When the word streamers is mentioned in the outside world, most people assume console/PC gamers playing the likes of Fortnite and FIFA. Yet behind the video gaming industry there’s a streaming section in slots which is constantly evolving.
One streamer, by the name of Gloomy Julius, took the drastic approach of leaving her last official job over two months ago to become a full-time streamer.
In the two months since she decided to stream slots full time she has racked up 5.5k followers on her Twitch channel, at the time of writing this.
SlotBeats spoke to Gloomy Julius about her decision to leave her job to stream, her relatively early career in slots and ambitions for the future within the industry.
SlotBeats: What’s your name and where are you from (pseudonym, real first name, nationality, where you live)
Julia: Hey! My name is Julia and I am from Belarus. Yes, it’s that little country mostly known for putting up with the infamous ‘Europe’s last dictator’, yes, the one who’s been occupying the throne for the last 26 years.
SB: When did you get into streaming/start playing slots?
Julia: I started streaming the very same day I started playing slots – around two months ago.
That time, I said goodbye to the last official job I had and sat down to think long and hard – what did I want to do next? My profession is that of an ESL teacher – teaching English as the second language. I’ve been doing it for six years, starting in the fifth year of my university.
I’ve taught kids in schools, students at a university, people of all ages and of all levels at various language courses, taught in groups and individually, online and offline, etc., etc. I loved doing it, it’s a very engaging and creative occupation, but somehow it’s never been enough for me.
Another passion of mine has been modeling, I’ve been doing it since 2012. I have a huge portfolio, worked with a ton of very talented people, took part in and organised the most amazing projects – but it’s never been a source of money for me, only a way to express myself.
One last question remains – why slots? There are a number of reasons for this choice, too. The first one is the fact that the ‘market’ for slot streamers is not too huge yet, meaning that, with everything done correctly, I would be able to go big and start actually earning with my streams rather fast.
The second reason for choosing the slots was that I wanted to have a nice picture of Something Going On on the screen which would attract viewers but also give me the opportunity to relentlessly talk about everything in the world – including, of course, the actual slots.
The third reason was that it was an actual advice from a couple of friends who are in the business – they were like, ‘Julia, go for it, you’re going to do really well in this sphere with your fresh approach to things! People will love it! Don’t hesitate, just do it!’ So yeah, I did it!
SB: What’s your favourite thing about streaming slots play?
Julius: My favourite thing is finding the games that I will love: a) lookwise, b) soundwise, c) designwise. I absolutely love it when a game has a personality! When there is some novelty element to it, with, maybe, an unusual technical decision, or an exciting story to uncover, or a fun little bonus game to play, or cool characters to follow or if it’s about vampires!
SB: What has been your favourite slot moment streaming?
Julius: Well, there was a very nice moment when I realised that there are people sticking around with me and coming back to my streams again and again – and they keep doing it still, which is my biggest motivation. There also were a couple of times when I won REALLY big sums which took me completely off guard because I mostly lose!
SB: What obstacles, if any, did you have to overcome when you first started streaming?
Julius: Oh, there sure were plenty! The first one was planning the budget for the streams. At the start of it, I never imagined how often I would have to deposit! I was running out of balance like every two streams, made me feel rather uncomfortable about whether I was actually up to the task financially.
I did anticipate that a lot of investment would be needed, but I wasn’t ready for the fact that I’d have to learn how to gamble, too. I thought that gambling was kind of like a swing – back and forth, back and forth, you win some, you lose some, with no strategy better than another. But I guess I was wrong about that – or just really unlucky.
The second obstacle was finding a good place to stream from. I can’t be streaming from home ‘cause it’s a rather small place we have, with my boyfriend working from home plus no place for good light and a green screen. I really wanted a green screen!
The third obstacle was figuring out how to promote myself. To be honest, I’m still kind of struggling with it. There are so many things that I need to be working at the same time, with an account in every social network plus exclusive content made for every one of them and ads running in various services to promote them… ugh, it’s a bit overwhelming at times!
But it’s OK! I know that once everything is set and working like a clock, it’ll be much easier for me. I sure look forward to that!
SB: What would you be doing if you weren’t a slot streamer?
Julius: I don’t really know, I would have probably kept doing the things that I was doing before… It’s not fun to think about it now that I’m streaming.
I think this is the life for me. I absolutely love doing it! It has all I need: communication with people and the opportunity to shine.
I really want it to work out, and I’m doing everything I can to make streaming my actual career!
SB: What would be your ideal slot if you could make one?
Julius: Ooh, this is a fun question! I would absolutely want to make it an unusual one from the technical point of view – not sure how to describe it, but I’ll try.
I’d like my perfect slot to be not just a slot spinning, but a fun interpretation of it – not just objects falling down in a grid in an orderly fashion, but a cool animation that would make you forget you’re playing a slot game and with maybe a story unfolding through it.
Or something completely different! Like shooting chickens in Crazy Chicken Extreme. Never seen another one like that, so if you know one, please let me know!
Of course, my perfect slot game would also be all about vampires and goth stuff, but we all already knew that.
SB: What makes your streaming channel such a success?
Julius: I don’t know, do you think it’s a success already? There’s still a long road ahead, which I’m galloping towards!
SB: Tell us something about yourself we wouldn’t be likely to already know?
Julius: Hmmm… have I told you about the time I quit my obligatory government job one year earlier than I should have had because they’d found out I was modelling nude?
