Over the past few years, blockchain-based Play-to-Earn (P2E) games have drastically changed the in-game item trading landscape. However, virtual assets are not something new to the gaming industry.

Even during the mid-2000s, gamers used Second Life’s virtual currency, i.e., the Linden dollar. Similarly, World of Witchcraft had a thriving bidding marketplace on eBay for Murloc’s eggs. 

Nevertheless, the introduction of NFT-based gameplay has completely revolutionized P2E games. Thanks to blockchain’s ability to write immutable and provable ownership records, these games have become more exciting than ever before.

In 2021 alone, NFT games contributed almost $5.17 billion to the $23 billion NFT market cap. Even during the current struggling and bearish market, P2E tokens share a $7.6 billion market cap. Despite the exponential growth and expansion, the P2E games need to improve in several departments to ensure sustainability in the long run. 

The Problems Plaguing Play-to-Earn (P2E) Games

Probably the most significant problem with P2E games is that they require players to make an initial investment to acquire NFTs. As is the case with all virtual assets, the NFTs that are better developed with more exclusive attributes – thus, higher chances of winning – are usually quite expensive.

This forces gamers to spend a heavy amount if they desire better results in the game. For example, a team of three ‘floor Axies’ available for $100 has little chance of winning a game.

To deal with this problem, the Axie community came up with scholarship programs, and gaming guilds have sprung up everywhere to help players hop on board from developing nations. Through these scholarship and gaming guilds, players with insufficient capital for the initial investment can loan out NFT assets. 

The win reward is then distributed between the NFT owner and the player. Unfortunately, most guild managers scoop a very high commission and percentage of players’ hard-earned rewards. This leads to a highly unequal gaming environment in which players are coerced to perform and share their earnings with their managers.

On the other hand, this model is unjustifiably favorable to resourceful players who have no problem paying for high-cost NFTs. As a result, they have better chances of winning the matches against gamers with limited resources. Therefore, the scale is always tilted in favor of the richest players, ultimately creating an inequitable gaming ecosystem.

On top of that, favoring resourceful players is not the only way P2E games lead to an inequitable climate. Gaming companies, which are more than often centralized entities, receive a massive share of the profits. 

This aspect is entirely against the decentralization principle of the blockchain industry. Instead of evenly distributing rewards among all stakeholders, a small governing body profits from the time and effort of hardworking players. Moreover, unlike most of the blockchain world, players cannot partake in the platform’s decision-making and governance. 

Finally, a sizable portion of P2E games ends up compromising on gameplay and offering a shabby experience to players. Players will often get bored of these games without an engaging, immersive narrative and graphics. 

In fact, most P2E games fail to offer an authentic AAA gaming experience, and players eventually lose interest. Because of this, there is a tendency for players to deboard such games after they feel that they have earned enough and there is nothing more for them to gain. 

Some P2E games have already identified these shortcomings and are coming up with innovative solutions to tackle these challenges. 

Technological Solutions Addressing the Problems

Some newer P2E games offer their players an integrated in-game NFT rental offer. This enables them to escape greedy guild managers who ask for hefty commissions. Thanks to these options, if less resourceful players want to acquire in-game NFTs, they can easily do so from within the game itself. 

Rental opportunities help establish healthier and mutually beneficial relationships in the gaming community where NFT owners can assist players through Rent-and-Earn options. The smart contracts-enabled payment infrastructures evenly distribute game rewards between renters and renters without involving any intermediaries.

However, this infrastructure still doesn’t solve the inequitable game climate caused by rich gamers being able to purchase high-end NFTs to outperform players with base-level assets. 

For creating a fairer playable landscape, P2E games need to focus on developing gameplays that are more affected by gaming strategy than possessing expensive in-game items. Game outcomes should be less dependent on costly NFT assets and more on an effective skillset, as this will give every player a fair chance at winning and earning crypto.

P2E games can only be sustainable if the gaming community routinely receives rewards and a share of the game economy. Players must have access to special clubs where gaming protocols will encourage them to hold in-game assets for a long time.

Members-only clubs with fun activities will incentivize players to engage with the gaming platforms on a daily basis. Moreover, players holding in-game tokens must have proportional voting powers to participate in governance decisions and uphold a liquid democracy.

