JowyBear Talks With Fairly Odd Streamers About Streaming & Everyday Life

How’d you get your gaming name?

Jowyn is my real name. Bear has been a nickname given to me by my closest friends. Means I can be playful, cuddly and cute like a teddy bear but ferocious like a real life bear if you dare piss me off. Therefore, JowyBear.

What’s your first memory of gaming?

My first memory of games was Keen.

When I was about 5 years old, think that was still on the old Macintosh computer, from there it's been Super Mario Brothers and Sonic The Hedgehog on TV games. Since then I've always been playing games. Hardcore gaming got introduced to me in high school, starting off with Call of Duty 1 and since then it's been Battlefield 3. There I played competitively for many years.

During studies, social life and practicing 4 times a week hours on end competitively, I had no time for other games. Went on to Battlefield 4 competitively and started an all girls team, finally the dynamics of it was awesome, but BF4 sadly was a disappointment and soon many big players and clans stop being interested in playing Battlefield competitively. Tried BF1 Beta and Call of Duty Advanced Warfare.

Ever since I started streaming (April 2017) it's been PUBG, Counterstrike, Fortnite, Metro, Dying Light, Amnesia, Outlast, F.E.A.R.3 & Tomb Raider. There's so much more I'm trying to fit in.

Is streaming a full-time job for you?

I do stream full time now, however it was a temporary thing starting off as I've worked in the commercials and film industry for many years as an actress and a model. During summer time would be in season, but between April and October the industry would be out of season and in this time I would do freelance work such as Graphic Design & Product Photography, therefore I had a bit of time on my hands to stream games.

I decided to start streaming since many of my closest friends encouraged me to do so, I had decent internet (well for SA standards) and my flatmate said I could lend his webcam at the time. With my designing education, great I.T. competent friends and my D.I.Y. softboxes I put together a somewhat decent stream setup to start off with.Since the film industry and the role I play in it is a freelance career, now I get to choose how much I want to dedicate to streaming and how much to the film industry.

I've loved games all my life and when my friends suggested the possibility of playing to an audience I thought they were silly and it sounded absurd. But now I truly get it and find myself too stuck in another's channel for hours being entertained by their skill, goofiness or complete frustration to the game.

What’s a typical day look like for you?

I wake up between 9am-12pm depending on what time I went to bed in the early hours of the morning and how much home chores, personal accomplishments as well as preparation I have for the next stream. I multi-task a lot so I'd make myself a coffee while feeding the cat while getting laundry going while packing last night's dishes and answering some whatsapp messages.

In no specific order and at times I need to warm up that coffee up not once but many times.Sometimes I faff (procrastinate) - managing my appearance, doing some pole fitness, sitting with my Fae (my cat) on the balcony or purely getting lost on YouTube and its music. This all perhaps before I dive into all I need to do to make sure the next stream is a go.

I try be more dedicated to my audience, and therefore do so much more effort in giving them recognition... for example I update my offline banner every 2 days as to who my latest subscribers and resubs are. First I write each name on a piece of paper then photograph via my phone, upload it to dropbox, then download it on my PC drag it into a my offline banner Photoshop file, do some editing, then export it and upload the file to the offline banner on Twitch.

What’s your favorite aspect about streaming?

Engaging with my audience and actually having to play with some of them has been really awesome. You get so many wonderful characters from all over the world and it’s such entertainment to have them join me. Getting to play whatever game I want and having people encourage me on or even laugh at and mostly with me at my failures.

What do you do in your free time?

I'm all over the place when it comes to what I do with my free time. I may be taking a hike with friends, or dancing in some clubs tryna protect my drunken girl friends whilst being drunk too, or doing pole dance fitness, watching a series with my boyfriend (and making out), or taking Fae (my cat) for a walk in the nearest field, or wine tasting, or playing board games or card games like Terra Mystica, Game of Thrones, Kingdom Builder, Munchkin, Exploding Kittens etc.

Sometimes I like being alone too, it's when I rejuvenate and get to equalize. I'd watch a movie, do window shopping or I’d delve into my more creative moods and paint, stitch something or design something for my room.

Which games do you play currently?

I'm currently on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Counterstrike Global Offensive, Fortnite, Amnesia 2, Outlast, Tomb Raider. Recently finished Metro & Dying Light.

What’s your setup look like?

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Top 3 games of all time?

1. Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds
2. Battlefield 3
3. Super Mario Bros

Have you suffered any esports related injuries?

Other than my clumsy self kicking over my light boxes, bumping coffee onto my keyboard or (very recently) pulling my eyelashes out with the lash curler as it slipped out my hand? Naaaaah no injuries whatsoever.

Do you listen to music while you stream?

I don't listen to music during my stream unfortunately (wish I could). Twitch mutes copyrighted music so would even mute my voice in sections where the music gets detected, therefore I only play my fav songs during the live countdown to my stream starting and before I end my stream on the credits. In this way these parts would be silent on replay either way.

Do you have any advice to those seeking to become professional streamers?

Gaming and streaming can be a lot of work. You have to multitask like crazy, be focused on every aspect of the match, and stay energized game after game. Have snacks and coffee ready for moments your energy goes in for a dip.Brand Identity is so very important. So many peeps come to me saying they regret not thinking what they stand for and having a stronger brand identity. Your gamer name is very crucial to your success, as well as all the branding revolving around it. Choose a font family, color scheme, icon, layout style, logo, intro and outro vids carefully.There are 5 things that make people watch streams, they are

1. Funny
2. Skilled
3. Appealing
4. Engaging
5. Entertainment Value

Every individual will have their own things to offer the audience. Be sure to at least have one of those in the bag.Also some essentials like good internet, decent gaming PC, stream schedule, good graphics, good overlay, own gifs/sounds will help the stream gain following faster and send the least people uninterested.Be prepared to put in a lot of hours to start seeing results. I'm currently doing 8 hours of streaming +3hours extra preparing, designing, managing and responding to messages per day X 5 days a week = that's 55 hours a week.

What does your diet and workout routine look like?

It's honestly all over the place. Since I stream from 4pm-midnight it's hard to squeeze in a proper meal during those hours. So I generally see that as my lunch time. I'd snack on nuts, fruit or whatever else is in my kitchen at the time. My supper is generally between 1pm-3pm in the afternoon, however at times I get so busy designing/managing or I'm out running some errands that I don't get time to noms. I'm not a fan of gym'ing so I do pole fitness, hiking and squash to keep myself in shape.

Does playing the same game over and over again get boring?

Some games yes, some nope. All depends on the game.

Are there any memorable moments that happened on stream?

To many good memories in front of that camera :) Check out my clips on twitch or my Youtube channel where you can relive those memorable moments too.

• ‍https://www.twitch.tv/jowybear/clips
• ‍‍https://www.youtube.com/c/JowyBear

Who are you sponsored by?

I am part of the G2 Academy, and their partners such as HyperX have sponsored me some awesome gaming gear. I have however turned down various companies as they did not interest my needs or they were direct competitors to my current sponsors.

How long do you see yourself making a living on Twitch? Do you have plans afterwards?

I foresee various paths one can take from this streaming venture, and many ways to develop into bigger roles. Though I feel I've barely begun on this path to truly say how long or where it may lead. I'm a freelancer at heart and have worked as actress and model in the film industry for many years, therefore I do have a fallback plan if things don't work out.