely painless and enjoyable, with many tools being provided for browsing and viewing channels. For an example one of the newer tools that was introduced gave viewers the ability to “clip” moments in a stream, with a simplistic interface anyone could capture a certain moment in a stream and be able to share that moment with anyone. Once again providing a completely free service to all its viewers, one can view as much content as they want and follow as many channels as they want without any financial commitment at all. Twitch has supplied a platform where any viewer can easily consume content and provide the tools for creators and communities to thrive.
When Twitch begun it was seen to be only a gaming streaming platform, hosting a variety of gaming genres and electronic sporting events. It is still a place where people arrive if they wish to consume any array of gaming genres, or to share gaming content. But Twitch’s users with the creative freedom provided by the site have greatly and gradually expanded a pool of genres outside traditional gaming. For example, the rise of “Real Life (RL)” streaming which saw streamers take their streams to the outside world, where viewers would get content similar to a reality TV show, but in seemingly more genuine way. We see streams in the genre “Just Chatting” where a streamer is essentially just talking to their audience and addressing topics, which is a good example of how successful creators can be idolised and be liked to celebrities on the site. Other content has appeared such as art creation streams, music streams, cooking streams and many more to come as the creativity of streamers grow. Overall, users have the autonomy and freedom to attempt to become successful however they can on the site, whether it is their personal hobby, passion, or a certain lifestyle. By allowing these unique opportunities for its users to create and share content for monetary gain Twitch has revolutionised the ability to have a professional career online.
In conclusion this paper has discussed the various ways Twitch.TV is a practical platform that has provided the ability to have a professional career online. Where communities can be created and grow exponentially in a third-place environment, whilst providing the opportunity to allow a networked self to thrive. Twitch may have begun as a place predominantly for gamers but has developed into a platform for anyone to achieve the outcome of having a career in one’s passion. The site facilitates communities to form around a channel or personality, creating a bond and a feeling of belonging for its users. Twitch is a site with simplistic tools and designs which allows its users to easily achieve their goals whether it is streaming or consuming content. Twitch allows creative freedom and autonomy with new genres and content consistently thriving on the site, for these reasons Twitch.TV has revolutionised the ability to have a professional career online.
A Career Streaming on Twitch.TV – Empowering Content Creators and Digital Communities
References
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Hi Harry,
Solid piece with some good insight into the workings of twitch. Twitch was one of the things I fell into during the pandemic and a lot of what you bring up resonates with my experiences. This statement is interesting: “..where viewers would get content similar to a reality TV show, but in seemingly more genuine way”. You put a caveat on being more genuine and I’m curious as to why.
Hello Raymond,
Thanks very much for having a read and your feedback! I have also enjoyed a lot of content on the platform during all my time at home recently but hadn’t watched in some years and was blown away with the many new genres. Referencing your question about:
“..where viewers would get content similar to a reality TV show, but in seemingly more genuine way”.
I typically steer away from reality TV shows but have seen a bit of American and Australian reality TV and it always seems disingenuous and at times obviously staged or fake. My experience with viewing RL streams has been quite the opposite, especially streamers who are travelling or roaming around the world. For example, before COVID I use to watch twitch.tv/jakenbakelive who would walk around in Japan and engage with random local people, which always came off extremely authentic and genuine. To the extent of myself feeling apart of the interaction by just being present in the stream as a viewer, it can be fascinating to watch and of course it is live so anything could happen.
Hi Harry,
Thanks for answering my question.
I agree with your assessment of modern TV, but I feel like it changed to be this way through audience demand. I’m somewhat familiar with Candid Camera, one the earliest iterations of reality TV that showed the authenticity and genuineness that you describe. Possibly even more so, knowing you are on camera gives a performative aspect to your actions and this show removed that. But as the show grew more popular the audience demanded more of the cute and funny moments and the show struggled to oblige. The pressure to meet expectations is probably one of the reasons so much of reality TV today is what it is.
I don’t watch much of the IRL type streaming but does anything above resonate with your experiences with it? Do you think jakenbakelive’s audience has had any impact on the content they create?
Very interesting thanks Raymond, I think you’ve nailed this on the head, I believe like most things in the world/internet it usually starts off innocent and genuine or even naïve. IRL streaming since its early days has turned to a whole other beast of a genre since my return to it recently, writing this now I browsed the front page and its very… different (ASMR ear licking?). But to answer your question about jakenbakeslives’s audience, yes his community has a huge impact on how he creates his content. He is always trying to please his community and new viewers by providing them with what they want, but as his community grew so did his confidence. When he begun to pull thousands of viewers whilst he was roaming the streets of Tokyo, I have no doubt he gained tremendous amounts of confidence. The results of this were him behaving differently such as approaching anyone and saying outlandish things or just overall being very loud in public and drawing lots of an attention. I still believe there is a lot of genuine content, being live is a big part of that. But as you highlighted with the history of reality TV, communities begin to have expectations of content which can taint the innocents of the contents origins and why people enjoyed it in the first place.
