The Seattle Times reports that in an effort to make its Prime offerings even more robust, Amazon is adding access to Twitch, described as "the gamer-oriented site it acquired a couple of years ago."
In a blog posting, Twitch said that "members of Amazon’s $99-a-year Prime membership program would also get special benefits on Twitch, including discounts on games, ad-free video streaming and 'game loot,' such as special videogame characters or even free games."
This move, the Times writes, "shows how the company is aggressively pursuing younger people, whose shopping habits are still evolving and where Amazon can leave a lasting imprint."
In a blog posting, Twitch said that "members of Amazon’s $99-a-year Prime membership program would also get special benefits on Twitch, including discounts on games, ad-free video streaming and 'game loot,' such as special videogame characters or even free games."
This move, the Times writes, "shows how the company is aggressively pursuing younger people, whose shopping habits are still evolving and where Amazon can leave a lasting imprint."
- KC's View:
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The story puts this move into even sharper relief when it says that "this doesn’t sound exciting until the moment you need to decide between going to the store for toilet paper and playing another round of ‘Overwatch'."
Which is exactly the point.
I think it matters that most companies, with their online approaches, are simply trying to sell more stuff. Amazon, on the other hand, is trying to develop an ecosystem that has the potential for being far more powerful if it all works and comes together.
Amazon may be making games available to its best customers ... but in no way is it playing games.
