Twitch is the most popular live streaming
platform that gives everyday people an opportunity to stream their gameplay. As
such, the content of the platform varies depending on the people who provide
it. Most of it closely revolves around video games and video game tournaments.
However, Twitch offers a lot more, especially with new popular categories that
have recently started emerging, such as music broadcasts, ‘’in real life’’
streams or creative content that involves drawing, painting, designing and much,
much more.
The platform was launched in 2011 and, by 2015, it had had 1.5 million
broadcasters and over 100 million viewers per month, surpassing even YouTube
Gaming. It offers a unique concept where the viewers can interact with their
favorite streamers, the same way you can, for example, interact with a dealer
in a live
dealer casino. Certain streamers have grown together
with the platform, creating many legendary situations and videos that exist
even to this day. So, who are the most popular streamers and who hides behind
their online personas?
Ninja
Richard Tyler Blevins, also known as Ninja, is the most popular streamer on Twitch and has a follower base of 12 million viewers. He dominates the leaderboard by far, as the next streamer in line sits only at 4 million. Ninja spends roughly 12 hours in front of the PC playing video games. However, to be the most popular streamer, you must also stream the most popular video games. Luckily for him, he streams Fortnite that has had a massive boom on the video game market and exploded in popularity. He contributed to the popularity of Fortnite, while, in return, the game’s popularity brought him in new followers. In the end, we can safely say that both equally reaped the benefits.
Shroud
If you are a fan of FPS games, then you have most likely heard the stories of Shroud and his divine AWP skills. Mike Grzesiek is second only to Ninja when it comes to the number of the followers he has. However, what’s even more impressive about his story is that Shroud has just recently become a full-time streamer. Mike started as a competitive gamer and is most famous for his career in an eSports team called Cloud9. If you drop by his Twitch channel, you can regularly catch him streaming CS:GO alongside some PUBG.
Summit1g
Jaryd Lazar, also known as Summit1g, was born on April 23, 1987. Similarly to Shroud, Summit has gained a lot of popularity by playing Counter-Strike. Currently, he sits comfortably as one of the most popular streamers on Twitch. His content includes a variety of games and, according to him, he enjoys streaming everything, from FPS games to open world content, or just chilling with his viewers. His stream regularly garners around 20,000 viewers, so he’s most certainly doing something right!
Dr DisRespect
Herschel Beahm IV is somewhat unknown in the world of video games; however, everyone knows him by his nickname, Dr DisRespect. He held a record for a stream that gathered most viewers until it was broken by Ninja’s stream featuring Drake. What makes Dr DisRespect and his stream unique is that he completely immerses into his character. His stream includes him dressing up and using various props while playing games, such as H1Z1, PUBG, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. By morphing into a brand new personality, he ensures that his streams are always entertaining. The dominating gaming specimen not only acts big but also backs up the talk.
Sodapoppin
Chance Morris started his streaming career early, when he was only 16 years old. However, this “veteran” is only 24 years old at the moment! Sodapoppin is most famous for his Feral Druid gameplay in once most popular video game, World of Warcraft. Nowadays, he jumps from game to game while still going back to classics in between, playing the new editions. For example, in 2017, he eliminated Dr DisRespect from an H1Z1 invitational tournament. Also, he has often streamed blackjack gambling where he would win and lose thousands of dollars per sitting. Sodapoppin is also a part owner of the eSports organization called Northern Gaming, which was purchased by NRG Esports.
Final Thoughts
None of these streamers has become famous
overnight. It was a long grind gaining the viewer base while spending multiple
hours a day ameliorating themselves, their gameplay and the quality of their
stream. Most of them had to take a big risk and quit their day jobs to entirely
focus on streaming, which didn’t always feel rewarding since a lot of drama
followed their ‘’offline’’ lives. However, we are grateful that they have
endured and pushed through, as many of them offer entertaining content for
anyone to watch on a daily basis.
