Amazon.com Inc.’s videogame streaming site Twitch Interactive will begin selling games and features in the coming months, furthering its evolution from an online gathering spot for enthusiasts into a commerce hub for the US$100bil (£80.87bil) industry.

Twitch streams competitions featuring professional gamers, letting viewers chat alongside the action, react with emojis and pose questions. The site now will let its 10 million daily viewers download games and game features such as characters, weapons and tools while they watch their favourite streamers.

Twitch viewers will be inspired to download games and purchase features while watching their favourite players use them, said Matt McCloskey, Twitch’s vice-president of commerce, a new position created in November. It’s similar to a basketball fan buying a pair of Nike sneakers from the LeBron James collection after watching the Cleveland Cavaliers star hit a game-winning shot. If videogame fans see something they like on Twitch, they should be able to purchase it at that moment, McCloskey said.