Writing a book is, for me, a long process involving the curiosity and excitement of exploration during research followed by the tough marathon of synthesizing and externalizing years of work via writing. I am incredibly grateful to have had so many wonderful people to lean on during that cycle over the last six years of this project.
First and foremost, my profound thanks to the many folks working in live streaming who have been so generous with their time and insights. Your letting me interview you, shadow you at events, visit your homes, and examine this fascinating domain through your experiences has been irreplaceable. Special thanks to both Twitch and the Electronic Sports League, which were kind enough to open their organizational doors to me and provide glimpses to a side of this industry most of us rarely see. That so many people from each company were willing to explain their work, show me what they do, and discuss complex issues with me made this research possible. They have my deep appreciation.
Sincere thanks to Kendra Albert, Ian Condry, Megan Finn, Kishonna Gray, Dan Greene, Flourish Klink, Greg Lastowka, Claudia Lo, Kat Lo, Kaelan Coyle McDonough, Kate Miltner, Dylan Mulvin, Hector Postigo, Jesse Sell, Adrienne Shaw, Abe Stein, Jonathan Sterne, Nick Taylor, William Uricchio, Jing Wang, and Emma Witkowski for additional valuable input and conversations along the way. My appreciation to Morgan Romine, my co-conspirator at AnyKey, for sharing in the work we do, which often provided useful insights to this project. Thanks to Tom Boellstorff and Bill Mauer for bringing this project into their Culture and Technology series as well as for helpful input at crucial moments. Thanks to Princeton University Press’s Fred Appel, Natalie Baan, Thalia Leaf, Cindy Milstein, and the manuscript’s anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback and support.
I owe a special debt to the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research New England, especially Nancy Baym, Tarleton Gillespie, and Mary Gray. I had an amazing experience being hosted there for a number of months, and the entire group was willing to read a draft of this manuscript and offer incredible feedback; it was both truly encouraging and insightful in pushing the work to the next level.
A special shout-out to Mary Gray, who in addition to supporting my visit to Microsoft, was my regular conversation and writing partner during this project; I couldn’t have done it without ya! Your always-astute feedback, caring encouragement, and being just an amazing all-around friend helped keep me paddling.
Finally as always, my sincerest gratitude and affection to Micke, who despite hearing me say “never again!” after each book, continues to support and cheer me on in ways large and small. I’m truly lucky to have you in my life.