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Library/Creator moment/Twitch Plays Pokémon
Grade A26 sourcesHIS-01505

Twitch Plays Pokémon

Creator moment · 2014 · Niche

37Editable slideCertificate

A chat-controlled Pokémon Red stream drew over one million participants.

Twitch

@Twitch · Feb 14, 2014

Some clever body made it so that the chat audience can control the game. Get in on the social goodness that is: twitch.tv/TwitchPlaysPok…

3313
Post · @Twitch on X
Twitch Plays Pokémon
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
First Date
xkcd / Randall Munroe
Rejoice, For 'Twitch Plays Pokémon' Has Revived The Helix Fossil - Kotaku
Kotaku

Spread Score

How it works
Reach27Contagion35Breadth90Velocity7Longevity2137

Numbers

Chat participants across the original Red run
1.2M
As of Mar 1, 2014 · Twitch · Self-reported · Twitch
Seed to peak proxy
6 days
Feb 12 ’14 to Feb 18 ’14
Platforms
6
Started on Twitch
Origin
Seeded
Gaming

Mechanics

  • Fandom mobilisationPrimary
  • Identity badge
  • Controversy
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop

How it spread

Trace the origin

An anonymous programmer let Twitch chat control Pokémon Red. Fans coordinated on Reddit and built Helix Fossil lore. The Verge dated its reported viewer maximum to February 18; the game ended March 1. Twitch reported over one million participants.

Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak.

Wikipedia viewsFeb ’14MarMayAugNovFeb ’15MayAugNovFeb ’16Peak proxyTwitchPressXRedditOpen webRetail
TwitchPressXRedditOpen webRetail

13 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

Timeline (16)

  1. February 2014

    Anonymous Australian programmer seed · Feb 12 ’14

    An anonymous programmer launched a stream that converted chat commands into Pokémon Red inputs.[1][2][3]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. Game Developer / Polygon press · Feb 14 ’14

    Game Developer covered the chat-controlled game, and Polygon interviewed its anonymous creator.[4][3]

  3. Twitch platform jump · Feb 14 ’14

    Twitch staff promoted the stream on Twitter after discovering it the previous evening.[5]

  1. platform jump · Feb 17 ’14

  2. peak proxy · Feb 18 ’14

Join free to see the other 13 events and the full chart. Free, on every case.

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Why it worked

Do this

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Gaming
Region
AU
Chat participants across the original Red run
1.2M
As of Mar 1, 2014 · Twitch · Self-reported · Twitch
Evidence
Grade A

Spread the same way

Series · Open web · 201658

Stranger Things

Netflix / The Duffer Brothers

Netflix reported 1.5 billion lifetime Stranger Things views through March 2026.

$1B revenue

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.