What was once a casual pastime for kids has now become a mainstream powerhouse media source for billions across the globe. With the rise of the video gaming industry over the past couple of years, it is seeing more widespread adoption than ever before, and that acceptance has paved the way for new modes of expressing creativity and content through live streaming video games. Streamers are now the new celebrities and they’re running the show.

That being said, the real unsung heroes of this equation are the game streaming platforms that give these creators a platform to showcase their content creating skills on, and give newbies a chance to make a name for themselves in the live streaming game. Giving birth to big names like Pewdiepie and Jacksepticeye, these platforms are the new source of entertainment for millions worldwide and if you’re new to the gaming live streaming scene, you’ve landed at the right article.

What is a video game live streaming service?

A video game live streaming service is a website, app or platform on the internet that allows content creators to play video games on their systems and broadcast them to an audience, and the audience can use the same platform to view and interact with these live streams. It is a new way of creating content and a new source of entertainment for millions of people, which is also now compared to being equivalent to watching sports online or on the television.

Now for the best part…

These are the top 5 video game streaming sites of 2022, where you can watch creators create magic or become a creator yourself.

1. Loco
2. Twitch
3. YouTube Gaming
4. Facebook Gaming
5. Hitbox

Loco

Taking the Indian gaming scene to new heights, Loco is the flagship streaming platform for the world’s leading gaming market today. It is a comprehensive and streamer friendly platform with a simple interface and a rich content library. Loco is an exclusive partner of all the top streamers in the Indian gaming community like Sc0ut, Mavi et cetera and believes in making video game streaming accessible to all. At Loco, viewers can stream their favourite streamers play games like BGMI, PUBG, Counter Strike, Valorant and more. Loco is exclusive to Indian gaming right now but will be launched worldwide in the coming months and is bound to be a sensation.

Twitch

The video game streaming giant Twitch is the next on the list. Twitch is a worldwide sensation and houses over 8M active streamers. Twitch is a household name in the video game fraternity and has a diverse content list with millions of creators, so there’s never a dull moment. Twitch is Amazon’s video game streaming service that was bought back by them in 2014 and has been a sensation since. Twitch is extremely user friendly and offers monetization features as well, which is great for streamers who want to make a career out of it, making the platform robust and ideal for both professionals and hobbyists.

YouTube Gaming

One of the top video game streaming sites in the world today, YouTube Gaming is the pinnacle of game streaming sites, with top of the line tech support and streaming options upto 4K 60 FPS. The UI and layout of YT Gaming can get a little drab and confusing at times but since its inception in 2015, the platform has come a long way and has become just as robust and accessible as its competitors in the market. YouTube Gaming also allows streamers to monetize their streams, which is great for professionals and is also open to the Google Suite for internal marketing using Google AdSense.

Facebook Gaming

Facebook also dipped its feet into the gaming business in 2018 with Facebook Gaming, which was rebranded to Facebook Gameroom as it aimed to rival Twitch in the video game live streaming service race. Facebook Gaming has a clean but unfinished UI which can leave people struggling but offers most of the features that one would expect from a complete game streaming service. FB Gaming runs a more ‘community’ oriented approach towards gamers and helps streamers build communities of their fans, which lies in sync with the vision of Facebook as a platform.

DLive

DLive started in 2017 as a game streaming service which was purchased by BitTorrent a year later. DLive is another live streaming service for gamers that is a simpler version of YT Gaming, with streams from different content creators available to be viewed and adequate monetization schemes which gives more power to the streamers but faces popularity and technical issues that make it not live upto the reputation that it precedes.

Conclusion

The above was a list of the top 5 video gaming platforms that you can become a part of now if you want to become a professional game streamer or just casually enjoy some gaming content. While picking the right platform for you, you can keep some points in mind that will help you make a better choice to start your streamer career:

• Pick the platform that gives you the most exposure and a quick start. Your entry should be seamless and should face minimum entry barriers.
• If you aspire to be a professional streamer, pick the platform that offers you the most flexible monetization and the highest quality of streaming (provided you have the apparatus for it).
• The platform should also give you excellent support when you might need it in terms of resolving issues, queries or managing streams.
• Finally, the platform should allow maximum interaction between the viewers and you, since that is the end goal of hosting streams. Connect with your fans and let them connect with you.

Kenneth

Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].