Grace and Peace Blerd Fam! If you didn’t know, Twitch is the platform for everything gaming related and creativity. Whether its gaming, music, or art you can just about find what you’re looking for on this platform. You can find some of the biggest names in the gaming community there. I wanted to create a spotlight for growing Twitch streamers and content creators that I know you will enjoy. Especially for those that have been affected by the ending of Mixer, I wanted help with their transition to Twitch. 

Mixer, owned by Microsoft, was a popular live streaming platform for gamers. It was launched in January 2016 as Beam. Some would say that Mixer was in competition with Twitch when it came to the treatment of their partners and business deals. On June 22, 2020, Mixer was scraped by Microsoft because they were unable to compete with other services. Mixer was in an agreement to collab with Facebook Gaming and redirected their users there, but most of them decided to go to Twitch. Partnered Mixer streamers were offered opportunities to Facebook Gaming programs. 

I want to introduce you to MythicalAmoria! So “What’s Their Twitch?”, you can find her at www.twitch.tv/MythicalAmoria. She streams Monday through Friday starting from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm EST. You can find MythicalAmoria on Instagram and Twitter at MythicalAmoria. 

Round 1: 

Give us an introduction to who you are and the in and outs about your broadcast. Share with the class about your Twitch channel and your community. 

Well, my name is Amoria. I’m a variety streamer, and I’ve been streaming for about 1 year now. At first, streaming was just something to do in whatever spare time I had. But, going through the various things that I’ve gone through, as far as my interactions with other streamers and just watching some popular content creators, I felt as though the industry needed some massive positivity. So, I built my community around uplifting one another and gaming JUST for the love of gaming. We hand out positive affirmations to everyone that comes in, and we always make sure to keep everything on a peaceful note. And to further help change the industry, and the world along with it, we hold charity streams every month to a different organization that we feel needs it the most. 

Tell us about your former Mixer community. 

My community on Mixer was small, but we all grew to care for each other like family. We’re keeping the same vibes on Twitch, and always looking forward to who’s going to be gaming and making a change with us next. 

How do you feel about the changes from Mixer to Twitch? 

It was quite a struggle at first. The platforms are very different, so many of us had to learn new things about streaming that we never had to learn before. I can understand how a lot of partnered streamers were really worried about their futures within the industry. We basically made ourselves comfortable in our small, cozy homes, only for someone to come and say “Hey, this house is now for sale. You can either move and get acquainted with the new people buying, or you have a month to get out”. It was pretty devastating to know that the various communities on Mixer had more faith in the platform than those with the power had in it. Nevertheless, I think that the change has actually been a great thing for most people involved. Many content creators are having their communities flourish, and it’s an awesome thing to witness. 

Twitch is all about games and creativity. What type of content do you stream on your channel? 

At the moment, I play a variety of PC and Nintendo Switch games. However, Twitch has really motivated me to do whatever I can to step my content up. I will be dabbling more into the creative side of things. I want my channel to be a mecca for people who wish to learn new crafts, start new hobbies, etc., all while learning to better love themselves and the people around them. 

What made you start this journey in streaming and when did you start? 

I started streaming on June 10, 2019. I never intended on streaming at all. Streaming was something that my sister was into at first. She invested so much time and work into her channel and her content that I didn’t think I had what it took to have a successful channel. At the time, I was living and working in Korea. My time was invested in that, mostly. But eventually, she convinced me to give it a try, and I really started to love it. Streaming gave me an excuse to get into gaming again, something I neglected for a long time because of the trials and tribulations that life threw at me. June 10th will always be a special date for me, because it is the day that I chose to start doing what makes me happy, regardless of what I may be going through. 

What are some of the issues and challenges that you’ve faced on Twitch and how did you overcome them? 

I think a lot of the “issues” I faced had more to do with me just being comfortable where I was. Learning a new interface and learning the culture of a whole new platform seemed to be really overwhelming. But, you can’t expect to go through life and not have a few changes thrown at you. The move has really taught me to never be comfortable, to always have a backup plan, and to always look for new ways to be innovative. 

