The good news is that if you and your friends enjoy watching Twitch streams together, you’ll be pleased to learn that Twitch has announced that the app for the iPhone and iPad will now support SharePlay. As the name implies, this lets users share certain features of iOS with others so that they can enjoy content together, whether it be screensharing, streaming music together, and so on. Twitch users can follow and DM (Direct Message) each other, each stream has its own unique chatroom where users can connect, and the popular Pulse feature essentially functions as a Facebook timeline that allows for everyone on the network to post their status updates as well as like, share, and comment on what others have written.One of the features Apple introduced in iOS 15 is called SharePlay. Additionally, in the past year, the service has developed more into a social network.
Twitch does have community policies to crack down on hate speech, harassment, and sexual content in chat streams, but parents should be aware that anyone can chat with anyone else. There is also exposure to advertising on Twitch, including on-screen ads and sponsorships of gamers who guzzle certain energy drinks or wear branded clothing. Broadcasters can and do curse, even if by accident. Twitch is live, so it can be hard to censor. It tempts even this mom to watch and see a broadcaster discuss classic lines like, “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” Should Parents Be Concerned about Twitch? They allow its broadcasters to rebroadcast the shows too, as long as they add something creative, like painting along with Ross or adding commentary. Here broadcasters can stream their creative processes including everything from cooking to comedy to choreography.įor instance, I discovered that Twitch shows Bob Ross’ infamous “The Joy of Painting” series. Most teens flock to Twitch to watch their favorite gamers play live, but there is a Creative category. Twitch touts that using bits could gain the attention of the broadcaster in the live chat. Bits are emotes (usually a gem) that users buy and use in chat streams to celebrate and support a favorite broadcaster. There are also Bits available to purchase.
Twitch Prime allows ad-free viewing and one free subscription to a broadcaster every month. Showing support for your favorite gamer by subscribing is how they make money: Amazon splits half of each subscription with the broadcaster.īecause Amazon owns Twitch, it should come as no surprise that a free Twitch Prime account is available to everyone with an Amazon Prime membership. Getting an account to follow a broadcaster is free, but subscribing to a broadcaster, which comes with perks such as more emojis to use in chat rooms, costs $4.99 a month and up, depending on the subscription level. “You don’t need to buy anything to watch it,” my son reported.
Twitch streams are available on the official Twitch website and via one of the many official Twitch apps which are available for iOS and Android devices, Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and 4, Amazon’s Fire TV, Google Chromecast, and the NVIDIA SHIELD What Does It Cost? Additionally, Twitch offers a live chat stream that allows viewers to interact in real time with each other and the broadcaster. It is the live streaming that distinguishes Twitch from YouTube, where most gamers post pre-recorded videos.
The service since expanded to include streams dedicated to artwork creation, music, talk shows, and the occasional TV series. The majority of users come to watch their favorite gamers, or broadcasters as Twitch calls them, play video games in real-time.
Between one and two million unique visitors log in to Twitch each month, and it is one of the highest sources of traffic on the Internet in North America. It was founded in 2011 and purchased by Amazon in 2014. “Twitch is a website where you can watch live streamers play video games,” my son informed me. Turns out the answer is sort of, but not really. “Isn’t that the same as watching all those videos on YouTube?” I replied. It’ll really help me with Fortnite,” he explained.
What Is Live Streaming? What Parents Need to Know A Twitch Account?