Play video games for a living? TwitchTV is making it happen
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Launched in June 2011 by the folks at the video streaming site Justin.tv, the site garnered over 8 million viewers in its first few months.
So, how can you make a living playing video games?
TwitchTV's has a revenue-sharing business model. Meaning, you get paid based on views. More views equals more money.
"We see these professional teams that actually pay a salary to their players based on the time that they stream," TwitchTV host and producer Marcus "djWHEAT" Graham told me over the phone.
"There are probably players that made six figures last year. Hundreds made five figures last year."
Those are impressive numbers if you consider how many hours are spent playing video games for free. But, don't think you can just plug in and see the cash roll in.
A typical channel on TwitchTV
/ TwitchTVGraham described a typical day in his life and it's more than just playing games. Between working his regular job at TwitchTV, the host and producer spends an additional two-to-three hours streaming and promoting his shows.
"Not everyone making money are cream of the crop gamers, but they're great entertainers," Graham said.
Is it just a fad or here to stay?
"Some will call it a fad, but I call it a dawn of a web 3.0.," Graham said. "Live streaming hasn't just taken over the Internet, it's taken my personal lifestyle by storm. Not only do I make a living off of live streaming, but I see an increase in individuals doing that around me."
It's not a phenomenon that's exclusive to TwitchTV. With evolving camera and video technology, more people are broadcasting their lives on sites like Jusin.tv, ustream.tv or Livestream.
Last summer, a family of Bald Eagles called the Decorah Eagles captured the hearts and minds of millions of viewers. A recent view count of the channel is 214 million.
Live streaming menu organized by video games
/ TwitchTVWhen I spoke to Justin Kan, co-founder of Justin.tv and the original "lifecaster," he likened the phenomenon on TwitchTV to sports casting.
Kan pointed out that people tune into sports casts to hear commentary and opinions on strategy or gameplay. In a country like South Korea, where the video game StarCraft II is like a national sport, millions tune in to watch tournaments. Game casters add to the excitement of an event by bringing a narrative, much like in sports.
In 2007, Kan and his partners Emmett Shear, Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt launched Justin.tv, which was just a web camera attached to Kan's head. During the 8-month period, Kan popularized the term "lifecasting."
What's in store for gamers?
TwitchTV also created a niche market for promoting video games.
"When suddenly someone has the opportunity to see the upcoming Modern Warfare game, being played multi-player by the developers, that is opening new markets, not just for marketing but for the audience perspective," said Graham.
For a video game lover, like myself, the site is addictive. Not only do I get to see games that I'm interested in before deciding to buy, but also get to watch how other people play.
Whether or not a site like TwitchTV will truly create a new job market for gamers remains to be seen. But, you can't deny they're off to a running start.
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Appreciate the love though <3 <3
The money is given out at $2 per every 1000 viewers watching a commercial. This gives those life streamers at least $2-4 every time a commercial gets made. Considering commercials come in about twice an hour, maybe more depending on the streamer, money can change to decent wages to amazing profit- depending on popularity of course.
The only misinformation in this article is that cod and BF are not popular watchable games. The numbers provided in this article are bad. Not only that but it also shows console players as being the most profitable, which is wrong, PC Players get more money.
But trust me, many people are getting bad ~$100,000 a year to just play the game SC2. Some are earning way more than that just from winning everything they enter. So please, take your radical thinking back to your sports bar where you can watch your crappy game of footba- Oh no, wait I'm sorry I havn't told you about Barcraft. eSports is taking over your sports bars now too. Legends bar in new york will be showing the MLG(Major league gaming) winter arena feb 24-26, check it out, it will be so much better than that excuse of a superbowl.