I wonder if there is a kind of ‘nomad’ audience who find genuine content, engage with it, then move on if/when the side-effects of growth occur. Twitch is like TV if TV had a million channels, surely there is room for the authentic content you describe. It would just need to resist the allure of growth and the financial rewards that come with. I guess the question is at what level does a stream become self-sufficient enough to be deemed a career? A small tight-knit community likely could support a creator, I would be curious to see what such a community was like.
Hi Harry
Thanks for this great paper. I’ve been curious about Twitch for some time but never ventured onto it. I’m a gamer, and I’m intrigued by the idea of watching someone else play a game – I’d rather play the game myself! But you’ve presented a great insight into how the community works, and I note the similarities with a lot of papers in this stream that have discussed micro celebrity culture and influencers. It seems to me it’s the same idea on Twitch as it is on Instagram or YouTube, but in this forum nothing is being sold or pushed?
I was curious, is there a social hierarchy on Twitch between subscribers and non-subscribers?
Hi Diana,
Thanks so much for your feedback I very much appreciate it! I agree, I much rather be playing a game then watching someone else. That being said, it is interesting to watch someone else play your favourite game to see how they conduct themselves. Especially as streamers usually play games as a full-time job so it is likely that they are far more advance in how they play that game, so you are guaranteed to learn something new. As for “nothing is being sold or pushed” you could argue only thing being pushed is entertainment value, that’s why I love Twitch.
To answer your question, yes there is a social hierarchy when it comes to subs and non-subs. To the extent of non-subs referred to with derogatory terms by others, which are usually playful, and some big channels usually have sub only chat modes, therefore non subs can’t be involved in the chat without committing monetarily. But when someone subs and they have that icon in the Twitch chat, it’s like a badge of commitment or honour to the channel, I think it can make people feel more solidified in that community as well. From the outside looking in does what do you think about that? Does the fact you have to pay to acquire that feeling wrong?
Hi Harry
This is an interesting article, I think you explained Twitch in great detail, it’s a game-based platform, and as a Twitch streamer, I really enjoy the experience Twitch brings to me, and I get to meet a lot of like-minded people people. After reading your article, I want to ask a few questions, how can Twitch become a platform for the whole society like TikTok? Because this will not only bring more income to the anchor and make more people, but also allow more viewers to experience online face-to-face communication.
My article is also about the live content of TikTok in China, which has provided help to the whole society and poverty-stricken areas. I hope you are also interested in my article: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/796 /douyin-platform-plays-an-active-role-in-poverty-alleviation-in-society/#comment-950
Hi Xi ,
Thanks very much for your feedback and I hope you continue to stream on Twitch and enjoy it! Correct me if I am wrong but are you asking how can Twitch have a growth of exposure and popularity to reach the heights of TikTok? I believe that Twitch has done a lot to allow more popularity of its platform compared to social media, with advanced mobile application, clipping tools and highlight reels. But it is a platform that cannot compete with the extremely clever platform like TikTok and others which are designed to keep its users on the site for as long as possible. Twitch is more of a long duration consumption, it entices you to explore streams and move around the site but TikTok bombards its users with reasons to stay and keep watching.
I hope I answered your question, I will read your paper and thanks again for your comment.
Hi Harry, I think it’s a testament to Twitch that YouTube is trying to emulate its features and that during the “contract war” – when platforms were fighting to sign large creators to exclusive contracts – Twitch hardly saw a dent in numbers, in fact, streamers who made the switch struggled early on like Ninja moving to Mixer (lol) and Valkyrae to YouTube. Over the pandemic, it’s clear that the social media creator industry thrived as more people lived online, so do you think as the pandemic eases and life resumes the popularity of these creators and live streaming, in general, will stagnate?
Hi Jack thanks for the comment. It was definitely a interesting time when big streamers like Ninja and Shroud were being paid to stream away from Twitch, but here we are with both of them back on the site. I believe the success of Twitch definitely comes from the strength of the communities within and it showed when like you said their numbers barely changed with some of the biggest content creators leaving. With the pandemic and the rise of new creators and viewers, I believe there may be a drop in concurrent viewership as less people will be at home, but I doubt it will stagnate at all. If anything this was a great exposure for the platform and communities have grown even more. Have you participated much on the platform Jack? I think just joining a few different channels gives a very obvious insight of how committed some of these communities are, I wonder if you agree?
