Twitch, Pokémon, and 932 Episodes of Streaming
Twitch, a platform that is known for live-stream gaming never appealed to me because I am unfamiliar with the video gaming world. In the last few years it seems like anime and nerd culture has been on rise and more people are associating themselves within that culture. According to the article, Twitch will livestream Pokémon TV series and movies, while viewers ‘catch’ badges by Sarah Perez, Twitch is going retro appealing to new and old generations who embrace nerd culture.
I am neither a gamer nor do I associate myself with nerd culture, but I will admit that I watched Pokémon as a child. In general, people love to binge watch episodes, and having access to binge watch a show was an incredibly smart move for Twitch. In the article it talks about access to all 19 TV seasons with 932 episodes with a twist, people can interactively collect Pokémon badges. For gamers it allows them to compete for a place on the leaderboard, and for people who aren’t competing it’s just an extra activity that corresponds to the episodes, where the characters will also be collecting gym badges.
It also talks about how this isn’t the first time Twitch has streamed episodes for people to binge watch. It’s a good form of advertising and promoting the Pokémon company. And the younger audience that won’t be nostalgic will be exposed to a generation of Pokémon that existed before there time. Creating an appreciation for Pokémon beyond the new generation that they have been exposed to.
Collaboration is one of the best forms of advertising and exposure because it exposes both the platform Twitch and the Pokémon company. Or any company that Twitch decides to collaborate with will increase exposure to both companies. Like YouTube, there are a number of influencers that exist on Twitch and where promote different things to their followers. This is currently the best form of advertising and Twitch seems to understand its users. The more collaborations they do, the more they follow pop culture and trends will increase users on Twitch. It could become a larger platform than just live-streaming to gamers, with thoughtful collaboration it could appeal to non-gamers like me.
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