Lastly, P2E games need to focus more on the entertainment factor and aim to offer a rich gaming experience along with the fair P2E model. It is imperative for players to find the game enjoyable to ensure that they can continue to play for a long time. Without an engaging gaming interface, P2E games will find it challenging to keep the interest of their client base or make their mark in the industry. 

Riot Racers: A Fair and Exciting Play-to-Earn Game

Play-to-Earn games like Riot Racers not only incorporate the aforementioned solutions into their infrastructure but also offer a highly engaging gameplay experience.

For starters, NFT car owners can rent their assets to players, with the earnings evenly distributed via RIOT tokens. The Riot Owners Club (ROC) also rewards and incentivizes players to participate in the game’s ecosystem. 

In addition to the in-game rental option and Riot Owners Club, Riot Racers has also designed gameplay in which 51% of the game’s result depends on the player’s skills and gaming strategy.

On top of that, the custom tournament feature allows players to create their own tournaments where they decide the number of participants, number of heats, tournament status (public/private), and more. Similarly, the 12-weekend long Riot Racers Cup heats things up every season. Many players join major events and the season-ending tournament to win huge cash prizes.

Apart from all these exciting features and game mechanics, developers at Riot Racers are working to incorporate new elements. Soon players will be able to upgrade their cars.

This will include the engine, tires, exhaust, NOS, and ECU chip. Moreover, the company is shortly launching an achievement system that will act as a customer loyalty program. After the upcoming updates, players will also be able to stake their RIOT tokens for extra rewards.

Final thoughts

Over the last few months, the NFT-based game industry is expanding exponentially. According to the Q1 2022 DAppRadar x BGA Games report, blockchain-based game playing has seen a 2,000%  increase since Q1 of 2021 – almost 52% of all blockchain-related activities. 

Once Play-to-Earn games are successfully able to adopt sustainable strategies and incorporate technological innovations, we can confidently say that the gaming sector will continue to thrive and generate even more revenue in the coming years.

As one of the key aspects to creating the perfect gaming atmosphere in any video game, music plays a huge role in enhancing the tone and themes of each and every game you play.

From the very first monotone notes emitting from early Tetris games to the incredibly complex and expertly composed scores of modern AAA games, music, and sound design have evolved tremendously over the years.

Played to create an ambiance amongst both video games and even online casino games, a variety of the best games in the industry have been significantly impacted by sound design. 

The role of music is to grab hold of the player and offer them something that visuals and controls can’t always provide: a sense of belonging.

Music can often transport you to your own world, which certainly comes in handy when wanting to dive in deep into the storylines of some of your favorite games. Allowing you to truly feel the emotion of every game you play, music is the driving force behind any good game’s emotional core.

Music at the heart of a video games

While the vast majority of games use music in the background, there are some that feature it as one of the key tenets of the game’s design.

With games like Brutal Legend requiring you to play music in order to defeat your enemies amongst their gaming storylines, many games in the industry not only use music to keep players engaged but to help them with their quests in each and every game.

Whilst the vast majority of games will focus on making sure that the player is drawn in by the visuals, those that are more focused on the music itself tap into a deeper level of engagement. 

There are a range of important aspects to video games and making sound a key part of the game means that you’re engaging senses which would otherwise be left as circumstantial, requiring players to pay an extra level of attention to the game.

The use of sound in video games is a win-win situation for both the players and their gaming experience and also the developers with the success of their game. Putting music and sound at the heart of any game design ensures the highest player engagement and a good user experience in all types of games.

How music plays a huge role

Music plays an incredibly important role in supporting the emotional nature of every story in a game.

Games have always relied on the highest quality animations and even CGI faces to enhance their storyline, and developers now use music to add to the story, letting players know what they should be thinking or feeling at that point in the plot’s progression.

Just one amazing example of this is the ‘Thomas Was Alone’ game, in which the players have to collect rectangles to light at the end of the level. With no words spoken, apart from the narrator, or faces even used in the game, the simple combination of lighting, animation, and most importantly, music, helps you to forge an emotional connection and certainly helps players work their way to victory. 

Games like these have been developed throughout the history of video gaming where sound and music is the pinnacle point of the storyline.

Many video game musicians such as Darren Korb and Ashley Barret have made huge impacts on the way video games are seen and played by gamers all around the world.

The music in a game can be the difference between a slightly interesting game and one of the most favored and engaging games to be made in the industry. With careful consideration of the sounds and music by developers, their work and storylines that they aim to achieve can be truly felt by their players with each and every sound that is played in the game. 