Hey Harry, it is probably the best time for streamers to expand and diversify their content platforms to capitalise on that pandemic boom – especially using YouTube to use stream clips as another content source. As for your questions, Twitch isn’t my beat in internet culture, but I know there is often a sub-culture clash when YouTube creator communities interact with Twitch communities. I agree that the communities can be very committed. Take F1 driver Lando Norris for example; he streamed during the enforced pandemic break in the 2020 season. His popularity translated to the sport, and he is now one of the most supported drivers in the paddock. Twitch is definitely a player in the media sphere, so it will be interesting to see how it develops further and adapts to new competition.
Thanks Jack, interesting take I love hearing about these kind of stories I was unware of that. Completely agree its sphere of influence is quite large, and I have similar stories especially in the music industry, for example nearly all of the members of popular band Trivium are on Twitch, and they now stream their shows!
Hi Harry,
A really enjoyable read, and something that I agreed with a lot. I wrote my paper about Twitch as well, and I’m interested as to what you think about the platform war between YouTube and Twitch which is only really just beginning. I personally believe that YouTube will be the dominant platform for live streaming within the next few years, mainly because YouTube has the variety of different types of content (VOD, short form, long form, live stream) all on one platform, whereas Twitch is solely for live streaming. I think that discoverability for streamers on Twitch is incredibly hard, and unless you’re at the top of the top, you don’t really draw in a new audience a lot without making content on other platforms such as YouTube.
Do you think that streamers switching to YouTube have much risk of losing that sense of community that has been so well driven into the standard of Twitch? YouTube doesn’t currently seem to have the same level on community as on Twitch, probably because it is a much larger site in terms of popularity, and I wonder if this will be its downfall in the battle between the two platforms.
Thanks,
Ben
Thanks for your comment Benjamin. Interesting take, I personally do not enjoy live streams on YouTube as it feels somehow less enjoyable… We have seen many streamers leave Twitch who have already built large communities be successful on other platforms. A example would be Dr Disrepect who left Twitch (or forced too) and is now being still very successful on YouTube, which goes to show YouTube streaming can rival Twitch and be very popular. But for less popular streamers I have not seen much success in people leaving and most would not leave the platform as they would never want to lose their community they have built. But I also agree Twitch has become very saturated and it is hard to be discovered. Although what is like on YouTube from your experience ? Visibility I would assume would be equally hard unless you are directly putting yourself into streams of that type.
HI Harry,
This is an interesting topic to talk about. I myself have spent countless hours watching content on twitch, and being apart of the moderating side of the converstation. I’m curious what your opinion is about the recent news about the monitization split changing from being 70/30 in favour of the streamers to 50/50 and how do you see it potentially affecting those want to try and start a professional career on twitch, or how it might influence bigger creators leaving the platform?
Rebekah
Don’t mind me dropping in like Obi-Wan, but I think the proposed revenue split is not a significant deterrence for Twitch. At this point, if you are a prominent creator and have not diversified your income streams – merch, Patreon, sponsorships, other platforms – then there’s no room to complain because this has been the trend over the last few years. The bigger issue for Twitch is keeping its larger streamers from joining YouTube simply because the platform is run much better. In terms of fledgling creators, I don’t think it’s much different to the changes YouTube creators have seen since 2016. For example, having 100-thousand subscribers was viable to live comfortably from Google-served advertisements offered in a 45:55 split favouring the creator. Many controversies, growth and other issues later, ad revenue is not sustainable on YouTube unless you average about one million views each month – even then, it’s not certain. Most creators between 100-250k are dependent on third-party advertisements and sponsorships to get by comfortably. As more people do it, fewer people will make it. The same can be said for Twitch.
Hello There,
Thanks for your comments Rebekah and Jack. To answer your question it is concerning but like Jack has covered big streamers are making a lot of revenue from other streams. Although for smaller streamers, who perhaps are thinking of moving into a full time streaming engagement it would be very concerning for them, especially if it was to be their main source of income. They might look into other sites before cementing themselves and their community to Twitch, but YouTube has its own issues and like Jack said its becoming extremely difficult to be as profitable as you once could be on that site. At the end of the day even if they are making less, Twitch still may be the place to gain the exposure and growth of communities that content creators seek, it just may accompany less commitment without the correct monetary support.
General Kenobi…
Sorry, couldn’t leave that one hangning.
An interesting read, to say the least.
I liked how you took on the angle of streaming being a well-respected occupation.
I wonder if this then branches out to other freelance roles, which can be up for discussion; such as moderators and those who game along with the streamers themselves. Can we name this whole concept a type of corporation, or is it simply a case of a streamer trying to connect on a one-on-one level with it’s followers?