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I think we should take a step back for a second and remember that before Twitch it was largely impossible to turn video game skills into a paying career. Now ma

I think we should take a step back for a second and remember that before Twitch it was largely impossible to turn video game skills into a paying career. Now many top players are able to finance their lives while still concentrating on their game. There are of course kinks that need to be worked out, but now you at least have one option, before you had zero.

ilink 13y ago
There were other services before twitch. Before it was shut down, Own3d tv provided a decent income for a few streamers.
- _Caspian 13y ago
  The thing with Own3d was that for the most part its streaming service simply did not match that of Twitch. The layout and mobile support was a bit better (streams that used Own3d were far more convenient to access since they played from the browser), but the quality was lacking. Twitch, on the other hand, has focused on what matters: the stream quality. Now that there layout has been updated, they would have smoked own3d even more IMO.
- 1123581321 13y ago
  Many streamers moved from Own3D to Twitch because Own3D was not making good on owed payments. Twitch needs competition to force it to improve its ToS, but it's been good for gaming.
anonymoushn 13y ago
Prior to the existence of Twitch there were at least a couple thousand people playing video games professionally. Most of these players played FPS, RTS, or MOBA (not that the term existed at the time) games competitively. I believe they still do, and that they are still not dependent on Twitch for their income.
- usea 13y ago
  It's my understanding that the income of top professional players in some segments (fighting games, for example) has largely shifted to non-prize sources in the past few years. Being a top player will get you sponsorships and notoriety which can be leveraged into other projects like online shows, consulting jobs, etc. Sponsorships at minimum include travel expenses, but often will pay for full-time living expenses. Twitch is a not-insignificant part of it, along with youtube etc. The companies that sponsor players use the hype to get eyeballs on their own sponsors' ads. I am sorry to admit I don't have any sources for this information. It's mostly hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt.
  - saraid216 13y ago
    The point is that it existed before Twitch. It might even be argued that the switch you speak of occurred because of Twitch.
citricsquid 13y ago
Live streaming of games. Many people are making hundreds of thousands / millions of dollars without Twitch, using Youtube.
JoeKM 13y ago
Are there any publications regarding how much money Twitch streamers make? I imagine actual regular casters of top eSports, like LoL and SC2, are making much more money than some dude streaming World of Warcraft.
- swang 13y ago
  Destiny, who is a very controversial streamer, (and probably doesn't make this much anymore) said he made about 3.5k/month from streaming 1.5k for lessons. He was a pretty heavy streamer with lots of viewers. This was 2 years ago though so the numbers may have changed. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/g7q91/iam_destiny_i_quit_my_job_to_play_starcraft_2_for/c1ljmu0 http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/g7q91/iam_destiny_i_qu...
  - quaunaut 13y ago
    At about that same time, members of Counter Logic Gaming were claiming to make 5-6k a month each streaming, and that they actually lost money going to tournaments and winning them, if they had just put in a normal amount of time streaming over those weekends.
    - robryan 13y ago
      Although winning tournaments might make their stream more popular?
      - saraid216 13y ago
        Hard to know without (1) longitudinal data and (2) surveying samples of their viewers. Your idea is highly plausible, IMO, but only that.
      - quaunaut 13y ago
        In the short term, no- however, it does keep them relevant as time goes on. most of the reason they said they did it, was because they just couldn't be that interested in the game if not playing at that level.
onli 13y ago
Don't forget that in the early days, there were professional gamers but live-streaming was unknown. Players made money by winning tournaments and getting sponsors. The article mentions that. There weren't zero options before twitch - own3d was already mentioned - and there are options besides live-streaming.

ilink 13y ago

There were other services before twitch. Before it was shut down, Own3d tv provided a decent income for a few streamers.

_Caspian 13y ago
The thing with Own3d was that for the most part its streaming service simply did not match that of Twitch. The layout and mobile support was a bit better (streams that used Own3d were far more convenient to access since they played from the browser), but the quality was lacking. Twitch, on the other hand, has focused on what matters: the stream quality. Now that there layout has been updated, they would have smoked own3d even more IMO.
1123581321 13y ago
Many streamers moved from Own3D to Twitch because Own3D was not making good on owed payments. Twitch needs competition to force it to improve its ToS, but it's been good for gaming.

anonymoushn 13y ago

Prior to the existence of Twitch there were at least a couple thousand people playing video games professionally. Most of these players played FPS, RTS, or MOBA (not that the term existed at the time) games competitively. I believe they still do, and that they are still not dependent on Twitch for their income.

usea 13y ago
It's my understanding that the income of top professional players in some segments (fighting games, for example) has largely shifted to non-prize sources in the past few years. Being a top player will get you sponsorships and notoriety which can be leveraged into other projects like online shows, consulting jobs, etc. Sponsorships at minimum include travel expenses, but often will pay for full-time living expenses. Twitch is a not-insignificant part of it, along with youtube etc. The companies that sponsor players use the hype to get eyeballs on their own sponsors' ads. I am sorry to admit I don't have any sources for this information. It's mostly hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt.
- saraid216 13y ago
  The point is that it existed before Twitch. It might even be argued that the switch you speak of occurred because of Twitch.

citricsquid 13y ago

Live streaming of games. Many people are making hundreds of thousands / millions of dollars without Twitch, using Youtube.

JoeKM 13y ago

Are there any publications regarding how much money Twitch streamers make? I imagine actual regular casters of top eSports, like LoL and SC2, are making much more money than some dude streaming World of Warcraft.

swang 13y ago
Destiny, who is a very controversial streamer, (and probably doesn't make this much anymore) said he made about 3.5k/month from streaming 1.5k for lessons. He was a pretty heavy streamer with lots of viewers. This was 2 years ago though so the numbers may have changed. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/g7q91/iam_destiny_i_quit_my_job_to_play_starcraft_2_for/c1ljmu0 http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/g7q91/iam_destiny_i_qu...
- quaunaut 13y ago
  At about that same time, members of Counter Logic Gaming were claiming to make 5-6k a month each streaming, and that they actually lost money going to tournaments and winning them, if they had just put in a normal amount of time streaming over those weekends.
  - robryan 13y ago
    Although winning tournaments might make their stream more popular?
    - saraid216 13y ago
      Hard to know without (1) longitudinal data and (2) surveying samples of their viewers. Your idea is highly plausible, IMO, but only that.
    - quaunaut 13y ago
      In the short term, no- however, it does keep them relevant as time goes on. most of the reason they said they did it, was because they just couldn't be that interested in the game if not playing at that level.

onli 13y ago

Don't forget that in the early days, there were professional gamers but live-streaming was unknown. Players made money by winning tournaments and getting sponsors. The article mentions that. There weren't zero options before twitch - own3d was already mentioned - and there are options besides live-streaming.