Get in the Game

Chapter 8Work to Play and Play to Work: Game Streaming and Streamers

The image of a “gamer” as a lone figure, often relegated to the basement or otherwise out of sight of proper society, was never quite correct. Aside from the exhaustive lengths we're going to throughout this book to illustrate a much broader demographic for gaming than most would suspect, sharing gaming experiences with friends or family has always been woven into the practice of playing video games. From arcades to living room couches, watching a game unfold for the pleasure of the viewing experience (even when divorced from a potential competitive element) is a central component to gaming.

In a similar vein to how those more familiar with traditional media should not have been surprised by the rise of esports, given the inherent competitive fields built into gaming, so goes the concept of internet streaming of games. What we are experiencing is a natural media consumption behavior (watching someone game) elevated to the level of media through network effects across the consumer internet. Regardless, internet streaming as a phenomenon has befuddled many in the traditional media world. Whether it be someone playing a video game, talking about a video game, or even giving an opinion on various types of breakfast cereals, the reaction is usually one of incredulous awe and a statement of “someone wants to watch that?”

In a word: Yup. The simple fact is folks like to play games, but they also like watching games ...