- Written by Andrew Rogers
- bbc news beat
As you walk around EGX, the UK’s biggest video game show, you’ll see bright lights, demos of the latest games, and plenty of colorful cosplay.
But this year, we’re seeing something different again: the TikTok logo is everywhere.
The company is currently the show’s main sponsor and has a three-year contract to support the show.
It’s probably no secret that TikTok is trying to focus on gaming content. TikTok is a fast-growing area for the platform, and a category it hopes to expand alongside music and movies.
According to the company’s statistics, gaming posts received more than 3 trillion views last year.
But video game content is a crowded field, still dominated by YouTube and live streaming site Twitch, although some big-name users have moved to rivals like Kick.
Some creators, like Sophie, known as Kadaea to her more than 500,000 followers, say they’ve had success growing their audience through TikTok.
After struggling to build an audience on Twitch for “eight years,” she started posting news and opinions about gaming on TikTok.
“Discoverability on Twitch is not very good,” Sophie told BBC Newsbeat at an event in London’s Docklands, adding that the competitive platform is dominated by big-name streamers such as Ninja and Pokimane. he added.
She believes TikTok should be grateful for the increase in followers, and it’s working out pretty well for her.
“I actually quit my full-time job at an investment bank earlier this year to pursue content creation, which is pretty insane if you ask my parents,” Sophie says.
“But the money is there.”
With an app that has over 3 billion downloads, not everyone can be a star. And how much money the people who created it actually make from TikTok is a matter of debate at this point.
The app recently revised its payment program, but some creators claim the amount they receive varies widely from video to video.
On the EGX show floor, Dorrani, known as 100PercentCrit, told Newsbeat that just like with other social media apps, you can get more out of brand deals.
“There is a career path in content creation,” he says.
“You’d be very, very surprised when you think about the amount of money you can make. But I don’t think that’s the feeling that people think.”
TikTok’s UK head of games and sports Rollo Goldstaub told Newsbeat that the app is “becoming a more influential part of how games are discovered.”
He believes it can give smaller developers a chance to go viral.
That’s what happened to the creator of Billie Bust Up, a colorful music platformer that flooded For You Pages after being boosted by the app’s algorithm.
The small team behind the game said that the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform that raised funds for the project reached its goal within 48 hours of its viral moment.
“It was a big surprise. A big, big surprise,” says Ash, one of the creators of Billie Bust Up, who is demoing the game at EGX.
“The fact that people are so interested is a big motivator and a big help.”
Rollo argues that stories like this are an example of how TikTok is helping indie developers reach new audiences.
“The playing field has really leveled. The barrier to entry is low. All you need is a phone and an internet signal.”
But there’s still room for big companies to get their products into your feed the old-fashioned way: paying to enhance content.
This isn’t unique to TikTok, it’s something major developers like Activision Blizzard have been doing with new releases from most major social networks.
It’s not just gaming tournaments where you can see the TikTok logo. This year, the UFC, Women’s Rugby Six Nations and Burnley FC women’s teams are all sponsored by the app.
The Chinese-owned app has often been the subject of negative headlines and criticism, with some U.S. politicians even talking about banning it.
Could sponsoring our favorite hobby or sport actually be a way to create a positive connection to the people who use it every day?
Lolo insists that’s not the case, and that TikTok wants to be a “gaming friend.”
With apps constantly adding features offered by other social media apps to keep users on their platform longer, is TikTok about to follow Netflix and start making its own game?
“There are no plans,” Rollo said, but added that the company is constantly testing new features.
listen to the news beat live Weekdays at 12:45 and 17:45 – or ask again here.