Surrounded by a large, colourful cascade of plushies — largely Nintendo-themed — and a powerful retro sport assortment, Ash goes dwell on Twitch 5 days per week. She’s performed every little thing from Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion to Sierra Leisure’s Quest for Glory, specializing in video games that evoke a way of nostalgia. The one factor that stays the identical every stream is the way in which Ash ends them, with a message to her viewers: “Don’t overlook to inform your mates Ash mentioned hello!”

When Ash, who goes by AshSaidHi on-line, first envisioned her Twitch channel, she began with the title. “I knew I needed to have a tagline or a name to motion,” she informed Polygon. “That’s the place the title AshSaidHi comes from, as a result of I wished it to be like, Oh, that pal, they informed me to let you know hello. It sticks in your mind just a little bit.”

Over time since Ash began her Twitch channel in 2019, she’s labored to construct a group and a enterprise that matches her values — a spot the place she may have a work-life stability that her earlier profession didn’t enable for, and a group of assist Twitch can present.

“Individuals go to Twitch to attach concerning the issues they love and discover different folks which can be into the issues they love,” Ash mentioned. “That’s how I constructed an enticing group.”

Forward of TwitchCon 2023 in Las Vegas, Polygon spoke to Ash about how she’s carved out her personal area on Twitch.

[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Polygon: First, I simply need to let I really like the gathering within the background.

AshSaidHi: Thanks! That’s years and years of labor. My dad and mom bought me into video gaming after I was actually younger. Even my mother, she nonetheless performs video video games. I texted her the opposite day and was like, “Did you obtain Lies of P?” and she or he was like, “Yeah, however I actually like Lords of the Fallen.” And I used to be like, “What?”

She’s a giant Soulsborne, like Elden Ring, participant. She simply purchased a PS5 and was like, “When are you getting a PS5?” I used to be like, “Mother, I play retro video games on Twitch. OK?”

I do know you began your Twitch channel in 2019. What prompted you to start out streaming?

I used to be working in an trade the place I didn’t have a work-life stability. And after I left it, I used to be like, Oh, I need to get into content material creation. And I bought into a special trade. It allowed me time to create content material. So I used to be like, I believe I’m gonna begin on Twitch. I’ve a level in promoting. The very first thing I wished to do was create an idea for my channel. And I knew I needed to have like a tagline or a name to motion. In order that’s the place the title AshSaidHi comes from, as a result of I wished it to be like, Oh, that pal, they informed me to let you know hello. It sticks in your mind just a little bit. And so it’s like, “Oh, don’t overlook to inform your mates Ash mentioned hello.” That’s how I at all times wished to finish my movies.

I began on Tetris 99 and Breath of the Wild. These have been the primary video games I broadcast on Twitch. However I’ve this huge backlog of video video games. Why don’t I begin stepping into retro video games? And that’s the way it it actually snowballed. I bought right into a retro video games, and the group was great. They taught me the ropes, I met a variety of pals — pals that I nonetheless should today. It modified my life for the higher in so many alternative methods.

I actually, actually love being a creator on Twitch. The magic is within the sense of group that you simply get once you meet folks and so they share the love of the identical issues. I met like individuals who have been into Amiga 500 gaming, and Commodore and NES and Tremendous Nintendo and all that type of stuff. I knew I discovered my folks.

Do you stream full time?

It’s what I primarily spend my time doing. It’s at all times a humorous query as a result of when folks say “stream full time on Twitch,” they think about it means eight hours a day, 5 days per week. However I believe it implies that I put all my concentrate on it. I do a variety of sponsorship work and a variety of offline work for my channel. So technically, sure.

How lengthy did it take to get to the purpose the place you may spend that point on Twitch and the enterprise behind it?

I began in 2019 after which I bought Twitch Companion in November 2020. And I used to be like, OK, wait a minute, folks actually like what I’m doing right here. I’ve an enticing group, I attempt to by no means miss a message in chat — I actually have chat up on like three or 4 screens.

As soon as I hit Companion, I came upon concerning the Twitch Ambassador program, as a result of I noticed any person with a verify and I clicked it. I utilized and talked about all the talents that I had discovered. And I talked about why I used to be passionate for what I do. They known as me again a couple of months later and have been like, “We need to invite you into this system.”

I used to be introduced March 2021, and on the time, additionally they had a billboard in Instances Sq.. I’m initially from New York, however I now not dwell there. They put my image up on that billboard. And at that time, it type of gave me a type of sense that there’s credibility to what I’m doing, which is de facto essential for me. I flew up from the place I dwell again as much as New York, and I informed my mother and she or he was freaking out. It was such a surreal second. For me, in my hometown — the crossroads of the world — here’s a image of me. Then it snowballed from there. I knew I wished to take it significantly.

