This week, professional video gamers, costumed personalities, fans and streaming industry enthusiasts will be descending on the San Diego Convention Center for TwitchCon. So, if you’re downtown, be prepared.
If you don’t know Twitch, it’s the top live video streaming platform where you can watch other people play video games. Twitch is owned by Amazon, and over the past few years video streaming has exploded into a variety of other things. Today, people stream live music, card games, roleplaying sessions, podcasts, make-up tutorials, talks, and more on the platform.
"Over 1.3 million people tune into Twitch at any given moment to interact, share and connect around anything they're passionate about, from pop culture, to what they had for dinner to, of course, video games. This weekend marks the fifth TwitchCon North America, an annual celebration of our community where online friends and fans meet and play IRL–and we can't wait to bring everyone together in sunny San Diego for the festivities," Twitch said in a statement.
TwitchCon is three things bundled into one weekend:
– a business conference covering tools of the stream trade
– a series of esports tournaments,
–and a big geek convention with a cosplay contest (co-hosted by Myth Buster’s Adam Savage), an artists alley, a dealer’s room, a famous-person meet and greet and a party on Saturday at Petco Park with Blink 182 headlining.
Highlights Of The Weekend
Twitch Rivals The Esports Tournaments of TwitchCon
Twitch Rivals is Twitch’s own set of esport tournaments. A selection of Twitch teams and streamers will compete against each other for cash prizes. Each day of the conference features a different game and set up. Friday is Fortnite, with a total prize pool of $1,300,000. Saturday is League of Legends, featuring North America vs European teams, for a prize pool of $50,000. Sunday is the new up-and-comer in the esports world, Repsawns’ Apex Legends, with a $500,000 prize pool.
The Twitch Rivals at TwitchCon formats are here!
— TwitchCon (@TwitchCon) August 29, 2019
See how the Fortnite, LoL & TFT, and Apex Legends competitions will come to life: https://t.co/uZkhommMBO pic.twitter.com/ZAaogdAf8u
Panels And Events:
TwitchCon is also part business conference and part culture forum via the selection of panels. Here are some of the highlights:
– So you want to be a streamer?
Twitch staff and experienced streamers give a 101 on how to get into streaming. This panel will also have a demo of Twitch Studio, Twitch’s all-in-one streaming app that’s not public yet. This panel has other panels that naturally go with it, like one on building a streaming PC, and a panel on legal advice for brand deals.
– Drag on Twitch: Meet The Stream Queens
The Queens of Stream are here for Twitchcon. They have a panel covering how they work their magic; creating characters and engaging their followers. Deere, a drag streamer who plays horror games, will be there with fellow Twitch affiliates.
– Twitch Talk: Artemis: NASA’s Next Giant Leap
NASA will be part of a roundtable talk and give insight into their plans to put the first woman on the moon. NASA has a twitch stream, mostly used for a roundtable podcast.
Want to find out what’s happening in space and hear about NASA’s plans to send the first woman to the Moon? Of course you do! Check out the Twitch Talk live from TwitchCon San Diego: https://t.co/3D8bD3O6Fw pic.twitter.com/vCeStaWZoK
— TwitchCon (@TwitchCon) September 20, 2019
– Changing the Game on Climate
Streamers talk with Satya Tripathi, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-general of the UN Environment Programme about what actions need to be taken to address climate change.
It's close but not quite like American Idol, because competitors spent the qualifiers singing from their computer chairs. Season 2 Finalists of Stream Star compete at TwitchCon for $20,000 and a record deal with Colombia Records.
