Prime Gaming: What’s it and how does it work
Prime Gaming and Twitch are united by the unbreakable bond of Amazon Prime, offering a ton of benefits for all subscribers. In case you didn’t know, Twitch is Amazon’s popular streaming service, which has become the ultimate go-to for all gaming enthusiasts and more, allowing you to share your gaming sessions live or watch other streamers.
But Twitch, is not just that. It’s a massive platform where multiple contents have found their space and a sense of absolute freedom. This small revolution in the world of video streaming, has attracted nearly 20 million active users per day.
But what exactly is Twitch and how does it work? And, most importantly, why should you subscribe?
What is Twitch
Twitch started as a branch of Justin.tv (until February 2014), the streaming content website, launched by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear on March 19, 2007. At the time, the website had a section dedicated solely to video games, which grew exponentially and eventually separated with the name Twitch.tv, leading to the abandonment of the original project in 2011.
Today, Twitch is the fourth-largest source of internet traffic during peak periods in the United States, following Netflix, Google and Apple. After being acquired by Amazon in 2014, the service expanded its functions and content even further.
It has become the most popular eSports streaming service worldwide and also provides a platform for non-gaming content, such as pop culture, music channels, radio programs and music production activities.
Prime Gaming, how to get it for free?
To access the Prime Gaming program, which also includes free Twitch channel subscriptions, there is one essential requirement; you need to be an Amazon Prime member (wow, really? 🤔). Otherwise, without Amazon Prime, subscribing to a channel costs a minimum of $14.99 USD per month or $139 USD per year, if you choose the annual payment option (so not exactly cheap).
In case you’ve been traveling to some distant galaxy for the past 15 years, let me tell you that Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform, active for over 25 years, and with Amazon Prime, you can enjoy fast and free product’s shipping on eligible items, early access to deals during special events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday or seasonal sales.
Moreover, Prime membership includes access to Prime Video’s on-demand streaming content, free book reading with Prime Reading, songs to listen with Amazon Music, free games with add-ons and supplementary content every month with Prime Gaming, and finally, unlimited and free cloud storage for photos.
Regarding Prime Gaming specifically, here’s what it includes:
- Subscription to a Prime Gaming channel; subscribe each month to a partner or affiliate channel, to access exclusive benefits reserved for channel subscribers, such as chat privileges, emoticons, badges and some more.
- Exclusive game content access; get access to selected games and in-game loot at no additional cost.
- Exclusive emoticons; receive exclusive emoticons like KappaHD, ScaredyCat and many others, reserved for Prime Gaming and Turbo subscribers.
- Additional chat color options: set a color for your chat, then choose and change your name’s color on Twitch at will.
- Prime subscriber badge; stand out with an exclusive badge in the chat. You can easily recognize Prime subscribers on Twitch by the crown icon.
- Extended broadcast storage time; save past broadcasts on Twitch for 60 days, instead of the standard 14 days.
Once you have subscribed to Amazon Prime, simply go to your Twitch profile settings, in the Connections section and sync your profile with your Amazon account, by clicking the “Connect” button.
Every Prime Gaming subscriber, enjoys ad-free viewing on Twitch, and the opportunity to subscribe for free to their favorite streamers and channels every 30 days. The channels and their streamers offer stickers, special badges and exclusive emoticons for their subscribers, to use in chat during the broadcast.
Many Prime members, are unaware that they already have access to this service! So, I wonder, what are they waiting for?! 😲🕹️😊
(Please note that this article, doesn’t include any sponsored or affiliate links. Instead, it’s intended purely for reference purposes, aimed at assisting and providing guidance to gamers like me. However, if you liked the post, you can send a small tip below, thank you!)
Reference
- Prime Gaming with Twitch Channels Guide (In-depth Review)