The importance of music in online casino gaming

Music doesn’t just influence video games, but it is also integral to creating the perfect atmosphere in any online casino game. Many online casino games are recognizable through their animations, music, and sound effects, so players know exactly what you’re getting.

When playing casino games and slot games online, the sound design is on point when it comes to bonuses, wins, and losses, as every single sound effect is tailored to give the player feedback on how their game is going.

Just like any other game, the sound design in online casino games is always reliant on keeping the player updated, involved, and engaged. Without the right music and sound effects to set the tone of the game, many online casino games would not draw people’s attention like they do when it is used.

The importance of music in online casino games is huge as it helps contribute to the theme and storyline of each game the online casino has to offer and further enhances the feeling of being in a live casino with high-quality music to set the tone.

Who is King Vader? The YouTuber behind the viral sensation Hood Naruto pt. 3. He’s recently partnered with Team Liquid to promote the esports organization’s latest apparel drop – around Naruto Shippuden.

The YouTuber’s creative style of parody for his hood anime videos has caught the attention of over 50 million viewers and counting. You’ve gotta respect the grind as King Vader has opened up an entirely new lane for black creators on YouTube.

Ultimately, he’s created a black-shared experience changing the landscape of anime fandom.

King Vader told BET in an interview:

“I definitely feel like my role when it comes to anime and the hip-hop culture is that I definitely brought it out to the public more, like it’s okay…”

King Vader for BET, April 2020

He continued, “If this is what you like, then wear it, then support it because this anime has supported you at times when you needed it because anime has nothing but great lessons, great visuals, and great storytelling so it’s like, if that [anime] can do that for you, why can’t you represent it outside your house?”

King Vader partnered with Team Liquid to help promote and elevate their new Naruto Shippuden apparel collection – no doubt a smart move.

Believe it.#LIQUIDxNARUTO
2.12.21 12 PSThttps://t.co/CC7cf2lhZJ pic.twitter.com/TDfTalUTdQ

— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) February 8, 2021

The US-exclusive collection that will drop at noon PT on Friday, Feb 12 via the Team Liquid Store will feature members of the Hidden Leaf Village alongside Team Liquid iconography.

Click here to access the merch the day of the drop.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and more will be prominently featured across over a dozen select pieces, including a denim jacket, Jonin-inspired parka, cargo joggers, stylized hoodies, and several short sleeve tees.

For the millennials out there, remember when Naruto first came out? Who would’ve thought that merch created around the show could drip this hard and be this cozy?

The liquid swirl logo print on chest to the Naruto universe artwork printed on back of the Naruto Universe Dye Hoodie alone holds so much detail. Additionally the cozy heavyweight cotton fleece dons Team Liquid and Naruto Shippuden trims making the fit more than official.

We couldn’t be more hype for the drop. Here are a few other pieces from the collection that caught our eye…

Make sure to get the Naruto Shippuden collection when it drops on Team Liquid’s store Friday February 12. (Click here.)

What happens when you combine gaming, tech, and music? You get a flurry of culture and creativity that cannot be replicated.

Nue Agency and Amanotes are collaborating for a virtual conference titled MusicGamingCon on Thursday, Dec. 3 from 1-6 pm EST. The conference will serve as a meeting between key people in music, tech, and media to discuss the unique world of music interaction through gaming.

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A post shared by Music Gaming Conference (@musicgamingcon)

We have seen before what a convergence between music and gaming looks like. Excitement, intrigue, innovation. Look no further than Travis Scott’s virtual concert on Fortnite.

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The convergence of music and gaming

Music both is inspired by, and inspires, raw emotion. The best and most successful music also requires an extreme honesty and transparency that can be hard for most people to flesh out.

While gaming can do the same, it is based more heavily upon a different kind of creativity. And a different kind of work ethic.

Thus, MusicGamingCon brings together two spheres (and more) that are not always thought to be related. But why shouldn’t they be? At their cores, music and gaming are both about exploration. They both provide pure bliss to consumers.

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Background and more information on MusicGamingCon

MusicGamingCon gives us a conference between industry professionals perhaps never before linked. And that alone is a reason to be extremely excited.

The exceptional and diverse array of individuals includes Lee Trink (CEO of Faze Clan), Just Blaze, Bob Lefsetz, FaZe Nikan, Steve Martocci (CEO of Splice), Aaron Levant (CEO of NTWRK), Cherie Hu (Water & Music), Raphi Lima (EA Games), Kitty Ca$h (DJ Set Performance) and a bevy of other special guests.

