Game development is a popular industry to be in these days, and many gamers would jump at the chance to work on their favourite games; however, not many would leave behind a stable career in the industry to pursue the life of a content creator. Today I’m talking to Patrick “Scarizard” Scarborough, a former employee of League of Legends developer Riot Games, about his transition to becoming a full-time streamer on Twitch.
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Q: What sort of work did you do on League of Legends while working at Riot?
“A lot, but I started as a game designer and did that for a few years working on a lot of player-facing content. Then I moved into the Player Communications team. Then I worked on the Patch Rundown and wrote the patch notes for the game, as well as hosting weekly Q&A’s with the design team.”
Q: Do you have any particular moment that you feel was the “height” of your time working at Riot? If so, what is it?
“Kind of. It’s hard to say, because I got to work on a lot of projects, but I think the Summoner’s Rift update was exciting to work on. It was a very unique because I had to learn new skills, and the design experience I had wasn’t used as much. We were a small team, and felt like our own little game studio within Riot. It was the biggest update we had made to the game, and I think it was cool to be a part of something so important.”
Q: What influenced your decision to become a full-time streamer on Twitch?
“I think there were a number of reasons. Riot was the first ‘real’ job I ever had, and I worked there for a long time and started to feel burnt out. Streaming on Twitch started as a question of ‘how will my break between real jobs be a satisfying one?’ During the end of my days at Riot, I didn’t play a lot of games, and I wasn’t feeling very passionate about it. I decided to clear out some of my backlog, and I decided that I may as well invite other people to share that experience with me.”
Q: Did you consider any other options besides streaming when you left Riot?
“Yeah, I kinda did, and I still do, but streaming to me felt like it was just something I could get into, do my best, and see where it would lead. It felt very ‘do-it-yourself,’ although there’s a lot more that goes into it that people realize. It just felt like a better fit for me.”
Q: What has been your biggest challenges in the process of transitioning and being a full-time Twitch streamer?
“I think there are a lot of challenges with being a streamer. Part of me wants to say ‘all of it, all at once.’ We talk a lot about executive function, or the ability to do things, and I learned I had undiagnosed ADHD my whole life, which is a great thing to know when going into a career that requires a lot of attention. Even stuff like sending e-mails and making blog posts, I’d spend hours on them. There’s a lot of anxiety, and I think the workload is a lot more than people seem to recognize, and there’s only so much that having a supportive partner or a close group of friends can do to help unless they’re *working* for you.”
Q: What would you consider to be the most rewarding aspects of being a Twitch streamer?
“This is something that’s probably cliché, but I think the community. What made me stay at Riot longer than I planned to was the community there. I find myself comparing myself with streamers who have twice as many followers as I do, but we as a community compare favourably to them in a lot of those metrics. When a new viewer comes by, they’re just as much watching me as they are watching the other people interacting with me, and that’s kind of what gives me strength. I think that’s what keeps me ‘coming into work’ every day. Even when other people in our community are streaming, we kind of spill over and still hang out together.”
Q: Do you wish you had done anything different?
“I think there’s always gonna be a natural regret. There’s always gonna be times where you’re like ‘oh I totally understand habits and things I could’ve done that would make me more successful faster,’ or things I could be doing even now that may be better for me. I think at the end of the day it’s hard to know exactly what I could have done differently. There are things I’ve done that make me feel successful, but I think I’m far from where I want to be in some ways, too.”
Q: Is there any advice you’d give to other people trying to get into Twitch streaming?
“Everyone is struggling a bit, and I think a lot of people are commiting a lot more than they should. Try not to get frustrated, take breaks, and don’t let it consume you.”
Image Source: Facebook
If you’re interested in learning more about Scarizard, you can check him out at twitch.tv/scarizardplays, or his Youtube channel, scarizardplays.
The RPGaymer 