One of many issues that I do this helps me maintain my enterprise is sponsored broadcast. Due to my skilled background, and the way in which that I talk — I work on attempting to construct good bonds with builders or advertising and marketing folks. I make it possible for I do my due diligence, to be on time and to be aware within the second and be skilled. Each time I’m known as upon for a job, I put a variety of satisfaction into what I’m doing. I knew issues have been getting severe when folks began paying me to play video video games.

I really like that it permits me freedom to have the ability to journey to issues like TwitchCon. And it permits me to go spend time with my mother, or to only take time to calm down, like I can have that work-life stability and never should request this break day or issues like that. And my mother is de facto happy with me. Once I discuss it to my members of the family, they’re at all times so blissful for the issues that I’m doing.

It’s cool to listen to you discuss that work-life stability, as a result of I believe generally once you hear about folks doing Twitch, it may be grinding out streams for 12 hours straight. It’s good that you simply’re capable of have a stability.

That’s key, proper? I can’t do my greatest work if I’m not caring for myself. I perceive why that’s the mindset of regularly streaming, such as you’re not discoverable in the event you’re not dwell generally. That’s the conundrum. However I do really feel like in the event you put your effort and time into issues like, I’m going to start out writing just a little bit, or I’m going to start out making quick video that I can submit on social media so folks can get a way of who I’m. Even after I’m not broadcasting, folks can discover AshSaidHi. Once I’m not dwell, these issues helped me bridge the gaps.

What have you ever discovered because you began streaming about carving out that participating group you talked about earlier?

I discovered to be authentically myself — be current within the second. I at all times inform folks this once they meet me in individual, that you simply’re assembly the Ash that you simply see on digicam. I’m at all times speaking about my mother and my dad and the way they bought me into video video games. I really feel like I’m sharing the perfect elements of myself — what I grew up with.

I discuss meals on a regular basis on my channel. If you happen to meet me, I do know all of the locations in New York the place you may get some good meals, what I’m saying? Like, that is sort of a huge a part of who I’m. I really like Star Trek, I really like Nintendo, I really like drawing, I really like all of these issues. And I really like sharing these issues with folks. Being excited concerning the issues that we love… I believe that’s key — having the ability to share the issues about you’d that you may join with folks.

I believe that that’s additionally the magic of Twitch — connecting with folks. It’s a folks platform first to me. We go on there, we play video video games — whether or not it’s taking part in video video games or cooking, exercising, ASMR, chatting or no matter it’s on Twitch. Individuals go there to attach with folks. Individuals go to Twitch to attach concerning the issues they love and discover different folks which can be into the issues they love. That’s how I constructed an enticing group.

What ought to folks learn about your profession as a streamer, or about Twitch itself?

I might like to share the ability of group on Twitch. There may be the Twitch Ladies’s Guild, which is unbelievable, as a result of not solely does it join girls and empower girls to be who they’re on Twitch, however it’s a spot the place we cheer one another on. It’s a secure area for us to type of speak concerning the issues that impression us in our each day lives as broadcasters.

I did a Creator Camp with a few of the girls which can be in that group and it was unbelievable. And I additionally did a present known as Streamer Methods. I attempt to do a present as soon as a month the place we discuss totally different methods that you simply is perhaps eager about for streaming. The primary one I did was artistic monetization. However the subsequent one I did was collaboration. I really feel like a variety of actually great alternatives come from having the ability to join with different folks like that. And it’s such an important program. It’s among the finest issues that Twitch created as a result of it provides us an area to study. And it provides us an area to discuss our experiences. Additionally they give a variety of instruments to us to assist us prolong our expertise.

Particularly for ladies, Black folks, folks of colour, issues like that solidify the truth that we belong on this area. And I believe that it’s so essential to encourage individuals who really feel like they don’t know in the event that they belong, proper? As a result of we see a lot of that. I’m actually grateful for all of these alternatives that I’ve been given. I simply need to make it possible for folks understand how superior these sorts of instruments and sources are, as a result of with out issues like that, you query whether or not or not you are able to do it.

What number of instances have you ever labored on one thing and persons are like, “Oh, can you actually do it?” They’re questioning your intelligence, or they’re saying, “You simply bought by on, like, sure qualities.” However no — there’s so many hardworking people that get an area due to issues like that. I simply love that area for us.