TikTok is shaking off the dance app label and getting ready to conquer the gaming world.
TikTok is the trendiest and fastest-growing social media platform at the moment, quickly becoming the go-to place for sharing and consuming all types of content served in short format. And yet, many still inevitably associate it with dance videos.
Considering TikTok gained notoriety as a platform where people launched dance challenges and posted videos of themselves performing different choreographies, it’s not in the least surprising that these types of videos are the first thing that comes to mind when you think about it.
However, time has a way of changing things, and TikTok has certainly not stood still. The platform currently boasts over 1 billion active users, and you can be sure that not all of them are into watching or sharing dancing content, as fun and entertaining as it might be. As any content creator focused on growing their accounts knows, TikTok is leading in the social media race precisely because of its diversity.
Therefore, TikTok’s current successes can be attributed to its constant evolution and the exploration of new venues and opportunities as it strives to become a more comprehensive service that caters to diverse audiences and interests.
From a dance app, TikTok is seamlessly and inconspicuously transitioning to an everything app, and it seems like gaming is the next frontier targeted by the platform.
Gaming in the TikTok era
Gaming has come to play an increasingly important role in the entertainment industry, becoming an integral part of our modern culture. Nowadays, video games draw in more users than ever before, with the global market estimated at $217.06 billion in 2022, and social media is undoubtedly one of the factors that encourages and facilitates its development.
While people continue to discover new games based on friends’ recommendations, the way large audiences get acquainted with gaming products has changed in recent years. In many cases, the content posted on social media platforms serves as the first point of contact between users and new games or gaming in general.
With almost half of TikTok’s active users consuming some type of gaming-related content in 2022 and nearly 82% of them playing video games at least once a week, it’s obvious that social media and gaming go hand in hand.
TikTok is bringing its own contribution to the expansion of the phenomenon by cultivating its own gaming community through events such as TikTok Made Me Play It, where creators, brands, and players were invited to support game discovery, or the #30DaysofGaming initiative, in celebration of the global gaming community and the numerous gaming capabilities users can enjoy on the platform.
Speaking of which, TikTok offers a variety of interesting features and functionalities meant to bring gaming content into the spotlight. Hashtags and challenges bring gaming enthusiasts together and allow all users to search for gaming content on the app.
Content creators can post short gameplay videos to share their skills and achievements with the rest of the world or create relevant content on the topic, such as reviews and recommendations. The TikTok Live streaming feature gives game streamers the possibility to connect and interact with their audiences in real-time, while esports and gaming competition highlights offer a glimpse into the world of professional gaming.
Competing with major gaming platforms
Although there are many ways in which the short-from video app is currently dabbling into gaming, TikTok is still a newcomer to the arena, and there are other social media channels that have already established themselves as gaming giants. We’re obviously talking about Twitch, the initiator of the video game live-streaming movement, and YouTube, the biggest video-sharing platform and a hotspot for gaming content.
So, how exactly does TikTok intend to compete with these social media majors? Well, apart from its extraordinary rate of growth, the short-form video app has a few aces up its sleeve that the other two platforms lack.
Until not so long ago, Twitch’s service offer was limited to live broadcasting, with a strong focus on gaming content. While this turned it into an effective tool for gaming streamers to reach live audiences, it didn’t leave much room for creativity, innovation, or game discovery.
TikTok, on the other hand, with its diverse user base, multitude of features, and clever algorithms, allows audiences to explore and discover a wide variety of gaming content with ease beyond live streams. The app suggests relevant videos based on their interactions, the accounts they follow, and the accounts that follow them, thus enhancing discoverability. Other than that, TikTok offers the same max stream quality as Twitch and other similar features like subscribe buttons and sub badges.
As for YouTube, a platform best known for long-from videos, TikTok’s advantage comes from its bite-sized content delivered in concentrated and engaging videos perfect for quick and on-the-go consumption. YouTube has its own short-form video feature, YouTube Shorts, but they are nowhere near as popular as TikTok videos.
Besides, the videos posted on the channel often require more production and are expected to be longer and eat up more of the viewers’ time. So, even though YouTube wins on the search and discovery front, TikTok is swifter, more engaging, and offers a more streamlined experience, making it especially popular with younger demographics.
Final thoughts
Moving away from its dace challenge era, TikTok’s break into the competitive social media gaming landscape represents another big step in the platform’s evolution. TikTok is, of course, many things to many people, not limited to one type of content or another. But it can’t be denied that part of the app’s appeal stems from the highly entertaining gaming content it has been featuring recently and the thriving gaming culture it fosters.
Armed with creative tools and expanding capabilities, TikTok is set to become a major player in the modern gaming landscape, on par with gaming heavyweights like YouTube and Twitch.
