[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #579: The rise of Twitch brings more competitors...and questions

Wed Jan 31 10:30:00 EST 2018

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OPLIN 4Cast #579: The rise of Twitch brings more competitors...and questions
January 31st, 2018

[image: Teenagers looking at laptop]

If you work in a public library, especially after school lets out, you
might have noticed a trend with kids: playing video games is still great,
but watching *someone else* play video games might be even cooler. My own
son spends almost as much time watching YouTube videos of his Minecraft
heroes playing the game, as he spends playing it on his own.

The rise of online gaming as a spectator sport isn't exactly new:  Twitch
<https://www.twitch.tv/>, the most popular online game streaming service,
has been around since 2011. Twitch’s peak viewership rivaled the average
prime-time viewers of some cable networks by 2014
<https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/26/technology/charting-the-rise-of-twitch.html>.
The rise of Twitch has, of course, created competitors (especially major
player Facebook), adjunct services and even discussions over the rights of
game streamers.

   -
   - Facebook takes on Twitch and YouTube in game streaming push
   <https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/26/facebook-takes-on-twitch-youtube-game-streaming/>
   [Engadget] "Last year Facebook launched a Creator app for video hosts to
   create more video content for the social network. Now it's doubling down on
   the concept, this time for those who make gaming videos. It's a pretty
   clear bid to compete with YouTube, Twitch and Mixer for the attention of
   gaming fans who love watching other people play video games."
   - The (still) uncertain state of video game streaming online
   <https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/01/to-stream-or-not-to-stream-how-online-streaming-game-videos-exist-in-an-ip-world/>
   [Ars Technica] "As these streamers and personalities have grown in
   popularity, so too has the discussion over the rights of streamers and
   developers in regards to said content. Are streams covered under fair use
   with content creators allowed to make money off of them? Or should the
   original creators of the games have a say in how their products are used in
   the public eye, not to mention a chance to generate profit? "
   - Facebook tests tip jar for videogame streamers, launches gaming
   creator programme
   <https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2018/01/30/facebook-tests-tip-jar-for-videogame-streamers-launches-gaming-creator-programme/>
   [The Star Online] "The company is now offering select videogamers a chance
   to monetise their game-play live streams on Facebook by giving their
   audience a way to tip them as part of a test of new monetisation options."
   - Facebook’s new game streaming exclusive is a direct challenge to
   Twitch and YouTube
   <https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/23/16922380/facebook-esl-one-dota-2-csgo-exclusive-live-streaming>
   [The Verge] "Two of the more interesting aspects of this deal are that ESL
   One will make use of Facebook’s cross-posting feature, thus distributing
   streams across the Facebook pages of pro teams and players, and the promise
   of offering streams in VR. Cross-posting is a unique hook that Twitch and
   YouTube don’t really have, and it could serve to drive new viewers to
   Facebook’s streams, depending on how many followers the most notable
   players already have."

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Global Video Game Streaming Services Market 2017-2021 - Major players
   in this field include Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Mixer - Research and
   Markets
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=bizwire.c80122975&site=ehost-live>
   (Research and, M. (0008, October). Global Video Game Streaming Services
   Market 2017-2021 - Major players in this field include Twitch, YouTube
   Gaming, and Mixer - Research and Markets. *Business Wire (English)*. )
   - How to Watch Esports Anywhere
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cph&AN=126938025&site=ehost-live>
   (WILSON, J. L. (2018). How to Watch Esports Anywhere. *PC Magazine*,
   112-115. )
   - HOW I LEARNED TO STOP HATING & LOVE ESPORTS: As dubious as it may
   seem, getting paid to play video games is now a viable career option for
   elite players. Here's how and why eSports is a booming business
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cph&AN=123168589&site=ehost-live>
   (WILSON, J. L. (2017). HOW I LEARNED TO STOP HATING & LOVE ESPORTS: As
   dubious as it may seem, getting paid to play video games is now a viable
   career option for elite players. Here's how and why eSports is a booming
   business. *PC Magazine*, 100-113. )

------------------------------
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