Plays.tv aims to help both content creators and fans alike to share the best highlights from Twitch streams, giving the creator the credit they sorely deserve.
Available now through the Chrome store, you can download and install the handy Plays.tv extension that allows users to capture the great gaming moments they just witnessed. It works by a simple click, a hotkey, or typing “!plays” into the Twitch chat. This will grab a 30-second, source-quality clip that’s saved to the cloud that users can then easily slim down to what they need, even download it should they need to.
With this new extension, streamers retain all the credit of the clips. If the streamer connects their Twitch and Plays.tv account, their fans will receive highlights of their stream that other users capture. Plays.tv also promises that a “live indicator,” informing fans that their favourite gamers are on and plans to compensate streamers in the future.
“Anyone who’s ever watched a Twitch stream has seen something incredible that they’ve wanted to replay or share,” said Dennis Fong, CEO and founder of Raptr, Plays.tv’s parent company. With the extension, users will be able to share these clips directly to Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, etc. “We want to help the discovery of great streamers,” said Fong.
The extension is already turning heads in the eSports scene. Fong said that he’s received requests for a program like this already, Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, League of Legends mid-laner for Team Solo-Mid was one such request.
“Fans are constantly asking me to post more highlights, but I just don’t have the time given our crazy practice schedule,” said Bjerg.
“Some of these guys stream for five hours at a time, going back through that for some highlights is just such a pain,” said Fong. With Plays.tv, streamers don’t have to, fans are able to capture the best clips when they happen and they want to, it’s engaging.
Fong or as he was once known as “Thresh,” is considered by some to be one of the first professional video game players. He played in the early 90’s, making a name for himself in the arena’s of Quake. Fong admits that back in the day he wouldn’t for the life of him, go through footage of himself for a highlight reel. “There aren’t really any clips of me playing back then,” said Fong and it’s true, YouTube only offers a handful of videos, “which is kind of a bummer.” But had Plays.tv been around at the time, the opportunity to see him play would’ve huge. Luckily, his legendary Quake win over John Carmack is still up there.
Fong describes Plays.tv’s initial experience as a very personal one when it first launched. The user downloads the client and shares their own gaming highlights with the world from there, he explained. But with the extension, “this is the next logical step for us,” said Fong. “It’s not only to share our great moments but everyone else’s too.”
With Plays.tv, fans will be able to contribute to highlighting the best moments of their favourite streamers, curating a reel of unforgettable moments to share across the web.
