Creating communities that represent people from all walks of life has been the theme of Twitch. The streaming platform recently held its TwitchCon recently, and a big component of this year’s event was that Twitch is working to amplify the voices of Black content creators and other marginalized groups.

Although many unfamiliar with Twitch may believe it’s only for gaming streamers, that’s not the case. With categories of interests in addition to gaming like beauty, music, talk shows, sports, travel and outdoors, just chatting, food and drink– there’s something for everyone. And there isn’t any pressure to become a streamer, as some users are just viewers who watch channels of interest.

Panel at TwitchCon — Photo: Aria Bell / Blavity

Taking place at the San Diego Convention Center, the schedule included learning sessions, meet-ups, gaming competitions, streaming experiences, interactive activations, and a block party that made it easy to connect and network with their online peers.

Something noticeable was the variety of people present, especially the Black streamers and content creators, whose presence has grown stronger as representation within the Twitch universe has evolved.

“It’s been a lot nicer for me this year. This is my third TwitchCon. [At] my first TwitchCon, I didn’t really see any Black folks at all, and there still could be more in 2024, but it’s been so nice to see that [more people of color] because we’ve been taking up space and being represented on the platform,” Twitch streamer, cosplayer and partner known as Knimbley told Blavity. “We’ve just been growing more and more.”

Since Dan Clancy became the CEO in March 2023, there have been tremendous strides within Twitch’s DEI efforts. Some users credit the businessman as a pivotal game-changer for the digital brand.

“I’m not going to lie to you. Ever since Dan came into place, man, it’s a night and day difference. That guy’s tapped in,” popular gaming streamer Dean Celestine, aka Deansocool, said.

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