Meet MegMage

Today we’d like to introduce you to MegMage. 

Hi MegMage, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Ever since I can remember, I was playing video games. My earliest memory was gathering around an N64, desperately trying to keep up in Mario Kart. Gaming became my favorite pastime with my little brother and a soothing activity when life became too overwhelming. My siblings and I grew up as ex-pats–I’m American but was born in Bangkok, Thailand. This meant a lot of major international moves. Moving from Canada to Brazil, for instance, was a massive change. Returning to Azeroth in World of Warcraft or my town, Poko, in Animal Crossing was sometimes my only source of stability. Not only was it a safe haven, but a place I could practice puzzle solving, creativity, and building a community–even if my Animal Crossing villagers got sassy with me for being away too long! Games were a place that I could explore every facet of my personality, where I could be social or reclused given the day, where I could just take a second to breathe. 

Along with many other millennials, video games stuck with me through adulthood. I eventually settled down in New York City for acting school and remained there auditioning and starring in independent short films and Off-Off-Broadway productions. When I met my fiancé, we bonded over the Legend of Zelda. In a later text, I told my mom “He pulled out his DS and I fell in love.” I once booked a role in a short film, in part because I gushed with the director in the audition room over World of Warcraft. I was living out my dreams as a New York artist, writing, directing, acting, and producing my own work. I didn’t realize it yet, but the gamer side of me was a unique, magical trait that connected me with others and brought me closer to my truest self. 

In March of 2020, the COVID pandemic hit New York City. Hard. I was living there with my fiancé, balancing an acting career and a full-time babysitting job. I had dabbled in streaming games on Twitch but hadn’t really committed. With so much uncertainty, grief, sickness, and loss, I turned games. I streamed The Last of Us to 5 viewers, slowly building up a community of like-minded people who also needed a refuge. I played Animal Crossing again. I met people from all over the world and was able to speak Portuguese with the Brazilians stopped by. Isolated in my apartment, I streamed for sometimes 8 hours a day, goofing around and crying over beautiful story-driven games. 

Flashforward to October 2021. I am now a full-time streamer. Something that started as a safe haven has become my entire world. I am producing, starring, directing, and editing my own show on Twitch and YouTube. As a creative, this is so fulfilling. It took months of steadiness and hard work, but I now stream to an average of 80 concurrent viewers, with over 10,000 subscribers on YouTube, 12,000 followers on Twitch, and 226,000 followers on TikTok. I’m my own boss–I set my own hours and take days off when needed. I didn’t realize it, but I had found my dream job. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s not easy being a woman on the Internet. And it doesn’t get easier the bigger you get. The gaming and streaming world, while making some progress, still caters to men, despite women accounting for over 45% of the community. The top-earning creators are men. Just today, I read a few comments on a God of War clip where men were saying “shut up woman” and “let us have our game.” While laughable, I’m not afraid to say that, at times, it gets to me. I’m a sensitive person, which has brought me a lot of success. People watch my reactions to shocking and emotional moments for the catharsis, to feel like they’re not alone. The flipside of this is that trolls can sometimes bring me down, touching on insecurities I had growing up as a girl gamer. 

Despite this, I knew I wanted to carve a space for me in the gaming world. I knew that my success would inspire other femme presenting streamers to pursue their dreams. I strive to maintain an inclusive, welcoming space for marginalized groups. This means we talk about social issues, and have in-depth discussions nearly every stream where we connect themes in the game to current societal problems. I am met with comments like “stay out of politics and just play the game” quite often. But I wouldn’t trade those conversations for anything. It’s not the smoothest road, but it’s worth it. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My platform on the Internet is described as a cozy, chaotic space where we check in with each other, and experience story-driven games together. I believe that we’re in a gaming renaissance. Video games get a bad rap, with a lot of out-of-touch boomers saying that they “incite violence.” They couldn’t be more wrong. I have felt intense empathy by walking in a character’s shoes and literally navigating their life. The characters I’ve played have been diagnosed with terminal illness, have lost family members, are seeking atonement for their pasts. My specialty is finding these gorgeous stories and sharing them with my community. My acting training has left me with no filter or emotional walls, so if you stop by my stream, I will probably be tearing up. Feeling deeply is welcome in my space. Everyone is welcome in my space! 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I would love to keep doing what I’m doing! I have been thinking a lot about my career long-term and making steps to diversify my income and platforms. While Twitch will always be my home, this year I’ve focused on growing on YouTube, where I record exclusive lets plays. This is my passion, but I’m also pragmatic, and diversifying your income as a content creator is essential. I took a leap and posted a lot of videos on YouTube that would get 10 views. A lot of hard work for free. But it’s paying off. I recently hit 10,000 subscribers and I can pay my rent with YouTube alone! This is huge to me, and something I’m very proud of. 

I’m sure platforms will shift, some will die out, some will get bigger. By expanding my community to different sites, I am safeguarding my career. If Twitch were to implode, for example, we’d simply switch to YouTube. I can’t predict exactly what will happen, but I know that I’m building a community strong enough to withstand these changes. 

On the bright side, video games are getting more and more gorgeous, and more and more popular! I believe there will always be a need for streamers and let’s players. They’re like an on-demand friend to have, who can play a game alongside you. It’s a beautiful thing. 

Contact Info:

• Email: megmage.info@gmail.com
• Website: www.megmage.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghan.mage/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MegMage
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/megmage
• Other: https://www.twitch.tv/megmage