Want Free Coding Lessons? Twitch Makes It Happen in Real Time

Every Sunday Suz Hinton sits down at her computer to write code. Unlike most programmers who work on open source projects on their own in their spare time, she programs as hundreds of people watch online.

Hinton livestreams her screen as she types JavaScript code. But she doesn’t just write code: Hinton also verbally explains what she’s doing and interacts with the audience. A chat room appears in a frame to the right of the code, where viewers ask questions, make suggestions, and make conversation. Below the chat room is a box with video of Hinton’s face.

She’s among hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of programmers from around the world who regularly take to Twitch, a site best known for livestreams of people playing videogames. You might ask, who would want to watch someone else code? But you could just as well ask who’d want to watch someone else play videogames, or cook, or fish.

Many people watch to learn something. There are countless programming tutorials on YouTube that let aspiring programmers watch others write and explain code. But the chat rooms and widgets give viewers a chance to ask questions in real time.

A screenshot from one of Suz Hinton’s livestreamed coding sessions.

Photograph: Suz Hinton

Live code streams also provide a more natural view of how programming works. Hinton says she started by watching other coding livestreams. “I’m really someone who likes to be a fly on the wall,” she says. “You know how people give really vague answers to the question ‘What do you do all day?’ You get to see exactly what they do.”

Streamers also learn from their audiences. “Honestly, it’s made me a better programmer,” Hinton adds. “When you have to explain every choice you’re making as you’re typing the code, you become more insightful, and you have people giving feedback in real time.”

“Live coding on Twitch is a great way to learn to code and present in front of others, especially for those of us who grew up shy or self-conscious,” says Allison Day, a live code streamer who maintains Belly.io, a directory of cooking and programming livestreams. “Things inevitably go wrong when you’re live, or you make a silly mistake, or you forget something simple. You learn pretty quickly not to be so self-conscious, and that most of your viewers are really rooting for you.”

Community is a big part of why people stream their work and why other people watch it. Programming can be solitary work. Twitch’s chat feature gives programmers another way to connect with each other, swap tips, or work in tandem. “I love helping out people who want to learn to code, and having that opportunity for live conversation with anyone around the world allows them to ask questions, and me to go more in-depth when there’s a topic that people are curious or confused about,” says Day.

Coders have been livestreaming their work for years. But Day notes that live code streaming is still growing. “I’m always adding new streamers to Belly.io,” she adds. The site now lists more than 300 live coding streamers.

As the community grows, it’s also becoming more professional. Jeff Fritz, a live coder who works for Microsoft, adds music and shock-jock-style sound effects to his Twitch stream. Most important, he provides commentary on what he’s doing. The effort helps his streams garner thousands of live viewers. “I almost see myself as the Bill Nye for the Twitch generation,” he says. “I want to be that friendly face that people can ask technical questions and I’ll answer them.”

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Fritz’s streaming, which Microsoft considers part of his job, reflects a recognition among tech companies that streaming can help reach developers. Fritz says he started streaming as a way to avoid time-consuming trips to conferences. “It was a pain in the neck to fly to Germany, give a keynote, and then fly back,” he recounts. “It was taking me away from my family.” He considered starting a podcast, but there was no interactivity. After discovering Hinton’s livestreams, he realized streaming could help him avoid traveling and reach people around the world who aren’t able to travel themselves. Many conferences now offer livestreams of keynotes, but those streams usually aren’t interactive. People viewing remotely can’t ask questions, and the speaker has no idea how many people are watching. Twitch lets coders engage more directly with their audience.

Fritz says the expectation that livestreamers will interact with their audience deters people seeking self-promotion more than community engagement. “Folks who are just airing a polished presentation get lost,” he says. “You have to juggle the chat room and questions, as well as focus on what you’re actually producing. It takes talent.”

But interactivity can also provide opportunities for maliciousness. Hinton says moderators are needed to keep the chat room conversations civil and to ban people who try to disrupt the stream. “You’re never going to be able to moderate yourself while you’re speaking. People will come and try to derail you. If you have a moderator keeping you from seeing nasty comments, then those people will get bored and move on.”

Ultimately, though, Hinton believes streaming can promote civility. The open source community has a reputation for toxicity. Linux creator Linus Torvalds has been repeatedly criticized for unprofessional or even abusive behavior toward other Linux contributors, which led him to take a hiatus from the project last year. By helping people see the work behind an open source project, and putting faces to the names, Hinton thinks livestreaming encourages more empathy for open source developers.

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