The momentum is there now during the pandemic so many people have thrown themselves into gaming and all kinds of virtual experiences.

Gaming is popular, but watching people playing online is also becoming increasingly popular. This has emerged from an investigation by the Multiscope agency. It mainly concerns streams on YouTube and the game channel Twitch (a kind of YouTube for gamers). 23 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 35 watch gaming streams.

But why would you watch people playing when you can control virtual dolls yourself with a controller in your hand? We present this question to two stream enthusiasts and an expert.

Jostijn is 18 years old and has been a big fan of Twitch for two years. “I used to mainly watch the games, but now I go to Twitch for the streamers themselves. I watch streamers, especially for the humor and active chat.”

You can get in touch with the other viewers through the chat section. “With streamers with a lot of fans it can get quite intense there. Sometimes insults and swear words pass by. That’s a shame for the community, but also for the streamer himself”, says Jostijn.

The young generation doesn’t watch TV, that’s just boring.

Game researcher also sees the trend. “The young generation doesn’t watch TV, that’s just boring. They grow up with games and with those streams you can copy the art of the people who are good at playing them.”

According to him, it also plays a role that the games are commented in a funny way. “It’s not all about the game itself, the streamers are personalities who often make witty comments while gaming.”

A 2016 Finnish study also shows that games are increasingly being consumed passively like movies and television, when previously these were thought to be incompatible worlds. The researchers add that watching games never gives the same sensation as playing itself.

The Finnish researchers do see that watching others play games gives an extra social layer to playing, which you don’t have when you’re alone behind your console.

For Jesse, the game streams are especially useful as teaching material. “I watch a stream for an hour on average twice a week. By watching top players you can learn new things yourself to get better at the game.”

He sees great similarities with watching sports. “While gaming doesn’t require physical exertion, everything around it is very much like a sport. Look at professional gamers, tournaments, fans, merchandise, sponsors, and broadcasts.”

That’s why competitive tournament games are the most popular, according to Jesse. “League of Legends is the most played game. It is a competition and therefore very exciting to watch.” There must be a great diversity of content. You need a vibrant economy so that people can make a living, not only gamers but also artists and designers. And you need security and stability.

The latter seems quite a challenge when we look at the contemporary internet. But perhaps, if the games are built on sound principles, it will teach us how to interact in a civilized way online.