By Hannah Merritt, Social Media Intern
Twitch has become the global leader of live streaming platforms for gamers and esports. There are almost four million gamers who stream on Twitch, but we highly recommend you take a look at Dena (Dee) Rock, a.k.a BBXH.
Dee’s gaming career on Twitch started in March 2016. On top of working her full-time, 40-hour per week office job, where she was a purchasing agent for a company that builds helicopter simulators, Dee would stream a mobile game called Clash Royale after work and on the weekends. It was definitely a grind.
Breaking through in September 2016, Dee got the opportunity to cast/host a Clash Royale tournament in Toronto called Northern Arena. The event was an amazing experience for her and she knew this was the industry in which she wanted to work. Following the event, Dee was presented with more and more opportunities to work live esports events. Eventually, with all the traveling, it meant she ran out of vacation hours at her office job so she decided to invest her time fully into the world of gaming.
With these gigs, Dee started to earn an income on top of what she earned from streaming each day. When she started streaming full time, Dee switched from what might be deemed as a “safe” career to a more risky one.
For Dee, her love for gaming began at a young age when she was playing popular Sega Genesis games, including Everquest and Sims. It is no surprise that streaming full-time and being a Twitch broadcaster was the right career choice for her. Since then, Dee has held several more roles that include being a host, shout-caster, interviewer, and analyst.
Dee’s unexpected journey has led her to meet some amazing people and travel the world doing what she loves. During her time as a professional gamer, she has contributed to many campaigns and charities such as St. Jude’s and Save The Children, via live streaming and live event hosting. So far, her proudest moment was hosting the CCGS World Finals 2017 in London.
I recently had the opportunity to ask Dee some questions about her career in esports and where she thinks the industry is headed.
What is your day-to-day like and what is it like to work in the industry?
Monday through Friday, I stream for about seven hours. My schedule is 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. EST. Sometimes I stream on the weekends if there is an event that I am in or a collaboration stream event taking place. Three of those days during the week I will wake up at 4:30 a.m. to workout at the gym before I go live, while other days I wake up at 6 a.m.. Throughout the day I keep engaged with my audience through social media channels including Discord, Instagram, and Twitter. If I have any projects I am working on or have been hired to do, I work on those during the afternoons. This could be anything from filming a tutorial video for companies to updating my stream graphics. During the evenings I usually relax except on Wednesdays when I play in an adult soccer league.
Working in this industry can be a rollercoaster. You never really know how your day is going to go. New and exciting work seems to pop up randomly. For example, sometimes a generous donor shows up to the stream and drops a crazy donation or even trolls come into the chat to try to get under your skin. It could be anything!
How do you feel about the industry at large? Has your sentiment changed from before to now?
This industry is constantly growing. It is becoming more and more relevant, especially during this pandemic. More people are working or staying at home so I find that more people come to live streams now for social interaction. It really is incredible! It gives us a way to bond without having to come in contact with one another. It also gives people the opportunity to watch competitive entertainment beyond the world of sports. With gaming, players can compete remotely all over the world.
My sentiment has definitely changed throughout the years. I admittedly did not know what to expect in the beginning when I started streaming as my new career. It was still such a new and uncharted industry. Explaining to people who are not familiar with the industry about what I do for a living was a challenge. The question is always “Oh, so you get paid to play video games all day?!” Answer: “Heh, yes and no.” It’s still a new concept, but it now is becoming more mainstream. I almost felt embarrassed explaining what I did at first. Now, I’m proud of it. I’m excited to share what I do.
Is it everything you expected, and would you recommend the career path to others and why?
This career has completely been more than I ever expected and it has taken me to wonderful places. I didn’t realize it would go beyond playing games at my house!! That said, I’ve had my ups and downs throughout the past four years. I’ve had to grow some thick skin and learn how to adapt when I don’t see progress. I’m still always learning.
I would recommend anyone interested in streamer as a career to try it. The beauty is that anyone can start part time once they have a setup. It just takes dedication and consistency. The perks are that streamers can set their own schedule, work from home, and get to meet people they’d probably never meet! You never know where the journey will take you.
