China Bans Twitch? Here’s Why That’s Exciting
The recent ban of the world’s largest streaming platform might actually mean good things for the future of the medium.
Streamers and esports competitors don’t worry much, these days, about the popularity of their medium. I’ve been working in the space for a half decade, now, and whenever I’ve had to talk to somebody about “what I do,” I always had to start with that most basic question:
“Do you know what Twitch is?”
The answer used to almost always be no. That’s not to say that the platform wasn’t huge, but it hadn’t crossed over to the point that even if you didn’t watch Twitch, you knew what it was. It’s been a long while, though, since someone has answered that question in the negative. Fortnite has supercharged the visibility of the platform, with celebrities and athletes buying into and talking about the game and the product itself releasing on every platform under the sun, and at the same time, esports tournaments and organizations like the OverWatch League continue to draw record audiences and feature bigger and bigger cash prizes.
The point? Streamers don’t necessarily need a boost in the confidence department right now. Things are going well. Some proof? China just banned Twitch.
I know that’s a weird way to put it. The country-wide ban is still fresh, and it undoubtedly has negatively impacted countless viewers and creators. But, this is pretty profound evidence that the growth of the space is real and will continue.
The digital marketplace in China tends to be local, instead of international. Instead of Amazon, China had Alibaba. Though it’s still popular through VPNs, users can’t access YouTube in the region, with local alternatives like Youku meant to take its place. And then there’s WeChat, the most popular app in the country which encompasses many of the feature of Facebook, along with myriad other services, including booking an appointment with a doctor or finding a divorce attorney.
China prefers to have digital services based in their own region, that first take ownership of the Chinese market and then move on to compete on the international stage. The fact that Twitch is blocked in the region is unfortunate, but it’s also an indication that, soon, a domestic competitor will emerge as the “place to stream” in China, and that it will receive the full backing and support of the powers that be to continue the medium’s expansion and growth.
Streaming culture right now is very much wrapped up in the identity of Twitch itself, and to a lesser extent YouTube and sites like Mixer. In that regard, the banning of Twitch in the region is a bit tragic. But, this is not an indication that the rapid growth of the gaming space is at all close to slowing down or hitting a logistical roadblock. Rather, I think this can be viewed as confirmation that the space will continue to be competitive, will continue see new faces and new platforms worldwide. This means that streaming was exploding in China, and it was noticed.
That cloud, I think, has one hell of a silver lining.
