Interview with Gbay99 and Fidget on being professional streamers and their relationship

Gbay99 is a professional content producer known for his videos designed to help newer players learn the game. He closely follows the professional League of Legends scene and much of his content revolves around the LCS and pro players. In adiditon to his youtube videos, Gbay was a Diamond-tier streamer in Season 3.

His girlfriend Fidget acts as his self-proclaimed manager, helping him run his stream, promote videos and interact with his viewers. She is also a fan of both the professional League of Legends scene and closely follows it along with him.
 

You’ve recently become popular for making videos and guides for lower level players. What inspired you focus on helping newer players learn about the game?

Gbay: Well to be honest it was mostly because not many people were doing that at the time. I wanted to get more involved in the community and hopefully make a little name for myself while doing so, because a lot of people had told me before that I'm good at teaching and explaining things to others, I figured may as well see how good I am at teaching others about League.

 

What’s it like being a full-time streamer/content producer? What did you do before that?

Gbay: It's very nice! I get to work with a game I love on my own hours. Everything I work with is stuff that I get to consciously decide to work with, making whatever current project I'm working on very enjoyable. Before this I was just a highschool student. I was about to go to college when I ended up dropping out, deciding I wanted to try to make my way in the League of Legends community.

 

Given your last answer, did you know before that you wanted to make content for newer players, or did you decide you wanted to be a content producer and then find your niche?

Gbay: I never necessarily aimed for my content to be towards any individual demographic. I mostly decided to be a content producer and made the content I wanted to make. Some of that, like my videos teaching other's about League, got very popular with players looking to get better, while other content like some of my esports and did-you-know type videos seem to be enjoyed by most people. In the end I don't really mind who watches the content, and I don't make any effort to target specific demographics, I just hope people like the videos I like making.

 

What are the challenges of streaming and making videos full-time? Do you enjoy the editing and technical side as much as streaming?

Gbay: Making videos is a lot more fun than streaming. I've taken a little step back recently because of it. Making videos is enjoyable since you can do all sorts of neat artistic tricks or leave little jokes/references for others to find in one, and once the video's out it's being viewed constantly. Streaming is much harder since you have to concentrate on LoL and entertaining hundreds of people for extended periods of time.

Fidget: I like it when he streams because then I get to interact with people and help answer questions real time, it makes me feel more involved. It can be hard to balance because his viewers like to have that "face time" with him, but videos are the priority.

 

Lisha talked about how she helps Qtpie with his stream and you refer to yourself as his manager. What do you do to help him with his content? Do you think this is an important part of supporting him?

Fidget: As far as the time consuming nature of his job? It's not that bad. I like to be involved in things, so when I started to mod his streams, or ask about his videos when he'd take breaks from recording, it kind of made sense for me to do what I could to help. That's how the manager title came about.

I don't get paid for it, I've never asked to be, but I really enjoy helping answer the facebook messages from viewers, answering emails for video suggestions or business proposals, helping mod, helping build a bridge between him and his fans. So when the time does come that he needs to shut the door and record, or hunker down and write, I just take that as a chance to play League on my own.

 

So you play League more because of your relationship? How has it affected your attitude towards the game?

Fidget: Well, I play a completely different role than Gbay. Gbay mains top, I main support, so I feel like our experiences in game are a tad different. When I play, I play for fun, I'm not trying to be Diamond 1 or make a name for myself. I enjoy climbing the ladder in ranked, but I like to do it as a challenge to improve myself, not to prove how good I am. It's nice because my attitude hasn't really changed much towards the game, just towards how I go about playing it. When I'm having a bad day, am on a losing streak, I don't have to stop and leave the game alone as much because I have Gbay there. He'll play an ARAM with me, give me a pep talk, or do his guru thing and give me advice on how to improve.

Gbay: Haha, I do end up killing Fidget a lot when we play together though! Always diving too far, making her support me, getting us killed.

Fidget: I was just going to say that.

 

So you guys are a lot like Kiwipie? As Travis put it, your lane is like an "abusive relationship" with him getting you killed constantly?

Gbay: Pretty much! Except we both die most of the time, whether I get a kill or not.

Fidget: I'm so glad he's not an ADC! I've tried to lane with him, but he's so used to top lane that he'll forget I'm there and that carries are a bit more squishy than most top lane champs. It comes down to team fights. I'll be 0/0/12 and then a team fight happens, he goes ham, I get him the kill and help him get away with little to no health left...then he'll go back in, I'll try to get him back out and BAM, there goes my score. The minute he's in close proximity to me, my death count rises.

 

Since you make regular appearances on his stream and talk to his viewers, what do you think the benefits are to having a more public relationship like this? What would be the benefits to keeping your relationship private?

Fidget: Well, one of the benefits is that I get to be more involved. I mod his streams, so if he's in a team fight, questions are popping up in chat that he can't respond to and I'll answer them. I'll help organize fan games and act as a bridge between him and his viewers. It makes him more accessible than most other youtubers or streamers when you have someone in the same room dedicated to focusing on the people that make it all possible. It means that every facebook message and email gets answered in a timely manner, and I get to spend more time with Gbay while he's working.

