Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Hype is important on Twitch. That’s why the company is gamifying it with a new feature called Hype Train, launching this week. If you donate enough to a partnered or affiliate channel, you’ll see a bar pop up above chat, which will give donators rewards as it fills.
Hype is what powers the biggest events on the site — like, for example, Awesome Games Done Quick, which raises an astonishing amount of money for a charity every year. (This year’s beneficiary is the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and you can watch the streams live right now.) One person going off in chat with a large donation or a bunch of gifted subscriptions can prompt other viewers who feel similarly energized to do the same. When it happens, it’s a beautiful thing to see,…