What is Twitch and How Do I Get Started?
If you’re an avid internet user, you’ve no doubt heard of Twitch. Twitch is probably the most popular game streaming platform out there. There are many services that attempt to provide streaming capabilities, however, none of them have been able to do what Twitch has done. Although platforms such as YouTube have attempted to replicate Twitch, it’s still the go-to platform to stream video games.
If you have a game you love and want to join a community of people that play that game, Twitch is where you do it. Twitch is also incredibly easy for new-comers to stream to, giving new creators a platform to start on. There is a multitude of features that Twitch provides. Today I’ll be covering a few aspects of Twitch, and give you a general idea of what Twitch is about.
Exploring Twitch
There are many ways to explore Twitch. To get an idea of the options you have to help you get around, let’s take a look at the top of the landing page.
Browse
At the top of the Twitch landing page, you’ll see multiple different links you can follow. The main one you’ll want to use when trying to explore Twitch is the browse tab. When you go to the browse page, you’ll be able to filter the streams you want to view by different categories. These categories range from specific video games to a category called Just Chatting. There are different topics you can choose from, as well as specific tags you can choose to narrow down the categories.
Search
If you have something more specific in mind, like a specific streamer or a game you can’t find listed, using the search bar is an option as well. All you need to do is type in a keyword, and different search results will pop up in a drop-down menu from the search bar.
Watching Streams
Now let’s cover the main function of Twitch, watching live streams! When a streamer is live, there will be a red icon next to their name that says Live with the number of current watchers listed. When you click on their stream, you’ll be met with their channel page. It’ll look something like this:
If you scroll down on their page, you’ll be met with their stream’s description. Every streamer’s channel looks different, however, they all give a general idea of what to expect from that streamer and a general idea of their community.
If you look to the right of the above image, you’ll notice the stream chat. This is where people currently watching the stream can talk with each other and communicate with the streamer. Notifications will also appear in the chat when someone subscribes to the streamer or gives bits to them (giving bits is sort of like donating to the streamer or tipping them).
Speaking of subscribing, if you end up finding a streamer that you really enjoy, you’re able to subscribe to them. This means you send them a certain amount of money per month, and in return on occasion, they’ll reward you with special perks in their community. In the end, subscribing to a streamer you like is just a good way to support them and make sure they’re able to continue creating content
Mine says gift a sub because I am already subscribed to this streamer. If you aren’t subscribed to a streamer, it will say Subscribe instead
Wrapping It Up
In the end, Twitch has many different features to offer. It’s an amazing platform to explore if you enjoy watching gameplay or want to see what a certain game is like. Many people use Twitch to get a general feel for a specific game before playing it. Others just generally enjoy watching people playing video games (I am one of those people). Being a prolific user of Twitch myself, I can vouch for its quality. There are many highly enjoyable streamers on the platform.
Twitch is a very debated platform in the gaming community. Many love it, and many hate it. It all depends really on who you watch and why you use Twitch. There are many amazing communities on Twitch and many very great personalities. Quite a few creators use Twitch as a creative outlet which gives supporters of these creators another opportunity to give back to the people they support.
I would 100% recommend at least checking out Twitch. There’s a chance that a YouTuber you watch may also stream on Twitch! Looking for familiar faces would be a good place to start. Also just browsing the streams related to a game you like could be enjoyable as well. In the end, it’s all about what you make of it. So go find a streamer you enjoy and get watching!
