For over a decade, Twitch has been one of the biggest drivers of innovation in the gaming industry. Back in 2011, the platform revolutionized how gamers connect with one another. The more that popular streamers live-streamed certain games and content, the more likely those titles were to receive attention from viewers and players.
But today, Twitch isn’t just the domain of hardcore gamers and their legions of followers. Instead, the platform has proved popular for live streaming in general. Along with Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites, Twitch lets just about anybody live-stream just about anything to their subscribers.
While this has led to some truly strange Twitch streams, many of which have nothing to do with gaming or digital content in general, it’s also led to some brand-new trends that have long-term sticking power. In 2022, what are the latest breakout streams and crazes on Twitch? Keep reading for a breakdown of the biggest changes.
Card & Strategy Games
Poker has been part of the digital gaming movement since the early 2000s. At that time, online poker took off around the world. Today, many online poker buffs have started their own Twitch streams, where they’ve found success with other hobbyist players and hardcore strategy thinkers. But one of the latest crazes isn’t Texas Hold’em—it’s blackjack.
Many platforms that offer poker also offer blackjack online, which makes it easy for streamers to switch from one game to another. Unlike poker, blackjack involves tons of numbers-based probability, which makes it popular for maths-minded gamers. Best of all, the game has a long and rich history, which provides hosts and their subs with plenty of content to chew on.
Live Music & Sports Streams
Twitch’s platform makes it ideal for streaming live events of all stripes. And whilst it was instrumental in helping launch eSports leagues worldwide by live-streaming top events, it’s now headed into more traditional territory. Cheeky armchair broadcasters are now partnering with Twitch for the rights to stream top live music and sports events.
For example, the NFL penned a deal with Twitch for the rights to stream Thursday Night Football throughout this year and next year. This allows certain streamers the right to live-stream the games and create unique content surrounding the NFL.
ASMR
For the uninitiated, ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. While it sounds like a complex scientific concept, the most common form of ASMR is to gently eat something close to a microphone to give viewers a tingling physical response. Along with eating, ASMR streamers also do things like whispering, crinkling different textures, tapping, turning pages, and even humming.
Sound a little niche? ASMR is one of the fastest-growing channel categories on Twitch. Since 2021, more and more subscribers have opted for one of the internet’s most calming sensations. It highlights the growing popularity of non-gaming-related live streaming.
The VR Boom… Finally
VR has been the subject of tech and gaming publications for decades. But due to faulty programming and high prices, VR never hit a stride with mainstream gamers. However, that could be changing right now. Over the course of this year, there’s been a spike in the number of VR Twitch streams.
This signals that, even if gamers can’t quite afford a VR headset or aren’t convinced that the technology works, they’re interested in watching someone else battle it out in a virtual world. Going forward, Twitch could be one of the primary platforms that helps push VR into the mainstream.
Enter: The Twitch Celebrity
One of the first celebrities created by Twitch was Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins. Today, the streamer remains one of the world’s most popular and recognizable gamers… but that doesn’t mean millions of mainstream consumers recognized Blevins in his Adidas-deal ads.
In fact, even though Twitch celebs like Blevins have nabbed millions of followers through the platform, their reach remains within the gaming sector specifically. But that might not be the case in the coming years. As gaming continues to grow in popularity and Twitch expands as a live-streaming platform, it will pave the way for more Twitch celebs to blend into a ‘new normal’ for digital-age stardom.