Breaking the Mold: xQc’s Role in Shaping Modern Livestreaming
In the past decade, the internet has undergone irreversible changes that have revolutionized industries, creating opportunities that were previously inconceivable. The entertainment industry, for example, has skyrocketed in the past decade, with its revenue increasing by 150 percent in the past five years (“Video Streaming”). A main contributor to this statistic is the rise of livestreaming, most popularly on Twitch, YouTube Live, Kick.com, and Instagram Live. In fact, last year, the livestreaming market accounted for 23 percent of any video content viewed globally, cementing its influence in the entertainment industry (Jabroney); however, the growth of livestreaming was not linear, and its rapid evolution in the past decade owes much to the influence of key livestreamers who brought it into the mainstream. One such outlier, renowned for his unapologetically high-energy, unfiltered, and unpredictable personality, identifies himself as “xQc”. xQc can be characterized as an outlier due to his unique path to popularity and the variety and consistency of his content; though some may argue his influence is indistinguishable from that of other large Twitch streamers, the state of the current meta illustrates that aspects of his unique style are ubiquitous in the mainstream.
Primarily, xQc can be classified as an outlier due to his then-unconventional style in streaming and ascent to fame. At the time xQc started livestreaming on Twitch in 2019, the platform was on the brink of its heyday, garnering 1.26 million concurrent viewers in 2019 alone (“Video Streaming”). During the time, the main categories of streams were “gaming” and “just chatting”, consistent with xQc’s main categories. What wasn’t consistent, however, was the controversy he created. In 2021, xQc received his fifth ban on the platform for streaming a copyrighted song, and according to Twitch’s terms of service, he was only one offense away from being permanently (Longkumer). The extent of xQc’s controversy renders him an outlier, as his situation was so unique that it forced Twitch to personally adjust their terms of service, providing him more leniency because of how popular he was on their platform; surprisingly, these bans only made him more beloved by his community. As xQc continued to display his edgy personality on livestreams, his fanbase, known as “juicers”, multiplied by a scale of five in just eighteen months (“Twitch Stats”). At the time, most streamers displayed a more calm, down-to-earth personality, showing respect to their viewers in the stream chat. However, one couldn’t say the same about xQc’s relationship with his fanbase.
After dying in Minecraft because of messages people were sending in the stream chat xQc erupts in fury, venting all of his frustrations (“xQc Rage”). Outside of xQc’s streams, outbursts like these were much less popular in big streamers, as most people were attracted to livestreams because of the gameplay itself rather than the streamer. xQc, however, was an outlier, attracting viewers to his streams because of his character rather than his skills; in fact, his chat often made fun of him for his average skill level at every game he played, further developing his love-hate relationship with his fanbase. His unbelievably fast growth led him to become the most-watched streamer in 2021 and 2022, just 2 years after he started streaming—an unheard-of feat for livestreamers (“Twitch Stats”). To conclude, xQc’s exceptionally fast path to success through his one-of-a-kind personality undoubtedly characterizes him as an extreme outlier.
In addition to his unorthodox streaming style, xQc sets himself apart from celebrities across all media platforms through the variety of his content and his unfaltering consistency. When it comes to the media celebrities contribute towards, they can typically be categorized into specific types of content. For example, Tom Brady is most commonly seen in American football content; Magnus Carlsen is seen playing in chess events; Leonardo Di Caprio only acts in films. xQc, on the other hand, can be seen in a much wider variety of content. In fact, some of xQc's most popular streams have been when he has created content that viewers aren’t accustomed to. These streams include his 2019 cooking and snow day stream, February 2023 Disney Universal stream, October 2023 gym stream, and 2023 Sidemen charity football game stream. Though he is most commonly found on Twitch live-streaming video games, xQc’s success in non-gaming livestreams demonstrates his fanbase’s unwavering support. xQc’s ability to garner nearly hundreds of thousands of viewers in such a wide variety of streams confirms his status as an outlier due to how uncommon it is for celebrities to succeed in a vast range of content. Moreover, his ability to consistently attract viewers to his streams, despite his love-hate relationship with them, clearly sets him apart. With such success, though, one would expect xQc’s consistency in his stream schedule to dwindle, allowing him to take time for himself and appreciate his accomplishments. Instead, quite the opposite can be said about him.
Between 2019 and 2023, xQc streamed an average of 73.6 hours per week, peaking in March of 2021 with 109 hours of airtime in just one week (“Twitch Stats”). Though most celebrities would take a break after becoming wealthy, xQc has continued to average 60 hours on air, even after signing a 100 million dollar deal with Kick.com in September 2023. xQc's remarkable consistency sets him apart as an outlier, as he continues to put in significant effort despite his wealth. Furthermore, his consistency extends much farther than his streaming schedule; even his eating habits appear to remain unchanged despite his newfound success (“xQc Shows off”).
Even though he is a multi-millionaire, xQc’s eating habits have remained the same as they were before he became wealthy, eating fast food for the majority of his meals. This further qualifies him as an outlier due to his simple eating habits for his level of wealth and success. In summation, xQc's diverse streaming content and consistent lifestyle characterize him as an outlier, as such traits are exceptionally rare in celebrities.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that xQc can be classified as an outlier, some argue that he is not one-of-a-kind in the world of streaming. In today’s world of streaming, many have surpassed xQc in viewers, popularity, and wealth, and many claim that he now resides under the shadow of bigger streamers. For example, xQc’s average view count has dropped to 24,199 viewers, but stars IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat have averaged 79,100 and 120,000 viewers, respectively, in the past month (Video Streaming). Many streamers IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat have adapted the new meta, playing a character on stream rather than acting like themselves to gain attention. The popularity of the new meta has created the argument that xQc is merely one of the many streamers with a high-energy, entertaining personality and that he doesn’t qualify as an outlier. However, looking at this data skews the reality of the situation. Though xQc is no longer the most popular streamer on many platforms, his influence is undeniably evident in the state of the current meta. At the time he started streaming in 2019, xQc was one of the only streamers with such a raw, volatile, and unrestrained personality. Because of his success, many streamers began emulating modified versions of his personality, which is how streamers like IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat rose to popularity. Regardless of the fact that he isn’t on top anymore, xQc will forever retain the title of “outlier” due to his pioneering of a new era of livestreaming.
In conclusion, xQc can be characterized as an outlier due to his distinctive journey to fame and the diversity and consistency of his content. While some might claim his influence is similar to that of other prominent Twitch streamers, the current state of livestreaming shows that elements of his unique style are now prevalent in the mainstream. As livestreaming continues to grow and develop as a form of entertainment, new metas and streamers will inevitably emerge, but xQc’s videos will continue to inspire countless creators to find their voices. Some may see him as just an entertainer, but behind the screen, xQc has shown us that true legacy isn’t about personal achievements—it's about the lasting impact we leave on others and the communities we build.