It’s your new one-stop shop for watching people pretending to be scared at horror games and getting excited over opening Federation Internationale de Football Association card packs. ZEFR, a technology firm that crunches YouTube data, estimates that videos of the “Let’s Play” genre have garnered 40 billion views in the lifetime of YouTube. The internet has made gaming more of a social activity and also added an element of fierce competition that wasn’t really there before. The company says that the time its users spend with gaming videos is up 75 per cent in the past year. Firstly, the website now displays two “pop-up” sidebars, one listing trending/favourited games, the other listing featured and user subscribed channels. But it beats typical peak traffic to popular streaming service Hulu and HBO Go combined. The debut comes a year after Google lost a bidding war with Amazon to buy Twitch, the web’s current leader in game streaming. YouTube Gaming is Google’s attempt to snatch away that prize, and, in doing so, it may make live streaming a bigger part of everyone’s world. YouTube Gaming is one central hub where gamers can come together and share their experiences by posting their videos.

YouTube launched its spin-off platform for gamers on Wednesday night. YouTube Gaming pulls together clips and streams featuring video game play and commentary, and – in true Google fashion – makes them easier to find. Live streams also have a chat option. YouTube are still working on implementing further moderation on the main site.

What if I stream my own stuff? The platform, which was launched in 2011, has the advantage of having being built up as a game streaming service and consequently, even offers an API for game developers to integrate into their games and enable direct streaming.

Gaming is already an integral part of YouTube.

YouTube Gaming’s launch will spark a great battle for the top position as a video platform designed for gamers, as Twitch will surely feel threatened by the ambitious new Google service.