Come see me and other FaZe Clan members and staff https://t.co/vVsDHkjXhB #musicgamingcon pic.twitter.com/to4rCd5XTN

— 337trink.eth (@leetrink) December 2, 2020

Amanotes is the number one music games publisher in the world with over one billion downloads. This first MusicGamingCon will explore important topics like music education, production, podcasts, newsletters, in-game marketing, and more trending topics.

Nue Agency is a creative music agency built for a new generation. Nue, per its own words, “leverages the power of music to make deep connections with consumers.”

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How to join MusicGamingCon

MusicGamingCon is free to join, but there are only a limited number of slots available to join the conference. Whether a fan of music, gaming, tech, or just industry professionals at the top of their respective games, tap in to find out more about the culture.

Join here to see what MusicGamingCon can offer you.

Yes, gamer sneaker bonuses are a thing as BAIT teams up with the Overwatch League to hand out sneaker prizes to team members.

Gaming and sneakers have always been in association with one another.

Remembering the first Playstation x Air Force 1s collaboration in 2009 and its shiny patent-leather exterior, you can see how the two interests interacted.

As the gaming industry continues to boom, other markets are seizing opportunities to get in or the virtual action. Sneaker Boutique and online retailer BAIT is teaming up with the Overwatch League to hand out sneaker prizes to team members.

“Gaming and sneakers cultures have always had a passionate, shared community. You can see it on display through some of the collabs that have dropped recently like the Xbox Jordans and the PlayStation PG2s,”

explains Eric Phan, the Chief Marketing Officer of BAIT.

The Overwatch League is an international esports league, currently based in 20 cities and hosting the best Overwatch computer game players in the world.

This season’s $4 million grand prize pool is up for grabs after each team plays 21 regular-season matches to determine their positions for the playoffs which start September 3, 2020.

As these gamers are tied into their virtual worlds, they also in tune with the streetwear culture, entering the esports arenas in some drip.

This season, the streetwear legend and designer Jeff Staple created the Overwatch League team uniforms.

And in Brooklyn of 2018, the inaugural Overwatch League Grand Finals had the eventual winners of the tournament, London Spitfire, grace the stage in Off-White x Air Jordan 1s in University Blue, a pair of Gucci tennis shoes, and a pair Triple S Balenciaga trainers.

These gamers flexed much more than thumb muscles that night.

BAIT has now got their foot into the arena and is collaborating with the esports league to bless talented gamers with sneakers using what they call a BAIT BONUS.

For instance, if a player is overwhelmingly racking up ‘eliminations’ and gets what’s called a Fleta Deadlift, they will unlock this bonus worth $250 towards a pair.

Attractive bonuses like these might just get these gamer up on their feet. As much money as they could win, they can also cash out on some kicks for their troubles.

Gaming has been on steady growth as technology evolves and platforms widen. And sneaker culture has had exponential value since the early 2000s.

Eric Phan goes on to say,

“There is no better time than now for Overwatch League and BAIT to partner to create sneaker bonuses. Esports pros are definitely part of the shared gaming and sneaker culture and will appreciate what we are putting together.”

Sneaker culture is considerably contiguous to any other culture that reflects our personalities in unique ways and gaming has always been a way to express ourselves.

Look out for this article on PAGE magazine.

Visual communications and media company Getty Images is now taking their sports photography to the next level: eSports photography.

The company recently signed a deal with the creator of the Gran Turismo racing game series Polyphony Digital Inc., which cements Getty Images as the exclusive photographic agency for Gran Turismo Championships and live World Tour events.

How does eSports racing photography work?

Polyphony has incorporated a fully functioning camera system within the game that allows Getty Images to shoot imagery as we would in real life. This includes complete control over shutter speeds, aperture control, and filter options.

With this new tech, an eSports photographer can move around within the game world at their choosing via a specialized PS4 unit to position themselves. All while enjoying complete creative freedom.

Together with their experience in shooting real-world motorsports, the partnership is a powerful combination.

Known by many for its massive stock photography collection, the company also has an impressive amount of sports photography and covers approximately 50,000 events per year. But entering the world of esports is a whole new ball game, and has a great deal of potential for photographers.

