The World Series, the NBA Finals, and the League of Legends Season 3 World Championship all have something in common. They are all major sporting events with millions of viewers. Isn’t League of Legends a video game? Yes, it is. And the Season 3 World Championship had more viewers than either of the other events mentioned in 2013. Tickets to live gaming championships (like the Dota 2 International Championship) sell out in record time.
Twitch Leads the Pack
Twitch.tv is said to have 45 million unique visitors to their site on a monthly basis. This is more than television streaming sites, such as Netflix and Hulu, report. Both Hulu and Netflix get about 6 to 12 million unique hits per month.
These numbers are vastly different. People seem more interested in watching gamers stream their play, even if they aren’t in a championship than they are in the television being released today. But what could be the reasoning behind such a growing trend?
Option 1: Gamers resemble real people.
When someone is watching a sporting event or even a movie, the athletes and actors are seemingly in perfect form for their art. They spend hours with trainers to specialize in their craft and they are getting paid millions, just to throw a ball down field or play a part. These people are a world away from the rest of us.
Gamers, however, are just normal people. Sure, they have spent time honing their craft if they play professionally, but the average streamer does it for the love of the game. People can really connect with a game streamer on a more personal level than a celebrity. Due to the nature of Twitch’s streaming service, the chat also allows viewers to form a deeper connection to the host by being able to ask questions and get answers directly. They are able to form a connection.
See the complete article at GameSkinny.com about video game streams.