New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made it to the front page of Twitch.tv on her first stream, her message reaching beyond what could be imagined. Twitch is a branch of Amazon, a live streaming platform hosts thousands of gamers, artists, entertainers, and more; these streams are similar to a television show but if it was filmed and aired live. AOC, a popular acronym for the US Representative, tweeted out on Monday, “Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote? (I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun)”. This marked her first streaming interest but not her first interaction with the gaming community.
AOC has shown interests in gaming before, since 2018, AOC has remarked how she has had an interest in playing League of Legends. League of Legends is a MOBA game consisting of five players versus another five players, a race to see who can more quickly destroy the other’s home base. Even during this quarantine only in July did she share her excitement in making it to Silver III on the competitive side of the game. It was only time before more elected officials made their way into the online gaming front but to have AOC front and center on Twitch was a new way to get to know her.
This stream hit all new grounds as Ocasio-Cortez undertook a game she had never played before. Among Us, a popular multiplayer social deduction game that was previously covered in the Sonoma State Star. Alongside some of the most popular Among Us streamers Big Moist, Corpse, Disguised Toast, DrLupo, Hasanabi, JackSepticeye, Pokimane, Maia Mxmtoon, Myth, and more, AOC was able to garner over 439,000 viewers at its peak. There were some surprise players in the three hours and 30-minute stream such as Minnesota’s Representative Ilhan Omar.
The stream from Tuesday has since amassed 5,300,000 views and is growing by the day. In a single week, she has gained 684,000 followers on her Twitch channel. This stream was filled with laughter and fun while also permeating a reminder to vote. Ocasio-Cortez consistently spoke on the importance of voting during this election. On video and in links under her stream, she promoted iwillvote.com. A website that verifies and details ways to vote in areas near you.
“For everyone watching, just make sure you have your voting plan put together. Voting plans are super important because people who make a voting plan are more likely to vote, it’s shown. So figure out today and tonight. Use iwillvote.com, figure out if you want to vote early, mail-in, in person, day of. Make a plan and stick to it,” AOC said before ending off her stream.
While Ocasio-Cortez is not the first politician to use the platform, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump both having accounts, she was the first to use it for a gaming-based live stream. AOC has continued the conversation about streaming over on Twitter. With this Among Us streaming being one of the largest the platform has seen; it can only be wondered what comes next in this world.