Twitch, a platorm for streaming video games, is becoming more popular among Spring Hill students.

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, life for some college students has been made significantly more difficult. Students are looking for ways to be entertained, seeking means of socialization and might even be looking for work.

One hobby and occupation that combines these three things, is streaming. Streaming over the platform Twitch has become an incredibly popular and profitable profession or hobby for people all over the world. Twitch labels itself as “the world's leading live streaming platform for gamers.”

According to TwitchTracker, users watched 1,620,491,520 hours of content on Twitch in August alone. Whether it’s watching someone stream a game on Twitch, or watching one of the virtual YouTubers from Hololive stream on YouTube, there are plenty of avenues to find enjoyable content. 

Streaming provides a sense of community, to both the viewer and the streamer. Streaming is not always just about earning money, some streamers have a genuine desire to entertain others and provide a fun experience. At the end of the day, the community is more important.

These communities regularly interact with each other through chat and also through donations, which comes in many forms. YouTube’s Superchat feature is one of the primary ways for users in the chat to communicate directly with the streamer while also showing their appreciation with a donation. If streamers are large enough, they are often able to make a living out of it. Popular streamers can generate a good yearly income from donations and partnerships/sponsorships alone. 

Zachary Stewart, a streamer on the Hill, said: “Streaming is not all about numbers [Viewers, Average Viewers, New Followers, etc.] it is about trying to provide the best possible content for the people who are watching.”

Jack Defraites, another streaming Badger, added, “Don’t stream if you are expecting to get rich off of it. Stream because you love gaming and stream because you want to provide a positive community. There are people who have bad days and rely on [streamers] to make them laugh and cheer them up. It’s all about forming a close community.”

These communities share memes, inside jokes, and are quite dedicated to tuning into their favorite streamers regularly. “[A] big amount of viewers doesn’t make me happy. It’s the people who always come back,” Defraites said.

When asked why he got into streaming, Stewart said, “I have always had a passion for gaming, and I knew that Twitch, YouTube, etc., existed, but I never had the equipment to do so. With the start of our Esports team on campus, I finally had access to the right equipment to stream, so I gave it a shot.”

Defraites got into streaming out of passion as well. “I got into streaming during the Fortnite era. I was ranked top 200 for console players in Fortnite. I always watched streamers to improve my game play and learn game breaking skills from them. I saw the streaming community around the game and just had to get into it,” he said.

Some Badgers are also into streaming from a viewer perspective. Chris Derks, a junior, who mostly watches streams related to pop culture news and critique, expressed why he prefers streaming to regular videos. “Streams appeal to me more because the news I get from that person is more up to date than I would get from a non-livestreamer,” Derks said.

Perhaps the future of streaming on campus can expand. Students could certainly give it a try. There are numerous opportunities for those who would want to stream on campus, and for those who would like to watch streaming on the viewing end, it is even easier. Streams are more accessible than ever. 

When asked what advice he would give to students who want to stream, Stewart said, “Do not worry about what type of personality you have either, it's the internet, you could be anyone you want to be.”

Defraites also has advice for up-and-coming streamers. “Don’t give up. Don’t give in. There are people that will tell you that you aren’t going anywhere in the streaming community. There will be a lot of doubt but you just gotta keep pushing,” he said.