STACK #167 Sept 2018

GAMES

NEWS

Lofu's Top 2 content creators: David Dobrik Shane Dawson

channel? (Especially the Fortnite emote compilations, which we LOVE by the way!) Thank you! Dancing is my favourite thing second to games. I think it has helped, because not too many people did dancing throughout their childhood like I did. So it's a nice little thing to be able to show off from time to time. My highest view videos are my dancing ones – from Overwatch to Fortnite, now. So it has definitely given me something unique. What’s the best thing to have come out of your career as a content creator? I am definitely thankful for having a career and making more than I would if I had a regular job out of university. I also love when I go to events the number of people I get to meet and have 1 on 1 conversations with. Gamescom was one of my favourite events for this – there were a few people who pulled me to the side and let me know how not only I, but the rest of Fruitopia helped them out with what they were going through at the time. If you weren’t doing this as a career, what do you think you would be doing? I finished my university degree in journalism before I pursued content full time. So something along those lines. A journalist – maybe even video game journalism. Maybe even for STACK ... who knows?

conversation. It really depends on the streamer and what they want to happen. Some days things don't work out well, the games could be bad, you might not be performing, but it can always be turned around. And it's really satisfying on those bad days to persist with it and turn it into something good. Do you think Australia is behind in comparison with the rest of the world when it comes to recognising streaming/content creation as a viable career? It's definitely more strange in Australia for internet is great. There is a lot of talent in Australia; it is a shame we are held back by our net. Many careers outside of the gaming industry are being held back by our government's attitude towards the net throughout the years. It sucks! What is some advice you’d give to anyone who would want to take up a career as a streamer or a content creator? It doesn't work if you are in it for the wrong reasons. I mean, you can get popular, you can earn money. But long term it's not worth it if you don't love streaming. It's not for everyone. this to be a career... for an Australian. We just assume people who have this career are in the US or somewhere

We’re profiling some of Australia’s biggest content creators to see what really makes them tick. This month we spoke to Kathleen, aka Loserfruit!

Loserfruit

When did you first start out making online content? I started making content in 2013. Started with streaming on Twitch. What got you into content creation in the first place? After playing League of Legends since 2010, some of my US friends told me that I should stream. With the Australian accent and not too many females streaming at the time, I could be successful. I didn't really understand what they meant at the time, but I am definitely glad I did it. How has the scene changed since you first started with content creation? The scene has definitely changed through the five years of streaming. Definite focus on numbers has increased. It has gotten easier to make money on Twitch with Amazon Prime and the increase of the site's popularity. Having sponsors is a lot more acceptable and a lot more people do it. So it's definitely a more

acceptable career for someone to have now after years of people proving that. But yeah, there is definitely a focus on numbers, growing, popularity, which can attract the wrong kind of people. ALSO! Less booby streamers. Definitely a few of the early years had a lot of girls pushing up... well, you know, in order to gain attention on the platform. What do you think is the best part about being a content creator? The BEST part about being a content creator is that every day can be different. Variety of games, different goal on my main games (like a higher rank or to win a solo game, or to have a stream sniper event or to play with subs), and there can always be a different

How has your dancing background helped with your

1 The first game you played? This is going to give my age away, and also give me an excuse for not remembering! It would have most likely been something on the ZX Spectrum; I remember playing Skool Daze , Transformers and Action Biker . 2 The last game you finished? I game quite a lot, so I’m not 100% on the order, but I’ve recently finished COD WW2 , Assassins Creed Origins , Far Cry 5 and Hellblade . I think the last one I finished was God of War . 3 Your favourite game of all time? I’ve always considered The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as my favourite game of all time, and still see no reason for that to change. 4 The most underrated game of all time? Our Brand Manager, Alan Perrie, would definitely say Kane and Lynch . For me, I’m not sure. Not the most underrated, but I always felt that Pure on Xbox 360 deserved more recognition. 5 The game you wished you had worked on? Corny, but working on F1 couldn’t really be any better, as I’m a massive motorsport fan and a huge gamer, so it brings together two of my passions. I’d love to experience working on something story- and character-driven, such as an Uncharted game, GTA, Assassins Creed, etc. I’ve also been really impressed with the Forza Horizon series for a different, more laid back and casual experience, which reminds me of all the crazy road trips I’ve done.

Game director, F1 2018 LEE MATHER

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