Gaming fans bring electric energy to Rotterdam as TwitchCon arrives
A few metro stops from Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena, chatter is already flowing among gaming fans -- TwitchCon passes swinging from their necks, animal ears perched on their heads.
The Dutch city is hosting TwitchCon this weekend -- the annual event run by United States streaming giant Twitch -- where fans can meet their favourite creators and join the celebrations.
"I started during the lockdown and I just really like to put on the live stream while I'm working on cosplays or other things," said Larissa, a 24-year-old Dutch woman, who came to meet the creator of the fantasy characters that inspire her.
This is Larissa's second TwitchCon, and for the occasion, she is dressed as a half-cyborg, half-minotaur creature with green skin and bright red eyes.
"I've been meeting a lot of cool people here, especially when you're in cosplay. People recognize the cosplay and are like, oh, that's the same series I really like. So then you have also something to talk about already."
- Electric energy -
Like Larissa, thousands of fans from across Europe turned out to meet their favourite creators and watch live e-sports events including Fortnite and Elden Ring, staged by Twitch celebrities.
"Most of the work that happens on Twitch is online, it's digital," said Mary Kish, a marketing director at Twitch.
"You're streaming with other people, you're hanging out with your community for many hours a week.
"What happens at TwitchCon is the culmination of all of that goodwill and all of that joy in person at a con, and the energy is electric," said the 39-year-old, who is from the United States.
French streamers JL Tomy and Etoiles -- who have 1.3 million and 1.2 million followers -- were also among those in attendance.
"It's fun because there are lots of other partner streamers who are like me," said JL Tomy, 28, whose real name is Toma Abdellaoui.
"I'm very much a homebody," said the streamer, whose content focuses on GTA, Valorant, League of Legends and e-sports competitions.
Acquired by Amazon in 2014 for roughly $842 million, Twitch is the world's leading streaming platform for gaming, with more than 2.5 million hourly viewers on average.
While gaming remains core to Twitch since its 2011 debut, the platform has broadened its reach, drawing in entertainment, sports and political figures, as well as livestreaming other major events.
Kish said that Twitch's "Just Chatting" category is now its largest non-gaming segment.
"There is a massive variety of other people doing other things. Like food and drink, where people are cooking... people who are showing their aquariums in their houses," Kish said.
Reflecting that diversity, visitors attended theatre workshops, built Lego models, or watched the annual Drag Queen show, a TwitchCon staple.
TwitchCon's next North American edition is scheduled for October 17–19, 2025, in San Diego.
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