Stream Big: The Triumphs and Turmoils of Twitch and the Stars Behind the Screen
Nathan Grayson
Feb 2025 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Philip Church
5.0star
2 reviewsreport
headphones
Audiobook
10 hr 11 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
Want a 10 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
shoppingmode15% price drop on Jun 7
About this audiobook
Told through the diverse and fascinating careers of nine streamers, this is a “timely and insightful dive into the players and politics of one of the twenty-first century’s most influential modes of media” (Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine), examining how Twitch has revolutionized technology, entertainment, business, and pop culture.
With 2.5 million viewers at any given moment, the streaming platform Twitch is in the lead and often well beyond mainstream networks like CNN and Fox during primetime. On Twitch, the Amazon-owned tech behemoth, the biggest personalities, like Kai Cenat, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, and Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, can earn millions per year by firing up their internet connection and going live.
Veteran technology and gaming journalist Nathan Grayson “captures the multitudes contained within Twitch while offering a captivating window into content creators’ lives” (Publishers Weekly), especially those who helped make the platform into a billion-dollar global business. From Twitch’s early days of rapid growth to acquisition by Amazon to the defection of creators and rival platforms, Grayson makes the radical argument that many social technology companies are far more dependent on their creators than the creators are on their platforms.
Told through nine exceptional Twitch creators whose on-screen personalities helped the company grow into a powerhouse, this is the explosive and “necessary” (Mark Bergen, author of Like, Comment, Subscribe) story of when entertainment meets the internet in the era of social and video content domination.
With 2.5 million viewers at any given moment, the streaming platform Twitch is in the lead and often well beyond mainstream networks like CNN and Fox during primetime. On Twitch, the Amazon-owned tech behemoth, the biggest personalities, like Kai Cenat, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, and Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, can earn millions per year by firing up their internet connection and going live.
Veteran technology and gaming journalist Nathan Grayson “captures the multitudes contained within Twitch while offering a captivating window into content creators’ lives” (Publishers Weekly), especially those who helped make the platform into a billion-dollar global business. From Twitch’s early days of rapid growth to acquisition by Amazon to the defection of creators and rival platforms, Grayson makes the radical argument that many social technology companies are far more dependent on their creators than the creators are on their platforms.
Told through nine exceptional Twitch creators whose on-screen personalities helped the company grow into a powerhouse, this is the explosive and “necessary” (Mark Bergen, author of Like, Comment, Subscribe) story of when entertainment meets the internet in the era of social and video content domination.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Jennifer Graziano
- Flag inappropriate
May 24, 2025
Origin of the alphabet; number line, computer is the same place. There isn't a calendar without a programmer; different ones in society are for companies to supply basic utilities; motor vehicles, food clothes & shelter. Computer programs give the answers to outstanding questions; humans do not. They also drive all artificial moving objects; humans do not. One program designs all the building and a different one does cars; the program includes after they are built schedules for them and us. Cameras are a derivative of computer separate from video recorder for unreal pictures and photograph obstructing justice to disappear or vanish includes video tapes & DVD's.
Kyle Javelli
- Flag inappropriate
April 18, 2025
Excellent book, especially as a first book. passages are informed but engaging, they cover some fascinating topics/people but break it down in a way your mom would be able to understand. my only criticism is that it feels at times the book wanted to be solely about the streamer Hassan and some of the politics discussed late in the book could have been woven in a bit more into the early parts to feel a bit more like it was building towards it's major theme. still it has a lot to say about the harsh world of streaming as a job and the dangers of that level of fame. can't wait to see another book by the author.
About the author
Nathan Grayson is a founder and reporter at Aftermath, a worker-owned tech, video game, and digital publication from veterans of sites like The Washington Post, Vice, and Kotaku. He has reported on the world of live streaming for half a decade and has conducted interviews with dozens of professional livestreamers. Stream Big is his first book. You can follow Nathan on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Vahn16.
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
