Open your preferred web browser, for this tutorial we will be using Google Chrome.
Go to the Address bar (where you type in a web address) and type www.twitch.tv and press enter. This should take you to the Twitch homepage which should look like this:
In the top right corner of the homepage, you should see the ‘Sign up’ option represented as a purple button. Click this button.
A box should pop up in the middle of the web page that asks you to create a username as well as a password. You must also link an email address and confirm your age. Most people who are regular gamers usually choose their Gamertag as their username but feel free to be as creative as possible because this name will represent you in chat.
On completion, a second box will now appear that asks you for an activation code that has been sent to the email address you have linked to your account. Get this code from the email that is sent.
Choose what to Watch
Now another box will open that gives you a long list of categories and various popular twitch streamers that prompts you to select at least 3 choices from this list. This is not limited to only 3 though so feel free to select all the options that interest you.
What you choose will show up in the list of ‘Followed Streamers’ s a way to quickly find a channel you have previously enjoyed enough to ‘follow’. Now to follow another stream first you must find one you like. To find channels click the ‘Browse’ button in the upper left of the webpage.
This will redirect you to a page of various categories that range from ‘Just Chatting’, which is filled with various people discussing topics with their chat, to your favorite videogame. Click on the image representing one of the categories that interests you. You will then be redirected to a page filled with various channels that are currently ‘LIVE’ and streaming under that category. I choose Escape from Tarkov as my category.
Click on any one of these ‘LIVE’ channels and you will be redirected to that Streamers channel where they are currently streaming their content to a multitude of viewers just like you.
If you decide you enjoy this particular Streamer and the content they are creating you should save this channel to your ‘Followed Channels’ list. To do this, while you are on this streamers channel page, There is a purple ‘Follow’ button that should be above the video player in the middle of the page. Click this button and it should be replaced by a heart and bell button. Now this channel will show up on your ‘Followed Channels’ list for quick access.
Contribute to Chat
Now that you have followed your first channel you should support the Streamer. The free and easiest way to do this is to type a message in their chat.
Once you are on their page, the right-hand side of the web page should be showing a stream of text from various other usernames talking about what is happening currently in the stream.
As you can probably see, not all of the messages are helpful or that beneficial to the channel. That is where you come in! As the stream progresses if you see something cool to react to or want to give a helpful suggestion, click the grey ‘Send a message’ box below the stream of messages on the right side of the webpage. The border of the gray ‘send a message’ box should turn purple signaling you are free to type out a message. Press enter when you finish typing your message and it will appear in the chat above.
Now you are officially an active member of their community and Twitch! To have your message stand out even more to the streamer add an @ symbol followed by the streamers username like ‘@DrLupo’ or ‘@timthetatman’ to your message. This will highlight your message to the streamer and does a better job of grabbing their attention if chat is moving quickly.