MMO.net Featured Streamer of the Month

December 2022

This month we are happy to introduce EightVelociraptors as our Streamer Of The Month!

Read below to find out more about what makes EightVelociraptors our choice for October:

What made you decide to initially start streaming on Twitch, and were those original motivations the reason you stayed on the platform?

Streaming for me was really a curiosity at first. I tried out some “test” streams with Monster Hunter in July 2021 to see if I would even like it. After a couple of streams, I liked it enough and decided to dive into my main video game passion, Pokemon challenge runs. I’ve stuck with Twitch through ups and downs more because I’ve focused on one platform for my content rather than stretching myself thin across several.

I’m interested in your insight into the Pokemon games and the community that you have grown, especially since many of those games are single-player. What do you think it is about the Pokemon games that keeps them so popular in the Twitch community? Is there something unique about them that other games may lack?

Ultimately, Pokemon is a content juggernaut due to its diversity of approaches. There are folks that shiny hunt Pokemon, some that speedrun, others that nuzlocke (survival mode essentially), and new and exciting formats like IronMon (think solo randomizers) that have completely catapulted Pokemon into another league of viewership. Sometimes with other single-player games, they’re really quite fixed, or there aren’t many ways to diversify the playthroughs. With Pokemon and its highly customizable creatures and challenge runs, creativity abounds.

Were there any hurdles that you encountered in the initial stages of streaming on Twitch that you didn’t expect? If so, what were they, and how did you overcome them?

Mentally, consistency is probably the hardest part. You’re starting this new thing, and there are all these metrics and processes you have to learn. It’s all very overwhelming until you get into the swing of it. I struggled a lot with understanding what was important and what was not early on. Every tech issue early on feels like an emergency (it’s not). Every viewer feels like someone you *have* to have like you (some folks won’t enjoy your content, and that’s okay). These things come with time.

The relaxed vibe that comes through during your streams greatly contrasts many of the high-energy streaming channels out there. Many streamers, especially in the early days, fear that they have to be incredibly energetic to engage with their audience, but your channel shows that this worry isn’t always true.

Different strokes, I suppose. Somedays, I feel more high energy and can lean into that for my content. But I mainly wanted to settle into streaming as a place to relax and have a good time. Years ago, I started watching streams due to some surgeries that kept me at home. I found myself navigating to soothing streams, and I think I want to offer the same to folks that want a place to chill out.

What would you say to streamers who have those anxieties? What have you found is important when it comes to engaging with an audience?

First and foremost, it’s about your own enjoyment as a streamer. If you’re having a good time, whether it’s 1 viewer or 100, that’s what keeps people coming back. I think the habits we set ourselves into when we’re growing will shape us when the channel heats up. So I like to worry less about the stories I tell myself (whether a stream was “good” or not) and focus on what I did today that I want to keep doing tomorrow. That kind of tonal shift ends up helping me a lot with streaming and life too.

Be sure to check EightVelociraptors’ other media platforms: Twitch, Twitter, Discord, and Steam!