For many high school students gaming has become a popular choice of activity. Whether it is just playing on their personal computer, console or watching others on YouTube who share their interests, many students consider themselves gamers. But for some, being a creator of gaming content has been an outlet for their love of gaming.
“For the most part I [play video games] to put entertainment out to entertain other people,” Sebastian Gilliom (11) said. “I like the fact that [the content] is there and it’s there for other people who enjoy the same things that I do and for them to enjoy watching it and to be entertained by it.”
Entertainment, like music, television shows, movies and social media, has a place in the average American’s life. It helps people to deal with stress or to just pass the time. This entertainment can help bring joy to people’s lives.
“[I made videos about video games] because I felt like I wanted to leave some kind of part of me here [on Earth] when I inevitably pass away,” Gilliom said. “I wanted to leave something that would entertain people. I wanted to bring joy to people because I remember growing up, when I got home [and] the first thing I wanted to do was [to] watch YouTube because I had a stressful day. I wanted to do something to brighten it up so I wanted to eventually be someone that someone else watched to brighten up their day.”
Gaming, as well as other forms of entertainment, can connect people as it gives them a common topic that they can talk about. It can connect even the most distant people.
“Gaming [can build] connections with other people that are not from here, so like my cousin and I would just play together, and we would join a random party and there [would be other people],” Kaylee Sisombat (12) said. “It’s just kind of cool just being able to talk to people from other places.”
Doing activities with others can be crucial to building relationships. Some gamers could be on the same team with the same cause, or even just the mutual happiness from the fun can bond people.
“Honestly, I feel like [gaming] has helped,” Gilliom says. “It’s helped me be able to talk to other people and communicate better with others. Originally, I wasn’t really much of a social person — kind of did my own thing. I did streaming and I did YouTube and I had friends that did that stuff with me, and it kind of branched out from that and got a much better social life with it.”
There are many things about games that are important to the people that play them. Some gamers, who have played video games since they were little, value the regular enjoyment video games have provided them.
“When I was a kid, we had a Nintendo Wii … I would just play Lego Star Wars or stuff like that really got me into gaming,” Owen Kearney (12) said. “When I got my own console, I was playing all sorts of games like Battlefield and Call of Duty. Gaming started for me at a young age, part of that was [because of] my dad, he kind of had the same experience as a kid. He kind of put me on too.”
Issues can arise in those with many things that gamers value with their time. Being a student and a gamer can cause conflict in people’s lives. There is only so much time in a day, after all.
“When I was really into [gaming], my grades dropped drastically, so I have had to balance the school things and the gaming on the side,” Sisombat said. “The gaming is for breaks only and the school stuff has to come first.”
Time management can be an issue for student gamers who decide to make content, but that isn’t the only problem. For some, once their peers learn of their content creation, they might be teased.
“[Soon] other people found out, specifically in school, and I was poked fun about it — but it was more like teasing and I really didn’t care,” Gilliom said. “A lot of people now will come up to me and call me BashBlox instead of my actual name, which I think it’s funny, but it was definitely something. It was an interesting experience when people ended up finding out that I was streaming or doing YouTube.”
People finding out about a creator’s content sure can cause some traction in their life but it isn’t all bad. Friends can support them and help motivate them to keep doing what they enjoy.
“I have also had people who are like ‘When is the next video coming out, I want to see them more, I want to see more of it,’” Gilliom said. “Those are the ones I kind of lean towards more and focus on those more.”
As with many new skills, content creation can be hard to begin and to promote.
“When I first started [streaming], I was nervous being a girl in the gaming world that’s totally dominated by boys and men,” Sisombat said. “So, I don’t know, like nerve-wracking but then there was a time where I was like ‘I don’t care, it’s just for fun anyways.’”
Skills take time to build and time to figure them out. Creating “good” content is difficult. When someone first puts themselves out there on the internet, the stress of doing it “right” can become quite an obstacle.
“[Streaming is] awkward because it’s hard to fill the silence and figure out things to talk about, but I have definitely gotten better,” Kearney said. “You would just get embarrassed just recording yourself, not like live or anything. It’s just you want to do it as good as possible, you want to say that you didn’t like the things you said, but you can’t. It’s a little awkward to navigate at first but you get the hang of it.”
Some people might at first think that gamers who make content are lazy. They might feel like everyone could do it just as well as another, but it takes time and effort. Once someone can successfully put themselves out there, many new opportunities are accessible.
“Beforehand, I was really shy — especially during school,” Sisombat said. “I have really transformed from my freshman year to now. I am talking to people left and right, and I feel like gaming has helped because you have to communicate with your teammate. For Call of Duty, Rainbow [Six Siege], you have to communicate with your teammates and that can [be used] in real life.”
Although creating content and finding a community through gaming can be great, it can also separate people from each other. Some people might be hesitant to find the value of the good traits in hobbies like gaming and could be quick to judge.
“For gaming, I feel like a lot of people think it’s like, it’s a low-end thing — something that you do if you are like a nerd or something,” Gilliom said. “Which honestly part of that is true; [at least] part of it’s true. I feel like [gaming] is more of something that someone enjoys to do and it makes them happy. It doesn’t really describe their personality; it’s just something that they like to do in their free time.”
Parents might just be the judging force — they might worry about their child’s future being limited by their time spent playing games. For some, their parents could understand the hobby and even take time to play games with their child.
“I think that [my dad, who also plays video games] has given me the opportunity from the get-go,” Kearney said. “I feel like the games I play and how long I have been playing is all thanks to my father. He talks to me about games sometimes. He’ll tell me what he saw, so it is continuous, he is giving me ideas. He has been a big inspiration.”
Gaming has indeed grown in popularity over the years. Gaming can also grow friendships as well as confidence when it comes to content creation.
“When I’m streaming, I feel like I’m doing something,” Kearney said. “I feel famous, honestly, when I’m streaming. I feel like I’m making and producing something of my own. In terms of gaming, it’s a lot of fun because gaming is so good right now. There are a lot of people critical about, but there is a lot of good stuff out there. It’s a whole lot of fun to [game] and to show it off to people.”