“This partnership with Polyphony Digital signifies the next phase of sport photography and the true growth that is occurring across the esports landscape,” said Getty Images Global Head of Content Ken Mainardis. 

Not only that, but esports attracting the attention of a massively popular visual communications company reflects the massive growth the field has seen in recent years.

Esports events already attract thousands of live spectators in addition to millions of watchers on streaming platforms such as Twitch. Tournaments for Gran Turismo’s events alone have taken place around the world including in Nuremberg, New York, Salzburg, Tokyo, Sydney, and Monaco.

The eSports world is massive and extends beyond just racing games like Gran Turismo. Popular video games for esports also include ones such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Fortnite, and a wide assortment of many more games.

This deal between Getty Images and Polyphony Digital Inc. will not only arguably draw more attention to esports and racing games, but also make this content more accessible to spectators. It’s a beneficial deal for parties on both sides, and now fans will have better access to content from Gran Turismo eSport events.

Cutting edge images of intense racing and cars speeding past aren’t just restricted to the real world now. With Getty Images entering the esports photography world, perhaps more companies will follow suit, and sports photography and esports photography might just even become one and the same.

Make sure to take a look at what’s to come here.

One of the biggest rap stars in the game has joined forces with one of the biggest e-sports brands in the world and no one is batting an eye.

As reported by The Verge, Atlanta recording artist and one-third of Migos, Offset, joined the gaming juggernaut, FaZe Clan, as a principal investor on August 20th for an undisclosed amount.

According to the article, stories of teenagers winning millions of dollars playing Fortnite and the gaming company’s reputation for winning sold the 27-year-old Father of Four on the collective.

In a statement, Offset, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, called FaZe Clan “the biggest esports organization with some of the best players in the world.”

Being that Offset is a Grammy-nominated and FaZe Clan a multi-million dollar top gaming channel on YouTube, one would think this would be groundbreaking.

This, however, and for a lack of better words, is old news.

Don’t get me wrong, the Atlanta rapper investing and becoming the unofficial ambassador for the entertainment organization was, I’m sure, huge for their 4 million Twitter followers, 7.1 million YouTube subscribers and massive international following.

But the deal — wherein which the details were not disclosed — is but the latest of what has proved to be a match made in heaven: Hip-hop and competitive gaming.

In October of last year, Drake became an owner of Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag’s 100 Thieves alongside entertainment heavyweight Scooter Braun.

😯 @Drake shouting out @100Thieves on Instagram pic.twitter.com/QIatEX3heg

— CDL Intel (@intelCDL) May 6, 2019

Similarly, Sean “Diddy” Combs invested in high school esports initiative PlayVS  a month prior; and just this past April, Canada pop sensation.

The Weeknd became a co-owner of OverActive Media, a Canadian group that funds and runs many eSports teams, including Toronto Defiant of the Overwatch League, as well as teams for League of Legends, Starcraft, Rocket League and more and that only names a handful.

Toronto native, @theweeknd is joining the @TorontoDefiant family! We’re excited to have The Weeknd as an investor, collaborator, and global ambassador.#RiseTogether pic.twitter.com/0G3k9jZonW

— Toronto Defiant (@TorontoDefiant) April 10, 2019

Offset isn’t even the first rapper on FaZe Clan — Lil Yachty joined the group as a content creator in December. Long gone are the days of nerds versus jocks, feeling different for liking anime or being a heavy gamer, because, surprise, surprise: rappers do too.

“My four-year-old plays Fortnite, my little brother who’s 21 plays Fortnite. It’s every range of people, and it’s nothing but positivity. It’s going to be forever,” Offset said to Verge.

And when you really sit down and think about it, the same homies you hoop with are the same ones you’re playing Call of Duty and NBA 2K or FIFA with as well — why wouldn’t the two merge?

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LETSSSS GOOOOO FAZEUP HOODY ONLY COP AT FAZECLAN.com 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

A post shared by OFFSET (@offsetyrn) on Aug 29, 2019 at 11:24am PDT

We’ve long known hip-hop to be the most influential genre in the world but we’re for the first time ever we’re witnessing what it looks like being the number one consumed genre in the world. From politicians and fashion to sports and even the corporate world, everyone is clamoring to get their hands on the revenue rap brings and e-gaming is getting in while the getting is good.

Drake knew what the hell he was doing linking up with popular streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins last year. The “God’s Plan” rapper brought Travis Scott for a session on Fortnite: Battle Royale with Ninja in and broke records on Twitch that ended up being mutually beneficial to all parties.

