Tired of Netflix? Try Twitch streams.
Are you tired of binge-watching Netflix and Hulu shows or sifting through billions of videos on Youtube to find good content? Try streaming.
Twitch.tv is a live streaming website that primarily focuses on video games, music, politics, creative content and “In Real Life” streams. While other social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and DLive also provide streaming content, no one comes close to the massive audience Twitch has garnered since its launch in 2009.
Popular games fluctuate just like average trends. For a while, Fortnite reigned supreme as streamer Ninja took the lead with a whopping 16.7 million followers. Most recently, Minecraft has seemingly risen from the dead to top the charts not only on Twitch but on Youtube and many other streaming sites as well. Several content creators formed a “Survival Multiplayer Server,” cleverly coined an “SMP,” in which they are expected to survive the days from monsters, lava, high falls and a number of other things. Some of the creators of this SMP have taken the rank of most subscribed Twitch streamers including Quackity, Dream, Tommyinnit, Ranboo and others. In addition, Grand Theft Auto IV and Call of Duty are other popular games, with streamers such as Summit1g garnering over 33,000 paid subscribers.
Perhaps you don’t like watching gaming playthroughs — don’t worry, Twitch has content for you too. Creators XQCow and Hasanabi are political commentators who update you on recent news and give their thoughts on these events. They have over 100,000 combined paid subscribers and have gained more attention since their coverage of the 2020 election, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and recent events within the Biden administration.
Some content creators run streams titled “Just Chatting” in which they react to videos sent in by audience members. These are similar to the plethora of reaction videos on YouTube uploaded by major creators such as PewDiePie or JackSepticEye. One of these creators is JustaMinx, a streamer from Ireland, who has gathered an audience through her audience participation and positive attitude.
Twitch has something for everyone, no matter your preferences. These creators deserve praise for their hard work and dedication, especially because streaming for hours on end isn’t an easy feat. Twitch allows streamers to connect with their audience and find an outlet to share their interests with similar people. Despite the large number of popular streamers, small streamers still continue with the hope of seeing someone stop by.
“The reason I started streaming was that I was kind of looking for human connections,” Richárd Szélesy said in an interview with The Verge. Szélesy said he grew up feeling isolated, largely spending time in front of his computer. “[I streamed to] escape loneliness and depression,” he said.
Despite streaming without an audience, every so often one person will drop by and stick around. Even if this person never comes back — and they often don’t — the small spark is enough to keep Szélesy going.
One of the best parts of Twitch is the engaged community. Large streamers are always happy to help out small streamers, whether it be through donations, helpful advice or raids, which consists of sending audiences to smaller streams.
In the midst of an endless stream of entertainment, I suggest visiting Twitch and finding a stream to watch. You might not know it, but you’ll be making someone’s day — and enjoying awesome content in the process.
*graphics by Clara Harmon.
Sydney Dahle is a fourth-year student studying history and political science at Utah State and is currently the Lifestyles Content manager for the Utah Statesman. She hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and spends her free time writing and listening to music.
—sydney.dahle@usu.edu
@dillydahle