Gaming fans bring electric energy to Rotterdam as TwitchCon arrives
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
Loïs Boisson stuns world No. 3, continuing her fairy tale run at Roland-Garros
For elite athletes, anything goes when it comes to landing a sponsor. In 2009, former French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil filmed himself running naked through the streets of Paris, posting the stunt on social media to catch a sponsor's eye. 16 years later, tennis player Loïs Boisson had her own moment of sudden online fame – though not by choice. At the Rouen tournament in April, her opponent, Harriet Dart, complained to the umpire, asking her to tell the French player to "wear deodorant" because "she smells really bad." The British player's lack of class, caught by cameras, went viral on social media and did not escape the notice of Boisson, a native of Dijon. She chose to laugh it off. "Dove [deodorant] apparently needs a collab," she wrote on Instagram at the time, offering her services to cosmetics brands. A few weeks later, on Monday, June 2, Boisson toppled world No. 3 Jessie Pegula (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) and continued her remarkable run at Roland-Garros, no longer in need of self-promotion. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman secured a place in the quarterfinals, where she will face Russia's Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday.
Fashion Network
9 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Dior to skip next Paris couture July season, as Maison Margiela and Iris van Herpen return
The house of Dior will sit out the next Paris couture catwalk season in July, even as and Iris van Herpen return to the runways in the French capital, according to a provisional calendar released Monday. See catwalk The decision by Dior is not unexpected, since the house only announced the appointment of new creative director Jonathan Anderson for menswear, womenswear, and haute couture earlier on Monday. Anderson will, however, make his runway debut for Dior this month, with a menswear runway show on the afternoon of June 27. Balenciaga will present the final collection by its departing creative director, Demna of Georgia, in July. His successor, Pierpaolo Piccioli, will stage his first show for Balenciaga during the Paris women's ready-to-wear season this fall. The next couture season will take place from Monday, July 7, to Thursday, July 10. It will kick off with a show by one of Paris' most legendary houses, Schiaparelli, and climax with a show by Rami Al Ali, a critically admired Syrian-born couturier. Known for his fresh take on classical couture gowns, Al Ali has dressed many stars and celebrities, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Amal Clooney, Helen Mirren, Naomi Campbell, and Sharon Stone. All told, there are 25 couturiers listed on the haute couture calendar, including Chanel and Giorgio Armani, who will both stage two shows apiece. This will mark the last show staged by Chanel where no designer will take a bow, since the collection, like the last five presented by Chanel, will be designed by an in-house studio team. Chanel's new creative director, Matthieu Blazy, will make his debut in October during the next women's ready-to-wear season in Paris. See catwalk Though the season's most keenly anticipated debut will be Glenn Martens, who succeeds John Galliano at Maison Margiela—a tricky act to follow, seeing as the UK designer's January 2024 show under a bridge on the Seine was the single best couture show in Paris this decade. The season will also welcome back French couturier Adeline André and two guest houses, ArdAzAei and Robert Wun, according to a new calendar released by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, French fashion's governing body. Separately, the Fédération noted that two Paris fashion houses will stage runway shows on the eve of couture: Celine at 2:30 p.m. and Patou at 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 6. Despite the flurry of no-shows, studio-designed collections, and a clientele of fewer than 5,000 women, Paris haute couture remains the supreme example of creativity in fashion—the great laboratory de la mode. A busy week where the boulevards of the City of Light will be crammed with limousines ferrying the richest women in the world to the most reserved fashion shows on the planet.
Fashion Network
9 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Dior names Jonathan Anderson creative director of women's, men's, and haute couture collections
Dior has announced Jonathan Anderson as creative director of women's, men's, and haute couture collections, marking the first time in the brand's history that one designer has handled all three disciplines since the passing of its founder Christian Dior. 'Dior is thrilled to welcome Jonathan Anderson, a visionary creator with a remarkable career, as creative director of women's, men's, and haute couture collections of the House,' it said in a release Monday morning. The appointment of the Northern Ireland-born designer means that for the first time at Christian Dior Couture, since Monsieur Dior himself, a creative director will work on all the women's, men's, and haute couture collections, further strengthening its unified global creative vision. He succeeds the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones, who respectively handled couture/womenswear, and menswear separately. 'I am delighted to welcome Jonathan Anderson to lead the women's and men's creations of the House. I have followed his career with great interest since he joined the LVMH group over 10 years ago. I am convinced that he will bring a creative and modern vision to our House, inspired by the fabulous story of Monsieur Dior and the codes he created. He will be supported by our teams and our incredible Ateliers who will bring his creativity to life,' said Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture. Anderson joins Dior after Loewe, one of nearly a dozen runway fashion houses controlled by LVMH, the giant French luxury conglomerate. 'Jonathan Anderson is one of the greatest creative talents of his generation. His incomparable artistic signature will be a crucial asset in writing the next chapter of the history of the House of Dior,' added Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, and Delphine's father. Arnault senior had already revealed at LVMH's AGM that Anderson was taking over from Jones on menswear. Today's announcement had been widely expected for months. 'It is a great honor to join the House of Dior as creative director of both women's and men's collections. I have always been inspired by the rich history of this House, its depth, and empathy. I look forward to working alongside its legendary Ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Delphine Arnault and Bernard Arnault for their trust and loyalty over the years,' said Anderson. The 40-year-old will present his first collection, Dior Men Summer 2026, in Paris on June 27.