As hard as it is to imagine, the three gamers on the planet earth who didn’t know who Drake or Travis Scott was sure did after that stream. Likewise, hip-hop fans were introduced to a world they may have never thought to look at. There’s clearly an overlap in opportunity in the two worlds and Offset is just the latest to take advantage.

Later on in the interview, Offset admits seeing a lot of himself in these professional gamers. According to the rapper, “they’re like rock stars,” he said. “They’ve got great followings, they influence kids, and that’s what I do. It was just organic. These guys are cool,” he continued.

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IT WAS 🔥 GAMING WITH MY TEAM @FaZeClan AT #FaZeHouse! THEY LACED ME WITH THIS 🔥 HOODIE THAT YOU CAN ONLY COP AT FaZeClan.com. FOR MY FANS, THE FIRST PERSON TO ENTER THIS CODE AT CHECKOUT GETS A FREE HOODIE => 1K3S8HV02XA0 #FaZeOffset #FaZeUp #FaZeUp #Fortnite #fazeup🔥 #callofduty #fazeclan #fazeh1ghsky1 #LeeTrink #FaZePreZ #fazebanks #fazeapex #fazetemperrr #fazerug #fazeadapt #fazeblaziken #fazetempo #fazekay #apex #fazeteeqo #fazeadapt #selkoe #cizzorz #fazekaye #fazejarvis #fazeattach #nickmercs #fazezooma #FaZeZero #fazeewokfn

A post shared by OFFSET (@offsetyrn) on Aug 29, 2019 at 6:35am PDT

As competitive gaming and hip-hop continue to grow in popularity so will the number of things they have in common. Just as hip-hop artists tap social media influences to create a viral dance to their records, you’re going to start seeing rappers do more collabs with gamers and vice versa.

Think about the songs you’ve heard on Madden or 2K that you would have never heard elsewhere — that’s the market that Offset sees. The fact it’s something he actually likes doing is a plus.

Gamer life and hip-hop coming together is no longer a shocker, it just makes sense.

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is one of the biggest names in the gaming industry. Along with other popular streamers, Ninja would stream live on Twitch, a streaming video platform owned by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon.

That was up until recently. Now Ninja has partnered with Mixer, another video game streaming platform, albeit much smaller. Ninja will stream exclusively on Mixer from here on out, and surely get a larger bag because of it.

While Twitch has the numbers and followers right now, Mixer ensures Ninja will receive a bigger share of his earnings; a bigger slice of the pie. And with his hard work in gaming and marketing himself over the years, he deserves more freedom. This pairing has the potential to be a home-run for both parties involved.

While Mixer does not have the clout and following that Twitch has, Ninja is a big enough name to get fans to make the switch. In fact, after just five days of streaming, Ninja already has 1 million active subscribers on Mixer.

Although the stats on @Ninja Mixer channel are amazing right now, thats not what we planned to focus on with the transition. We are stoked about it, but even if Ty had 5k viewers, we were ready and confident with this move. Aligns with what we believe in & wanted for the brand <3

— Jessica Blevins (@JessicaBlevins) August 8, 2019

Mixer decided to gift two months of free subscription before the price will jump to at least $5.99 a month. The company’s plan is sure to attract as many followers as fast as possible, and then solidify themselves as a direct competitor of Twitch going forward.

Getting Ninja on board is huge for the company, but there are those who believe one name is not enough. If other big streamer-names are not added to Mixer’s list, and fans have to start paying monthly fees to watch, it may just be easier for them to stick with Twitch. Twitch is free with an Amazon Prime membership, but users can pay to receive more content and be free of ads.

There seems to be no love lost between Ninja and Twitch. Twitch, like Amazon, is a monopoly in its industry, and most likely did not expect one of their most popular streamers to switch platforms. Small slights have been made since Ninja’s move.

Disgusted and so sorry. pic.twitter.com/gnUY5Kp52E

— Ninja (@Ninja) August 11, 2019

Ninja has been a popular streamer for years. Starting with Halo 3, Ninja played professionally and started to gain a following from there. He then started streaming on PUBG, an online multiplayer battle royale game. But it wasn’t until the meteoric rise of Fortnite, that Ninja really cemented himself as one of the most popular streamers and entertainers in the country.

