5 Things Seen At Twitchcon
CheckpointXP is going to its first TwitchCon this year and we are eager to see what the massive event has to offer. So here are five things that we really enjoyed at Twitchcon.
1. Cosplay, Obviously
Everyone’s said that TwitchCon has some of the best cosplay that this side of the world has to offer. Having now been to multiple Comic-Cons, E3, Pax and Blizzcon it will be interesting to see how the quality of cosplay compares to those events. But by having a cosplay contest and being chock full of cosplay content creators it will really awesome to see cosplayers of all levels taking in all the wonderful creations at the convention.
2. Support Plans For Medium/Small Streamers
The dream of just about every stream on the Twitch platform is to be verified as a Twitch Partner. Not only does that provide extra tools for content creators but it also brings an extra bit of clout. But not every stream can make it to that level. With that said, one of our big questions going in was “Will Twitch Have Opportunities For Smaller Streamers?”
The answer is yes. It was great to see the support for streamers of all levels. With panels like “Take Your Audience To The Next Level”, “Twitchy Business” and “Scaling and Monetizing Your Twitch Integration” there was more than enough resources for smaller creators to take away some valuable tips.
And now with the new UI and tools like Twitch Studio and Channel Points, the company is trying to make the platform work a lot more for the folks in the middle who may not have the software expertise to make the most of the platform.
3. Esports Representation With Twitch Rivals
Twitch and Esports are a pair made in heaven. They are the Biggie and Puffy of video game partnerships. Its is incredibly hard to think of one without the other and Twitch Rivals have been a really innovative way to integrate streamers and esports in an organic way. Hosting regular online tournaments for a variety of games. It lets streamers who perhaps aren’t signed to teams get a taste of the competitive scene.
It was one of the first times that Teamfight Tactics came to the competitive stage. A game based around random number generators seems like it would be hard to call, but the casters made it sound just as professional as anything else. And it was amazing to see a players like Brazilian player, C9 Jschritte and virtually unknown player Sleettft come from the open rounds and make the Grand Final. Meaning they had to play over 10 hours of TFT on Saturday. It was ultimately Jschritte that won the tournament and walked away with the prize.
The Fortnite Tournament was full of surprises too. A trio consisting of free agents 1400Pika and Rhux and Gen G player, Tinaraes took out a totally loaded field that included Dr. Lupo, TSM Myth, tfue, NickMercs, and Fortnite World Champion, Bugha. The three took home over $115k for their victory.
4. Things To Spend Money On
Artist Alley is a major key to any true convention. Up on the 3rd floor, about a quarter of the atrium is dedicated to some really great artists and crafters. While its one of the more traditional aspects of the show, TwitchCon would suffer for not having it. In fact, the entire atrium area of the convention center was dedicated to the more “con-style” events and food.
Next to Artist Alley, was the “Loot Cave” where you could buy all the officially branded Twitch gear. Either way there is more than enough swag for you get your hands on. The rear of the atrium were dedicated lines for fans to meet their favorite streamers.
With all this crammed into essentially one room you’d expect it to be cramped. But it actually was one of the best places to organize meet-ups, get some natural light and take a breather.
5. Getting Kicked Out Of TwitchCon With Dash, Kobe and MarkZ of the LCS.
We are still really sorry.
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