IN last week’s edition of our series on online gaming sponsored by SEAGM (www.seagm.com), we spoke to educators preparing a new generation for careers in the games industry, as well as students entering the workforce.
Now, we get a chance to hear from two unique women from the industry itself, who can offer insight into their experiences as well as share what it takes to make it in this vibrant, thriving gaming ecosystem.
MAMAJESS
Jessica Chua Jia Lin is one of the most distinctive personalities within the local gaming scene. Known as MamaJess online, this Kedah-born Kuala Lumpur resident streams herself playing mobile games, including Free Fire and Mobile Legends, on Facebook daily.
“If you knew me back then, I wasn’t a [hardcore] gamer,” MamaJess said. “My brother would play PC games, and whenever he wanted to take a break, he would ask me to help grind the game for him.”
She admits that while she never took to PC games, she embraced gaming as a pastime when “mobile phones with big screens” were first released.
“I would play easy games like Clash of Clans or Candy Crush,” she said. “Usually when I was bored and had nothing to do.”
She fell into streaming almost by accident. She started out as a banker, then made the bold move to open her own café in Johor. Sadly the business failed after three years, leaving her wondering what to do next.
“I always believed that, while I was still young, I should not be afraid of trying new things,” she said.
Throughout all this, she continued playing, and by chance, ended up becoming the moderator for two local streamers, Edwardo Gaming and KBCSensei. They suggested that she try streaming out herself.
“At the time, my son was about a year old, and I told them ‘Who would want to watch this aunty with a baby? And what if my baby was hungry and needed milk in the middle of my game?’ But they both encouraged me, saying that I should try it out and see how far I could go.”
She decided to take the plunge, reasoning that she could always return to moderating if things did not work out. And the rest, as they say, is history.
MamaJess now has a solid five-year streaming career under her belt, and is one of the many streamers signed to Team Salty. Her bio proudly describes her as a “single mother who spends her time playing games while streaming.” Her now six-year-old son Samuel makes occasional ‘guest appearances’ during her streaming sessions, much to the delight of her viewers.
“If you want to start streaming, your heart must be as hard as a rock,” she said, reflecting on what she has learnt over the years. “You have to be prepared for the toxic comments. People might condemn you and say bad things about you.
“And if you are a woman, you have to be prepared for some really nasty comments. People will be telling you things like ‘go back in the kitchen’, ‘why are you playing, you should be making babies’.
MamaJess added that while streamers accept the risks that come with putting themselves in the public eye, she hopes that audiences will understand that that they are human as well.
She said: “Many of us are parents, we have our own families. We’re not robots. We do have a life outside of the stream.”
She was asked what technical advice she would give to would-be streamers. “Well, the most important thing is that you must first choose your platform to stream. The most popular in Malaysia are Facebook, YouTube and Twitch, but there are also others.
“As for equipment, if you don’t have the budget, you can first start streaming using Omelet Arcade (a free recording app). I would also advise you to try and get a good data or Wifi plan in order to ensure a smooth stream. I recommend 720p at a minimum.
“Once you get viewers, then you can think of upgrading your equipment to a better PC or laptop. Don’t get all excited and start buying the most expensive equipment before you start. Start cheap, and figure out if this is really what you want to do before spending money.
“And when you play [and talk], you have to be yourself, don’t act like someone else. Because you will have to show your true self in public one day, and if your fans meet you and you act differently, they won’t want to follow you anymore.”
Throughout it all, she has never lost sight of the real reason why she keeps on streaming.
“Everyone who has given me Stars on my Facebook streams (one Star is equal to US$0.01), know that almost all the money goes into a savings account for my son. Although I do take some of it as a side income, the rest is meant for his future education.”
She also shared that she hopes to one day start an Esports café, where players could also come and stream their games. “I still want to try out new things, and it would be good to have a second source of income, in case streaming doesn’t work out.”
SAMMY CHAN
From her home in Sitiawan, Perak, 29-year-old Sammy Chan is still able to perform her duties as the manager of partnerships, collaborations and Esports for SEAGM. Most aspects of her job take place online, and she has her hands full managing events and players for the Esports division of her company.
What keeps her going is her genuine passion for online gaming. She explained that she began playing the Sims at age 11, gradually moving to more strategy-based games such as Age of Empires, Command and Conquer, and Red Alert.
She continued playing even when she entered university in Selangor to study broadcasting, noting that gaming helped her meet new friends, and also helped improve her command of English. After graduation, she returned to Sitiawan and began working in a production house.
“Online games were my true passion,” Sammy said. “Back when I was in uni, I didn’t know how to join that industry, and so I went into broadcasting. But I felt unhappy [at the production house]. And so I decided to quit.
“I wasn’t yet sure what I wanted to do, but I just knew I wanted to work in gaming.”
She found out that SEAGM, then in its infancy, had an office in her hometown, and made the bold move of contacting the company on Facebook to ask if they had any open positions.
She initially interviewed for a position in customer service, but SEAGM co-founder Tommy Chieng noticed her resume included samples of her work from when she ran an e-magazine with her friends. She was eventually hired as a content writer for the gaming news website of the company.
Sammy has since written several hundred articles about the gaming industry, utilising her own experiences and interests in the process.
“I myself already read gaming news on the daily, so I knew where to look,” she said. “I also knew that you could also get information on games directly from developer’s websites.
“And as a gamer myself, I knew what tone to use to talk to readers, and what news they wanted to hear.”
A year later, she was put under a new marketing team and given the chance to try project leading, which included projects with Esports teams. She agreed to the challenge, explaining that her dream had always been to work in Esports as she “really loved gaming”.
For her, the biggest satisfaction comes from knowing that she had proven her detractors wrong. “My old boss from the production house told me that going into this industry would be a waste of time. Hearing that, I was fired up to make sure I would succeed.”
Knowing how fast the local gaming industry is flourishing, she has some words of advice for others who might also want to follow in her footsteps. “Working in Esports is more than just being good at games or being a pro gamer,” she said. “There is so much more going on behind the scenes.
“Companies like SEAGM and its Esports arm SEM9 are trying to create new jobs for people in the industry. In the future, the industry will need coaches, they will need broadcasting and event staff, people to handle the business side of things – there are so many careers and possibilities.
“No matter where you [end up] in the industry, you will need to put in the hard work. It may be ‘gaming’ but look at it as a real job that demands real effort.”
Don’t miss the exciting conclusion to our Gaming series, where we get to hear from one of Malaysia’s top Esports teams – SEM9 GANK.
Only in theSun’s BUZZ edition on Aug 27.
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