First, there was TV, bringing different shows all over the world for people to enjoy and watch. After TV people started looking at the internet to stream and download their favourite shows at a moments notice. As people started to enjoy the new shows and choice, they came to find a new form of entertainment in watching professional (and amateur) gamers conquer the known catalogue of games. Now it looks like Microsoft wants in and has gone so far as to buy Beam, a game-streaming site which they look to integrate with their own games in the future.
Beam is marketed as something more than a gaming streaming site, rewarding people for their participation. The system rewards you for everything from watching a stream to interacting with it. Using all of your accumulated XP you can spend it on everything from in-game votes and cosmetic boosts for their system.
With an SDK available to the public, any developer can integrate the streaming service directly into the game, something which Microsoft seem keen to do as they are already looking at integrating it into Minecraft. With team-based streaming available, could Microsoft be looking at streaming one of the many gaming championships found around the world through their newly acquired site?
Microsoft, vacuum cleaners of data, Who Knew.