Got plans on following the footsteps of your favorite streamer? Bianca Yao spills the tea on how to successfully launch your gaming career.
Much like any other path when pursuing your passion as a career, there will be more and bigger challenges you might be confronted with compared to following the traditional nine-to-five office job. It involves higher risks, lesser acknowledgment, and support by society in general, and facing an unforeseeable future whether one can succeed, especially in the long run. Now, this is exactly what every professional gamer, such as Tier One’s Bianca Yao aka Biancake, undergoes before reaching the pinnacle of her career.
Growing up, the gamer and livestreamer has always wanted to pursue a career in gaming. “But I think the moment I really decided to go all-in was when I shifted from engineering to communication,” she reminisces. “When I made that decision, it prepared me to set my mind that gaming is the path I’ll take ’til I can.”
And unlike any other successful person, nobody really encouraged her to go for it when she started playing DOTA. “Honestly, no one pushed me. I chose this industry because when I started working in the gaming industry [at a young age], I was surrounded by people who were so passionate about the industry [which] rubbed off me,” she humbly admits. “Those people who were with me during my early years gave me the inspiration to help build this industry in my own little ways.”
But before she was able to make herself a triumphant woman in the world of eSports, of course, there were hurdles that she needed to brave. So, if you’re thinking of choosing the path of being an eSports live streamer, Bianca Yao got five crucial pieces of advice for you so that you won’t get lost in the process of achieving your dream.
You need to prepare yourself mentally.
Streaming is not for everyone especially when you’re not mentally tough, you’ll get hate comments almost every day, so you need to be ready for those.
You need to know how to multitask
Being able to turn on your motor to entertain the viewers while continuously focusing on your game is not as easy as it looks.
Know your identity
It’s so easy to get lost on the tidal wave of comments about you and what you should do. And this is why it’s important for you to know your identity over anybody else.
Never forget your purpose
In this whole adventure of being a live streamer, there will be a lot of ups and downs. So, you must keep in mind the primary reason why you chose this path because it will be where you’ll draw strength to continuously motivate you when the going gets tough.
Find friends, not enemies
You know what they say: No man or woman is an island. Find people who will help you, and who is going to be with you along the way.
Creative Direction JEB FRONDA and JANN PASCUA
Photography ED ENCLONA
Art Direction NICOLE ALMERO
Styling DANIEL REYES
Beauty Direction MIKA REYES
Makeup ANTHEA BUENO
Hair MYCKE ARCANO
Shot in LUCAS STUDIOS
Special Thanks to KEN MATSUMOTO and TRYKE GUTIERREZ of TIER ONE ENTERTAINMENT