Gaming is now firmly established as a crucial part of the online entertainment industry, and this means that many people form part of it in one way or another. You may have heard of game streamers before now, but who exactly are they, and how have they become so important in the industry?
What do game streamers do?
As the name suggests, game streamers simply play their favorite games and stream the action online. This is commonly done on sites such as Twitch, where people can follow and watch their videos. At the time of writing, the list of the top Twitch streamers includes names such as Ninja, AuronPlay, and Rubius, each of them with millions of followers.
As for the games that they stream, these are a mixture of classics and newly released titles that they think their followers will be interested in watching. For instance, at the time of writing, Hogwarts Legacy has recently overtaken Cyberpunk 2077 as the most heavily watched single-player game on Twitch, as it reached a record total of 1.2 million viewers shortly after its release.
Why do streamers matter?
As we’ve seen, millions of people watch these game streamers and are influenced by the games they play and what they say about them. This means that these high-profile gamers are among the industry’s most crucial influencers, which can make or break a new game according to whether they play it and what they say about it.
A new game will be seen by far more potential players if the top streamers decide to play it, while it will struggle to get noticed if they all decide to ignore it. With viewers watching billions of minutes every month on Twitch and other platforms such as Periscope, YouTube, and Vimeo, it‘s the ideal way for a new game to reach many pairs of eyes.
Making gaming a more social experience
Before game streamers arrived on the scene, gaming was far less of a social experience than it is now. The popularity of these streamers has made it more commonplace for people to talk about gaming or show their screens to friends while playing. This has had a massive impact on the industry and has helped it grow to the huge market it is now.
Streaming hasn’t just been limited to video games, as it has also played a part in online casino games becoming more popular. We can see from this list of real money slots that the market is now extremely diverse, with many different themes available. The chance to watch people playing these slots gives newcomers an easy way to get started before they wager their own money.
The impact that game streamers have had on the gaming market shouldn’t be underestimated, as they’ve played a key role in making this activity grow at the spectacular rate it has shown in recent years. Game streamers should continue to raise the profile of gaming and make it easier for us to find out about new titles while being entertained at the same time.
