While many turn to Netflix or Youtube to entertain them while they do their homework or take a break, there is another platform that allows students to watch their favorite gamer play video games live.  Twitch.tv is a platform that allows anyone with internet access to watch live videos any time they want. These live streams are online for however long the streamer wants and can be streamed from any location. After the live showing, most streams are available to rewatch, but some require subscribing. 

Twitch is free to use, but people can gain benefits for subscribing, which includes paying a small fee each month. These benefits can change based on the channel, as the streamer has power over what is open to everyone versus what is only open to the paying subscribers. One reward is Emotes; they are personalized emojis made by the Twitch streamer. “I like being subscribed because you get emotes that you can use on Discord and in chat, so people can see that you’re also subbed to Mang0 or tyler1,” junior John Boulay said.

Different streaming services cater to different viewers and Twitch is no different. Twitch’s main audience is the gaming community. Everything from League of Legends to Fortnite is played on this platform. This gives people who may not have access to play the games they love a place for to see the game played, or it can allow viewers to learn from someone who might have more experience or skill when it comes to a favorite game, as many pro gamers stream the games they play. “When I’m watching streamers, I learn tips on how to build, what loadouts to have, and where to land. It’s addicting to play and addicting to watch,” senior Sean Biwer said.

Another aspect of Twitch is the live chat that can be enabled. This allows viewers and streamers to have more interaction. Streamers can answer questions from their viewers live and in split seconds people can create meaningful connections. This can even build communities that stretch across the world.

Twitch is blocked during school hours at BSM in an effort to try to keep the students focused on their classes. “They should unblock it. They block everything and it ruins the fun,” senior Joe Collins said.

Twitch also has a deal with Amazon which allows anyone with an Amazon Prime account the opportunity to subscribe to any one channel for free. “It’s awesome. I subbed using [Amazon Prime] and I got to join the chat channel… and got to see my name pop up on the stream,” junior Dylan Drees said.