The downside compared to a more private relationship is that you don't get as much privacy. My twitter, facebook, even my league account, have kind of become work accounts as a manager. I get people asking some personal questions on stream too, or sometimes trolls pop up asking hurtful things or calling me ugly. You get a spotlight, but it can put you under fire sometimes. With a more private relationship you get that personal space, and aren't constantly looked at as having to keep up appearances. If I'm not feeling up to chatting or having a bad day, I really have to watch it and be professional.

 

Have you two gone to any League related events together like gaming expos? Does he get recognized?

Fidget: We haven't gone anywhere together yet. I met him at PAX Prime this last summer through Sky, and we hung out through the convention then, but that was towards the end of it. He did get recognized when we were out to dinner after some Christmas shopping though. Our waiter turned out to be a fan of his and that was really cool. I really enjoy meeting his fans and viewers because you really get to see the kind of impact that his videos make.

 

So you guys met offline. Many pro League players met their girlfriends online. Do you think there's a difference meeting on or offline?

Fidget: Most definitely! I actually had no idea who Gbay99 was, I hadn't seen his videos since I was still very new to the League community. Sky just texted me when I was getting ready to meet up with him for lunch "Oh my god, I'm here with Gbay99! He's joining us for lunch." So when we met, he was just a person to me. No fame or anything like that, just a really cute guy with some good table manners. It meant that I didn't fangirl or put him on a pedestal and instead got to know him personally. Face to face is nice because inflection and expressions are there.

As far as online vs. offline when you're not well known, I think that the connection you get is different but it's not better or worse. I think when you meet face to face it's more about lifestyle and how you click that way. When you meet online it's more about personality just straight from the get go. You learn the other side later.

Gbay: I think it's much more interesting when 2 people meet in real life as opposed to online. It's cool to think about what circumstances led to having 2 specific people being in the same place at the same time and getting that sort of connection.

 

Lisha and Serina both explained that the distance and time-consuming nature of being a pro gamer was the biggest hurdle in their relationships. Is this also true for a streamer/youtuber like Gbay?

Fidget: Gbay first lived in Ohio, so it did take a few months of long distance before he moved out here. We'd talk on Skype at night, but the time difference made it tough. Finally Gbay decided to come visit and we really fully clicked during that time, so soon after he heard that he didn't get the casting job with Riot, he moved here to be with me.

Gbay: We had a pretty interesting situation that was different from most people. I was already looking to move into a new apartment somewhere and I was hoping to see if I could figure something out in Seattle when I went to PAX. After I met Kayla we talked for a while after PAX about me visiting sometime to see if I'd like it, especially since I wasn't able to see many attractions like the Art Museum when I was at PAX.

It was difficult to do long distance at first but things worked out pretty well! I ended up moving and we've been living happily together ever since!

 

What do you think about the professional League scene?

Gbay: The professional League scene is something I'll always hold near and dear to my heart. WCG 2010 when CLG beat SK Gaming in the finals was my first real experience with League of Legends (other than playing 2 games in the beta). I've always followed it extremely closely and will always root on my favorite teams. Going to the NA Regionals at PAX Prime last year was one of the best experiences of my life. The atmosphere and experience where the games were being played were amazing. Plus it's where I met Kayla!

Fidget: I was rooting for TSM Me: ‘I think it'll be good, Dig has stepped it up’. Dig wins. I point at him and go "I TOLD YOU".

So you were in the 10%?

Fidget: I did vote for Dig to win. It's the kiwipie combo.

 

You mentioned you applied to be a caster for Riot before. What are your aspirations as far as E-Sports go? Do you want to get into something like the Coke League or try to be an analyst or caster?

Gbay: I really love esports. Going to an event like worlds or the NA Regionals always gets me excited with regards to the pro scene and makes me want to be more involved with it. However, I'm currently in a very nice spot. I get to do rewarding work with very little pressure. With regards to becoming something MORE in esports, I like the thought of being an analyst or caster in the future, but for now I'm going to focus on bringing high quality content to my viewers on YouTube and twitch. Making videos is still the most fun thing about my job, and while I may still look in to doing more with esports in the future, for now I'm content with pursuing better and higher quality videos.

I would jump at the chance of being an analyst or caster instantly if Riot contacted me. But as of now I'm going to keep working on the things I know I love working with. I still have a lot of video ideas I want to make a reality before I switch my focus completely towards esports. For now I'll be taking things one day at a time!

 

What do you think of his aspirations in e-sports?

Fidget: I'll do whatever I can to help him with his career, that's what I'm here for. I'm not as knowledgeable as he is when it comes to the game or the scene, but I still enjoy it as well. When he talks about League, making videos, upcoming matches, anything related to e-sports or Riot, he does it with such passion. I can tell that this is something that he has fun throwing himself into and being a part of, and I do too. I'm a true blue support, both on and off of Summoner's Rift.

 

Any final remarks or shout-outs?

Fidget:Yeah! Thank you to Sky for bringing us together (if you didn't know, Sky is just as hilarious and amazing in person). Thanks to Gbay's viewers for supporting him and taking the time to watch the content that works so hard to produce. A huge thanks to you for the interview. I love Team Dignitas and will also be sure to cheer them on as well. Kiwipie forever.

Gbay: And thank you very much for the interview! I'll be cheering Dig on this week in the LCS.