At the end of this week, I will be attending TwitchCon, a convention which exists to bring together people who stream themselves playing video games for online audiences. When I was growing up, I wasn’t aware that this could even be a profession, or that there would be any interest whatsoever in watching other people play games. I wouldn’t have understood it, and I’m not certain that I understand it now. However, I’ve been doing it for the better part of this year in some form or another, so it certainly intrigues me.
The conclusion that I’ve come to is that the success of Twitch and game-streaming, particularly live-streaming, is actually a strong reflection of the medium. When you look at other popular mediums, such as film, television, print, and music, there are always fans and critics who adore and consume media with a voraciousness and complexity that supercedes the average consumer. These are the diehards, the ones who meet in coffee houses, or in book clubs, or on internet forums to discuss in-depth how a piece of art or entertainment made them think or feel.
