MopGarden: From Amazing Accomplishments to Self-Defeat, Learn About Her Journey

MopGarden is a full-time variety streamer from Ontario. In this interview you'll learn how she got started, her accomplishments throughout her streaming career, how she's suffered from self-defeat, and so much more.‍

How’d you get your gaming name?

It’s kind of funny, actually… I knew I wanted to start streaming and I wanted something people would remember. I sat down with a french press of coffee and took all morning writing down random combinations of words that came to mind. I was living with my brother at the time and showed him the list (3 columns long on a piece of paper!) and he said “I like MopGarden.”

I wish there was some funny backstory but it is just two strange words put together. I do like plants though, so I am glad I picked something that fits. :)

Why’d you start streaming and what’s your favorite part about it?

One of my friends I played CS with a lot told me I should start streaming. I looked into it and thought it wasn’t for me. One day I played a game of CS with TimTheTatman and was like “huh he’s pretty cool… maybe I’ll start.” I figured if I’m playing games anyway, I may as well share them with others.

I honestly never thought my channel would grow the way that it has.My favorite part about streaming is the people. I am super proud of the community we have built together and I love all of our regulars. It is so great having such supportive and positive people to interact with every day. So I guess in not so many words - the chats we have on stream is my favorite part!

As a full-time streamer, what does your typical day look like?

I wake up and hit snooze waaayyy too many times. I rush to put on makeup and make breakfast and usually start stream about 5 minutes late… oops! Once stream starts I rush to make coffee, feed my bunny, and get myself prepared. I stream for 6 ½-7 hours a day, with Sundays being an exception with 4 hours.

Post-stream I do all of my sort of ‘paperwork’ for the day. I do my taxes, update news, analyze stats, find clips for highlight videos, and try to visit friends’ streams. I try to pop into my Discord as much as possible but sometimes I am too tired. Usually at the end of the day I watch a show or 2 to wind down and then go to sleep way too late.

How do you feel about the community you’ve gathered in your stream?

The community we’ve formed is honestly one of the best I have seen - if not THE best. I would not be able to have stuck with streaming this long had I had a toxic or non-friendly community. It is so amazing to wake up every morning and see people saying good morning to one another and greeting each other before the stream even begins. I know a lot of really close friendships have formed through my stream and I am so proud to have been the middleman for that.

If you could go back and start from scratch, what would you do differently as a streamer?

Honestly… nothing. Though I have DEFINITELY messed up and I have made tons and tons of mistakes, I take all those as lessons. If you don’t make mistakes as a streamer you will never know how to better yourself. If I had to pick something I think it would be to make more of an effort for off-stream relationships. I have always really struggled with keeping up with Snapchat and my Discord.

What are some accomplishments that you are most proud of since you started livestreaming?

I’m definitely really proud of the day I got partnered. I’m not sure what the requirements are now but it was pretty tough back when I was accepted. I applied 7 times before I got approved. I don’t think I’ve ever done the weird dance I did when I got my acceptance email and I’m sure it will never happen again. That was a pretty big achievement for me!I’m also super proud of the growth that the stream has gotten recently. I reached 40,000 followers a bit ago and that is a HUGE number. I never thought in a million years that that many people would care about me or my stream.

Was there a time when you thought about not streaming anymore? And if so what kept you going?

Absolutely. Streamers are SUPER hard on themselves. If you’re used to getting ~80 viewers and you drop down to say 50 one day, you think it’s all over. If my sub numbers drop I think everyone hates me and everyone is leaving. Some months are extremely hard for money and you just hope that next month will be better. Those months are hard for me because you never know what is coming - or not coming.

It’s honestly a super emotional job for me and I am way too hard on myself. Sometimes you get a few slow chat days in a row and you just think it’s not worth it. In the end though, it always is. Streaming is the coolest job you could wish for and just thinking about that keeps me going. I would miss all of the amazing friends I’ve made if I ever quit streaming and I honestly don’t know what I would do without a lot of them.

I have been told by so many people that my stream has been such a positive influence on their life and I would never want to take that away from them.

What’s your setup look like?

Top 3 favorite games of all time?

Oh boy that’s a tough one… I’d have to say CS:GO, Dark Souls 3 aanndd… Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Super Mario Odyssey is coming up close!

Are there any particularly memorable moments that happened on stream?

There are two super memorable moments that stand out in my mind. When I reached 10,000 followers my community made a fantastic video of many of them saying congratulations. It was so heartwarming to see everyone and know that people cared, I guess. They linked it to me during a 24 hour stream and I almost cried.

Someone knocked at my door during it and ruined my immersion - but the tears were coming!

The second moment is this past Christmas. Many people from stream combined their money and bought me a Switch. They got me Just Dance 2018 and Zelda as well! I love seeing people from the community come together and this was just such a special moment for me.

Does streaming ever affect your social life?

Absolutely. As much as I love streaming it leaves very little social time. There are so many things that you always should be doing that you sometimes feel guilty going out with your friends. I picked my schedule so that I would end at 4 and most of my friends end work at 5. This was a great decision for me as our schedules didn’t clash but I always find I am too tired or have things to do and shouldn’t stay out too late as I might want. Streaming drains my energy and I find it hard to go out and socialize after many hours of socializing on stream.

What is your favorite animal?

Rabbits! I have a cute little bunny named Buster. (I’ve attached a picture in that email for you as well). He used to make an appearance on my stream every Monday but I’ve been having technical issues. Hopefully he’ll return soon!

If you could live anywhere in the world without worries where would you live?

I’ve always wanted to live in Australia, so that would be it. I’ve wanted to dive the reefs there so badly since I was in grade 3 and I still haven’t gone! Maybe some day :)

How long do you see yourself on Twitch?

I often ask myself this question as well, and the truthful answer is that I have no idea. As much as I enjoy streaming, it truly takes a lot out of me. I’m hoping for the next few years and then perhaps a job will come out of it. It’s hard for me because I feel so accomplished when I see numbers growing and that keeps me wanting to push to get better. I’m not too sure when I will feel the need for a change but I don’t see it being within the next year or two.