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![Origins
THE RISE OF E-SPORTS AND
GAMING CULTURE
Twitch and Discord have their origins in the
rise of eSports, commonly defined as
competitive spectator gaming.
Live streaming games has grown from a niche
subculture to the mainstream.
Source: Jakob Wells [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/intrototwitchdiscord-190819132043/85/Twitch-Discord-in-Libraries-2-320.jpg)
Uploaded byLorin Flores
Twitch & Discord in Libraries
This document summarizes Twitch and Discord, two popular platforms for live streaming and communication among gamers. It discusses their origins in the rise of esports and gaming culture. Twitch started in 2011 and was later acquired by Amazon, becoming the dominant social live streaming platform focused mainly on game streams. Discord launched in 2015 and is popularized as "Slack for gamers" that is integrated with Twitch and Steam. The document provides some statistics on Twitch's daily active users and peak traffic times, and gives examples of how libraries are using or could use Twitch and Discord to support gaming and adult programming.
Twitch & Discord in Libraries
- 1. Lorin Flores |Librarian I | Central Library Adult Services Meeting | August 15, 2019 Twitch & Discord
- 2. Origins THE RISE OFE-SPORTS AND GAMING CULTURE Twitch and Discord have their origins in the rise of eSports, commonly defined as competitive spectator gaming. Live streaming games has grown from a niche subculture to the mainstream. Source: Jakob Wells [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
- 3. T • Justin Kanstarted in 2010 as Justin.tv, rebranded in 2011 • In 2014 acquired by Amazon for $970 million • Dominant Social Live Streaming Services (SLSS) platform with highest market share • Mostly game-based streams but there are also creative streams • Streamers can generate income from their channel Twitch
- 4. Twitch Demographics • 15+ milliondaily active users • 2.2-3.2 million monthly broadcasters • 1 million users watched a single event • 95 minutes per day on average • 62.87% is in English • 16:00 EST is peak viewing time • 6th largest source peak global traffic Infographic Source (cropped from original): https://influencermarketinghub.com/wp- content/uploads/2018/10/Infographic_Twitch.jpg
- 5. Twitch in Libraries Hereare some examples of ways libraries are using Twitch to support services for adults: • Library or personal Twitch channel to facilitate/broadcast a program • Library Twitch account as a library service • Libraries inviting streamers to speak
- 6. Metamediation “Video game streamingis a complex digital literacy practice…the video game streamer is a paragon of a modern digitally literate individual.” Dr. Hannah Garber
- 7. • Described as“Slack for gamers” • Jason Citron launched in 2015 as Hammer & Chisel • Popularized by Twitch & Reddit • Integrated with Twitch & Steam • Discord Go Live out today • In the news… Discord
- 8. Discord Demographics • 250 milliondaily users • 315 million messages sent per day, on average • 750 verified servers • Largest is Fortnite server with 180,000 users
- 9. Discord in Libraries? “Ourdungeon master uses Discord if a member of the campaign can’t attend in person. It works very well.” -Tina Ross Dalton
- 10. Discord in HigherEducation Discord has been used in higher education to advance educational outcomes. • Community builder for classes and learning communities • Facilitating class discussion and participation in online classes • A means for online tutoring and mentoring in an informal environment
- 11.
Editor's Notes
- #2 Hi, my name is Lorin.
- #3 eSports Electronic sports, more commonly known as eSports, is the term used to describe playing high-level games and spectating of digital games in a competitive atmosphere (Hamilton, Kerne, & Robbins, 2012). Why do others watch other use video games The intersection of streaming platforms and participatory online media along with the idea of users as content creators are all factors that have driven the development of live streaming gaming from a niche subculture to the mainstream.
- #4 SLSSs (Gros et al) Dominant Platform from Johnson and Woodcock—Other competitiors include Youtube, Youtube gaming, and of course Mixer. Ninja left Twitch to go to Mixer and there’s dramah. Disabled users’ ability to monetize their streams and earn money. Variety 2019 6th largest global download traffic
- #5 Note: These are current as of 2017.
- #6 I’m going to preface that by pointing out here that I’ve seen examples of seminars and probably library services for teens using Twitch, but we’re examining programming for Adults. Examples: Sacramento Public Library’s channel supporting Online Gamer Book Club and Tabletop Game Developer Workshop, Lutz library (I thought it was lulz library) Example of a library live-streaming an invited speaker Broadcasting Maker Day activities and public speakers (that was Canadian library) San Francisco inviting streamers to speak Another item seen in the literature as a speculation: Potential of Twitch (and gaming) for language learning plus the presence of non-English language channels
- #7 Gerber, Hannah. (2017). eSports and Streaming: Twitch Literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 61. 343-345. 10.1002/jaal.692. We as librarians need to pay attention to this as an emerging digital literacy. There’s also an educational/learning aspect of Twitch. Not just how-tos, but learning other languages and instances of peer mentoring in programming in the literature. Of course there’s also a huge body of research on Gaming and Learning, and how games facilitate that, but it’s beyond the scope of this presentation but a worthwhile rabbit hole to fall into.
- #8 “Slack for Gamers” Cnet 250 million users as of July 2019 Discord Go Live launching today (8/15)
- #10 Communication from Progamming Librarian Interest Group on Facebook Group: “Our dungeon master uses Discord if a member of the campaign can’t attend in person. It works very well.” Tina Ross Dalton, Director of Cuba Circulating Library (Cuba, NY) Although there seems to still be very little about Discord in Libraries in the literature and anecdotally, there are documented cases of Discord being used in Higher Education. This may provide some direction for libraries in terms of possibilities and benefits. Several instances of Discord being used as a communication tool for a class or learning community, demonstrating its strength in forming communities Discord as a way to encourage class participation, group work, and moderate discussion Discord as a tool for online tutoring
- #11 The articles were very positive about using Discord to facilitate communication and build community. It’s possible that some of these uses can be adapted for library settings.