Whether you are an aspiring pro gamer, interested in watching your favourite streamer play your favourite game, or simply want to catch up with the latest copypasta, Twitch is the place to satisfy your needs.
While there is a great number of channels providing quality content, here is a selection of highly rated streamers for some of the most popular games on the platform.
Dota 2
Arteezy
A colourful personality and a true master of the game, Arteezy is one of the most beloved Dota 2 streamers. Understandably, as one of the top pro players in the game, he is not the most frequent streamer, but when he is online he enjoys quite the following. The community loves him because of his extrovert personality and proneness to voicing his frustrations while playing, which earned him the nickname “babyrage”. Add an eccentric music taste to the mix and you have a good idea of a typical Arteezy stream.
Purge
https://www.twitch.tv/purgegamers
Purge is one of the most articulate and forensic streamers. Focused on educating his followers, Purge’s floods of information at every stage of the game never feel too much because of his accessible yet elaborate explanations. Purge entered the community as a content creator on YouTube and gradually made his way onto the casting panel of various offline events. His recent exploits as the “Weatherman” during The International 6 only increased his popularity, and proved that he is one of the most knowledgeable in the game.
League of Legends
Imaqtpie
https://www.twitch.tv/imaqtpie
A former pro, Michael “Imaqtpie” Santana is one of the most popular League of Legends personalities and was one of the top players prior to his retirement from the pro scene in 2014. His streaming sessions have been watched more than 184,000,000 times, which makes his the sixth most watched channel on Twitch. Apart from his laidback personality and spicy language, his sense of humour is one of his biggest strengths that, as well as his extensive game knowledge, has made him the Twitch legend that he is.
Nightblue3
https://www.twitch.tv/nightblue3
Another of the most popular LoL streamers, his channel is number eight in terms of the most watched all-time Twitch channels with 161,910,455 views at the time of writing. Nightblue3 is another former pro player who abandoned competitive gaming in 2014 in favour of pleasing the crowds on a daily basis. Dedicating approximately seven hours a day to his craft, Nightblue3 loves to engage with his fans in the chat. Apart from getting his attention, tuning in to his streams will give you probably the best perspective of how to play a Jungler in League of Legends.
Hearthstone
Lifecoach
https://www.twitch.tv/lifecoach1981
Lifecoach’s love of card games led him from being a poker pro to Hearthstone and it was not surprising that it did not take him long to become a top player. While competing for G2 Esports is his main occupation, he still has time to share games with fans on Twitch. He is known for his elaborate approach to building his deck, which often includes more than a hundred games of testing. Lifecoach also likes to acknowledge questions from the chat so if you are hoping for a moment of fame, you can get it on his stream.
Ratsmah
Ratsmah is a different breed of Hearthstone player. While most of the streamers choose ranked play, he is a player who loves creating Arena decks and using them. As a result, he has an impressive 72.29% win rate and 7.34 average wins per Arena entry. Known for his anticipation game, Ratsmah mastered the not so popular Hunter class and increased its popularity in the Arena. Apart from having his own view of the game, his stream is one of the few places where you can see a streak of 12 wins with a Rogue as well.
Overwatch
MOONMOON_OW
https://www.twitch.tv/moonmoon_ow
MOONMOON’s is probably the only high popularity stream hosted by an incognito player. The mysterious star quickly rose to prominence due to his skill during the beta and has been watched more than 11 million times. Even though his skill level is considered to be high enough for a pro team, MOONMOON has dedicated himself to streaming and has been known to do it for 12 hours a day. A beast on Roadhog, his stream is mostly fun, exciting and engaging to watch.
A_Seagull
https://www.twitch.tv/a_seagull
Brandon “Seagull” Larned is a pro playing for NRG Esports as a DPS. He transitioned from Team Fortress to Overwatch and quickly became a highly popular Twitch streamer with more than nine million views. If you want to see the best of him, you should watch him on Genji, Hanzo or Pharah. Seagull’s stream is a good blend of entertainment and education, while his tendency to explain his moves makes it a valuable learning tool for those who want to increase their skill level.
CS:GO
Summit1g
https://www.twitch.tv/summit1g
One of the veteran streamers, summit1g has also been on the roster of some pro aspiring teams, such as Adaptation and Area 51 Gaming. His attempts did not lead to much, and this means he now spends more time streaming. If you ask his fans, you will be told that there is always something funny happening during his stream and you are missing a lot by not tuning in. Apart from CS:GO, summit1g occasionally plays other games with friends for fun too.
pashaBiceps
https://www.twitch.tv/pashabiceps
Pasha hits headshots like no-one else and is a key member of one of the top CS:GO teams – Virtus.pro. Despite the demanding schedule of an elite pro player, he has the time to stream fairly regularly. His followers worship him and as proof of that, he regularly receives donations (indeed, in 2014 he was donated the hefty sum of $15,000 from a fan of his). Alongside killing opponents, pasha demonstrates his humorous side during the stream and even occasionally brings his wife and daughter in front of the camera.
Twitch is host to a great variety of games and a large number of streamers. Some of them make a living out of it, while for others it is a way to relax and get in touch with their fan base. Depending on what interests you, some will appeal while others not as much. Regardless, these streamers have achieved their popularity for a reason and are worth checking out.
