You remember when you were a kid, the last thing you wanted to do was sit and watch your friend play a game? Many of us face that same issue now, I’m sure. However, countless people regularly pay money to watch other people play video games.
Twitch, an enormous streaming platform, allows anyone to subscribe to a Twitch partner channel for $4.99 a month. You don’t have to pay to watch — you can watch for free. People choose to pay.
The streaming community has become largely about supporting streamers, despite not having to. It’s a genuine transaction from both sides — the streamer provides entertainment, and the viewers provide cash flow. However, many people are shocked that people would bother to pay money to watch others play video games.
Another example of the streaming tycoon is eSports. League of Legends, for example, saw an average concurrent viewership of over 4.2 million people over 73 games in 2015. To compare, the Super Bowl in 2014 had about 112 million. Shockingly, the League of Legends 2015 finals alone reached 36 million unique viewers.
People invest time and money into watching other people play video games — but why?
Well first, many of these players are extraordinarily talented. They are able to play at a level that a vast majority of the player base cannot, similar to professional sports. If they are not extremely talented, they are extremely entertaining. They are able to provide the audience with an enjoyable time while adding in the element of a video game that the audience enjoys.
While many people are confused by streaming and eSports, the business is growing bigger every day. Many believe that, although it has been developing for many years, this is only the beginning of a budding market that will grow even more in the future.
Marco Omta is a sophomore studying music production. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. How do you feel about watching video games? Email Marco at mo183714@ohio.edu.
