  Video games and the playing thereof have been a fixture of American culture
since their introduction in the arcades of the 1980s. However, it was not until
the recent proliferation of broadband connections robust and fast enough to
handle live video streaming that players of video games have transitioned from
a content consumer role to a content producer role. Simultaneously, the rise of
social media has revealed how interpersonal connections drive user engagement
and interest. In this work, we discuss the recent proliferation of video game
streaming, particularly on Twitch.tv, analyze trends and patterns in video game
viewing, and develop predictive models for determining if a new game will have
substantial impact on the streaming ecosystem.
