Thousands of gamers and creators are taking over the Convention Center this weekend for TwitchCon, the ultimate tech and pop culture event for the live-streaming platform Twitch.
While not as big as San Diego Comic-Con International, TwitchCon is still a major economic driver for the region.
“TwitchCon is consistently one of the top 10 events of the year in terms of economic impact,” said Maren Dougherty, San Diego Convention marketing director. “Last year it brought in more than 60 million dollars for the regional economy.”
She said that’s from direct spending, such as visitors spending on hotel rooms, restaurants and bars, as well as indirect spending, such as venue rentals and photography services.
Twitch is a popular platform for streamers because there is no algorithm to beat. Creators flock there to build a dedicated community.
Viewers can watch everything from gaming to art classes to politics.
“I stream a lot, like, kind of cozy or chaotic games,” Vtuber Ophelia Ainsling said.
The virtual YouTuber said she likes coming to TwitchCon because of the community.
“It's a way for Twitch creators or people who are interested in other Twitch creators to have a way to connect, meet up.”
Unlike Comic-Con, TwitchCon is more like a business and technology convention where creators can come in and find new streaming technology.
Carlsbad-based JLab said that with the convention being in San Diego, it allows the company to gain exposure to wider audiences.
“They don't realize that we got into the gaming space, which is new for us this past year,” JLab marketing director Aaron Levine said. “We make affordable products, especially in this type of economy, that they can access the best innovation when it comes to audio as well as peripherals.”
This is the sixth time TwitchCon has been in San Diego. Twitch has committed to being here through at least 2028.
