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 Te5wolf! So “What’s Their Twitch?”, you can find him at www.twitch.tv/te5wolf. His streaming schedule is as follows, Tuesday 6 pm to 2 am est, Wednesday 6 pm to 2 am est, Thursday 8 pm to 2 am est, Friday 8 pm to 2 am est, Saturday 10 pm to 2 am est, and Sunday 2 pm to 2 am est. You can find Te5wolf on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Te5wolf. You can also join his Discord channel at discord.gg/ttafAb7. 

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. 

Hey, yall my name is Jeremy Aka Wolf. My channel is called The Wolves Den. My channel is a safe haven for any and every one no matter your religion, race, sex, etc. My community is family and we want every to feel welcomed. I am a Professional Call of Duty Warzone player for the Columbus Arsenal and a full-time variety streamer as well. My channel is big of positive energy and supplying a place to be yourself. Since the switch from Mixer, I have felt my community get stronger and closer. My community is made up of people of all colors and so many unique minds. we love and laugh and so many of the same things. We spread love and positivity while loving pop culture. 

Tell us about your former Mixer community.

My Mixer community was still called The Wolves Den and many made the switch to twitch from mixer. But still, something about my Mixer fam was exhilarating and fun. We hit a lot of community and personal milestones and made me into the streamer I am today. I plan to carry that energy wherever in life. My Mixer community made The Wolves Den what it is. They gave me so much confidence and insight in this business. it will always be much love. I hope this reaches those who cannot find me and we continue that message. 

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

I honestly felt betrayed. 9 months of hard work, the long nights, and doubts were for nothing. We exposed racism within our platform and instead of getting rid of the problem within you just abandoned us and all our hardworking was thrown away. That’s exactly how I felt. But then I started thinking positive and trying to find the silver lining in it all. 2 weeks later…..i feel so much better and at home. I feel so welcomed. Not only from my former mixer community but from the new twitch community as well. I left twitch for racial harassment and it was my switch to Mixer that gave me that confidence through the people I met. I feel I am and my Den are at a place of appreciation. Now I’m just anxious about what the future holds. 

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

The type of content I stream is a variety of games. I play FPS, anime,action-adventure, stealth, RPG, and many more. I also do IRL streams and hold Q and A sessions to help others trying to learn and perfect our craft. As a professional warzone playing, you will see a lot of COD but I also make room for all genres. 

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

My Son. My son was is my biggest supporter. One day we were talking about following our dreams (because he wants to be a basketball player) and he asked me what was my dream? I said to be a video game streamer like the people he watches on youtube. He told me I should also go after my dream so when he’s in the NBA I can stream me playing him on 2k56 lol. I started streaming about 1year and a half ago on twitch then spent 8 months on mixer before the forced switch. 

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

Some of my biggest issues and challenges I have had on Twitch were the racial harassment. Being Black should not be a reason why I cannot be a content creator and be able to have the ability to provide entertainment to everyone. The way I have overcome that is just simply ban them and advocate why this is not appropriate and why it does not belong in our platform and communities and continue to provide and safe haven for those seeking to escape that harsh reality. Sometimes I time them out and then explain the issue within our community. And if they still are going about the same thing we ban and continue to spread the positivity. 

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

I use OBS Studios to broadcast my stream. I also use Twitch It Up (former Mixitup) to provide my timers, commands, and bot. I have recently learned about a mixer called Voicemeeter from a friend that helps control all aspects of my audio. Streamlabs labels is a must for my followers and recent donations and activities. 

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

What makes me a blerd is I am a proud person of color who loves video games, anime, Marvel, DC, and pretty much anything cultural and pop culture. I love learning about the extensive universes these games have as well! Being a blerd is more than being Black. It’s being a positive impact on minorities and the justice we deserve while loving our Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and more while waiting on DC to make a good movie lol. 

Round 2: 

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

Streets of rage(sega genesis), Uncharted 2, and Spider-Man PS4. Those games were the biggest impact on my gaming career and childhood. I love the emotion-driven stories and the retro style gameplay. Plus my favorite superhero is Spider-Man. 

Which video game character is bae? 

I’d have to say most definitely Bayonetta for me lol. 

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

Fortnite. 

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

Angela Bassett is making me meatloaf, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, and Hawaiian rolls. 

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

I would be Spider-Man. Spider-Man at a young age like most was the nerd (blerd in my case) and went through bullying and not having self-confidence. He had to learn at 15 how to grow up and fast in a dangerous world he stumbled into, all from failure to have the responsibility to stop something wrong even if its to get someone back. And through Great power come great responsibility it made him into the best avenger Captain America had ever seen. His happy go lucky personality and jokes while fighting is a way we should look at life. Even if danger is amidst finding a way to get through even if it’s laughing in its face 

Round 3 Final Boss Battle: 

-Playstation or Xbox?

Playstation

-Pepsi or Coke?

Coke 

-Night or day?

Night 

-Summer or Winter?

Summer 

-Cat or dog?

Dog 

-Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network?

Cartoon Network 

-Fresh Prince or Martin?

Fresh Prince 

-McDonald’s or Burger King?

Burger King 

-Super Mario or Sonic?

Sonic