Twitch is a very interesting social media and gaming platform. It helps connect users all over the world and allows for passionate gamers to monetize and capitalize from something they really enjoy. It has been blowing up and some of the most popular streamers can get up to 20,000+ people livestreaming them playing a game and giving money to them at once. It has become a subtle social phenomenon and will likely only grow with the younger generation.

As a non-gamer I approach it with an air of skepticism. I’ve always found that personally I can only play video games for an hour at most until I get bored or my brain feels like it’s being wasted. This might be personal because I find the same thing with most social media platforms unless I’m directly engaging with someone. My issues with Twitch lies with my foundational dislike for video games and, the concern for people who decide to make video games a full time profession.

As a business student, I understand that your career doesn’t necessarily have to contribute to society. If you’d like to make money and that’s what keeps you satisfied then that it is fine. Capitalism allows for that. My issue lies with video games – I think long term association with an alternate reality has to lead to some problem. I don’t know how to define it, I’m not a psychologist. But similar, I’ve noticed that a lot of the people who spend too much time on the internet find themselves more sensitive to trolls. Reasonable people end up fighting in Internet comment sections. I just think dedicating your career to video games takes away from potential. And that might be reflecting on myself and how I couldn’t imagine doing that. But I find it hard to respect it/value it as a career choice particularly because of the danger I associate with it.

And while this might be viewed as hostile and unappreciative of gamers – I think one must view the stereotypical gamer. Living in their mothers basement, unhygienic, unhealthy, single and socially anxious. I know many people like this. And while this doesn’t encompass all video gamers or twitch streamers, I know many people who coincide with these characteristics. And many twitch streamers I’ve watched also fall under these categories.

One of my nightmares is Twitch getting big in Japan if it hasn’t already. There is a large population of Japanese youths who live in small apartments in the city who live off vending machine food and stay in their apartments all day. Many of them have severe social anxiety. If this platform were to extend there, they would extend these habits but be able to monetize and they would have less reason to leave.

Now before my issues with video games cloud my thoughts on Twitch – I don’t think that makes Twitch all bad. I think it’s a nice/fun way to watch people. But I think using it as an extension of playing the video game for hours and/or playing on Twitch full time can be very unhealthy. Otherwise I really like the platform and respect moderate gamers.