Carolina Streamer Spotlight: Meet Julian Watkins/ Black_BushidoPS
Video games are all the rage, so we decided to shed some light on local video game streamers in the Carolinas. This week, we had the chance to sit down with local community game streamer, Julian Watkins, and ask him about being part of the game stream community!
How’d you get into streaming? What was the original goal?
I decided to start streaming because I wanted to showcase myself having fun doing what I’ve loved since I was a kid; playing video games. The original goal always has been and always will be to have fun, connect with people, and make people happy.
What’s been your best moment as a streamer?
My best moment in streaming came when I reached the Twitch Affiliate (Affiliate) status. Prior to reaching Affiliate, I went through a learning curb of being frustrated with how to reach viewers and upgrade my equipment with the limited space I have. Once I reached Affiliate there was a rush of relief because I realized my grind was working.
What games speak to you?
A wide variety of games speak to me due to my history of gaming. Complex, beautiful, and challenging games such as God of War, Metal Gear, and Ghost of Tsushima to the first person shoots (FPS) such as Call of Duty, Halo, etc. Also, fighting games speak a special language to me since those were some of the first games I was allowed to play; with the supervision of course.
How do you like connecting with your audience?
Primarily, I connect with my audience to live on stream, twitter, and discords. I am currently planning to work on my own discord to help further build my streaming presence.
If your fans were only going to take one message away from watching you, what would it be?
The message would be to be yourself and have fun. I honestly get on the stream to have fun since it is my escape from the real world and it’s a place where I do not have “code switch” like I would in the workplace.
What advice would you give to aspiring streamers?
I would tell an aspiring streamer to make your movement authentically organic. Gimmicks and posing as something you’re not can only get you so far. Always be yourself when you come into the stream and while you’re communicating with viewers. Some of the best artists succeed because of authenticity and fosters longevity.
What’s the biggest surprise that you never thought of going into streaming?
One of the biggest surprises is the amount of support that is in the game streaming community and willingness to educate for growth. Also, how nervous I get when my wife walks in the room as I stream because it still feels weird to “talk to a camera.”
For those who don’t know, how can they find you?
Follow me on Twitch.tv/Black_BushidoPS, Twitter and PSN @Black_BushidoPS on Discord HERE and on Instagram @Black_BushidoPS!
