Twitch For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Introduction

If you play video games — regardless of your age, your platform, or your preference for first-person shooter or massively multiplayer online games — you may have noticed they offer a feature for sharing your gameplay. What is that? you might wonder before jumping into your game. Weeks later, that Share Your Gameplay option is still nagging at you. The only way you can quell your curiosity is to go online and do a little digging, where you discover this thing called streaming.

Now, if you’ve been involved with content creation for as long as I have (see Wiley’s Podcasting For Dummies for all the details), you know that, in the early days of podcasting, streaming was taking hold despite many technological barriers. Processing speeds. Graphics cards. Internet connections. If the stars aligned, you might get a video feed on your computer matching the quality of a convenience store security camera. In 2005.

Then technology evolved. New computers performed not only faster but more efficiently. High-speed internet became more common. And developers who created the hardware and software for streaming made the technology more accessible. Then along came Twitch.

I’m sure my own reaction wasn’t too different from yours. Twitch? Sounds serious. Have you consulted a physician?

Twitch For Dummies, 2nd Edition, takes a deep dive into an exciting entertainment platform that’s known for featuring video games but offers so much more. Beginning with the question at the forefront of ...