Ninja has an extreme talent at his craft. He is an absurdly-gifted player and knows how to make a stream entertaining by responding to fans’ questions, concerns, and jokes. Another wise tactic used by Ninja was streaming playing Fortnite with celebrities outside of the gaming world.

A little over a year ago, Ninja streamed games with him playing with Drake and Travis Scott. Big names in the music industry undoubtedly bolstered Ninja’s profile, and I for one first heard about the popular streamer because of this.

In addition to popular artists, Ninja played with NFL star JuJu Smith-Schuster and English Premier League Stars Harry Kane and Dele Alli. A lot of people love Fortnite.

Besides it being a ton of fun, playing with celebrities helped widen Ninja’s brand. And playing with soccer stars in England helped Ninja gain fans internationally.

Ninja has also worked to create a clean image of himself. Like other popular streamers, Ninja used to curse and use profanity in his streaming and videos. But in order to appeal to a wider, younger audience, Ninja understood he had to dial it back a little. This helped lead to him gaining 22 million subscribers on YouTube, and now his newest venture: switching over to Mixer.

Ninja understands his brand is now bigger than himself. It is about more than just him, and subsequently, more than the platform he streams on.

Twitch may be upset their most popular streamer has left them, and fans may be upset they will soon have to pay to watch him, but this was a move geared towards Ninja becoming the streamer he always wanted to be. Young kids can look up to Ninja for taking control of his career.

Mixer is in a big spot here: either the company skyrockets after a superstar joined its platform, or it crumbles under the pressure. Attracting a few more star names would certainly help the company achieve the former.

After the superstar in Ninja made the switch, all eyes are on other streamers to see if they will follow suit.

Imagine your biggest hype girl that’s also a gamer and also a Twitch partner. That’s barely enough to describe notorious gamer for the Sims, Keeyuh but it’s a good start.

Keeyuh is a YouTuber and Twitch partner that saw an explosion in popularity after a video of her playing the Sims 4 went viral on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/k33yuh/status/1073037593909047296?s=20

Her reaction to one of her Sims randomly dying because of a “Cardiac EXPLOSION???” garnered attention from Sims players and nongamers alike. Sims players related to the shock and grief of losing a favorite Sim. And those who have never heard of or played the Sims before immediately hooked.

Not only that but Origin- a digital distribution platform developed by Electronic Arts for purchasing and playing video games- saw a spike in Sims 4 purchases after the video went viral.  Olivia’s death brought a wave of new Sims players into the game, which simulates life. Olivia even has her own Instagram account.

Keeyuh’s popularity is also thanks to her use of mods. Mods or modifications are alterations made by players of a video game that change aspects of the game. Keeyuh’s most memorable use of mods is in her “WACK TO SNACK” videos.

In this format, she takes a basic or wack looking Sim and gives them a makeover. All with her lit AF commentary of course.

Much like an actual TV channel, Keeyuh has a series of games with different families, characters and plots to follow.

A real Shonda Rhymes of gaming, Keeyuh keeps you engaged with scheduled drama and off the cuff commentary sprinkled with some spontaneous natural gameplay scenarios.

Keeyuh also streams GTA, Minecraft, and Fortnite as well as other RPG games on Twitch, and posts those edited videos on YouTube.

Keeyuh is one of the few successful visible Black female gamers on Twitch and YouTube. Her presence in the field is sorely needed as Black female gamers are often not taken as seriously as their male or even white female counterparts.

EA Games better give Keeyuh a bag for her work in the field of bringing gaming from wack to snack.

With one of the fastest-growing fan bases in pro sports today, eSports has a youthful global audience that’s already larger than Major League Baseball’s and have top players who are quickly joining the ranks of millionaires.

It’s safe to say, that gaming has entered the mainstream. In just a few years eSports has gone from laughing stock to the new celebrity investment craze.

In just 2018 alone, we’ve had Drake and Scooter Braun become eSports co-owners, Chris Bosh become an executive for an eSports Player Development program, and Steph Curry being a first-round investor for TSM.

Now, this is just 2018… In 2016 is where we started to some serious buy-in from “fellow” sports organizations and individuals such as the 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Rick Fox, Alex Rodriguez, Shaq, and Magic Johnson.

Then in 2017, we see some investments from the Miami Heat and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks to just name a few. So what do these teams and moguls see in eSports? How did eSports even get to this point? Check out the Sav Says video above to find out more.