Want Free Coding Lessons? Twitch Makes It Happen in Real Time

Every Sunday Suz Hinton sits down at her computer to write code. Unlike most programmers who work on open source projects on their own in their spare time, she programs as hundreds of people watch online.

Hinton livestreams her screen as she types JavaScript code. But she doesn’t just write code: Hinton also verbally explains what she's doing and interacts with the audience. A chat room appears in a frame to the right of the code, where viewers ask questions, make suggestions, and make conversation. Below the chat room is a box with video of Hinton's face.

She's among hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of programmers from around the world who regularly take to Twitch, a site best known for livestreams of people playing videogames. You might ask, who would want to watch someone else code? But you could just as well ask who'd want to watch someone else play videogames, or cook, or fish.

Many people watch to learn something. There are countless programming tutorials on YouTube that let aspiring programmers watch others write and explain code. But the chat rooms and widgets give viewers a chance to ask questions in real time.

A screenshot from one of Suz Hinton's livestreamed coding sessions.