Here are the gamers that have become successful with their streaming careers
By Nadine Halili | Art by Saii Shah | Source photos by Jackson Hayes/Unsplash and Tom Fisk/Pexels
Founded in 2011, Twitch has grown into one of the most popular sites among video game fans and streamers; it’s even created and fostered a live virtual community. In 2019, the streaming site has amassed 3.64 million unique monthly broadcasters and generated 1.25 million concurrent views. Twitch also hosts live esports tournaments including live coverage and commentaries that make the experience even grander like the League of Legends World Championship 2019, which currently holds the highest number of concurrent viewers at 1.75 million.
Many Twitch broadcasters have pursued streaming as a career. And for good reason. earning profit from interacting with their fans as they take them through their gameplays. Summit1G, for instance, can earn $100,000 from subscribers alone and this is outside the donations and sponsorship deals he gets.
But money aside, one other reason for Twitch’s unprecedented following is the overall gratification and interaction the platform hammers into participants. A typical gamer usually shares their screen and webcam footage of their reactions throughout the gameplay, allowing streams to be an interactive space where viewers can make comments and ask questions directly to the streamer.
If you want to check out how a Twitch live stream works, we’ve compiled popular streamers based on the games that they play.
Ali “Myth” Kabbani (Fortnite)
Only 20 years old, Ali Kabbani or “Myth” has already been hailed one of the best Fortnite players, gaining popularity through streaming before signing with American esports organization Team SoloMid (TSM). Myth started as a fan of TSM playing League of Legends before venturing into streaming other games where he was eventually discovered for his skillful plays at Fortnite in 2017. The Michigan-born gamer currently has 6.4 million followers on Twitch and partnerships with brands like Logitech and Lenovo.
Jaryd “Summit1G” Lazar (Counter Strike: Global Offensive)
One of the most influential Twitch streamers, Jaryd “Summit1G” Lazar has been streaming CS:GO since 2012 and has inspired other top streamers to pursue a career in game streaming. In 2018, he became the most followed user on Twitch and now has 5.28 million followers as of writing. The 33-year-old American first ventured into pro gaming for CS:GO in 2015 with Exertus Esports, Area51 Gaming and Mythic but has since retired and instead focused on streaming. Aside from CS:GO, Summit1G is also known for being a flexible online streamer with experience in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Pokemon Go and H1Z1.
Edwin “Castro_1021” Castro (FIFA 20)
Edwin Castro, better known as Castro_1021, began his streaming career in 2013 and is now the most watched FIFA channel on Twitch. Though known for his loud, extreme reactions in his streams, Castro_1021 gives back with long charity streams that support multiple organizations as featured on his Twitch channel.
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