Almost since its inception, Twitch has held a strong appeal for online gamers and eSports fans looking to connect with other gamers and eSports enthusiasts. It didn’t take long for Twitch to become the favored cyberhome for gamers, with a streaming platform that rivals the popularity of major players like YouTube and others.
For those looking to share gaming or eSports sessions, Twitch is THE streaming platform of choice. So, for those who may be asking, “What is Twitch and how does it work?” this post will tell you everything you need to know about what Twitch is, what it isn’t, and the benefits of starting a Twitch channel.
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What Is Twitch?
Let’s start with the obvious question, “What is Twitch?” just to get any newbies up to speed and make sure we’re all on the same page. Twitch is an online streaming platform, launched in 2011, that allows users to create and stream their own content and interact with viewers and fans on their own channels and those created by others.
Twitch, like YouTube and other major streaming platforms, offers a wide range of user-created content covering an eclectic array of subject matter from cooking to DIY to music, and of course, gaming.
It is this latter category that has truly exploded Twitch’s popularity as an online streaming platform. Today, Twitch boasts an average daily viewership of more than 15 million daily active users and more than 3.8 million unique broadcasters.
How Does Twitch Work in the World of Gaming?
To understand why gamers have gravitated to Twitch, let’s take a closer look at the world of gaming on Twitch. Twitch offers a unique way for gamers and gaming enthusiasts to interact directly with one another while playing the games they love.
Gamers on Twitch create channels where they stream their live video game matches against other gamers or their own individual gameplay with commentary. While anyone can stream their gameplay on Twitch, the most popular players gain followers with their clever banter, humorous commentary, or an outgoing personality and regular interaction with viewers.
Twitch streamers and fans can interact directly through livestreaming chats where comments posted by viewers of the stream are visible to both the streamer and other viewers.
So, how does gaming on Twitch work? Twitch is a subscription platform with a variety of different subscription gaming tiers to choose from ranging in price from $4.99 to $24.99. Because Twitch is a subsidiary of Amazon, Twitch Prime is available as a subscription as well.
Why Start a Twitch Channel for Your Gaming or eSports Team?
Ever wonder whether starting a twitch channel is a waste of time? Believe it or not, there are many benefits of starting a Twitch channel, and it is easy to invite others to join and to share your channel.
Let’s start with the obvious benefits that come from regular social engagement with like-minded people. Twitch offers a place to connect with other gaming enthusiasts and enjoy live game play with other fans of the same game. Users are able to play their favorite games against other players from around the globe.
Now let’s dig a bit deeper. Twitch also provides an awesome outlet for your creativity.
You get to design your own channel and choose your content and interaction style. As an additional side benefit, setting up and growing your Twitch gaming or eSports channel will definitely help you develop your marketing chops and send your confidence through the roof.
How to Invite Others to Join Your Twitch Channel?
Once you have your Twitch channel up and running, the next logical question is, “How do I share my Twitch channel?” Twitch, in partnership with Crowdpurr livestreaming capabilities, makes it easy to share your livestreamed content directly with others on their mobile devices.
If you can copy and paste, you can easily share your Twitch channel far and wide using these simple steps:
- Go to your Twitch homepage, and click the “Account” button.
- Select “Channel” from the menu options that appear.
- Highlight the browser URL shown in your browser’s address bar over this page.
- Use your mouse to right-click the highlighted URL and select “Copy” to copy the URL to your clipboard.
- Navigate to the Crowdpurr pop-up streaming box and right-click to paste the copied URL into the Crowd Purr Experience Dashboard
Additionally, you can also use Twitch’s Squad Stream feature to share your collaborative channel content with fans. Squad Stream allows up to four streaming content channels to go live together on one split screen.
This allows you to team up with fellow Twitch streamers to air your livestreamed matches and head-to-head battles to your collective of fans. Teaming up with fellow streamers is an awesome way to grow your fan base as other fans get a chance to see your content.
If you want to use Squad Stream, use this quick overview to get you started:
- Locate, and select “Squad Stream” from the “Quick Actions” menu of your Twitch streaming dashboard.
- Invite other channels to join your squad by clicking “Add A Channel” and entering, or pasting, the URL of the channel that you would like to invite to join your Squad. You can invite up to three other channels.
- Once the channels have accepted your invite, simply click on “Start Squad Stream” to begin livestreaming your collaborative content out to viewers.
How to Share Your Gaming or eSports Twitch Channel with Fans
One of the most frequently asked questions from new Twitch streamers is, “How do I share my Twitch channel with fans?” We have discussed two of the most popular methods for sharing your Twitch channel content in the section above, but these are far from the only options.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the alternative methods that you can use to spread the word about your Twitch channel.
- Host Mode
Host Mode allows you to host other content channels on your channel, and in turn, other channels can host your content stream, helping to introduce your content to their audience.
- Co-Streaming
Similar to Host Mode, Co-Streaming allows you to air another channel’s broadcast on your own channel, but in the case of Co-Streaming, you will be providing your own commentary over the other channels content. Remember that saving or re-uploading of co-streamed content is prohibited by Twitch.
- Clips
Clips allow Twitch streamers and users to clip and share short outtakes and snippets of amusing, exciting, or interesting commentary or game play action to post and share on their own channels. Twitch users are able to clip and share content from all participating channels. Channels that do not allow clipping will be designated as such.
Final Thoughts
I hope that this guide has inspired you to get out there and start your own Twitch streaming channel. If you are new to Twitch or have already started your own channel and have tips to share, I would love to hear more about your experience. Be sure to share all of your tips and suggestions in the comments section below!
