Negaoryx interview
I’ve had the opportunity to interview the wonderful Twitch streamer Negaoryx.
How long have you been streaming?
I’ve been streaming for about a year and a half now.
How did you get into streaming?
I had a coworker who I would always talk about video games with who showed me Twitch and encouraged me to stream. I was initially reluctant until a family member of mine was hospitalized for an extended period of time on the east coast, and I wasn’t able to visit him as much as I would have liked. He had really encouraged my love of gaming as a kid (he taught me how to play World of Warcraft!) and I thought it would be nice if someone could show him my stream in the hospital; it would be like we were having fun playing video games together, even if it couldn’t be there in person. I ended up not showing him my stream (I received a bunch of trolling pretty early on and figured he wouldn’t want to see that, and I was too new to Twitch to really understand how to effectively moderate my own chat) but stuck with streaming anyway!
Which streamer would you love to collaborate with?
I would actually love to focus on making more friends with fellow streamers and content creators offline this year, as opposed to seeking out new collaborations. I’ve done really fun co-op streams in the past, but for now I’d rather focus on off-stream connections with other streamers.
Any advice for beginner or wannabe streamers?
Learn basic Twitch etiquette! There are a few basic rules that most people tend to follow (don’t self-promote in other people’s channels, don’t ask people to host/raid you, etc.) that will help you wherever you go. I would also recommend finding streamers whose content you genuinely enjoy, and don’t be shy about speaking up in their chats if you enjoy being social in streams! I would also recommend not being shy about enforcing your chat rules as you grow. I’ve seen a lot of streamers allow behavior they’re not actually comfortable with in their chat when they’re just starting out because they’re hesitant to say anything negative to the few viewers they might have, but I’ve found that quality over quantity is what matters most when building a community.
Favourite stream you’ve done so far?
A few months back, there was an error that made it so currently live streams just would not load for new viewers for a few hours. If someone was already watching your stream before the error occurred, they could continue watching, but if they left the page or refreshed, they wouldn’t be able to see the stream again if they came back. I was live at the time when it happened and it ended up being an incredibly fun secret stream just hanging out in IRL, chatting with my community, messing around in MS paint.
Favourite clip taken of your channel/streams?
There’s a clip on my channel called “Derp Dino” of the brilliant results of a cake decorating stream I did to celebrate getting partnered. Let’s just say freehand drawing with icing is not one of my strong suits.
[Fiction note: I believe she’s referring to this clip, which has the most appropriate music to it.]
You have a large, inclusive community on your channel. How did you build such an amazing community?
I think the first step to building a community that you’re proud of is sticking to the rules you set for your channel and being serious about enforcing them. If you say people have to be respectful to one another, enforce that! I know it’s a cliche, but I also try my best to follow the old adage “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” I definitely credit Discord with the building of our community as well, as it’s where people really began connecting and getting to know one another off-stream on a regular basis. Now we do community movie days every Sunday afternoon as well, which is a great way to spend time with each other in a setting different from Twitch!
How do you choose which games to play on stream?
I try to balance recommendations from my community for older games I’ve never played before, newer games that pique my interest, and more open-ended games that stream regularly and know that I can come back to time and time again (like The Sims 4, Stardew Valley, and Skyrim).
Is there any type of game you refuse to play?
I don’t think there’s any “type” of game I refuse to play, as I like to evaluate things on a more individual basis to see if it’s a good fit for myself and my stream. I tend to stay away from games that are stereotyped as being rage-inducing, for instance, but I tried out Getting Over It on stream a few weeks ago and had a blast! I really enjoyed the mechanics and found the experience quite relaxing. I used to be afraid of horror games before I started streaming and swore you could never get me to play one, but now I’ve played tons and find myself liking them more and more!
Are you currently binging anything at the moment? Is so, what?
In regards to gaming, I am binge playing Mass Effect 2 on stream right now. The Mass Effect franchise had been recommended to me many times over the years, but I only just started playing them recently. I was immediately hooked. The characters all have such wonderful arcs over the course of the games (that I’ve seen so far) and the way the player’s choices affect the game is something I’m enjoying immensely.
If you had to live in one franchise, which would it be and why?
I am terrible at hypothetical questions because I always have too many follow up questions. I’ve been asked this before and the first thing that comes to mind for me is always, “Am I still myself if I live in a world of a fictional franchise?”. I would love to live in the world that J.K. Rowling built in the Harry Potter books, but not if it meant being a muggle and not knowing it existed! However, if I were a witch and could actually attend a wizarding school, that would be my answer in a heartbeat.
If you could stream only one game for the rest of your streaming career, what would it be and why?
Probably either The Sims 4 or Skyrim. I grew up with The Sims games and love the way the franchise has developed over time. Both Skyrim and The Sims 4 have tons of mods available for keeping the games interesting through multiple playthroughs, and there are so many different challenges and limitations you can put on yourself while playing both games that I think I’d find a way to always keep them interesting.
What’s the most immersive game you’ve ever played, on or off stream?
Probably Firewatch or Life is Strange. Both games had great dialogue, strongly defined characters, and told stories that I quickly connected with and became deeply engrossed in. I remember gasping, crying, and shouting out at characters in both games because I felt so connected to what was happening in the story. I love experiences like that.
Is there anything that immediately turns you off a game/book/film/etc?
Yes! Poor writing. I used to work in development at a film production company, and did a lot of work freelancing in the same field. I have read many, many poorly written scripts. There are a lot of things that I can let go when I watch a film or play a game, but an immediate red flag turn-off for me is when the writing is bad. It immediately breaks the immersion for me and I find it hard to care about or connect with the characters.
Where can we find you online?
You can find me on various social media platforms using the links below:
https://www.twitch.tv/negaoryx
https://twitter.com/negaoryx
https://www.instagram.com/negaoryx