What are some of the resources and support that you use, that’s out there for creating a broadcast on Twitch? 

I’ve gotten more accustomed to asking other content creators for help if I need it. The Mixer community has always been a helpful one, so I know that I can always go to one of them if I ever need any assistance. Aside from that, nothing that Googling and watching 3-4 hours worth of YouTube tutorials can’t solve. 

Blerd is all things nerd and geek through a people of color culture lens. What makes you a blerd? 

I will admit that I haven’t always been a blerd. It took me until near adulthood to understand that the terms “nerd” and “geek” aren’t white exclusive. I knew that there were other black nerds, but a lot of us did what we could to fit into these white nerd spaces instead of creating and being in spaces that we’ve created for ourselves. Many of us really have no clue the absolute POWER we have in being black people. As much as we’re hated, we’re adored and envied from afar, so much so that many aspects of our culture are swiped and used for profit. We have greatness within us, and we should start using it to our advantage within the industry. 

A huge part of being a blerd is being loud and proud about your blackness when you’re gaming, when you’re creating, when you’re at conventions, when you’re doing anything. I do my best to make it known within this industry that I’m black, I’m proud, and I will do whatever is within my power to see the advancement of black people within every aspect of life, gaming included. I will help create these spaces and stand unapologetically in who and what I am. 

Round 2: 

You’ve only been given 3 games to play for the rest of your life, what are you playing and why? 

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – One of my favorite games of all time. The game really touched on two main subjects that people tend to shy away from, life changes and death. Majora’s Mask teaches us that though death and change are inevitable, they never mean that we’ve reached the end of our journey. A new phase awaits us after it’s all said and done, and remnants of our past can live on forever, whether they are positive or negative. We all need to be very conscious of our impact, because we can always make one, no matter how small. We can be honored after death and/or our life can serve as a lesson for those in the future. Majora’s Mask pieced together many stories of various characters very beautifully, and you get very invested in the lives of the people you help within the game. 

Outlast – I’ve always been a fan of the horror genre, and Outlast has got to be the best piece of horror content I’ve ever witnessed. In gaming, it’s very hard to come across games that are genuinely scary and have excellent game play. Outlast knocks both of those out of the park. 

Second Life – In Second Life, you can be literally anything you want to be, and meet all kinds of people from around the world. There’s also so much to see and so much to do while on the grid (you can literally play games within the game). I know if I kept Second Life around, and got a lot of my friends on board to play, I would never be bored. 

Which video game character is bae? 

It will always be Link from The Legend of Zelda. He is literally no talk and all action, and which is what I wish more people, in general, were like. Actions will always speak louder. 

What’s a game that you absolutely hate but everyone else might like? 

My vote would go to Layers of Fear. The game is highly rated and loved by many, but it legit almost put me to sleep. It was just very uninteresting to me. The design is very cinematic, which is quite beautiful, I will give it that. However, that was not enough to draw me in and keep me wanting more. Wasn’t very scary and felt really repetitive. Worst $20 and 5 hours worth of time that I’ve ever spent. 

Your favorite person is making your favorite dish, who is it and what is it? 

This scenario would be my sister making me some Korean-fried soy garlic chicken. 

If you could be any superhero who would it be and why? 

I would choose Raven. She has such great power that she could easily use to cause so much destruction, ending life as we know it, but she uses it for good instead. She shows great control, restraint, and empathy, things I wish to embody at all times. 

Round 3 Final Boss Battle: 

-Playstation or Xbox?

I’ve actually never owned either of these, but I would probably go with Playstation. 

-Pepsi or Coke?

Coke. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had a Pepsi, lol. 

-Night or day?

Night. Most calming time of the day for me. 

-Summer or Winter? 

Winter. Living in Georgia will make you hate summer. 

-Cat or dog?

Dog 

-Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network?

Cartoon Network now, Nickelodeon from childhood. 

-Fresh Prince or Martin?

Fresh Prince 

-McDonald’s or Burger King?

McDonald’s. 

-Super Mario or Sonic?

Super Mario, always.